Examining Construction and Reproduction of the Educational Opportunity Gap: The Nation’s School Board Members Respond

This thesis explores opportunity gaps, often related to achievement gaps, in education via the analysis of school board members’ responses regarding challenges that face future education, students, and the public school system. The perceptions of these school board members serve to address the sources, prevalence, and effects of inequities that exist in widening (perpetuating) this gap between students. After discussing and elaborating upon the perceived challenges and barriers located in the institution of education, school board member responses will again be used to present potential ways and opportunities through which the achievement gaps, relating to the success rates and testing scores of students that largely defines them, can be lessened and overcome. Societal constructs that benefit certain individuals and groups at the expense of oppressing others, such as race and socioeconomic status, commonly uphold and are upheld by large institutions, reproducing this cycle intergenerationally. The gathered responses are utilized to explore opportunities that could potentially decrease, or even diminish, the bars of inequity in the system of education and beyond

Irène Jourd’heuil, Sylvie Marchant et Marie-Hélène Priet (éd.), Cathédrale de Bourges

Cet ouvrage de grand format, bien illustré, est le fruit de deux colloques, tenus en 2009 (8e centenaire de la mort du saint archevêque Guillaume du Donjon) et en 2012, dans le cadre d’importantes campagnes de restaurations qui ont permis de renouveler les connaissances. L’analyse dendrochronologique de la charpente a précisé la datation du chœur (1195-1214) et de la nef (1225-1255) ; les portails de la façade occidentale ont fait l’objet d’une relecture, d’où il résulte notamment que le fame..

Innovative use of mobile technologies in EAP oral assessment: a pilot study from The Open University

In this chapter, we explore the use of mobile technologies in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), which is an emerging field both in language teaching and EAP. The value of mobile technologies in language learning and teaching is widely recognised. However, the extent of research on mobile technologies within EAP is extremely sparse. Particularly, opportunities for practising English academic speaking skills in open and distance learning (ODL) are often limited unlike in a face-to-face context. By the same token, assessing oral skills in ODL academic contexts is further complicated and demanding administratively and pedagogically. Addressing this gap, a pilot study was conducted with a group of English for Academic Purposes students at the Open UNiversity. A series of activities were designed and delivered through Talkback®, a voice response system powered by Learnosity (http://www.learnosity.com/ ). Talkback® allowed students to use mobile phones including smartphones, landlines, Skype or OU Voice (iTunes app) for practice and doing assignments. These students' experience of using this system was investigated through weekly online survey questionnaires and telephone interviews. The chapter reports on the results from the study. We conclude the chapter by presenting a number of pedagogical implications of the use of Talkback® for EAP oral assessment and speaking practice in the light of the results which may be applicable to other EAP contexts

La naissance des Andes au Crétacé supérieur : origine et construction du Batholite côtier sud-péruvien (région d'Arequipa)

Durant le Crétacé supérieur-Paléocène, une intense activité magmatique localisée le long de l'arc Toquepala a entraîné la création d'un relief important le long de la marge sud-péruvienne. La croissance de cet arc coïncide avec le seul soulèvement connu le long de la marge, ce qui permet de proposer qu'il en est un moteur principal. Notre étude se concentre sur une section du Batholite Côtier péruvien qui s'étend sur 80x60 km pour une épaisseur supérieure à 7 km. Les données structurales décrivent un objet complexe, constitué d'unités plutoniques dont certaines ont subi des épisodes de déformation extensive syn à post mise en place. De grandes failles normales structurent le batholite en réponse à des contraintes tectoniques et à la croissance exagérée de l'arc. L'étude géochronologique souligne la construction discontinue du batholite, au Jurassique (200-175 Ma) et au Crétacé-Paléocène (90-60 Ma). L'exploitation des données géochimiques et isotopiques (Hf, Sr, Nd) permet d'identifier un premier stade dans l'activité de l'arc, caractérisé par une prédominance des processus de mélange et de cristallisation fractionnée, et un second stade durant lequel les magmas homogénéisés évoluent seulement par cristallisation fractionnée pour se mettre en place au niveau du batholite sous la forme d'unités très volumineuses. La maturité du système s'exprime par un phénomène de flare-up entre 70-60 Ma durant lequel plus de 70% du batholite est mis en place. Ce phénomène de haut flux magmatique est caractérisé par des signatures juvéniles des magmas et constitue un apport non négligeable à la croûte continentale.During the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene, intense magmatic arc activity resulted in the building of a continuous relief along the Peruvian margin. This arc growth coincided with the only known significant uplift along the coastal southern Peru. Our study has focused in the Arequipa area, on a batholith segment extending 80x60 km for a thickness bigger than 7 km. The structural study describes an object that is complex and consists of different plutonic units, that for some underwent extensive deformation syn to post emplacement. Major faults affect the batholith as a consequence of tectonic strains and exaggerate growth of the arc. The geochronological study indicates a discontinuous construction of the batholith, during the Jurassic (200-175 Ma) and the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene (90-60 Ma). Exploitation of the geochemistry and isotopic data (Hf, Sr, Nd) allows to identify an initiation stage of the arc during which fractional crystallization and mixing are predominant, and a thermal maturation stage during which magmas are homogenized in the deep crust, and evolve by fractional crystallization until the batholith level. This period leads to the construction of more than 70 % of the batholith and can thus be considered as a flare-up event. This event is characterized by juvenile signatures and also contributes significantly to the growth of the continental crust

Using mobile devices for listening and speaking practice in languages: the L120 mobile project

The Department of Languages at the Open University has always been keen to explore the use of new technologies to deliver its language courses more effectively and dynamically. As mobile learning is playing an increasingly significant role in distance learning and e-learning, we are investigating the benefits it can provide to our language students. It is in this context that the L120 Mobile Project took place. The project ran between May and July 2009 and focused on exploring the use of mobile devices in relation to listening and speaking skills. It involved students from L120 Ouverture, the French Intermediate course. One group of participants downloaded audio resources from the course website to their MP3 players or iPods and was asked to use their device to listen to audio clips. The second group tried out speaking activities via their mobile phones. In both cases, the audio resources or the activities the participants worked on were taken or adapted from L120 course materials. Both groups were asked to report via weekly short online questionnaires that included questions on functionality, context, frequency of use, the types of activities preferred. We investigated what learners thought about using mobile devices to practise listening and speaking skills, whether we should provide interactive listening and speaking activities to suit mobile devices and more generally how to integrate mobile technologies in our courses

The Interactive Oral Assessment (IOA) project; using Talkback® for practice and assessment of listening and speaking skills in languages

The Open University has always sought to exploit new technologies to deliver its language modules more effectively. Although students are offered regular tutorials (face-to-face and online) and work through a series of speaking activities on DVD-ROMs, oral practice is a crucial issue in distance learning. In collaboration with Learnosity, we offered a 6-week free pilot module aimed at two groups of students who had just completed French Beginners or level 1 English for Academic Purposes (EAP). We designed activities practising oral competency by using Talkback® (powered by Learnosity). Students accessed them on their mobile, landline, Skype or through an iPhone App. Recordings were instantly available on the Learnosity website to both students and tutors, who could mark and provide feedback. Both groups reported weekly via short online questionnaires recording their experiences. This paper discusses the findings of the project and their implications

Innovations in EAP oral assessment: the IOA project

This talk reports findings from a pilot study of academic listening and speaking skills designed for and delivered through a voice response system powered by Learnosity®. The findings based on students’ experience suggests the possibility of this system as an attractive option in open and distance learning. A number of pedagogical implications based on the findings will be presented

Spatial and temporal evolution of Liassic to Paleocene arc activity in southern Peru unraveled by zircon U-Pb and Hf in-situ data on plutonic rocks

International audienceCordilleran-type batholiths are built by prolonged arc activity along active continental margins and provide detailed magmatic records of the subduction system evolution. They complement the stratigraphic record from the associated forearcs and backarcs. We performed in-situ U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope measurements on zircon grains from a large set of plutonic rocks from the Coastal Batholith in southern Peru. This batholith emplaced into the Precambrian basement and the Mesozoic sedimentary cover. We identify two major periods of voluminous arc activity, during the Jurassic (200-175 Ma) and the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene (90-60 Ma). Jurassic arc magmatism mainly resulted in the emplacement of a dominantly mafic suite with εHf values ranging from − 9.5 to + 0.1. Published ages south of the Arequipa area suggest that the arc migrated southwestward out of the study area during the Middle Jurassic. After a magmatic gap of 85 Ma, arc activity abruptly resumed 90 Ma ago in Arequipa. Intrusive bodies emplaced into both basement and older Jurassic intrusions and strata. This activity culminated between 70 and 60 Ma with the emplacement of very large volumes of dominantly quartz-dioritic magmas. This last episode may be considered as a flare-up event, characterized by intense magmatic transfers into the crust and rapid relief creation. The Late Cretaceous-Paleocene initial εHf are shifted toward positive values (up to + 3.3 and + 2.6) compared to the Jurassic ones, indicating either a larger input of juvenile magmas, a lesser interaction with the ancient crust, or an increase of re-melting of young mantle-derived mafic lower crust. These magmatic fluxes with juvenile component are coeval with the onset of the crustal thickening at 90 Ma and represent a significant contribution to the formation of the continental crust in this area

Fitting in Versus Learning: A Challenge for Migrants Learning Languages Using Smartphones

There is great interest in the potential of smartphones to enable language learning during daily activities. However, this overlooks the paradox faced by migrant learners that while they have the educational goal of seeking to improve their language skills, they also have the cultural goal of fitting into the host society. Inappropriate use of smartphones as learning aids makes learners stand out as outsiders. Here, we investigate the use of smartphones by migrants for Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in their daily lives. We report on their participation in the trial of a system that coupled a custom smartphone app with location-based hardware triggers. This presented learning activities based on scenarios from everyday life that were prompted when approaching relevant locations around a UK town. Analysis of pre- and post- interviews indicates that social and cultural influences affect the location, timing and type of learning undertaken using the system. Participants preferred to learn in ways that were unobtrusive, and deferred engagement with content if social context inhibited use of the phone. For example, playing audio in public was seen as inappropriate. Although the app was designed with location-specific content, many participants chose to study elsewhere and at other times, in addition to accessing content from the phone at the time and place that the activity was triggered. We conclude that social context and wanting to belong are important influences for migrant learners, and emphasise the potential of MALL systems in encouraging engagement with physical and digital spaces and reflections about citizenship