Critical Pedagogy in Practice: Reflections of a K-5 Educator

The author illuminates major theoretical concepts integral to critical pedagogy as they apply to grades k-5 through a selective review of the literature and reflection on how these principles intersect with her personal and teaching experiences. A candid analysis of the author\u27s ongoing journey to put these ideas into practice, including ways in which she has felt successful and areas she continues to find challenging, is offered. Suggestions for ways in which elementary school educators can approach their teaching practices and classroom structures through the lens of critical pedagogy are included. Reactions to the thesis from several of the author’s colleagues, friends, and mentors are presented

Scientizing and Cooking : Helping Middle-School Learners Develop Scientific Dispositions

Science Education, Vol. 98, No. 1, pp. 36–63We aim to understand how to help young people recognize the value of science in their lives and take initiative to see the world in scientific ways. Our approach has been to design life-relevant science-learning programs that engagemiddle-school learners in science through pursuit of personally meaningful goals. In this paper, we analyze the case studies of two focal learners in the Kitchen Science Investigators life-relevant, science learning program. Our analysis highlights ways to design life-relevant science-learning programs to help learners connect science to their everyday lives in meaningful ways. Our findings point to the ways in which learners’ dispositions develop, which have implications for the design of programming and learning environments to promote the development of scientific dispositions

Impairment of fibrinolysis by streptokinase, urokinase and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator in the presence of radiographic contrast agents

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an adverse interaction exists between radiographic contrast agents and thrombolytic drugs. BACKGROUND: Coronary thrombosis may occur in the setting of unstable angina and after coronary angioplasty. However, the use of thrombolytic drugs in the setting of unstable angina has not been beneficial and, in one large trial of angioplasty in patients with unstable angina, was associated with an increased incidence of ischemic complications and abrupt closure. The reasons for these results are not clear. Coronary arteriography was performed in many of these trials, and it is known that fibrin structure and assembly are altered by radiographic contrast agents. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from patients before (n = 25) and after (n = 20) angiography using iohexol. Blood samples obtained before angiography were tested for response to streptokinase (10 and 100 IU/ml), urokinase (100, 200 and 500 IU/ml) and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) (100 and 1,000 IU/ml) and the results measured. Iohexol, diatrizoate or ioxaglate (4% by volume) was added to separate aliquots of the baseline sample, and the test was repeated. Blood samples obtained after angiography were tested in a similar manner. RESULTS: The onset of lysis at baseline by rt-PA at 1,000 IU/ml occurred at 72 +/- 8.2 s (mean +/- SD) and was markedly delayed in the presence of diatrizoate (527 +/- 181.7 s, p < 0.001) or iohexol (460 +/- 197.0 s, p < 0.001) but not ioxaglate. At 100 IU/ml, there was no lysis detected with rt-PA after the addition of any contrast agent. The addition of a contrast agent caused similar delays in the onset of lysis by urokinase and streptokinase; similar to rt-PA, the effect was smaller at higher concentrations of drug. In vivo blood samples obtained from the patient after angiography showed delays in the onset of lysis by rt-PA and urokinase but not streptokinase. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that radiographic contrast agents impede fibrinolysis. This previously undescribed interaction was demonstrated using an in vitro test system, but these findings may have clinical relevance when thrombolytic drugs are used at the time of angiography

Incorporation of pollution prevention and waste minimization practices during the decommissioning of Building 310 at Argonne National Laboratory-East

The decommissioning of radiologically contaminated buildings at Department of Energy (DOE) sites provides a major opportunity to include pollution prevention and waste minimization (P2/WMin) practices to minimize waste using authorized release opportunities, and recycle and reuse (R2) activities on a complex-wide basis. The ``P2/WMin Users Guide for Decommissioning Projects`` (a.k.a. Users Guide or Guide) will be used to incorporate P2/WMin practices into the decommissioning and dismantlement (D and D) of Building 310 retention tanks at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E). The Building 310 service floor retention-tank facility contains ten isolated retention tanks that served to store excess radioactive liquids generated during process operations. The building consists of three rooms containing three tanks each and a larger room containing one tank. Due to a concern that the deteriorating facility could expose personnel working in the vicinity to radioactive contamination, a decision was made to decommission the building. The Users Guide, a document prepared under the auspices of the Office of Pollution Prevention (EM-77), details a step-by-step approach for incorporating P2/WMin options into a project`s documentation and subsequent decommissioning activities. It is a compilation of lessons learned and strategic P2/WMin initiatives from across the DOE complex. The benefits derived from using P2/WMin initiatives for the D and D of Building 310 include an accelerated decommissioning schedule, reduction in health risk, and the elimination of six release sites from the DOE EM-40 list. The benefits derived from implementation of P2/WMin initiatives into this project include cost savings, reduction in long-term liability, and deployment of technologies without impacting scope or schedule for the project

Becoming a special educator – Finnish and Swedish students' views of their future profession

Peer reviewe

Digital game elements, user experience and learning

The primary aim of this paper is to identify and theoretically validate the relationships between core game design elements and mechanics, user motivation and engagement and consequently learning. Additionally, it tries to highlight the moderating role of player personality traits on learning outcomes and acceptance and suggest ways to incorporate them in the game design process. To that end, it outlines the role of narrative, aesthetics and core game mechanics in facilitating higher learning outcomes through intrinsic motivation and engagement. At the same time, it discusses how player goal orientation, openness to experience, conscientiousness, sensation seeking and need for cognition influence the translation of the gameplay experience into valuable learning outcomes and user acceptance of the technology

YOUNG CHILDREN\u27S UNDERSTANDING AND RECALL OF A SHORT STORY

The investigator hypothesized that very young children construct components of story schemata, and that changing structures of story schemata would be apparent in the protocols of children between the ages of 3 and 5. The subjects included 3, 4, and 5 year olds, 10 at each age level. These subjects were evaluated as being articulate and able to provide comprehensible verbal responses to the interview. A fable was used, and analyzed. Analysis of micropropositions was based upon Kintsch\u27s (1977) method, as described in a handbook by Turner and Greene (1977). Analysis of macropropositions was based upon van Dijk\u27s method (1977). A story grammar analysis was performed, based upon Kintsch (1977). The interview was carried out in each subject\u27s home. The interview allowed for free-recall, probed recall, and picture-assisted probed recall. The results indicated that where memory limitation was less likely to interfere, namely, in Episode 3, most of the 3 year olds recalled all three macropropositions. The 4 year olds recalled more in Episode 2 than did the 3 year olds, indicating a developmental decrease in the reliance on recency in recall of responses. The 5 year olds recalled the story categories in a manner most similar to that of older children and adults and indicated a strong awareness of the need to recall the important parts of the story, rather than those parts most recently heard. They recalled the Exposition macropropositions more frequently than any other category. This finding is consistent with findings in the research literature on older children and adults, such as that of Stein and Glenn (1978), and Mandler and Johnson (1977). The investigator concluded that, while 5 year olds were the most successful in remembering the micropropositions of each episode, of transforming these into the macropropositions, and of weighing the components of these episodes, nevertheless, the 3 and 4 year olds demonstrated a sophisticated command of the story structures, at both microproposition and macroproposition levels