A junior school science unit on the solar system: Learning to think like a scientist

This article highlights the ways in which a Year 1‒3 teacher in a decile 8 rural primary school used the Science Learning Hub website (www.sciencelearn.org.nz) to develop her own science knowledge and to introduce her 20 five- and six-year-olds to the planets, and to the research that scientists undertake to extend their knowledge. The research was undertaken as part of the Science Learning Hub’s (Hub) ongoing research in evaluating its usefulness for practitioners. Hub researchers observed the class over three days during the second week of the unit, and interviewed the teacher about her approaches to the unit. The research explored how a new entrant teacher might make use of the Hub resources in conjunction with other materials to help children begin to think like scientists. Detail of the materials and two of the activities that were used is given and there is a discussion around how these activities encouraged the children to articulate their ideas and listen to the views of others, including those of ‘expert’ scientists. Implications for teaching are highlighted to show how teachers of very young children can stimulate children’s interest and curiosity in science, and help children to start a journey towards ‘thinking like a scientist’

Reading to learn about birds and their conservation.

The article discusses the importance of active reading concerning the various species of birds in New Zealand. It notes that this kind of activity will enhance the cognitive skills of students and will aid them in understanding the broader concepts of science. It mentions that students who are aiming to become future scientists must be able to investigate the causal factors behind the contingent extinction of birds in the country to determine the appropriate conservation methods

Remanufacturing process for used automotive electronic control components in China

China's recycling roadmap and technology scheme for used automotive electronic control components are investigated. The mathematical analysis model of the remanufacturing process is established on the basis of stochastic network technology, as well as on the graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT). In addition, the calculation method used for estimating single-product remanufacturing time is examined. The objective of this study is to determine the probability of success for the remanufacturing of used automotive electronic control components and remanufacturing time. On the basis of experimental parameters, we simulate the remanufacturing process using the Monte Carlo simulation in Crystal Ball. Compared with the result of the GERT model (8.5114 h), the simulation error rate is 0.225%. This consistency in results indicates that both the stochastic network model and Crystal Ball can accurately simulate the remanufacturing process of used automotive electronic control components, making these techniques feasible approaches for such processes. Aside from numerical experiments on and sensitivity analyses of key processes, the relationship between total remanufacturing time and five influencing factors is identified. Total remanufacturing time can be significantly reduced by optimizing the key processes. The optimization methods are also investigated

Demystifying the impact of educational leadership on teachers’ subjective well-being:A bibliometric analysis and literature review

This study aims to offer a review of research on the impact of leadership on shaping teachers’ subjective well-being, utilizing metadata from the Web of Science. The study utilized bibliometric analysis techniques to showcase the prominent researchers and countries, along with their collaborative networks and the field's scientific foundations. Narrative reviews of the main themes across the entire corpus and h-classics publications provided further insights into the topic. The findings indicate a consistent growth in research activity within this field over the last decade. The foundations of research in this field have been primarily rooted in educational research, psychology, management, environmental health, and health sciences. The literature consistently emphasizes the pivotal role of leadership in influencing teachers’ well-being, recognizing effective school leadership as crucial for shaping their professional experiences. Supportive leadership is particularly highlighted for fostering a positive work environment and enhancing teachers’ subjective well-being, with various leadership styles influencing overall life and job satisfaction, motivation, and mental health

Illusion optics: The optical transformation of an object into another object

We propose to use transformation optics to generate a general illusion such that an arbitrary object appears to be like some other object of our choice. This is achieved by using a remote device that transforms the scattered light outside a virtual boundary into that of the object chosen for the illusion, regardless of the profile of the incident wave. This type of illusion device also enables people to see through walls. Our work extends the concept of cloaking as a special form of illusion to the wider realm of illusion optics.Comment: Including a paper and its auxiliary materia