Non‐hierarchical learning: sharing knowledge, power and outcomes

Arguing that every student has the capacity to succeed and that every student must be provided with the opportunity to reach their full potential, this article introduces a new pedagogic approach that draws on a wide range of influences. Linking theoretical practices from sociology, pedagogy, social and educational psychology, and cultural studies, the approach posits that teaching and learning should be conducted in non‐hierarchical classrooms where all members are equal and working towards shared objectives. A theoretical frame is outlined and the factors that helped shape it are reflected on. A conceptual framework which covers the goals of instruction, instructional materials, classroom management, instructional methods, and assessment is also presented. It is hoped that educators will consider the concepts included in this article and, if possible, incorporate them into their teaching practices

Bounding the Impact of Unbounded Attacks in Stabilization

Self-stabilization is a versatile approach to fault-tolerance since it permits a distributed system to recover from any transient fault that arbitrarily corrupts the contents of all memories in the system. Byzantine tolerance is an attractive feature of distributed systems that permits to cope with arbitrary malicious behaviors. Combining these two properties proved difficult: it is impossible to contain the spatial impact of Byzantine nodes in a self-stabilizing context for global tasks such as tree orientation and tree construction. We present and illustrate a new concept of Byzantine containment in stabilization. Our property, called Strong Stabilization enables to contain the impact of Byzantine nodes if they actually perform too many Byzantine actions. We derive impossibility results for strong stabilization and present strongly stabilizing protocols for tree orientation and tree construction that are optimal with respect to the number of Byzantine nodes that can be tolerated in a self-stabilizing context

Self-Stabilization, Byzantine Containment, and Maximizable Metrics: Necessary Conditions

Self-stabilization is a versatile approach to fault-tolerance since it permits a distributed system to recover from any transient fault that arbitrarily corrupts the contents of all memories in the system. Byzantine tolerance is an attractive feature of distributed systems that permits to cope with arbitrary malicious behaviors. We consider the well known problem of constructing a maximum metric tree in this context. Combining these two properties leads to some impossibility results. In this paper, we provide two necessary conditions to construct maximum metric tree in presence of transients and (permanent) Byzantine faults

Fast and compact self-stabilizing verification, computation, and fault detection of an MST

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of distributed local verification of proofs, as a tool for the design of self-stabilizing algorithms.In particular, it introduces a somewhat generalized notion of distributed local proofs, and utilizes it for improving the time complexity significantly, while maintaining space optimality. As a result, we show that optimizing the memory size carries at most a small cost in terms of time, in the context of Minimum Spanning Tree (MST). That is, we present algorithms that are both time and space efficient for both constructing an MST and for verifying it.This involves several parts that may be considered contributions in themselves.First, we generalize the notion of local proofs, trading off the time complexity for memory efficiency. This adds a dimension to the study of distributed local proofs, which has been gaining attention recently. Specifically, we design a (self-stabilizing) proof labeling scheme which is memory optimal (i.e., $O(\log n)$ bits per node), and whose time complexity is $O(\log ^2 n)$ in synchronous networks, or $O(\Delta \log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree of nodes. This answers an open problem posed by Awerbuch and Varghese (FOCS 1991). We also show that $\Omega(\log n)$ time is necessary, even in synchronous networks. Another property is that if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the requireddetection time above, they are detected by some node in the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults.Second, we show how to enhance a known transformer that makes input/output algorithms self-stabilizing. It now takes as input an efficient construction algorithm and an efficient self-stabilizing proof labeling scheme, and produces an efficient self-stabilizing algorithm. When used for MST, the transformer produces a memory optimal self-stabilizing algorithm, whose time complexity, namely, $O(n)$, is significantly better even than that of previous algorithms. (The time complexity of previous MST algorithms that used $\Omega(\log^2 n)$ memory bits per node was $O(n^2)$, and the time for optimal space algorithms was $O(n|E|)$.) Inherited from our proof labelling scheme, our self-stabilising MST construction algorithm also has the following two properties: (1) if faults occur after the construction ended, then they are detected by some nodes within $O(\log ^2 n)$ time in synchronous networks, or within $O(\Delta \log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, and (2) if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the required detection time above, they are detected within the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults. We also show how to improve the above two properties, at the expense of some increase in the memory

UNIFIED LANGUAGE SYSTEM FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS IN WORKPLACES - an INTEGRATED & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY -

This paper describes analyzed working environment issues from statistics, ISO ergonomics standards and ecology of work theories in order to identify the requirements for the information system analysis and design, i.e., abstraction hierarchy with shift of languages, closed bottom up loop work system, etc. These requirements are satisfied by a methodology called ULS (unified language system). As a base platform of Ecological Approach to Human Machine Systems, ULS is a theory with technique for translating business languages (manuals: natural language) into modeling language (systems language) i.e. DFDs (Data Flow Diagrams), ERDs (Entity Relationship Diagrams) and Mini-specs (Miniature specifications) which are ready to be fed to the programming language generation process. Also, this study proposes successful integration of all the business systems related languages, i.e., natural/mathematical/logic languages, systems language and programming language in the form of unified language operating platform. It is concluded that the integration of business languages relying on ecological approach is promising to further enhance the worker oriented management systems theory and practice in the Web-based business world

On Structured Manuals Analysis and Design for Japanese Enterprises

This paper tries to establish an analysis and design method for internationally intelligible Japanese business manuals compilation, using a theory of transformation between a natural language and a systems language which consists of DFDs (Data Flow Diagrams), ERDs (Entity Relationship Diagrams) and Mini-specs. In Japanese enterprises nowadays, business manuals are virtually a kind of policy statement or a list of “kitei”, or regulations which do not specify detailed business procedures. On the other hand, a typical American business manual defines step-by-step business processes in greater detail. Moreover, unlike American companies, Japanese enterprises are not utilizing business manuals for the purpose of analyzing and design of computer systems and software. Recently, however, because of the now de facto global standards in terms of quality control (ISO9000s), environment protection (ISO14000s) and accounting procedures (IAS) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) computer application package which contains some parts of these standards, Japanese enterprises have come to realize the importance of incorporating American style business manuals. With this background in mind, this paper firstly defines the major characteristics essential for an “ideal” business manual that on the one hand takes into consideration current global business standards and on the other hand is compatible with the notion of systems analysis or design. Also, optimal business manual written in a natural language should be able to be transformed automatically into systems language expressed in DFDs and ERDs and Mini-specs. Finally this paper tries to establish a transformation theory called Structured Manuals Analysis and Design Theory. First of all, in researching preceding works related to systems language, this paper found that the current systems languages are designed to easily be translated directly from natural language (English) with only several basic transformation rules. Secondly, this paper found that the structure of a typical American business manual is closely related and coherent to the structure of a systems language, i.e. the policy part corresponding to ERD, the procedure part to the DFD and the process part to the Mini-spec. Thirdly, to apply the transformation rules to manuals written in the Japanese language, this paper utilizes such linguistic concepts as “surface structure” and “deep structure” (N.Chomsky) with “structured inter-language” which will be defined precisely later in this paper. To convert a natural language into the systems language, the structured inter-language supported by “Deep Case Theory” (C.Fillmore) plays the most important role in terms of verifying the semantic equivalence between natural and systems languages. Finally this conversion theory is computerized into a software package named SMAD (Structured Manuals Analysis and Design). The SMAD has already been successfully applied to Japanese enterprises’ business procedures and proven to be valid. The transformation theory also covers reverse transformation, i.e. from the systems language into a natural language – in our case, English or Japanese. Although there are some points to be improved, the transformation theory will contribute to Japanese enterprises that are about to be globalized by letting them utilize an effective business procedure manual