Cooperative Learning in Scotland. Perspectives on the role of cooperative learning in supporting curricular policy and innovation

The stated aim of the new Curriculum for Excellence is to deliver an education system in Scotland that meets the demands of the 21st Century. The new curriculum has been the subject of controversy relating to its capacity to support learning and the approaches to learning and teaching it advocates. The changes in curriculum require developments, for some practitioners, in how learning and teaching takes place with a focus on active learning. This paper explores whether one active learning strategy, cooperative learning, can assist teachers in delivering the new curriculum. Cooperative learning is a pedagogy that has been the focus of significant research in the United States and Canada with developing interest in a variety of countries (Gillies 2000; Gillies & Boyle 2005; Johnson 1993; Johnson 1985; Kagan & Kagan 2009; Slavin 1984; Weigmann 1992) but to date the research in the UK is limited. This paper explores findings on cooperative learning in a global context and through a case study in Scotland. The case study reported in this paper reflects on the responses of pupils to the introduction of cooperative learning in a secondary school in Scotland and the ways in which this approach appeared to support them in developing the four capacities of the new curriculum

Breaking the Hard Limits: Romance, Pornography, and the Question of Genre in the Fifty Shades Trilogy

The Fifty Shades series has brought erotic fiction to a broader and more mainstream audience than ever before. In its wake, a number of erotic romance series have achieved unprecedented popularity, such as Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series and Lisa Renee Jones’ Inside Out series. These books do not fit comfortably into the genres of romance or pornography: rather, they fuse the romantic and pornographic together. This locates the multiple climaxes of pornography within the overarching emotional climax of romance and creates a structure that is both finite and infinite, allowing the books to create both instant and delayed gratification. This article examines The Sheik as a textual forebear to Fifty Shades before moving on to examine the ways in which romance and pornography are fused, overcoming the limits of serialization in romance, and creating a romantic “pornotopia.

The Strengths and Challenges of Community Organizing as an Education Reform Strategy: What the Research Says

Outlines the advantages of community organizing as a reform strategy, such as its ability to address power relationships and build political will for broad reform; evidence of impact; effective strategies, including working via alliances; and challenges

The Strengths & Challenges of Community Organizing as an Education Reform Strategy

Based on a literature review, examines the role of community organizing in ensuring the long-term sustainability of school and district reform efforts by addressing patterns of inequality in underserved communities; effective strategies; and challenges

Critical thinking, curiosity and parsimony in (emergency) medicine:‘Doing nothing’ as a quality measure?

Current medical decision-making is influenced by many factors, such as competing interests, distractions, as well as fear of missing an important diagnosis. This can result in ordering tests or providing treatments that can be harmful. Unnecessary tests are more likely to lead to false positive diagnosis or incidental findings that are of uncertain clinical relevance. Estimates indicate that almost one-third of all health spending is wasteful. The ‘Choosing Wisely’ campaign has identified many of these wasteful tests and treatments. This perspective proposes some suggestions to focus on our critical thinking, embrace shared decision-making and stay curious about the patient we are treating. Most importantly, ‘doing nothing’ could be a quality indicator for EDs, and ACEM supported audits and research to develop benchmarks for certain tests and procedures in the ED are important to achieve a cultural change.Griffith Health, School of MedicineNo Full Tex

A pulse-forming network for particle path visualization

A procedure is described for visualizing nonsteady fluid flow patterns over a wide velocity range using discrete nonluminous particles. The paramount element responsible for this capability is a pulse-forming network with variable inductance that is used to modulate the discharge of a fixed amount of electrical energy through a xenon flashtube. The selectable duration of the resultant light emission functions as a variable shutter so that particle path images of constant length can be recorded. The particles employed as flow markers are hydrogen bubbles that are generated by electrolysis in a water tunnel. Data are presented which document the characteristics of the electrical circuit and establish the relation of particle velocity to both section inductance and film exposure

The CHARA optical array

The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) was established in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University in 1984 with the goals of designing, constructing, and then operating a facility for very high spatial resolution astronomy. The interest in such a facility grew out of the participants' decade of activity in speckle interferometry. Although speckle interferometry continues to provide important astrophysical measurements of a variety of objects, many pressing problems require resolution far beyond that which can be expected from single aperture telescopes. In early 1986, CHARA received a grant from the National Science Foundation which has permitted a detailed exploration of the feasibility of constructing a facility which will provide a hundred-fold increase in angular resolution over what is possible by speckle interferometry at the largest existing telescopes. The design concept for the CHARA Array was developed initially with the contractural collaboration of United Technologies Optical Systems, Inc., in West Palm Beach, Florida, an arrangement that expired in August 1987. In late November 1987, the Georgia Tech Research Institute joined with CHARA to continue and complete the design concept study. Very high-resolution imaging at optical wavelengths is clearly coming of age in astronomy. The CHARA Array and other related projects will be important and necessary milestones along the way toward the development of a major national facility for high-resolution imaging--a true optical counterpart to the Very Large Array. Ground-based arrays and their scientific output will lead to high resolution facilities in space and, ultimately, on the Moon

Rethinking the Teacher Pipeline for an Urban Public School System

Presents a case study of community organizing for school reform by Chicago ACORN: how its coalition of community groups, training programs, teacher unions, and others shaped leadership development, district policy, school capacity, and student outcomes

Securing a College Prep Curriculum for All Students

Presents a case study of community organizing for school reform by Los Angeles' Community Coalition: how its intergenerational campaign for college preparatory classes shaped leadership development, district policy, school capacity, and student outcomes