Improving science and mathematics instruction - the SINUS-project as an example for reform as teacher professional development

This article presents an example of teacher professional development based on a perspective of situated learning and implemented on a large scale. We consider teacher professional development from three perspectives. First, teacher professional development is a key factor in improving classroom instruction. Second, teacher professional development is a vehicle for conveying knowledge from research into classrooms. Third, teacher professional development is an object of research itself. A German project to improve science and mathematics teaching (SINUS) – comprising 180 schools in a pilot-phase and more than 1,700 schools in a second phase of scaling-up – serves as an example of this framework for teacher professional development. Using these three views we describe the foundations of the programme and provide a brief account of the programme’s background and its conception. We show how the central elements of the programme (11 modules) are based on an in-depth analysis of science and mathematics education, as well as how those modules structure the professional development of the teachers. Finally, we provide an overview of the evaluation of the programme. A large-scale comparison between SINUS schools and a representative sample of German schools tested in PISA 2003 showed positive effects of the programme with regard to students' interest and motivation as well as competencies in science and mathematics. In the light of these findings, we argue that teachers’ learning related to daily pedagogical challenges in the classroom should be central to professional development initiatives

Developing Instructional Quality in School-Networks. Baseline Conditions for the Implementation in a Pilot Program to Increase the Efficiency of Mathematics and Science Instruction

Implementationsforschung wird unter dem Aspekt bedeutsamer Ausgangsbedingungen an den von einer Innovation betroffenen Institutionen betrachtet. Im Blickpunkt steht der Qualitätsentwicklungsansatz des Programms zur "Steigerung der Effizienz des mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichts" (SINUS) der Bund-Länder-Kommission für Bildungsplanung und Forschungsförderung. Dabei wird geprüft, ob die beteiligten Programmschulen eine besondere Selektion in Bezug auf schulbezogene Ausgangslagen darstellen. Es werden vier Bereiche betrachtet: Familiärer Hintergrund der Schülerinnen und Schüler, motivationale Orientierungen und Präferenzen im mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Bereich, Schulklima und Kompetenzen in Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften. Bei der Erhebung der Ausgangslage wurden 136 SINUS-Schulen mit national entwickelten PISA-Instrumenten getestet. Die Ergebnisse können daher mit Daten einer für Deutschland repräsentativen Stichprobe (PISA/E 2000) verglichen werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich das Programm nicht systematisch auf eine Selektion besonderer Schulen bezieht. Sie werden zum einen in Hinblick auf die Implementationsforschung, zum anderen in ihrer Bedeutung für die allgemeine Übertragbarkeit der Implementation an weiteren Schulen diskutiert. (ZPID)In the article implementation research is treated in the light of relevant conditions at schools affecting an innovation. The quality development approach of the pilot program to increase the efficiency of mathematics and science instmction (SINUS) serves as an example to investigate this question. From an implementation research perspective it is important to examine which conditions foster or hamper the implementation of the approach. To study these questions systematic data concerning relevant conditions at the beginning of the program have to be available. Baseline data from the participating schools will be reported. Whether or not the participating schools have been recruited from a special selection of (e. g. excellent) schools will also be reported. Four aspects will be looked at: family background of the students, motivational variables with regard to mathematics and science teaching, school climate and competencies in mathematics and science. 136 program schools took part in the baseline study using nationally developed German PISA instruments. The results can, therefore, be compared with a representative group of schools (PISA/E 2000, the national representative extension of the German PISA sample). The study provides information on relevant baseline conditions in the participating schools that is needed as a prerequisite for carrying out implementation research. Results show that the program does not draw on a special selection of schools. These results are discussed in the light of implementation research, and in their meaning for generalizing the implementation for a larger group of schools. (DIPF/Orig.

Automated seamless DNA co-transformation cloning with direct expression vectors applying positive or negative insert selection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Molecular DNA cloning is crucial to many experiments and with the trend to higher throughput of modern approaches automated techniques are urgently required. We have established an automated, fast and flexible low-cost expression cloning approach requiring only vector and insert amplification by PCR and co-transformation of the products.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our vectors apply positive selection for the insert or negative selection against empty vector molecules and drive strong expression of target proteins in <it>E.coli </it>cells. Variable tags are available both in N-terminal or C-terminal position. A newly developed β-lactamase (ΔW290) selection cassette contains a segment inside the β-lactamase open reading frame encoding a stretch of hydrophilic amino acids that result in a T7 promoter when back-translated. This position of the promoter permits positive selection and attenuated expression of fusion proteins with C-terminal tags. We have tested eight vectors by inserting six target sequences of variable length, provenience and function. The target proteins were cloned, expressed and detected using an automated Tecan Freedom Evo II liquid handling work station. Only two colonies had to be picked to score with 85% correct inserts while 80% of those were positive in expression tests.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results establish co-transformation and positive/negative selection cloning in conjunction with the provided vectors and selection cassettes as an automatable alternative to commercialized high-throughput cloning systems like Gateway^®or ligase-independent cloning (LIC) <b/>.</p

16.食道静脈瘤出血に対する経皮経肝塞栓術の経験(第638回千葉医学会例会・第1内科教室同門会例会)

Additional file 1: Table S1–S21. Lists of primers used in PCR experiments

Seamless Insert-Plasmid Assembly at High Efficiency and Low Cost

Seamless cloning methods, such as sequence- and ligation-independent cloning (SLIC) or the Gibson assembly, are essential tools for the construction of protein expression plasmids. We here show that single-stranded gaps in double-stranded plasmids, which for example occur in typical SLIC protocols, can drastically decrease the efficiency at which the DNA transforms competent E. coli bacteria. Conversely, filling-in of single-stranded gaps using DNA polymerase resulted in increased transformation efficiency. Ligation of the remaining nicks did not lead to a further increase in transformation efficiency. These data point out a critical factor for robust seamless cloning. Highly efficient insert-plasmid assembly can be achieved by using only T5 exonuclease and Phusion DNA polymerase, without Taq DNA ligase from the original Gibson protocol, which significantly reduces the cost of the reactions. We successfully used this method with two short insert-plasmid overlap regions, each counting only 15 nucleotides