Cognitive Learning Styles and Digital Equity: Searching for the Middle Way

This research is driven by a desire to understand the lifelong learner in the context of styles of learning and the emerging implications of technology enhanced learning for digital equity. Recognizing cognitive learning styles is the first step educators need to take in order to be most effective in working with students of diversity and bridging across formal and informal settings. Learning environments as a characterising feature of learning styles have undergone unprecedented change over the past decade with learning environments now blending physical and virtual space. To support the increasing diversity of learners pedagogy has to be fair, culturally responsive, equitable and relevant to the ‘virtual generation’. This in turn will inform our understanding of the ‘middle way’ in recognising cognitive learning styles , associated cultural context, and the implications to digital pedagogy equity

New iron(II) and manganese(II) complexes of two ultra-rigid, cross-bridged tetraazamacrocycles for catalysis and biomimicry

The high-spin dichloro Mn2+ and Fe2+ complexes of 4,11 dimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclo[6.6.2]-hexadecane (1) and 4.10-dimethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazabicyclo[5.5.2]tetradecane (2) provide durable new compounds of these elements for important fundamental studies and applications. The compounds are especially noteable for their exceptional kinetic stabilities and redox activity. The X-ray crystal structures of all four complexes demonstrate that the ligands enforce a distorted octahedral geometry on the metals with two cis sites occupied by labile chloride ligands. Magnetic measurements reveal that all are high spin with typical magnetic moments. Cyclic voltammetry of the complexes shows reversible redox processes at +0.110 and +0.038 V (versus SHE) for the Fe3+/Fe2+ couples of Fe(1)Cl2 and Fe(2)Cl2, respectively, while the Mn3+/Mn2+ and Mn4+/Mn2+ couples were observed at +0.585 and +1.343 V, and +0.466 and +1.232 V for the complexes Mn(1)Cl2 and Mn(2)Cl2, respectively. Mn2+(1) was found to react with H2O2 and other oxidizing agents to produce the Mn4+(1) complex. The catalytic efficacy of Mn4+(1) in aqueous solution has been assessed in the epoxidation reaction of carbamazepine and hydrogen abstraction reaction with 1,4-cyclohexadiene The complex has been found to be a selective catalyst, exhibiting moderate catalytic activity in oxygen transfer, but significantly more effective catalytic activity in hydrogen abstraction reactions