Development of an apparatus to measure thermophysical properties of wind tunnel heat transfer models

The apparatus and technique for measuring the thermophysical properties of models used with the phase-change paint method for obtaining wind tunnel heat transfer data are described. The method allows rapid measurement of the combined properties in a transient manner similar to an actual wind tunnel test. An effective value of the thermophysical properties can be determined which accounts for changes in thermal properties with temperature or with depth into the model surface. The apparatus was successfully tested at various heating rates between 19,000 and 124,000 watts per square meter

Teacher\u27s Lives and Beliefs: Influences That Shape the Teaching of U. S. History

The purpose of this study was to examine the complex influences that shape the teaching of U. S. history. Six secondary American history teachers participated in interviews and classroom observations centering on factors that affect their approach to the teaching of U. S. history. Findings indicate that there are various influences that play a significant role in determining the version of U. S. history students have the opportunity to learn. These include teachers’ personal beliefs about religion and morality, the affect of history professors, and teachers’ social class and family backgrounds. Several suggestions are made as to how teacher education programs can encourage pre-service teachers to examine the influences that shape their lives, classrooms, and students

A Habermasian Analysis of Qatar's National Teacher Professional Standards

The belief that implementing professional standards will improve teaching and learning has led many countries to embrace standards based educational reforms. Qatar is one of those nations implementing, Education for a New Era that includes the adoption of professional teacher standards. This paper examines Qatar’s professional standards for teachers using Habermas’ knowledge constitutive interests (KCIs) as a theoretical framework. Findings provide insight into how the KCIs are embedded in the professional standards. Suggestions are provided regarding the possible use of Habermas’ knowledge constitutive interests in the preparation of teachers

Addressing Christianity in American History: Are Textbooks Improving?

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Truth against truth: American and Arab history school textbooks portrayal of the Arab–Israeli conflict

Textbooks reflect a national consensus regarding the knowledge, values and perspectives that a society wants conveyed to their students. Through textbooks, students are exposed to a dominant narrative that presents an official story that shapes contemporary patriotism (Hein and Selden, 2000). This paper centers on how the narratives of textbooks portray the Arab Israeli conflict and other relevant events. Textbooks from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the United States are examined to determine what knowledge is transmitted to students about the Arab Israeli conflict. Findings indicate that the conflict is oversimplified, important information is omitted and textbooks provide limited narratives of the conflict. The authors of this study suggest the implementation of a narrative-based approach to teaching history so that students are provided with opportunities to develop a critical analysis of textbook knowledge and to discover that historical events are composed of multiple narratives that should be examined

How Critical Thinking is Taught in Qatari Independent Schools’ Social Studies Classrooms: Teachers’ Perspectives

Qatar is in the midst of a massive systemic education reform Education For a New Era. A key aspect of the reform is the expectation of teachers to develop students’ critical thinking skills. In this paper, an open-ended questionnaire and follow-up interviews revealed several aspects of critical thinking including how it is defined and taught, where in the curriculum does critical thinking flourish, and challenges and limitations of the teaching of critical thinking from the perspectives of social studies teachers in preparatory and secondary Qatari independent schools.Qatar University Internal Grant # QUEST-CED-ESD-10/11-

Critical Thinking and Qatar’s Education For a New Era: Negotiating Possibilities

In this essay, the authors use Foucauldian concepts to examine the State of Qatar’s unprecedented educational reform, Education For a New Era. One of the key components of this comprehensive reform centers on the development of students’ abilities to engage in critical and independent thought. Evoking Foucault’s concepts of regime of truth and metanarrative, the article examines the seemingly contradictory relationship between the Qatari Regime of Truth and the development of students’ critical thinking skills. The authors discuss the importance of embracing a language of possibility raising important educational issues and offering suggestions as to how educators might address these complex issues to increase the likelihood of the success of Education For a New Era

The impact of Qatar national professional standards: Teachers’ perspectives

Over the past twenty years, countries have embraced educational reforms that are driven by standards-based education that include professional standards for teachers. This is the case in Qatar where professional standards for teachers where imported to improve teaching in the midst of a major educational reform. This study presents findings from 333 teachers who completed an open-ended questionnaire designed to gain teachers’ perceptions and experiences with professional standards. Findings describe teachers’ responses regarding professional standards as an effective framework to improve the quality of teaching and learning, the influence on instruction, the positives and negatives of professional standards and the use of standards as a tool for obtaining licensure. Discussion provides additional insight into the issues and challenges of the use of professional standards to improve the quality of instruction

EDUCATION FOR A NEW ERA: STAKEHOLDERS’ PERCEPTION OF QATARI EDUCATION REFORM

The paper reports the results of a qualitative research study that explores principal, teacher, and parent perceptions with regard to Qatar’s education reform, Education for a New Era (EFNE) launched in 2004. The study focuses on the effects of the reform on each group, their perceived advantages and disadvantages of the reform, and the challenges they face in the implementation of EFNE. Data for this study was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. The results point to the positive effects of EFNE on improving instruction, principals' leadership style, and learner attitude to education. These stakeholders believe that the reform is too ambitious and sometimes unrealistic. The three groups also report challenges that revolve around the amount of extra effort and work it requires from them, the continuous reform changes, and the threats to the local culture and language. Discussion and conclusions are provided regarding EFNE