438 research outputs found
Newly qualified physical education teachersâ experiences of developing subject knowledge prior to, during and after a Postgraduate Certificate in Education course
Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspections of secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) physical education courses in England between 1996 and 1998 (OFSTED, 1999) were critical of student teachers' subject knowledge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of subject knowledge and influences on the development of that subject knowledge in a sample of three newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who had completed a PGCE physical education course in England. The research comprised semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation. Among these three NQTs there were some similarities, but more differences in terms of the development of subject knowledge as well as different influences on the development of subject knowledge. These results suggest that teacher educators may need to be flexible in how they approach and support the development of student teachers' subject knowledge. Results also suggest that teacher educators should work more closely with colleagues teaching sports-related undergraduate degree courses to support the development of subject knowledge for those students who wish to progress to a PGCE physical education course
Stability of Relativistic Matter With Magnetic Fields
Stability of matter with Coulomb forces has been proved for non-relativistic
dynamics, including arbitrarily large magnetic fields, and for relativistic
dynamics without magnetic fields. In both cases stability requires that the
fine structure constant alpha be not too large. It was unclear what would
happen for both relativistic dynamics and magnetic fields, or even how to
formulate the problem clearly. We show that the use of the Dirac operator
allows both effects, provided the filled negative energy `sea' is defined
properly. The use of the free Dirac operator to define the negative levels
leads to catastrophe for any alpha, but the use of the Dirac operator with
magnetic field leads to stability.Comment: This is an announcement of the work in cond-mat/9610195 (LaTeX
Semi- and Non-relativistic Limit of the Dirac Dynamics with External Fields
We show how to approximate Dirac dynamics for electronic initial states by
semi- and non-relativistic dynamics. To leading order, these are generated by
the semi- and non-relativistic Pauli hamiltonian where the kinetic energy is
related to and , respectively. Higher-order
corrections can in principle be computed to any order in the small parameter
v/c which is the ratio of typical speeds to the speed of light. Our results
imply the dynamics for electronic and positronic states decouple to any order
in v/c << 1.
To decide whether to get semi- or non-relativistic effective dynamics, one
needs to choose a scaling for the kinetic momentum operator. Then the effective
dynamics are derived using space-adiabatic perturbation theory by Panati et. al
with the novel input of a magnetic pseudodifferential calculus adapted to
either the semi- or non-relativistic scaling.Comment: 42 page
Action research in physical education: focusing beyond myself through cooperative learning
This paper reports on the pedagogical changes that I experienced as a teacher engaged in an action research project in which I designed and implemented an indirect, developmentally appropriate and childâcentred approach to my teaching. There have been repeated calls to expunge â or at least rationalise â the use of traditional, teacherâled practice in physical education. Yet despite the advocacy of many leading academics there is little evidence that such a change of approach is occurring. In my role as teacherâasâresearcher I sought to implement a new pedagogical approach, in the form of cooperative learning, and bring about a positive change in the form of enhanced pupil learning. Data collection included a reflective journal, postâteaching reflective analysis, pupil questionnaires, student interviews, document analysis, and nonâparticipant observations. The research team analysed the data using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Six themes emerged from the data: teaching and learning, reflections on cooperation, performance, time, teacher change, and social interaction. The paper argues that cooperative learning allowed me to place social and academic learning goals on an even footing, which in turn placed a focus on pupilsâ understanding and improvement of skills in athletics alongside their interpersonal development
Sequential decoupling of negative-energy states in Douglas-Kroll-Hess theory
Here, we review the historical development, current status, and prospects of
Douglas--Kroll--Hess theory as a quantum chemical relativistic electrons-only
theory.Comment: 15 page
Stability and Instability of Relativistic Electrons in Classical Electro magnetic Fields
The stability of matter composed of electrons and static nuclei is
investigated for a relativistic dynamics for the electrons given by a suitably
projected Dirac operator and with Coulomb interactions. In addition there is an
arbitrary classical magnetic field of finite energy. Despite the previously
known facts that ordinary nonrelativistic matter with magnetic fields, or
relativistic matter without magnetic fields is already unstable when the fine
structure constant, is too large it is noteworthy that the combination of the
two is still stable provided the projection onto the positive energy states of
the Dirac operator, which defines the electron, is chosen properly. A good
choice is to include the magnetic field in the definition. A bad choice, which
always leads to instability, is the usual one in which the positive energy
states are defined by the free Dirac operator. Both assertions are proved here.Comment: LaTeX fil
The influence of the physical education teacher on intrinsic motivation, self-confidence, anxiety, and pre-and post-competition mood states
One of the fundamental problems facing teachers of physical education (PE) is how to increase pupils' motivation. From the point of view of goal achievement, guidelines need to be established so that information may be used to greater effect in classes. This study examined the relationship between the motivational climate created by the PE teacher and the intrinsic motivation of the preparatory sessions together with self-confidence and anxiety prior to competition and pre- and post-competition mood states. The sample was made up of school children (M age = 11.7) from a state school (N = 115), who, after an introduction to an athletics course of 12 sessions, took part in a sports competition. During this time, a teacher (trained to this effect) manipulated the motivational climate, adapting the strategies of TARGET (11, 12, 26, 28). The mastery climate was linked to enjoyment, perceived ability, and effort in the PE classes, as well as to pre-competition somatic anxiety and post-competition vigor. On the other hand, the performance climate was associated with self-confidence, pre-competition vigor, and post-competition stress. The results are discussed in relation to achievement goal theory and motivational climate manipulation
The microstructure of coaching practice:Behaviours and activities of an elite rugby union head coach during preparation and competition
The activities and behaviours of a female head coach of a national rugby union team were recorded in both training and competition, across a whole rugby season, using the newly developed Rugby Coach Activities and Behaviours Instrument (RCABI). The instrument incorporates 24 categories of behaviour, embedded within three forms of activity (training form, playing form and competitive match) and seven sub-activity types. In contrast to traditional drill-based coaching, 58.5% of training time was found to have been spent in playing form activities. Moreover, the proportion of playing form activities increased to a peak average of 83.8% in proximity to the teamâs annual international championship. Uniquely, one of the coachâs most prolific behaviours was conferring with associates (23.3%), highlighting the importance of interactions with assistant coaches, medical staff and others in shaping the coaching process. Additionally, the frequencies of key behaviours such as questioning and praise were found to vary between the different activity forms and types, raising questions about previous conceptions of effective coaching practice. The findings are discussed in the light of the Game Sense philosophy and the role of the head coach
Thinking differently about curriculum:Analysing the potential contribution of physical education as part of 'health and wellbeing' during a time of revised curriculum ambitions in Scotland
Guided play and free play in an enriched environment: impact on motor development
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of guided play and free play in an enriched environment
intervention programs using motor skill development in kindergarten children. Seventy-one children attending
kindergarten classes were assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Participants performed the Test
of Gross Motor Development-2 before and after the intervention period. Results revealed that both boys and girls in the
guided play group showed motor skill improvement, whereas no changes were observed in motor development in the
boys and girls assigned to the free play in enriched environment group, nor in those in the control group. These findings
indicate that the teacherâs role in the guided play intervention was crucial to help preschool children to improve their
performance.CIEC â Research Centre on Child Studies, UM (FCT R&D 317
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