Metacognition and Classroom Instruction

When applied to the reading task, metacognition refers to the readers\u27 ability to monitor their own comprehension of material and to invoke the appropriate skills and strategies necessary for comprehension. The purpose of this article is to review some of the recent research on metacognition and to present some implications for its use in classroom instruction

Innovations in Practical Work at the Tertiary Level

A survey of the aims, philosophy and assessment techniques in practical work since 1805 was carried out. Evaluation of the practical courses at Glasgow University revealed two main weaknesses in the present system. These were that the effectiveness of learning in the laboratory was low and that the student was given no opportunity to think for himself. A two stage laboratory model was devised to overcome these weaknesses. Learning Stage → Experience Stage (Reinforcement ) The aim of the learning stage is to teach the skills unique to the laboratory such as manipulative skills and other ancillary skills such as graph drawing and to provide the student with practice in mastering the techniques. The aim of the experience stage is to reinforce the previously learnt techniques and to provide the student with an opportunity to think for himself in the laboratory. To evaluate practical work three types of assessment were used. The first method was that of self-report techniques where the student evaluates his own performance Both questionnaire and interview approaches were used to collect this information and an interview schedule based on the two-stage laboratory model was developed. The use of paper and pencil tests to assess the students' knowledge of practical procedures was investigated and the results analysed. A third method of assessment which involved analysing student performance in the laboratory was developed to assess the effectiveness of two films. In the / In the learning stage of the laboratory model three approaches were examined which were intended to increase the effectiveness of learning. These were, the development of two films, one on the use of the burette and the other on the use of the pipette, the introduction of pre-laboratory exercises and the adoption of a group participation approach to present selected experiments. In the experience stage two methods were examined. These were the use of open-ended experiments and, secondly, the use of projects. Suggestions for further work have been proposed which may lead to further improvement of practical courses and of assessment methods

Demographic differences in usage and attitudes to milk

Declining milk consumption is a potential public health problem because milk provides nutrients that are not abundant in other foods. Identification of the factors that may influence milk consumption may lead to development of interventions to promote more healthful behaviours. Attitudes and beliefs about food appear to be strong predictors of dietary behaviour. The objective of this study was to survey a random sample of consumers in regard to their milk consumption and attitudes and beliefs about milk. Two telephone surveys were conducted one year apart. The questionnaire included attitude items that reflected the main themes of consumers\u27 interest in milk.The respondents\u27 attitudes were complex and were related to demographics and milk consumption. In general, people\u27s concerns about milk related to what was important in their lives; what threatened them physically and emotionally. Women held more positive attitudes, but they were concerned about the fat content of milk. Men were less aware of milk\u27s nutritional benefits and, as a result, were less appreciative of its value.The findings from this investigation provide an opportunity to develop appropriate public health initiatives to promote the consumption of high calcium foods and to address the barriers to drinking milk. Nutrition communications in collaboration with other health agencies and the milk industry could support these initiatives.<br /

Dialogue Journals as a Vehicle for Preservice Teachers to Experience the Writing Process (I Like Him; Should I Tell Him at Recess?)

Basic to the tenets of wholistic literacy instruction are the beliefs that reading and writing should be relevant to the learner, should serve real-life purposes and, consequently, should be meaningful (Goodman, 1986). Dialogue journals, described as written conversations between two or more people over an extended period of time (Staton, 1988), fit this description. Communication within a dialogue journal is in formal and focuses on topics of mutual interest. They provide an arena for young students that is risk-free and empowering as new readers and writers are encouraged to use their invented spelling and to learn about literacy in an integrative manner (Bode, 1989). Dialogue journals serve as bridges between spoken conversation and written expression and help students develop an awareness of the real purposes of reading and writing (Gambrell, 1985). In addition, these journals provide a forum for sharing ideas, developing literacy skills and enhancing participants abilities to interact on paper in a warm and human way

New Zealanders\u27 attitudes to milk : implications for public health

Objective: To identify consumer attitudes and beliefs about (liquid) milk that may be barriers to consumption.Design: Two random-quota telephone surveys conducted in Auckland one year apart. Respondents were questioned about their usual milk intake and their attitudes to milk. The questionnaire included attitude items that reflected the main themes of consumer interest in milk.Setting: New Zealand.Subjects: Seven hundred and thirteen respondents in the baseline survey and a separate sample of 719 respondents in the follow-up survey.Results: At least one-third of the respondents consumed less than a glass (250ml) of milk a day. Non-consumption was highest in young women (15%). People\u27s concerns about milk related to what was important in their lives; what threatens them physically and emotionally. Women held more positive attitudes but they were concerned about the fat content of milk. Men were less aware of milk\u27s nutritional benefits and as a result were less appreciative of its value.Conclusions: There is an opportunity to develop public health initiatives to address the barriers to drinking milk. Industry&ndash;health alliances may be an effective means to provide positive nutrition messages about milk and to engage the support of health professionals.<br /

Reanalysis of perceptual confusion matrices

This paper presents a study reformatting and reanalyzing data collected in a 1955 study of the perception of sixteen different consonants in consonant-vowel combinations, by human listeners

Identifying smart conducting materials for Wi-Fi electromagnetic interference shielding

The objective of this paper is to identify a suitable coating material in order to tune the microwave radiation and produce absorption losses for Wi-Fi devices. It is also desirable to obtain high absorption losses outside the Wi-Fi microwave frequency range of 2.4 GHz. Literature reviews of several types of material are described and compared for the use of the selected material in order to coat a Wi-Fi device for the desired absorption losses for that device. The selected material for the Wi-Fi device is usually a metal material or a combination of metals like Aluminium in polymer matrix with different types of composites. The choice of materials will aim to target the tuning of the electromagnetic spectrum at a frequency in the range of 2.4 GHz. The paper focuses on two groups of polymer materials; conducting material as a result of composites like Carbon Nanotube Composites (CNC) or other metal composites. The second group is the Intrinsic Conducting Polymer (ICP) which conducts as a result of doping with other materials. A third group is the highly conductive metals like copper and aluminum. The metals are used as a reference comparator to the other two groups

Where Water and Wellbeing Intersect: The Great Lakes and its People

People who live in resource-dependent communities are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts that climate change and environmental degradation may have on their mental health and wellbeing. Resource-dependent communities rely heavily on environmentally extractive production activities for income, a sense of identity, and factors that influence the quality of life. Existing research on how the environment and natural resources can influence mental health suggests that to adequately understand where these connections lie, the links between individual communities and particular types of resources must be examined. &nbsp;In the last 100 years, the Great Lakes region has experienced temperature and precipitation changes because of climate change, and the wellbeing of the people living in this area is at risk due to how they rely on safe and accessible water. This thesis explores how environmental change impacts the health of individuals, the bonds of communities, and the stability of economies within the Great Lakes Basin. A scoping review of 21 sources reveals that these impacts are partitioned between health, community, and economy and that these consequences can ultimately influence the mental health and wellbeing of people who depend on freshwater resources.</p

Consumers` sensory and nutritional perceptions of three types of milk

Objective: To identify consumer perceptions of whole milk, reduced-fat milk and soy milk, and to investigate demographic influences on perceptions and types of milk consumption. Design and setting: Questionnaires covering nutritional and sensory perceptions of three types of milk.Subjects: Three hundred and sixty-one randomly selected shoppers in Melbourne, Australia.Results: Generally, respondents held positive perceptions about milk. Milk was considered as having good sensory properties, providing a good source of nutrients, and being a convenient and safe product. However, despite these findings, misperceptions and unawareness about the nutrient content of milk were prevalent. Negative perceptions were most common for whole milk and were mostly related to its perceived high fat, cholesterol and energy contents. Soy milk received lower ratings on sensory quality and convenience than dairy milk. There were few sociodemographic differences in consumers\u27 perceptions. Although reduced-fat milk consumption was more frequent among elderly people and type of milk consumption was related to parenthood, no other significant effects of demographic variables were found on the consumption of specific milk types.Conclusion: Although positive perceptions were common, negative perceptions and misperceptions appear to be prevalent, presenting a challenge for nutrition education. Sociodemographic factors were not shown to be important predictors of perceptions and type of milk consumption