The geochemistry of ferromanganese oxide deposits and pelagic sediments of the North West Indian Ocean

Imperial Users onl

“TAKING THE STAIRS” TO BREAK THE CEILING: UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF THE INTERSECTIONS OF HISTORICAL AGENCY, GENDER EQUITY, AND ACTION

The present quasi-naturalistic study used socio-cultural theory (Wertsch, 1998), picture theory (Mitchell, 1994) and the use of historical agency as a second-order concept (Lee & Ashby, 2000; Seixas & Morton, 2013) as a way of examining the historical thinking of high school seniors as they investigated second-wave feminism. Existing literature reflects the ways in which students understand historical agency (Barton, 1997; Winter, 2001; Peck, Poyntz, & Seixas, 2011), but has yet to examine its use as a conceptual tool to dissect controversial issues in history, such as feminism. The main research question was: in what ways do high school seniors employ historical agency as an analytical lens in examining second wave feminism? Supporting research questions included: (1) In what ways do high school seniors make sense of historical agency as a tool for taking informed action? (2) How do high school seniors use historical context to evaluate individual, collective or institutional choices and their consequences? (3) How do high school seniors define gender and feminism in the context of examining the struggle for women’s political, social and/or economic equality? Data included students’ responses to a questionnaire, notes and audio-recording transcripts from a historical thinking exercise that used historic photographs, and audio-recordings and transcripts of semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that participants understand the complexities surrounding historical agency including an actor’s choice and their challenges. Participants were also able to use historical agency as a conceptual tool to investigate gender, controversial issues, and change over time. Still, participants struggled with historical context and causation and relied heavily upon a narrative of progress. Further consideration of students’ use of historical agency might offer new insight into supporting a more inclusive history curriculum that highlights historical agency and women’s history in more authentic ways

Cultivating Creativity: The Practice of Teaching for Creativity in the Elementary Classroom

Limited resources in public education and a focus on the “basics” have resulted in a narrowing of the curriculum, which, in turn, has led to a dramatically minimized role for the arts and creativity (Mishook & Kornhaber, 2006). Our world and the ways in which we access and share knowledge continue to evolve at an alarming rate. With this, complex issues arise- issues that will need fresh, innovative eyes that can cultivate creative solutions. The success of our society is fueled by creative and flexible minds that can generate innovative and authentic solutions to some of our most complex problems (Craft, 2003; Parkhurst, 1999; Pink, 2005; Robinson, 2011). Through this study, I hope to reveal that today’s teachers, even with the many constraints and limitations they face, can still prepare our youth for the diverse world they will inherit by fostering student creativity through their approach to teaching. I propose that even the most mundane standards and learning objectives can be constructed into meaningful learning experiences when our imaginations are included in the conversation (Uhrmacher, Conrad, & Moroye 2013). This study seeks to ignite that conversation. The purpose of this study is to examine the practice of teaching for four public elementary teachers who have been identified as teachers who work toward cultivating creativity and innovation in their students. Four questions guided this study: 1) What are the intentions of teachers who cultivate creativity and more specifically, creative habits of mind in students? 2) How does the classroom organization and structure of physical space help to foster creativity and creative habits of mind in students? 3) How does the teacher’s pedagogical approach help to cultivate creativity and creative habits of mind in students? 4) What is the educational significance of these ideas and practices for students, teachers, and administrators? Educational Connoisseurship and Criticism, an arts-based qualitative research method (Eisner, 1998) is used in this study. Data collection consisted of observations and interviews lasting approximately two to three weeks in each participating teachers’ classroom. Several key findings emerged. At the intentional level, all teachers addressed the process of learning, stating that they strive to engage students in a rich process of learning and critical thinking. Similarly, all participating teachers referenced the importance of joyful discovery in the learning process. The last consistent theme among the four participating teachers was the desire to create a safe atmosphere in which students felt comfortable enough to be themselves and take risks in the learning process. There were many commonalities in the physical environments of the four classrooms including freedom of choice, flexibility, and full access to classroom materials. At the pedagogical level, the teachers exhibited the following pedagogically inspired traits: they viewed themselves as facilitators of learning, they sought to promote independence and autonomy through pedagogical choices, they took steps to ensure teaching for conceptual understanding, and they sought to encourage flexible thinking in students. This study has a variety of implications for cultivating creativity in an elementary classroom setting. Perhaps most noteworthy, is that while the participating teachers demonstrated that cultivating creativity in today’s public school classrooms is feasible, they also expressed immense dissatisfaction with their careers. They emphasized that they were exhausted, frustrated, and feeling somewhat despondent about their futures in the classroom. This finding is significant for school and district administrators as job satisfaction and teacher retention are important elements to creating a successful, thriving school

On the Non-Gaussianity Observed in the COBE-DMR Sky Maps

In this paper we pursue the origin of the non-Gaussianity determined by a bispectrum analysis of the COBE-DMR 4-year sky maps. The robustness of the statistic is demonstrated by the rebinning of the data into 12 coordinate systems. By computing the bispectrum statistic as a function of various data partitions - by channel, frequency, and time interval, we show that the observed non-Gaussian signal is driven by the 53 GHz data. This frequency dependence strongly rejects the hypothesis that the signal is cosmological in origin. A jack-knife analysis of the coadded 53 and 90 GHz sky maps reveals those sky pixels to which the bispectrum statistic is particularly sensitive. We find that by removing data from the 53 GHz sky maps for periods of time during which a known systematic effect perturbs the 31 GHz channels, the amplitudes of the bispectrum coefficients become completely consistent with that expected for a Gaussian sky. We conclude that the non-Gaussian signal detected by the normalised bispectrum statistic in the publicly available DMR sky maps is due to a systematic artifact. The impact of removing the affected data on estimates of the normalisation of simple models of cosmological anisotropy is negligible.Comment: 14 pages, plus 8 Postscript and 3 GIF figures. LaTeX2e document using AASTeX v5.0 macros. Revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal: small changes to the text, minor modifications to figures 1 and

Interactive cutting path analysis programs

The operation of numerically controlled machine tools is interactively simulated. Four programs were developed to graphically display the cutting paths for a Monarch lathe, Cintimatic mill, Strippit sheet metal punch, and the wiring path for a Standard wire wrap machine. These programs are run on a IMLAC PDS-ID graphic display system under the DOS-3 disk operating system. The cutting path analysis programs accept input via both paper tape and disk file

Augmentor emissions reduction technology program

Technology to reduce pollutant emissions from duct-burner-type augmentors for use on advanced supersonic cruise aircraft was investigated. Test configurations, representing variations of two duct-burner design concepts, were tested in a rectangular sector rig at inlet temperature and pressure conditions corresponding to takeoff, transonic climb, and supersonic cruise flight conditions. Both design concepts used piloted flameholders to stabilize combustion of lean, premixed fuel/air mixtures. The concepts differed in the flameholder type used. High combustion efficiency (97%) and low levels of emissions (1.19 g/kg fuel) were achieved. The detailed measurements suggested the direction that future development efforts should take to obtain further reductions in emission levels and associated improvements in combustion efficiency over an increased range of temperature rise conditions

Investigating the Angular Momentum of Dusty Plasma Multi-Rings

Multi-ring dusty plasma systems were created using a grooved rf electrode. These complex plasma systems had distinct sections consisting of a certain number of rings (1 ring section, 2 ring section, 3 ring section, 4 ring section). These rings had the tendency to rotate azimuthally about the center of the electrode, which allowed for a sectional angular velocity (ω) to be calculated. It was determined that as the number of dust rings (therefore the mass) increased, ω decreased which agrees with conservation of angular momentum. The pressure was also varied and it was found that as pressure increased, the width of the well decreased leading to a reduction of the inter-particle spacing causing ω to decrease

Inspiring minds: How big questions can build students’ epistemic insight and improve attitudes towards STEM

This article examines the impact that an ‘epistemically insightful’ approach to informal science learning can have on students’ attitudes, aspirations and perceptions of STEM subjects. It uses interim findings from a research and outreach project, including sustained Saturday activity programmes for ages14–16 and residential summer schools for ages 15–19, designed to create confident scholars who can engage with difficult philosophical questions raised by current technological advances. The Inspiring Minds project at Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK, delivers informal science learning in schools and informal settings based on an epistemic insight-led approach to STEM outreach and education