Activity and Diversity of Collembola (Insecta) and Mites (Acari) in Litter of a Degraded Midwestern Oak Woodland

Litter-inhabiting Collembola and mites were sampled using pitfall traps over a twelve-month period from four sub-communities within a 100-acre (40-ha) oak-woodland complex in northern Cook County, Illinois. Sampled locations included four areas where future ecological restoration was planned (mesic woodland, dry-mesic woodland, mesic upland forest, and buckthorn-dominated savanna) and a mesic woodland control that would not be restored. Fifty-eight mite and 30 Collembola taxa were identified out of 5,308 and 190,402 individuals trapped, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between litter mass and both mite diversity and the ratio of Oribatida to Prostigmata and a significant negative relationship between Collembola diversity and litter. Based on multivariate analysis, Collembola and mite composition differed by sub-community and season interaction

Third Invited Response: Broader Visions Encompassing Literacy, Learners, and Contexts

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68795/2/10.1177_074193259301400405.pd

Friendship and Literacy Through Literature

The exploratory research reported in this article was designed to determine the processes and outcomes of planning thematic literacy instruction in a holistic and contextualized manner. The work was conducted in an upper-elementary, self-contained setting for students identified as learning disabled. Specifically, the instructional activities included (a) interactive readings from literature on friendship, (b) personal written responses to the literature, (c) supported retellings of the literature, (d) performance related to the literature, and (e) journal writing on the topic of friendship. The outcomes are reported in terms of the use of intertextuality over the course of the 6-week unit, the emergence of theme as a salient feature in literature, and a change in the children's conceptions of friendship. More specific literacy outcomes are captured in case studies of 3 children.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68922/2/10.1177_002221949502800805.pd

Discovering Disciplinary Linguistic Knowledge With English Learners and Their Teachers: Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics Concepts Through Design‐Based Research

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146586/1/tesq472_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146586/2/tesq472.pd

Providing the Context for Intentional Learning

This article is written in response to Sharon Derry's article “Remediating Academic Difficulties Through Strategy Training: The Acquisition of Useful Knowledge.” The features of effective strategy instruction, to which Derry refers, are illustrated by examining the nature of the decisions the teacher confronts; specifically, determining the purposes of instruction, the context in which instruction occurs, and the roles of the teacher and students in instruction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69150/2/10.1177_074193259001100608.pd

Activity and Diversity of Collembola (Insecta) and Mites (Acari) in Litter of a Degraded Midwestern Oak Woodland

Litter-inhabiting Collembola and mites were sampled using pitfall traps over a twelve-month period from four sub-communities within a 100-acre (40-ha) oak-woodland complex in northern Cook County, Illinois. Sampled locations included four areas where future ecological restoration was planned (mesic woodland, dry-mesic woodland, mesic upland forest, and buckthorn-dominated savanna) and a mesic woodland control that would not be restored. Fifty-eight mite and 30 Collembola taxa were identified out of 5,308 and 190,402 individuals trapped, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between litter mass and both mite diversity and the ratio of Oribatida to Prostigmata and a significant negative relationship between Collembola diversity and litter. Based on multivariate analysis, Collembola and mite composition differed by sub-community and season interaction

Examining student work for evidence of teacher uptake of educative curriculum materials

The purpose of this study was to identify evidence in student work of teachers' uptake of educative features in educative curriculum materials. These are features in curriculum materials designed with the specific intent of supporting teacher learning and enactment. This study was prompted by previous work on educative curriculum materials and the need to determine how teachers' use of educative curriculum materials can influence student learning. Student work from two fourth‐grade teachers' enactment of an electric circuits unit was analyzed for evidence of teachers' uptake of educative features, which included characteristics of quality for particular science practices. Findings from the student work revealed that the teachers used many of the supports in the educative curriculum materials, especially those that could be used directly with students. The student work also reflected characteristics of high‐quality science practices, which were only supported within the educative features. This study supports and extends other work related to how teachers' use of educative curriculum materials may influence student learning and has implications for supporting teachers' productive engagement in teaching that supports the integration of science content and scientific practices, as emphasized in current reform efforts. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 816–846, 2015.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112188/1/tea21220-sup-0001-SuppFig_S3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112188/2/tea21220-sup-0001-SuppFig_S2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112188/3/tea21220.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112188/4/tea21220-sup-0001-SuppFig_S1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112188/5/tea21220-sup-0001-SuppFig_S4.pd

Intuitive learnability of touch gestures for technology-naïve older adults

Touch-based interactions, if intuitive and natural, should be highly learnable. However, the learnability of touch gestures as a computer interaction modality cannot be taken for granted and should be evaluated empirically. This is especially true when technology-naïve older adults are concerned, given the psychological and physical constraints associated with this age range. To investigate this issue, we conducted a study with 17 technology-naïve older adults, whose experience with technology was mostly limited to making calls with mobile phones. Specifically, the participants were presented with three simple digital games on an interactive tabletop surface and asked to play the games on their own with minimal instruction or help. The first two games required the use of a drag gesture whereas the third game required the use of a rotate gesture. The main research question was whether the older adults could learn the gestures effectively and efficiently. A set of variables such as task duration and gesture accuracy were measured. Results showed that the learnability of a drag gesture was relatively high and that the participants could transfer this skill across the games. In contrast, the learnability of a rotate gesture was low and most of the participants failed to demonstrate any improvement over the tasks of the game. These findings partially corroborate those of earlier work. Implications for future work are drawn, especially exploring the potential of social interactions between older adults for enhancing the learning effects

Keeping the Metaphor of Scaffolding Fresh—-A Response to C. Addison Stone's “The Metaphor of Scaffolding

This author suggests three responses to Professor Stone's call for enriching the scaffolding metaphor: (a) repositioning the metaphor in its theoretical frame; (b) considering the ways in which contexts and activities, as well as individuals, scaffold learning; and (c) examining the relationship between scaffolding and effective teaching. The author describes research that has been conducted toward these ends.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68637/2/10.1177_002221949803100406.pd