Socioscientific decision making in the science classroom: the effect of embedded metacognitive instructions on students' learning outcomes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of cooperative training strategies to enhance students' socioscientific decision making as well as their metacognitive skills in the science classroom. Socioscientific decision making refers to both “describing socioscientific issues” as well as “developing and evaluating solutions” to socioscientific issues. We investigated two cooperative training strategies which differed with respect to embedded metacognitive instructions that were developed on the basis of the IMPROVE method. Participants were 360 senior high school students who studied either in a cooperative learning setting (COOP), a cooperative learning setting with embedded metacognitive questions (COOP+META), or a nontreatment control group. Results indicate that students in the two training conditions outperformed students in the control group on both processes of socioscientific decision making. However, students in the COOP+META condition did not outperform students in the COOP condition. With respect to students' learning outcomes on the regulation facet of metacognition, results indicate that all conditions improved over time. Students in the COOP+META condition exhibited highest mean scores at posttest measures, but again, results were not significant. Implications for integrating metacognitive instructions into science classrooms are discussed

Zertifikatsstudium Fächerübergreifendes Unterrichten in den Naturwissenschaften

Fächerübergreifender Unterricht in den Naturwissenschaften ist an vielen Schulen eine Realität, die mit gesteigerten fachlichen, organisatorischen und didaktischen Anforderungen an Lehrkräfte verbunden ist. Bisher berücksichtigt die erste Phase der gymnasialen Lehramtsausbildung dies nur unzureichend, da primär für die Unterrichtsfächer Biologie, Chemie und Physik ausgebildet wird.Über das Schlözer Programm Lehrerbildung wird an der Universität Göttingen ein Zusatzangebot zur Qualifizierung zum fächerübergreifenden Unterrichten von Naturwissenschaften geschaffen. Das entsprechende Zertifikat umfasst einen Studienumfang von 16 ECTS. Für eine Teilnahme am Zertifikatsprogramm ist das Studium einer Naturwissenschaft erforderlich. Innerhalb des Zertifikates werden zuerst die komplementären naturwissenschaftlichen Fächer in inhaltlich abgestimmtem fachwissenschaftlichen und fachdidaktischen Grundveranstaltungen unterrichtet.In einem anschließenden integrierten Praxismodul arbeiten die Studierenden in interdisziplinären Gruppen theoriegeleitet eine Unterrichtssequenz aus und erproben sie im schulischen Kontext. Ziel ist es, anhand von fachlichen und fachdidaktischen Grundlagen sowie exemplarisch ausgearbeiteten Unterrichtseinheiten, die in der Praxis erprobt und reflektiert werden, den Studierenden Perspektiven für das fächerübergreifende Unterrichten von Naturwissenschaften zu eröffnen

Zertifikatsstudium Fächerübergreifendes Unterrichten in den Naturwissenschaften

Fächerübergreifender Unterricht in den Naturwissenschaften ist an vielen Schulen eine Realität, die mit gesteigerten fachlichen, organisatorischen und didaktischen Anforderungen an Lehrkräfte verbunden ist. Bisher berücksichtigt die erste Phase der gymnasialen Lehramtsausbildung dies nur unzureichend, da primär für die Unterrichtsfächer Biologie, Chemie und Physik ausgebildet wird.Über das Schlözer Programm Lehrerbildung wird an der Universität Göttingen ein Zusatzangebot zur Qualifizierung zum fächerübergreifenden Unterrichten von Naturwissenschaften geschaffen. Das entsprechende Zertifikat umfasst einen Studienumfang von 16 ECTS. Für eine Teilnahme am Zertifikatsprogramm ist das Studium einer Naturwissenschaft erforderlich. Innerhalb des Zertifikates werden zuerst die komplementären naturwissenschaftlichen Fächer in inhaltlich abgestimmtem fachwissenschaftlichen und fachdidaktischen Grundveranstaltungen unterrichtet.In einem anschließenden integrierten Praxismodul arbeiten die Studierenden in interdisziplinären Gruppen theoriegeleitet eine Unterrichtssequenz aus und erproben sie im schulischen Kontext. Ziel ist es, anhand von fachlichen und fachdidaktischen Grundlagen sowie exemplarisch ausgearbeiteten Unterrichtseinheiten, die in der Praxis erprobt und reflektiert werden, den Studierenden Perspektiven für das fächerübergreifende Unterrichten von Naturwissenschaften zu eröffnen

Socioscienti�c �ecision Making in the Science �lassroom� The Effect of Embedded Metacognitive Instructions on Students' Learning Outcomes

e purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of cooperative training strategies to enhance students' socioscienti�c decision making as well as their metacognitive skills in the science classroom. Socioscienti�c decision making refers to both �describing socioscienti�c issues� as well as �developing and evaluating solutions� to socioscienti�c issues. We investigated two cooperative training strategies which differed with respect to embedded metacognitive instructions that were developed on the basis of the IMPROVE method. Participants were 360 senior high school students who studied either in a cooperative learning setting (COOP), a cooperative learning setting with embedded metacognitive questions (COOP+META), or a nontreatment control group. Results indicate that students in the two training conditions outperformed students in the control group on both processes of socioscienti�c decision making. However, students in the COOP+META condition did not outperform students in the COOP condition. With respect to students' learning outcomes on the regulation facet of metacognition, results indicate that all conditions improved over time. Students in the COOP+META condition exhibited highest mean scores at posttest measures, but again, results were not signi�cant. Implications for integrating metacognitive instructions into science classrooms are discussed

Cataract in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Insights from the German/Austrian DPV registry

Objective To study diabetic cataract in type 1 diabetes in a large pediatric cohort. Methods The 92,633 patients aged 0.5-21 years from German/Austrian multicenter diabetes registry (DPV) were analyzed. The 235 patients (0.25%) with diabetic cataract were found, 200 could be categorized: 67 with early cataract (3 months before diabetes onset - 12 months afterwards), 133 with late cataract (>12 months after diabetes onset). Regression models adjusted for age and gender were used to compare clinical parameters at diabetes onset. Regression models for patients with late cataract were implemented for the total documentation period and additionally adjusted for diabetes duration. Results Rate of cataract development shows a peak at diabetes onset and declines with longer diabetes duration. Patients with cataract showed strong female preponderance. Patients developing early cataract were older at diabetes onset (12.8 years [11.8/13.9] vs. 8.9 [8.9/9.0]; p < 0.001) and showed higher HbA1c than patients without cataract (9.0% [8.55/9.38] vs. 7.6% [7.60/7.61]; p < 0.001). They had lower height-SDS, (-0.22 [-0.48/0.04] vs. 0.25 [0.24/0.26]; p < 0.001), lower weight-SDS (-0.31 [-0.55/-0.08] vs. 0.21 [0.20/0.21]; p < 0.001) and lower BMI-SDS (-0.25 [-0.49/-0.02] vs. 0.12 [0.12/0.13); p = 0.002). Patients with late cataract showed higher HbA1c at diabetes onset (8.35% [8.08/8.62] vs. 8.04% [8.03/8.05]; p = 0.023) and higher mean HbA1c during total documentation period (8.00% [7.62/8.34] vs. 7.62% [7.61/7.63]; p = 0.048). Conclusions Our data confirm known demographic and clinical characteristics of patients developing early cataract. Hyperglycemia-induced osmotic damage to lens fibers at diabetes onset might be the main pathomechanism. Long term glycemic control is associated with cataract development

Directed evolution of an enantioselective Bacillus subtilis lipase

Chiral compounds are of steadily increasing importance to the chemical industry, in particular for the production of pharmaceuticals. Where do these compounds come from? Apart from natural resources, two synthetic strategies are available: asymmetric chemical catalysis using transition metal catalysts and biocatalysis using enzymes. In the latter case, screening programs have identified a number of enzymes. However, their enantioselectivity is often not high enough for a desired reaction. This problem can be solved by applying directed evolution to create enantioselective enzymes as shown here for a lipase from Bacillus subtilis. The reaction studied was the asymmetric hydrolysis of meso-1,4-diacetoxy-2-cyclopentene with the formation of chiral alcohols which were detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Iterative cycles of random mutagenesis and screening allowed the identification of several variants with improved enantioselectivities. In parallel, we have started to use X-ray structural data to simulate the Bacillus subtilis lipase A-catalyzed substrate hydrolysis by using quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations. This combined approach should finally enable us to devise more efficient strategies for the directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes

German S3 guideline "actinic keratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma" – long version of the update 2023

Actinic keratosis (AK) are common lesions in light-skinned individuals that can potentially progress to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Both conditions may be associated with significant morbidity and constitute a major disease burden, especially among the elderly. To establish an evidence-based framework for clinical decision making, the guideline “actinic keratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma” was updated and expanded by the topics cutanepus squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen’s disease) and actinic cheilitis. This guideline was developed at the highest evidence level (S3) and is aimed at dermatologists, general practitioners, ear nose and throat specialists, surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and radiation oncologists in hospitals and office-based settings, as well as other medical specialties, policy makers and insurance funds involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with AK and cSCC

Integrating Data Science and Earth Science

This open access book presents the results of three years collaboration between earth scientists and data scientists, in developing and applying data science methods for scientific discovery. The book will be highly beneficial for other researchers at senior and graduate level, interested in applying visual data exploration, computational approaches and scientifc workflows