Effects of root exudates on mycorrhizal fungi

Imperial Users onl

Interpreting graphs and tables with cognitive tools

This study explores some ways in which cognitive tools may be used to assist learners to interpret graphs and tables. It investigates ways in which concept mapping tools may be applied to this task, and then it investigates how preservice teachers used a suite of simple cognitive tools designed to reduce cognitive load. All cognitive tools were developed with HyperCard ™ software and these tools were used by preservice teachers (the subjects of this study). The thesis is divided into three linked studies. Study 1 investigated the cognitive strategies employed by preservice teachers when they interpreted graphs and tables. The findings were then used to guide the design of the cognitive tools that were used in Study 2. During Study 1 the ability of various groups of preservice teacher to interpret graphs and tables were compared. The findings showed that when these learners interpreted graphs and tables they had difficulties with understanding the context as described by the accompanying text, sorting and comparing relevant data in tables, and identifying specific global (eg. slope, turning points, discontinuities) and local features (eg. labels on axes, points on graphs) that were relevant. During Study 2 a prototype of the cognitive tools was developed and trialled. These tools were designed to assist learners to interpret information in form of text, graphs and tables that related to the destruction of rainforests. During Study 3 the improved cognitive tools were used by 80 preservice teachers. Interviews, artefacts and tracking data were gathered and used to evaluate the tools. The findings from all data sources suggest that there are procedures that we should employ to effectively introduce learners to cognitive support tools, as it is not just a matter of designing a suitable tool and then handing it over to the learner to use. Analysis of the concept maps and interview transcripts showed that the learners used one of three strategies to construct their concept maps, but in most cases there was little difference in the quality of the final map produced. It appears that one strength of the concept mapping tool was that it helps learners to visually organise knowledge in different ways. Also the other cognitive tools may have acted as mental devices that supported, guided and extended the thinking processes of learners

Technology in Teacher Education : Using Multimedia to Enhance the Design and Make Processes.

This paper reports on the use of a multimedia journal to enhance a subject in technology education. The subject was delivered to preservice teachers studying to be primary school teachers. The multimedia journal was used to assist in the delivery of the subject and to record the progress made by students. It is argued that multimedia used in this manner complements and extends upon the teaching program and becomes an integral part of the learning proces

Supporting first year student supporters : an online mentoring model for supplemental instruction leaders

Supplemental Instruction (SI), or Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) as it is commonly known in Australia, involves experienced senior student Peer Leaders who provide regularly scheduled peer learning sessions with students enrolled in university courses. Commonly implemented on first year subjects, the sessions integrate &ldquo;how to learn&rdquo; with &ldquo;what to learn&rdquo;, helping students achieve better grades and helping raise student retention rates. This paper discusses the challenges of supporting SI Leaders who are geographically dispersed across multiple campuses and considers the theoretical and empirical literature that informs the development of an online mentoring model.<br /

Supporting first year student supporters: an online mentoring model for supplemental instruction leaders

Supplemental Instruction (SI), or Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) as it is commonly known in Australia, involves experienced senior student Peer Leaders who provide regularly scheduled peer learning sessions with students enrolled in university courses. Commonly implemented on first year subjects, the sessions integrate how to learn with what to learn, helping students achieve better grades and helping raise student retention rates. This paper discusses the challenges of supporting SI Leaders who are geographically dispersed across multiple campuses and considers the theoretical and empirical informs the development of an online mentoring model

Adding value to physics labs to help build confident, knowledgeable teachers

Abstract: This pilot study is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team and is funded through the University of Wollongong Education Strategies Development Fund. The project focuses on the first-year physics laboratories of pre- service teachers enrolled in Bachelor of Science Education degrees. It aims to make the laboratory experience more aligned to the needs of future science and physics teachers, contributing to their confidence in using apparatus in the classroom and their effectiveness as communicators who can explain concepts fluently from a background of deep understanding. According to Mulhall (2006) and Johnston and Millar (2000), misconceptions are common even among successful physics students and explicit teaching strategies that address conceptual change are needed to correct misconceptions. However, our approach is also of value to general physics students. Our approach has three strands. The first involves identifying experiments in our labs that have content in common with compulsory practical investigations in the NSW year 11 / 12 physics syllabus. Experimental procedures and instructions for these labs are being modified to create explicit links between concepts, apparatus and procedures in the first-year labs and those in the school syllabus. Secondly, we are incorporating peer instruction using qualitative multiple-choice questions designed to probe conceptual understanding. These will be included in the laboratory manual, at strategic points in the experimental procedure. Students will discuss and agree on responses before proceeding with the experiment. This approach is based on the work of Mazur (1996), Crouch and Mazur (2001) and Cox and Junkin III (2002) who reported that it developed confidence in communication and was effective in challenging misconceptions. Finally, in designing the laboratory manual we will employ principles of Cognitive Load Theory to decrease extraneous cognitive load and make learning more efficient ( Chandler & Sweller, 1991; Paas, Renkl & Sweller, 2004; Purnell, Solman & Sweller, 1991). Our project will run from February 2009 until January 2010. Syllabus mapping has been carried out to identify appropriate experiments for the study, and three have been selected. High school physics teachers have been interviewed to discuss corresponding practical investigations in the school syllabus and findings are being used to inform the modifications to the procedures and manual for our laboratories, which will run in Spring Session 2009. The impact of the modified experiments will be compared with that of the unmodified experiments, and with previous years’ results. This conference paper elaborates on the theoretical background of our strategies and reports on our progress

From classroom reality to virtual classroom: the role of teacher-created scripts in the development of classroom simulation technology

This paper describes a specific kind of teacher narrative (the teacher created script) to support the design of a classroom simulation to be used in pre-service teacher education. We intend to share our experiences in exploring and developing the kind of narrative text which can be developed from a large reservoir of ethnographically generated data collected from the teachers and classrooms we have closely observed and documented over the last two decades. In particular, we explore the role which these narratives play within the development of the kind of classroom simulation we have produced. Reflection has long been acknowledged as a useful process for teachers to engage with. Also, the notion of formalising such reflections through writing has been acknowledged as a way to share, refine and articulate teaching practice. As stated by Barth (2001:66) “…with written words come the innermost secrets of schools”. This prototype simulation allows the user to adopt the role of a Kindergarten teacher using a daily literacy teaching episode we refer to as “days of the week” and encourages the user to reflect upon the decisions they make about the organisation and implementation of this recurring teaching experience. The range of options that occur in this simulation stem from the teacher-created script we developed drawing from our own teaching experiences and classroom-based research to shape this virtual classroom

Adding value to physics labs to help build confident, knowledgeable teachers

This pilot study is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team and is funded through the University of Wollongong Education Strategies Development Fund. The project focuses on the first-year physics laboratories of preservice teachers enrolled in Bachelor of Science Education degrees. It aims to make the laboratory experience more aligned to the needs of future science and physics teachers, contributing to their confidence in using apparatus in the classroom and their effectiveness as communicators who can explain concepts fluently from a background of deep understanding. According to Mulhall (2006) and Johnston and Millar (2000), misconceptions are common even among successful physics students and explicit teaching strategies that address conceptual change are needed to correct misconceptions. However, our approach is also of value to general physics students. Our approach has three strands. The first involves identifying experiments in our labs that have content in common with compulsory practical investigations in the NSW year 11 / 12 physics syllabus. Experimental procedures and instructions for these labs are being modified to create explicit links between concepts, apparatus and procedures in the first-year labs and those in the school syllabus. Secondly, we are incorporating peer instruction using qualitative multiple-choice questions designed to probe conceptual understanding. These will be included in the laboratory manual, at strategic points in the experimental procedure. Students will discuss and agree on responses before proceeding with the experiment. This approach is based on the work of Mazur (1996), Crouch and Mazur (2001) and Cox and Junkin III (2002) who reported that it developed confidence in communication and was effective in challenging misconceptions. Finally, in designing the laboratory manual we will employ principles of Cognitive Load Theory to decrease extraneous cognitive load and make learning more efficient ( Chandler & Sweller, 1991; Paas, Renkl & Sweller, 2004; Purnell, Solman & Sweller, 1991). Our project will run from February 2009 until January 2010. Syllabus mapping has been carried out to identify appropriate experiments for the study, and three have been selected. High school physics teachers have been interviewed to discuss corresponding practical investigations in the school syllabus and findings are being used to inform the modifications to the procedures and manual for our laboratories, which will run in Spring Session 2009. The impact of the modified experiments will be compared with that of the unmodified experiments, and with previous years’ results. This conference paper elaborates on the theoretical background of our strategies and reports on our progress

Bare-tether sheath and current: comparison of asymptotic theory and kinetic simulations in stationary plasma

Analytical expressions for current to a cylindrical Langmuir probe at rest in unmagnetized plasma are compared with results from both steady-state Vlasov and particle-in-cell simulations. Probe bias potentials that are much greater than plasma temperature (assumed equal for ions and electrons), as of interest for bare conductive tethers, are considered. At a very high bias, both the electric potential and the attracted-species density exhibit complex radial profiles; in particular, the density exhibits a minimum well within the plasma sheath and a maximum closer to the probe. Excellent agreement is found between analytical and numerical results for values of the probe radiusR close to the maximum radius Rmax for orbital-motion-limited (OML) collection at a particular bias in the following number of profile features: the values and positions of density minimum and maximum, position of sheath boundary, and value of a radius characterizing the no-space-charge behavior of a potential near the high-bias probe. Good agreement between the theory and simulations is also found for parametric laws jointly covering the following three characteristic R ranges: sheath radius versus probe radius and bias for Rmax; density minimum versus probe bias for Rmax; and (weakly bias-dependent) current drop below the OML value versus the probe radius for R > Rmax

Adding Value to Physics Laboratories for Pre-service Teachers

This project focussed on first-year physics laboratories for pre-service teachers. It aimed to make laboratories more aligned to future teachers’ needs; contributing to their confidence with apparatus, conceptual understanding and effectiveness as communicators. However, our approach is also relevant to mainstream science laboratories. Firstly, we flagged links with practical investigations in the NSW year 11 / 12 physics syllabus in the lab manual. Secondly, we incorporated qualitative multiple-choice questions at strategic points based on the Peer Instruction work of Mazur (1996), Crouch and Mazur (2001) and Cox and Junkin III (2002). Finally we employed principles of Cognitive Load Theory in the laboratory manual design to decrease extraneous cognitive load and make learning more efficient (Paas, Renkl, & Sweller, 2004; Purnell, Solman, & Sweller, 1991; Chandler & Sweller, 1991). Three experiments were modified. Evaluation involved observation, comparison of marks and a focus group. Peer Instruction succeeded in uncovering misconceptions and engaging participants in meaningful discussion but was too time consuming for the two-hour laboratories and increased participants’ cognitive load. Recommendations include using Peer Instruction at the start of laboratories, use of Cognitive Load Theory to inform laboratory manual design and further research with a larger participant group to validate findings