(2009). What Is Mathematics? An Exploration of Teachers' Philosophies of Mathematics during a Time of Curriculum Reform. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Georgia State University. Current reform in mathematics teaching and learning is rooted in a changing vision of school mathematics, one that includes constructivist learning, student-centered pedagogy, and the use of worthwhile tasks (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 1991, 2000). This changing vision not only challenges teachers' beliefs about mathematics instruction but their philosophies of mathematics as well (Dossey, 1992). This study investigates the processes that four teachers' go through as they implement a new task-based mathematics curriculum while exploring their personal philosophies of mathematics. The participants were part of a graduate-level course that examined, through the writings of Davis and Hersh (1981), Lakatos (1976), Polya (1945/1973), and others, a humanist/fallibilist philosophy of mathematics. These participants shared, through reflective writings and interviews, their struggles to, first, define mathematics and its purpose in society and in schools, and second,… [Direct]
(1980). Why Our Kids Can Write; or, Running Slo's through the Right Brain Equals the Morphology of Diddley Doos. English Journal, v69 n6 p48-51 Sep. Proposes that offering students activities that exercise right-brain functions (nonverbal, nonrational, spatial, and intuitive) helps students become more fully developed human beings and better writers. (RL)…
(2009). Lateralized Spatial and Object Memory Encoding in Entorhinal and Perirhinal Cortices. Learning & Memory, v16 n7 p433-438 Jul. The perirhinal and entorhinal cortices are critical components of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) declarative memory system. Study of their specific functions using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), however, has suffered from severe magnetic susceptibility signal dropout resulting in poor temporal signal-to-noise (tSNR) and thus weak BOLD signal detectability. We have demonstrated that higher spatial resolution in the z-plane leads to improved BOLD fMRI signal quality in the anterior medial temporal lobes when using a 16-element surface coil array at 3 T (Tesla). Using this technique, the present study investigated the roles of the anterior medial temporal lobe, particularly the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices, in both object and spatial memory. Participants viewed a series of fractal images and were instructed to encode either the object's identity or location. Object and spatial recognition memory were tested after 18-sec… [Direct]
(1977). Cerebral Asymmetry and the Development of Infantile Autism. Report No. 64. The notion that autistic children process information predominantly by strategies of the right cerebral hemisphere from birth, and unless unusual events occur, continue to be right hemisphere processors throughout their life, is examined. Evidence that suggests that cerebral dominance may be present at birth in normal humans, and that for normal humans each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex may be responsible for different kinds of information processing is presented as the context from which the new model of autistic development emerges. Two preliminary experiments involving listening preferences of autistic and normal Ss (with mean ages ranging from 5 to 10 years) are cited as having tested and supported the hypothesis that the right cerebral hemisphere is more active than the left hemisphere in autistic children. Implications of the model for diagnosis and treatment of autism are presented. (Author)…
(2008). Lateralized Contribution of Prefrontal Cortex in Controlling Task-Irrelevant Information during Verbal and Spatial Working Memory Tasks: rTMS Evidence. Neuropsychologia, v46 n7 p2056-2063 Jun. The functional organization of working memory (WM) in the human prefrontal cortex remains unclear. The present study used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to clarify the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) both in the types of information (verbal vs. spatial), and the types of processes (maintenance vs. manipulation). Subjects performed three independent experiments (1-back and 2-back tasks) while rTMS was applied over dlPFC for 500 ms in the last period of the delay. In two experiments (1 and 2) physically identical stimuli (letters shown at different locations on a screen) under different domain conditions (letters or locations) were employed. Under these conditions, we discovered a double dissociation only in the 2-back task: during the letter condition, when applied to the right dlPFC, rTMS significantly delayed task performance, whereas, the same result was present during the location condition, but only when rTMS was applied to the left dlPFC…. [Direct]
(1976). Futures of Human Communication. There are several research areas basic to the long-range future of human communications. Telecommunication and transportation offer the possiblity of two worldwide communications networks whose interrelationships need to be explored in terms of the needs of the individual, the community, and the world at large. Expanding possibilities of human-machine, human-animal, and human-extraterrestrial communication suggest the need for an area of study called comparative communication systems. To explore the communication needs and requirements of the future, a multicultural right-to-communicate group is needed to formulate new patterns leading to a deeper understanding of the relationships between human communication and human needs. (AA)…
(2009). For Catholic Colleges, an Important Goal: Don't Surprise the Bishop. Chronicle of Higher Education, v55 n40 pA20 Jun. Every college president's success depends on building good relationships with outside groups, whether donors, alumni, or legislators. Presidents of Roman Catholic colleges have one more party to please: the local bishop. In recent months, the bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, asked colleges in his diocese to assure him that they were not providing birth control. The archbishop of New Orleans boycotted Xavier University of Louisiana's commencement because the speaker, a Democratic Party strategist, supported abortion rights. And dozens of bishops spoke out against the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Obama to give its commencement address and receive an honorary degree. That controversy received nearly nonstop attention in the three months following the announcement that Mr. Obama, who supports abortion rights as well as research on human embryonic stem cells, would speak on the campus. But while such incidents get a lot of news coverage, experts on Catholic… [Direct]
(1994). The Law and AIDS on the College Campus. West's Education Law Quarterly, v3 n2 p285-94 Apr. Addresses legal implications for college students who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Discusses legal theories students with AIDS can use to protect their rights on campus; describes rights other students and university personnel have to know whether someone is HIV positive; and explains what administrators must do to protect against potential litigation. (MLF)…
(2007). The Psychology of Learning. Journal on Educational Psychology, v1 n1 p19-22 May-Jul. Psychology plays a significant role in the life of each and every human being. Starting from childhood, if psychology of learning is utilized positively it would play a vital role in the building up of a bright career of a child. The explosion of information technology has been exercising far reaching influence on the area of educational psychology. So the teachers have a responsible role in providing subjects according to the maturity level of the students and develop them into better citizens of India. This article discusses the aspects and scopes of Educational psychology in each phase of students' education. It also advocates the right approach that can be used by parents and teachers to create a better student community…. [PDF] [Direct]
(1983). Recent Research into the Hemisphericity of the Human Brain and the Implications of Those Findings in the Teaching of Reading. Research data in neurosurgery, neuropsychology, and neurolinguistics indicate that the human brain is lateralized toward one of two methods of information processing, and that, in most humans, the language bias appears to be a left hemisphere function, while the visiospatial bias belongs to the right. Furthermore, the left hemisphere seems to perceive and process information in parts, while the right hemisphere perceives and processes information in wholes. These data have been used to investigate many facets of the teaching/learning process. Such studies have discovered that readers who process written material using a predominantly left hemisphere strategy of sequencing, without integrating the right hemisphere visualization strategies, may be able to read but not comprehend. Those readers who appear to have good visualization skills–a right hemisphere strategy–but lack the sequencing skills of the left, have great difficulty developing overall reading skills. The educational…
(1973). Social Research with Minorities: Some Rights and Responsibilities. Minority groups seeking self-determination have a need for and a right to participate in and contribute to a growing body knowledge of human development and human relationships generated by social science research that is not only scientific, hence \unbiased,\ but which does not perpetuate damaging stereotypes. It is the purpose of this paper to propose and describe a series of mutual rights and responsibilities of the minority community and the social researcher toward each other, and to discuss various difficulties in fulfilling such rights and responsibilities. Specific suggestions are delineated in charging Federal funding agencies with the responsibility of protecting and promoting the rights of both the minority group and the social researcher. A working model which is being used successfully in a minority (American Indian) community research and development project is described. Participatory decision-making, from the initial stages of a research project until its completion,… [PDF]
(1989). Ombudswork for Children: A Way of Improving the Position of Children in Society. The main objective of the International Congress for Children was to underline the evolution in the concept of children, the idea that children are, above all, human beings and not just "human-beings-to-be." The 39 presentations are divided into 3 parts. The seven papers in the first part examine motives and strategies for children's rights. The motives are discussed from a historical and philosophical point of view, as well as from the viewpoint of developmental psychology. The strategies are discussed on the basis of exemplary cases. The 31 papers in the second part are inspired by 4 basic principles in the strategies for children's rights. The discussions cover child advocacy, the study of the child, the self-organization of children, the promotion of network development, and specific situations concerning the rights of children. The third part contains a synthesis of the congress that underlines the commitment and dedication with which people continue working for the… [PDF]
(2011). Incentives, Behavior, and Risk Management. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University. Insiders are one of the most serious threats to an organization's information assets. Generally speaking, there are two types of insider threats based on the insiders' intents. Malicious Insiders are individuals with varying degrees of harmful intentions. Inadvertent Insiders are individuals without malicious intent. In this dissertation, I propose several models and mechanisms to mitigate insider threats. The Game Theoretic Modeling of Malicious Insiders is built upon a stochastic game. The model captures other key properties of a practical system, particularly the administrator's uncertainty about the system state due to the insider's hidden action. The Incentive Mechanism to Mitigate the Inadvertent Insiders offers incentives to an insider to behave according to the risk posture set by the organization. The Budget-Based Access Control Mechanism is designed to control the risk caused by insiders. This mechanism provides an order of magnitude price for every access right and… [Direct]
(2011). Commentary on Susan Isaacs. Gender and Education, v23 n2 p211-213. The task of re-evaluating the legacy of Susan Isaacs is a complex one. Of course there is the need to acknowledge the role and work of a key woman thinker and (in some senses) activist, clearly unconventional and forward-thinking, whose specific contribution seems to have been largely overlooked by malestream history. As a contemporary to some of the key British thinkers of the twentieth century, living amongst the Bloomsbury group and, in relation to her specific work around children, devoting her considerable energies to popularising the work of others (including Jean Piaget and Winnicott), her intellectual biography makes for fascinating reading. Her under-rated role as a key developer and advocate of child-centred education seems overdue for recognition. Isaacs was that rare blend of many professions: (1) a teacher; (2) a childhood researcher; and (3) a psychoanalyst. She was clearly a pioneer in her views about how best to engage with children, including educationally. Her work… [Direct]
(2010). Youth Access to Violent Video Games on Trial: The U.S. Supreme Court Takes the Case. Communique, v39 n2 p11-13 Oct. This fall, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that promises to affect the lives of many children. Up for debate is whether a law aimed at curbing children's access to violent video games violates their constitutional right to free speech. Signed 5 years ago by Governor Schwarzenegger, the California statute, which has yet to take effect pending legal review, would prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games–games that include images of physical or sexual assault to humans–to anyone under the age of 18. The law would include a fine of $1,000 to be assessed to retailers violating these restrictions and add labeling requirements regarding video game violence. Video games have been increasingly available to children and adolescents for more than 3 decades. They were introduced to the American, Japanese, and European publics for home use in the early 1970s. Commercial viability was established with the advent of Atari and its premier game, Pong. In the almost 40… [Direct]