Heidegger on the way of thinking

This thesis attempts to clarify what Heidegger meant by the term "thinking" (Denken), where this ^'meanr is submitted in the double sense: firstly, in the sense of what Heidegger intended by the use and exposition of this term that we find in his lecture series. Was Heisst Denken?, where Heidegger quickly makes it clear that this intention is to actually bring thinking on the way, viz. making provision for the leap into thinking, and where this intention was carried out with the employment of a specific guiding phrase. In the second sense, it is an attempt at clarifying the meaning of the term. But this is not to say that we are here simply out to see how Heidegger defines the word '*thinking." It is in fact precisely within such definitive discourse that thought dies out. It is not merely be a case of defining a word, because this enterprise would be just as shallow as much as it would be unworkable. It is for this reason that Heidegger decided to establish for himself the task, not merely of explaining thinking as something to be beheld at a distance, but rather of bringing thinking underway by means of his lecture, proclaiming that, "Only the leap into the river tells us what is swimming. The question 'What is called thinking?' can never be answered by proposing a definition of the concept thinking, and then diligently explaining what is contained in that definition." (WCT, 21) This being Heidegger's intention, in order to understand Heidegger in his treatment of the term thinking, it is clear that we must also undergo an experience with thinking. It is in this spirit that the present work was written so as to collaborate the two senses of what Heidegger meant by "thinking."

Thinking skills in the language arts : an application of cognitive schema theory to the narrative writing process /

A cognitively based instructional program for narrative writing was developed. The effects of using cognitively based schematic planning organizers at the pre-writing stage were evaluated using subjects from the Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions. Results indicate that the use of organizers based on problem solving significantly improved the organization and the overall quality of narrative writing for students in grades 3, 6 and 7. The magnitude of the improvement of the treatment group over the control group performance in Organization ranged from 10.7% to 22.9%. Statistical and observational data indicate many implications for further research into the cognitive basis for writing and reading; for the improvement and evaluation of school writing programs; for the design of school curricula; and for the inservice education for teachers of writing.

Exploring critical-care nurses' perceptions about critical thinking /

The influx of nurses to the critical-care environment is continuous. In many workplaces, the nurses who are new to critical care are also newly graduated nurses. These new critical-care nurses and their critical-care nursing colleagues, who may have worked in critical care for many years, need to demonstrate expert judgment in order to optimize the potential for positive patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore critical-care nurses' perceptions about critical thinking and expert nursing judgment. Using grounded theory research design, I collected data from 1 1 critical-care nurses through focus groups, an interview, and postparticipation questionnaires. I have articulated a Critical-thinking Modelfor Expert Nursing Judgment. The educational model is directly relevant to practicing critical-care nurses and nursing leaders who guide critical-care nursing practice. The Critical-thinking Modelfor Expert Nursing Judgment contributes to educational theory by objectifying the substantive topic of critical thinking and expert judgment. The model has broad applicability within the domain of education and specific applicability within the domain of nursing education.

Relating leadership, thinking styles, self-concept, motivation and stress management in education

Seventy-five principals and vice-.wincipals from public elementary and secondary schools in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada participated in this study. Participants provided ,information concerning their thinking styles, motivations, and the physical effects of stress. This information was examined to find out how satisfaction-oriented, and how security-oriented the thinking styles of the participants were. Second, the data were analysed to see how the thinking style orientations related to life style habits and the effects of stress. The satisfaction-oriented thinking styles scored higher than all of the security-oriented thinking styles by a wide margin with a small preference for the satisfaction-people-oriented styles labelled humanistic-helpful, and affiliative as opposed to the satisfaction-task-oriented styles labeled achievement, and self-actualizing. Although all eight of the security-oriented thinking styles scored well below all of the satisfaction-oriented thinking styles on the Life Styles Inventory, the perfectionistic style scored higher than all of the security-oriented styles by an impressive margin. The next highest scores were recorded by a cluster of three passive-defensive people-oriented thinking styles labeled approval, conventional, and dependent. The competitive style scored lower, and the styles labeled avoidance, oppositional, and power scored the lowest of all the defensive-security-oriented styles. These findings suggest that principals and vice-principals see themselves as relaxed, flexible, and satisfied with their ability to adapt to the stress levels they experience in their lives; however, there was some support for medical research findings that suggest that specific security-oriented thinking styles are associated with emotional stresses that contribute to the development of specific lifestyle habits, physical symptoms, and illnesses. Although the number of females in this study provides very limited generalizability, the findings of this study suggest that high achieving females tend to develop satisfaction-growth styles to a higher level than males, and they tend to use security-oriented styles to a lesser degree than males.

Sentence combining and thinking : a study of adult ESL learners

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Brock University, 2003.

The association of faculty's teaching philosophy and teaching behaviour, and critical thinking and self- direction in learning

The intent in this study was to investigate in what ways teachers· beliefs about education and teaching are expressed in the specific teaching behaviours they employ, and whether teaching behaviours, as perceived by their students, are correlated with students· critical thinking and self-directed learning. To this end the relationships studied were: among faCUlty members· philosophy of teaching, locus of control orientation, psychological type, and observed teaching behaviour; and among students· psychological type, perceptions of teaching behaviour, self-directed learning readiness, and critical thinking. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate whether the implicit goals of higher education, critical thinking and self-direction, were actually accounted for in the university classroom. The research was set within the context of path-goal theory, adapted from the leadership literature. Within this framework, Mezirow·s work on transformative learning, including the influences of Habermas· writings, was integrated to develop a theoretical perspective upon which to base the research methodology. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were incorporated. Four faCUlty and a total of 142 students participated in the study. Philosophy of teaching was described through faCUlty interviews and completion of a repertory grid. Faculty completed a descriptive locus of control scale, and a psychological type test. Observations of their teaching behaviour were conducted. Students completed a Teaching Behaviour Assessment Scale, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, a psychological type test, and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. A small sample of students were interviewed. Follow-up discussions with faculty were used to validate the interview, observation, teaching behaviour, and repertory grid data. Results indicated that some discrepancies existed between faculty's espoused philosophy of teaching and their observed teaching behaviour. Instructors' teaching behaviour, however, was a function of their personal theory of practice. Relationships were found between perceived teaching behaviour and students· self-directed learning and critical thinking, but these varied across situations, as would be predicted from path-goal theory. Psychological type of students and instructor also accounted for some of the variability in the relationships studied. Student psychological type could be shown as a partial predictor of self-directed learning readiness. The results were discussed in terms of theory development and implications for further research and practice.

(Re)Thinking bodies : Deleuze and Guattari's becoming- woman

Abstract (Re)thinking Bodies: Deleuze and Guattari 's becoming-woman seeks to explore the notion of becoming-woman, as put forth by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari in their collaborative 1982 text, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, and as received by such prominent feminist theorists as Rosi Braidotti and Elizabeth Grosz. Arguing that the fairly decisive repudiation of this concept by some feminist theorists has been based on a critical misunderstanding, this project endeavors to clarify becomingwoman by exploring various conceptions of the body put forth by Baruch de Spinoza, Friedrich Nietzsche and Simone de Beauvoir. These conceptions of the body are indispensible to an appreciation of Deleuze and Guattari's notion of a body lived on both an immanent and transcendent plane, which, in turn, is indispensable to an appreciation of the concept of becoming (and, in particular, the concept of becoming-woman) as intended by Deleuze and Guattari.

Detectives and Superheroes: A Pilot Study Teaching Flexible Thinking in Social Situations to a Child with High Functioning Autism

Complex social-cognitive deficits are common in individuals diagnosed with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Research on effective and evidence-based social interventions is needed for this population. This study focused specifically on the challenges these individuals face with respect to flexible thinking and related flexible behaviour in social situations. Madrigal and Winner's (2008) Superflex curriculum - targets social flexibility, however at the time of this study no published research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this approach. This study was a pilot study, which sought to examine the impact of the Superflex curriculum within a 10-week training program in teaching one individual with high functioning autism how to think and behave flexibly in social situations. Multiple measurement tools were utilized, and analyses within and across the measures revealed inconsistencies, especially with respect to generalization. Although preliminary, this study provided valuable information for subsequent research.

Experimental and Computational Studies on Copper and Hydrobenzoin Derivatives in Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions

The use of theory to understand and facilitate catalytic enantioselective organic transformations involving copper and hydrobenzoin derivatives is reported. Section A details the use of theory to predict, facilitate, and understand a copper promoted amino oxygenation reaction reported by Chemler et al. Using Density Functional Theory (DFT), employing the hybrid B3LYP functional and a LanL2DZ/6-31G(d) basis set, the mechanistic details were studied on a N-tosyl-o-allylaniline and a [alpha]-methyl-[gamma]-alkenyl sulfonamide substrate. The results suggest the N-C bond formation proceeds via a cisaminocupration, and not through a radical-type mechanism. Additionally, the origin of diastereoselection observed with [alpha]-methyl-[gamma]-alkenyl sulfonamide arises from avoidance of unfavourable steric interactions between the methyl substituent and the N -protecting group. Section B details the computationally guided, experimental investigation of two hydrobenzoin derivatives as ligands/ catalysts, as well as the attempted synthesis of a third hydrobenzoin derivative. The bis-boronic acid derived from hydrobenzoin was successful as a Lewis acid catalyst in the Bignielli reaction and the Conia ene reaction, but provided only racemic products. The chiral diol derived from hydrobenzoin successfully increased the rate of the addition of diethyl zinc to benzaldehyde in the presence of titanium tetraisopropoxide, however poor enantioinduction was obseverved. Notably, the observed reactivity was successfully predicted by theoretical calculations.

Towards reverse engineering of Photosystem II: Synergistic Computational and Experimental Approaches

ABSTRACT Photosystem II (PSII) of oxygenic photosynthesis has the unique ability to photochemically oxidize water, extracting electrons from water to result in the evolution of oxygen gas while depositing these electrons to the rest of the photosynthetic machinery which in turn reduces CO2 to carbohydrate molecules acting as fuel for the cell. Unfortunately, native PSII is unstable and not suitable to be used in industrial applications. Consequently, there is a need to reverse-engineer the water oxidation photochemical reactions of PSII using solution-stable proteins. But what does it take to reverse-engineer PSII’s reactions? PSII has the pigment with the highest oxidation potential in nature known as P680. The high oxidation of P680 is in fact the driving force for water oxidation. P680 is made up of a chlorophyll a dimer embedded inside the relatively hydrophobic transmembrane environment of PSII. In this thesis, the electrostatic factors contributing to the high oxidation potential of P680 are described. PSII oxidizes water in a specialized metal cluster known as the Oxygen Evolving Complex (OEC). The pathways that water can take to enter the relatively hydrophobic region of PSII are described as well. A previous attempt to reverse engineer PSII’s reactions using the protein scaffold of E. coli’s Bacterioferritin (BFR) existed. The oxidation potential of the pigment used for the BFR ‘reaction centre’ was measured and the protein effects calculated in a similar fashion to how P680 potentials were calculated in PSII. The BFR-RC’s pigment oxidation potential was found to be 0.57 V, too low to oxidize water or tyrosine like PSII. We suggest that the observed tyrosine oxidation in BRF-RC could be driven by the ZnCe6 di-cation. In order to increase the efficiency of iii tyrosine oxidation, and ultimately oxidize water, the first potential of ZnCe6 would have to attain a value in excess of 0.8 V. The results were used to develop a second generation of BFR-RC using a high oxidation pigment. The hypervalent phosphorous porphyrin forms a radical pair that can be observed using Transient Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (TR-EPR). Finally, the results from this thesis are discussed in light of the development of solar fuel producing systems.

Modeling Metal Protein Complexes from Experimental Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure using Computational Intelligence

Experimental Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectra carry information about the chemical structure of metal protein complexes. However, pre- dicting the structure of such complexes from EXAFS spectra is not a simple task. Currently methods such as Monte Carlo optimization or simulated annealing are used in structure refinement of EXAFS. These methods have proven somewhat successful in structure refinement but have not been successful in finding the global minima. Multiple population based algorithms, including a genetic algorithm, a restarting ge- netic algorithm, differential evolution, and particle swarm optimization, are studied for their effectiveness in structure refinement of EXAFS. The oxygen-evolving com- plex in S1 is used as a benchmark for comparing the algorithms. These algorithms were successful in finding new atomic structures that produced improved calculated EXAFS spectra over atomic structures previously found.

Optimizing Computational Frameworks to Study the Influence of the Protein Environment on the Individual Site Energies of Chromophores in Photosystem II of Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is a process in which electromagnetic radiation is converted into chemical energy. Photosystems capture photons with chromophores and transfer their energy to reaction centers using chromophores as a medium. In the reaction center, the excitation energy is used to perform chemical reactions. Knowledge of chromophore site energies is crucial to the understanding of excitation energy transfer pathways in photosystems and the ability to compute the site energies in a fast and accurate manner is mandatory for investigating how protein dynamics ef-fect the site energies and ultimately energy pathways with time. In this work we developed two software frameworks designed to optimize the calculations of chro-mophore site energies within a protein environment. The first is for performing quantum mechanical energy optimizations on molecules and the second is for com-puting site energies of chromophores in a fast and accurate manner using the polar-izability embedding method. The two frameworks allow for the fast and accurate calculation of chromophore site energies within proteins, ultimately allowing for the effect of protein dynamics on energy pathways to be studied. We use these frame-works to compute the site energies of the eight chromophores in the reaction center of photosystem II (PSII) using a 1.9 Å resolution x-ray structure of photosystem II. We compare our results to conflicting experimental data obtained from both isolat-ed intact PSII core preparations and the minimal reaction center preparation of PSII, and find our work more supportive of the former.