Sign Painting Student Working Outside

A Sign Painting student from the New York Trade School is pictured working outside on scaffolding on an AMOCO sign. Black and white photograph.

A Story of English Language Learning ��� How Can Children���s Literature be Used in Teaching Vocabulary to Young English Language Learners? : - A Literature Review

This study aims to find research relating to the use of children���s literature to promote vocabulary development in young children, particularly English language learners in Sweden. The main questions address how (methods) children���s literature can be used and why (reasons) children���s literature is often recommended for the teaching of vocabulary to young learners. The study also aims to explore reasons against the use of children���s literature in vocabulary teaching found in previous research. A systematic literature review was carried out, including results from five empirical studies. The studies involved native speakers, second language learners and foreign language learners from various backgrounds. The results suggest that while research has shown children���s literature to be a good tool to use with young learners, careful lesson planning needs to be carried out. Direct instruction and scaffolding using pictures, technology and gestures is recommended. Hence, the teacher plays an important part for the vocabulary development using children���s literature in the classroom.

English-medium instruction in Sweden : Perspectives and practices in two upper secondary schools

This thesis presents English-medium instruction (EMI) in the Swedish context, focusing on perspectives and practices in two schools. The research question is as follows: How and why is EMI offered, chosen, and practiced in the Swedish upper secondary school today? The aim is to explore the status of the educational option, the reasons for offering EMI to stakeholders, the stakeholders��� beliefs about and goals of EMI, and the implementation of EMI in the classroom. A survey of all upper secondary schools in Sweden was conducted to ascertain the spread of content teaching through a foreign language. The educational context was studied from an ecological perspective using methods based in linguistic ethnography. Language alternation, academic language, and language hierarchy were all considered. Interviews were analysed for content; and classroom language use was analysed for language choice and function. The concepts of affordance and scaffolding together with translanguaging were key. The de facto policies of the micro contexts of the schools were examined in light of the declared national policy of the macro context of Sweden. The results indicate that the option in Swedish schools has not increased, and also tends to only be EMI���not Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) or instruction through other languages. EMI is offered for prestige, an international profile, marketing potential and personal interest. EMI students are academically motivated and confident, and see the option as ���fun���. 100% EMI in the lessons is not the goal or the practice. Translanguaging is abundant, but how language alternation is perceived as an affordance or not differs in the two schools. One focuses on how the languages are used while the other focuses on how much each language is used. In conclusion, the analysis suggests that a development of definitions and practices of EMI in Sweden is needed, especially in relation to language policy and language hierarchy.

English as the target language : A literature study on teachers��� and L2 learners��� language use in the upper elementary classroom

Even though English is a subject where Swedish pupils do well compared to pupils in other countries, research indicates that pupils are not always motivated to learn in the English classroom. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find research relating to the use of the target language in classrooms for pupils at the upper elementary level, particularly language learners in Sweden. The focus of this thesis is to find out what benefits and challenges accompany the use of the target language during English lessons, as well as what pupils��� opinions are on the consistent use of the target language in the classroom. This literature review of five research articles shows that it is beneficial for pupils��� language development to have lessons where mainly the target language is used. It is for example beneficial for pupils��� ability to speak, their pronunciation, vocabulary and ability to use language strategies. The results show that there are challenges as well, especially for the teachers, since use of the target language presumes that the teacher has good language skills and is capable of scaffolding each pupil at their individual level and in their zone of proximal development. Furthermore, there are challenges like differences in pupils��� skill level, creating tasks that both motivate and stimulate, and creating a safe learning environment. Even though the results in this thesis are limited, it is still obvious that it is an important area, where more research is necessary in order to assist teachers in how to teach English as effectively as possible.

Recent advances in chloroplast and mitochondrial division

Stomatin, originally identified as a major protein of the human erythrocyte membrane, is widely expressed in various tissues. Orthologues are found in vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and microorganisms. Related proteins exhibit a common core structure, termed the prohibitin (PHB) domain, with varying extensions. Stomatin has an unusual topology, similar to caveolin-1, with a hydrophobic domain embedded at the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Additional anchoring is provided by palmitoylation and the membrane affinity of the PHB domain. Stomatin associates with cholesterol-rich microdomains (lipid rafts), forms oligomers, and thereby displays a scaffolding function by generating large protein-lipid complexes. It regulates the activity of various membrane proteins by reversibly recruiting them to lipid rafts. This mechanism of regulation has been shown for GLUT-1 and may also apply for ion channels. Stomatin is located at the plasma membrane, particularly in microvilli, in endocytic and exocytic vesicles, and cytoplasmic granules. Stomatin-carrying endosomes are highly dynamic and interact with lipid droplets suggesting a role in intracellular lipid transport. This subcellular distribution and the caveolin-like protein structure suggest important membrane organizing functions for stomatin. A general picture emerges now that cell membranes contain cholesterol-rich domains that are generated and regulated by scaffolding proteins like caveolins, stomatins, and flotillin/reggie proteins.<br />

Continuous improvement through shared understanding : reconceptualising instructional design for online learning

Many Australian tertiary institutions provide support for academic staff in the design and development of online teaching and learning resources, often employing a centralised unit staffed with educational and instructional designers, multimedia and online developers, audio/video producers and graphic artists. It is not unusual for these units to have evolved from print-based distance education providers and consequently the design and development processes inherent within those units are often steeped in &lsquo;traditional&rsquo; sequential instructional development models. We argue that these models are no longer valid for effectively working with academic staff given the dynamic nature of online learning environments and the diversity of skills to implement effective online learning. This paper therefore presents an extended instructional design model in which the development cycle for online teaching and learning materials uses a scaffolding strategy in order to cater for learner-centred activities and to maximise scarce developer and academic resources. The model also integrates accepted phases of the instructional development process to provide guidelines for the disposition of staff and to more accurately reflect the creation of resources as learning design rather than instructional design. It is a model that builds on instructional design processes and integrates concepts of team-based development, shared understanding and the development of relevant communities of practice.<br />

E-learning development in higher education : maximising efficiency : maintaining quality

Many tertiary institutions in Australia provide support to develop online teaching and learning resources, an environment characterised by demands from students for quality face-to-face and distance education, staff concern over workloads, institutional budgeting constraints and an imperative to use management systems. There also remains a legitimate focus on using online learning to facilitate new learning strategies within a complex social setting. This paper presents an extended instructional design model in which the development cycle for online teaching and learning materials uses a scaffolding strategy in order to cater for learner-centred activities and to maximise scarce developer and academic resources. The model also integrates accepted phases of the instructional development process to provide guidelines for the disposition of staff and to more accurately reflect the creation of resources as learning design rather than instructional design.<br />

Enhancing instructional development processes for e-learning

This paper presents an extended instructional design model in which the development cycle for online teaching and learning materials uses a scaffolding strategy in order to cater for learner-centred activities and to maximise scarce developer and academic resources.<br />

'Skeleton budget', 'intranet', 'dole', and other strange Words: Bridging the cultural divide in a multicultural classroom

This paper examines the experiences of two academics who had been international students themselves and currently teaching in multicultural settings at tertiary level, with regards to the issues of the teacher using culture specific slang and idiom with otherwise keen and bright groups of students, in Australia. Using the research method of auto-ethnography, it examines and categorises the themes of issues most often faced by the staff members and students-such as the use of different vocabulary and keywords and the prior knowledge required of both the teacher and the students in reaching a shared understanding or inter-subjectivity. These will be discussed in terms of the various realities experienced by the students coming from a diversity of countries and cultures. The paper discusses how these challenges can be identified and addressed and how to prepare for future situations more effectively and in advance. They will be examined within the contexts of culturally responsive teaching, communication competence, the hidden curriculum, instructional scaffolding, understanding and being open to other cultures and acknowledgement of the richness and relevance of the multicultural students&rsquo; varied experiences and social realities, from the point of view of the academic discipline of communication studies.<br />

Mother and toddler activity in the zone of proximal development for pretend play as a predictor of higher child IQ

This study investigated the pretend play of mother&mdash;toddler dyads in relation to later child IQ. Twenty-one toddlers were videotaped in monthly play sessions with their mothers, from age 8 to 17 months, and later assessed at 5 years of age on the Stanford-Binet IV. Children's and mothers' pretend play levels and frequencies were measured using Brown's (1997) Pretend Play Observation Scale. Dyadic play activity was analyzed using the conceptual frameworks of scaffolding and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Toddlers later assessed as having higher IQ demonstrated more rapid learning in the ZPD for pretend play and experienced earlier maternal transfer of responsibility for play. These findings support other evidence on the differential early development of high ability or gifted children and the role of caregiver interactions in that development.<br /><br />Putting the Research to Use: This study provides evidence that gifted children show differential development, in this case more rapid learning, from the first year of life. It also demonstrates how responsive parental interactions can support this advanced development. For family and professional caregivers, the findings imply that optimum caregiving for the young gifted child involves interactions that are both responsive to individual potential and appropriately challenging. In regard to the methodological challenges of researching early giftedness, the study demonstrated that the constructs of the ZPD and scaffolding were useful frameworks for investigating early gifted development and caregiver influences on that development. Pretend play activity was also shown to be an effective measure and a useful context for the study of gifted development in infants and toddlers. It would be valuable for future researchers in this area to utilize similar approaches that are grounded in the unique developmental characteristics of young children, and that aim to account for the interactive contexts that are so important in children's lives. The field of gifted education, in general, would also benefit from an increased awareness and exploration of the role of play in the development of intellect, imagination and creativity.<br />

Developing mathematical understanding

The notion of scaffolding is used to introduce research on differentiated learning trajectories that make use of activities termed 'prompts'. The prompts are used to enable children to develop the necessary mathematical understanding and skills to keep up with the rest of the class.&nbsp; They focus on aspects of teaching that teachers identified as important aspects of classroom interactivity that contribute to the understanding: the use of physical representation of concepts: actions aimed at building conceptual links; and the use of language based activity.<br />

Teaching journalism students and regional reporters how to work with cultural diversity

This paper examines the effectiveness of a set of curriculum materials developed for a Reporting Diversity and Integration Project tailored for Australian journalists and journalism students. The materials take a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to a hypothetical case study that involves Muslim netballers being banned from competition because they want to wear headscarves during play. Deferring to ideas developed by Russian psychologist, Leo Vygotsky, we proposed a few &lsquo;scaffolding&rsquo; strategies to support student learning. The material was trialed with 30 first-year Deakin University journalism students and 30 regional journalists. The responses showed that both groups felt the materials we added to the curriculum resources, which provided information on Muslim women and the headscarf, affected how they would write the story. They also thought it was important to provide this kind of information for readers. This paper argues that providing cultural information in an accessible format for students and journalists in newsrooms should be integral to education and training materials designed to improve media coverage of cultural diversity issues.<br /><br />

Evolutionary psychology and the rehabilitation of offenders : constraints and consequences

The mainstream view in criminology and correctional psychology is that evolutionary perspectives have little to offer researchers or practitioners and may in fact lead to overly reductionist and crude responses to the complex issue of crime and its consequences. However, in our view all the major evolutionary approaches to the explanation of human behavior have something of value to contribute, with niche construction providing a particularly useful lens upon crime and its management. In this paper we analyze the concept of rehabilitation and describe the key features of effective rehabilitation. We argue that niche construction is responsive to the cognitive versatility and behavioral flexibility of human beings and can also accommodate the important role of social and cultural scaffolding in the rehabilitation process.

Archipelago design : virtualopolis and the interactive virtual team scenario

Increasingly employers use virtual teams to leverage business knowledge that can solve day to day business problems and create new business opportunities. Consequently, according to Bridgstock, graduates increasingly require virtual teamwork skills such as communication, negotiation and collaboration. The project presented here has researched and trialled the role of a well-designed interactive scenario in developing graduate attributes related to working with others, using virtual business entities across four faculties. One innovative outcome from this has been the scoping and linking of cross-faculty virtual developments into an overarching structure which is easily navigable and engaging for the net generation learner, and capacity building for the university. For clarity, that scaffolding or framework &lsquo;city&rsquo; has been called Virtualopolis. This has the potential to link pockets of innovation across the university in the area of experiential learning and virtual work-integrated learning (WIL), the term expolred by Walsh within the context of Briggs' constructive alignment. The prototype workteam scenario has multiple applications, with capacity to be a hurdle requirement, assessment item or training activity depending on the needs of the faculty&rsquo;s WIL. By developing the online framework or model Virtualopolis, work-integrated teams assessment can be linked across different business entities, and used as skills preparation for experiential learning units such as internships, professional experience and workplace-based projects university-wide. This model has exciting possibilities of transferability across the higher education sector in the linkage of innovative virtual scenarios to reduce developmental costs, assessment tools/resources targeted specifically to graduate attributes, and virtual teamwork capacity building.<br /><br />

Learning from arid planning and design history and practice : from Woomera to creating the new Roxby Downs communities

The principles and knowledge about arid planning and design have much applicability to contemporary Australian planning discourses because of climate change evidence and policy shifts that sketch a hotter and more unreliable future climate with an emphasis upon a semi-arid environment for Australia. Despite this merit and intent, we appear to have learnt little from the past and are failing to draw upon the pioneering planning and design knowledge that underpinned community development and scaffolding in numerous Australian arid and semi-arid communities, and to bring this knowledge into our future planning processes and strategies.<br /><br />This paper considers the essential attributes and variables of three Australian arid planning and design, drawing upon historical practice and research that have been explored in the planning of semi-arid and arid places including Port Pirie, Whyalla, Monarto, Broken Hill, Port Augusta, Leigh Creek, Andamooka, Olympic Dam Village and Roxby Downs. It specifically reviews Woomera Village (1940s) Shay Gap (1970s) and the proposed extensions to Roxby Downs (2010s) as models of how to better plan and design communities in arid environments. Instrumental in these innovations is the use of landscape-responsive urban design strategies, water harvesting and irregular rainfall capture, arid horticulture, building design, colour and materiality, orientation and shading strategies, and social community construction under difficult isolationist circumstances. The paper points to key strategies that need to be incorporated in future climate change responsive community developments and policy making.<br />