Illustrated catalogue of notable paintings by masters of the early English, Barbizon, modern French and contemporaneous schools ... sold ... February 3rd, 1921 ...

Mode of access: Internet.

Catalogue of the loan exhibition, 1878, in aid of the Society of Decorative Art : consisting of gems of the modern, foreign and American schools of painting and rare examples of various art industries, at the National Academy of Design.

Cover title: Loan exhibition in aid of the Society of Decorative Art, 1878.

The Relationship of Instructor Technical Literacy to the Academic Performance of Students in Career Academies

Career Academy instructors’ technical literacy is vital to the academic success of students. This nonexperimental ex post facto study examined the relationships between the level of technical literacy of instructors in career academies and student academic performance. It was also undertaken to explore the relationship between the pedagogical training of instructors and the academic performance of students. Out of a heterogeneous population of 564 teachers in six targeted schools, 136 teachers (26.0 %) responded to an online survey. The survey was designed to gather demographic and teaching experience data. Each demographic item was linked by researchers to teachers’ technology use in the classroom. Student achievement was measured by student learning gains as assessed by the reading section of the FCAT from the previous to the present school year. Linear and hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the research questions. To clarify the possibility of teacher gender and teacher race/ethnic group differences by research variable, a series of one-way ANOVAs were conducted. As revealed by the ANOVA results, there were not statistically significant group differences in any of the research variables by teacher gender or teacher race/ethnicity. Greater student learning gains were associated with greater teacher technical expertise integrating computers and technology into the classroom, even after controlling for teacher attitude towards computers. Neither teacher attitude toward technology integration nor years of experience in integrating computers into the curriculum significantly predicted student learning gains in the regression models. Implications for HRD theory, research, and practice suggest that identifying teacher levels of technical literacy may help improve student academic performance by facilitating professional development strategies and new parameters for defining highly qualified instructors with 21st century skills. District professional development programs can benefit by increasing their offerings to include more computer and information communication technology courses. Teacher preparation programs can benefit by including technical literacy as part of their curriculum. State certification requirements could be expanded to include formal surveys to assess teacher use of technology.

ESL teacher profiles of ICT integration in their classroom practices and assessment activities : a portrait viewed through the lens of some Quebec teachers’ social representations

Abstract : Information and communication technologies (ICTs, henceforth) have become ubiquitous in our society. The plethora of devices competing with the computer, from iPads to the Interactive whiteboard, just to name a few, has provided teachers and students alike with the ability to communicate and access information with unprecedented accessibility and speed. It is only logical that schools reflect these changes given that their purpose is to prepare students for the future. Surprisingly enough, research indicates that ICT integration into teaching activities is still marginal. Many elementary and secondary schoolteachers are not making effective use of ICTs in their teaching activities as well as in their assessment practices. The purpose of the current study is a) to describe Quebec ESL teachers’ profiles of using ICTs in their daily teaching activities; b) to describe teachers’ ICT integration and assessment practices; and c) to describe teachers’ social representations regarding the utility and relevance of ICT use in their daily teaching activities and assessment practices. In order to attain our objectives, we based our theoretical framework, principally, on the social representations (SR, henceforth) theory and we defined most related constructs which were deemed fundamental to the current thesis. We also collected data from 28 ESL elementary and secondary school teachers working in public and private sectors. The interview guide used to that end included a range of items to elicit teachers’ SR in terms of ICT daily use in teaching activities as well as in assessment practices. In addition, we carried out our data analyses from a textual statistics perspective, a particular mode of content analysis, in order to extract the indicators underlying teachers’ representations of the teachers. The findings suggest that although almost all participants use a wide range of ICT tools in their practices, ICT implementation is seemingly not exploited to its fullest potential and, correspondingly, is likely to produce limited effects on students’ learning. Moreover, none of the interviewees claim that they use ICTs in their assessment practices and they still hold to the traditional paper-based assessment (PBA, henceforth) approach of assessing students’ learning. Teachers’ common discourse reveals a gap between the positive standpoint with regards to ICT integration, on the one hand, and the actual uses of instructional technology, on the other. These results are useful for better understanding the way ESL teachers in Quebec currently view their use of ICTs, particularly for evaluation purposes. In fact, they provide a starting place for reconsidering the implementation of ICTs in elementary and secondary schools. They may also be useful to open up avenues for the development of a future research program in this regard.

Relationship between blood pressure and psychological features of experience and behaviour among teachers

Purpose: Relationships between psychic features and psychophysical parameters, such as blood pressure, have a high relevance in research on coping with stress. We want to investigate the correlation between blood pressure and this psychic features. Methods: We investigated 79 teachers from high schools and secondary schools in and around Leipzig, Germany. Using the systolic blood pressure as an indicator, we built three groups: hypotonics, normotonics, and hypertonics. We assessed several health psychologically dependent variables and looked for differences between these groups (Chi-Square-Test). Results: Hypotonics experienced more stress and less planning and goal behaviour. Furthermore, they more often use physical exercises in order to increase their social well-being. Hypertonics, on the other hand, were driven by fear of loss of control and show a higher sense of feeling threatened. Conclusions: We could find for each group different relationships that are highly relevant to health. This results shows how psychological features and physiological regulation mechanisms are linked.

Nutritional technological characterization and secondary metabolites in stored carioca bean cultivars.

The recommendation of bean cultivars and the use of appropriate storage techniques allow the quality characteristics of these grains to be preserved for human consumption. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of storage on three cultivars of the common carioca bean in raw form and to determine the relationships between storage time and technological quality parameters involved in the darkening and hardening of grains, the chemical composition of the beans and the presence of secondary metabolites. The experiment followed a completely randomized design (CRD) with a full factorial scheme consisting of two factors: bean cultivars, with three levels and storage time, with five levels. The color parameters and the storage times significantly differed between the cultivars. The cooking time, when compared to the water absorption index, indicated that the cultivars had, on average, a high percentage of moisture (>95%) and an average cooking time of 17 min., this applies to the control, while values increase during the storage time. Storage under ambient conditions led to a reduction in grain brightness parameters, characterized by darkening and hardening; no reduction in protein and mineral content; and an increase in iron, phosphorous, tannin, and phytic acid contents at 180 days.

An Environmental Management Experience Within the Project: Improvement of Educational Opportunities in Rural Environmental Management in Sarapiqui and Guapiles’ Schools

A very important aspect of worldwide education and, particularly for Costa Rican education, is the environmental management as an educational strategy. For this reason, this article describes the experience of the project Mejora de la Oferta Educativa en Gestión Ambiental Rural (MOE-GAR) during its first stage in 2009. The population was comprised by teachers from different areas of the rural school districts of Guapiles and Sarapiquí. As a part of this project, we worked with teachers, different government and nongovernment institutions, throughout the 2009 school year; obtaining as a result, a process of knowledge development in environmental management. Based on this, several proposals were developed in different educational institutions.

Competencies Required in Education Research and Teaching Systematization according to Students from the Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education Programs of the University of Costa Rica

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of two online forums carried out with the participation of 42 students of the Licenciaturas  in Preschool Education, Primary Education and Secondary Education of the University of Costa Rica. The main purpose of the forums was to determine the insights of the participant students about the competencies they have achieved in the field of education research, and which have been the essential tools for them to systematize their own teaching practices. The discussion forums were part of the course FD5091 Métodos de Investigación Educativa [Education Research Methods] of the School of Teacher Education, delivered from March-April 2010.  Of the sample, 60 percent were students of the Preschool teaching program, 35 percent were from the Primary Education teaching program and 5 percent were from the Secondary Education teaching program in the fields of Science, Mathematics and Social Studies. According to the insights and beliefs showed by the participants –both, the future teachers and the profession practitioners–, there are no opportunities for research or systematization of their own teaching mediation, in the current work situation.(1) Translator’s Note: In Costa Rica, the “Licenciatura” is a one-year post-Bachelor study program, usually including thesis. “Primary Education” refers to students from the 1st to 6th grades, and “Secondary Education” refers to students from the 7th to 11th grades.

The quality of interface design for educational courseware development in Malaysian educational context

Interactive educational courseware has been adopted in diverse education sectors such as primary, secondary, tertiary education, vocational and professional training. In Malaysian educational context, the ministry of education has implemented Smart School Project that aims to increase high level of academic achievement in primary and secondary schools by using interactive educational courseware. However, many researchers have reported that many coursewares fail to accommodate the learner and teacher needs. In particular, the interface design is not appropriately designed in terms of quality of learning. This paper reviews educational courseware development process in terms of defining quality of interface design and suggests a conceptual model of interface design through the integration of design components and interactive learning experience into the development process. As a result, it defines the concept of interactive learning experience in a more practical approach in order to implement each stage of the development process in a seamless and integrated way.

The Quality of Interface Design for Educational Courseware Development in Malaysian Educational Context

Interactive educational courseware has been adopted in diverse education sectors such as primary, secondary, tertiary education, vocational and professional training. In Malaysian educational context, the ministry of education has implemented Smart School Project that aims to increase high level of academic achievement in primary and secondary schools by using interactive educational courseware. However, many researchers have reported that many coursewares fail to accommodate the learner and teacher needs. In particular, the interface design is not appropriately designed in terms of quality of learning. This paper reviews educational courseware development process in terms of defining quality of interface design and suggests a conceptual model of interface design through the integration of design components and interactive learning experience into the development process. As a result, it defines the concept of interactive learning experience in a more practical approach in order to implement each stage of the development process in a seamless and integrated way.

Locating child protection in preservice teacher education

A recent report delivered by the Australian Centre for Child Protection has highlighted the need for empirical evidence of effective pedagogies for supporting teaching and learning of child protection content in Australian teacher education programs (Arnold & Maio-Taddeo, 2007). This paper advances this call by presenting case study accounts of different approaches to teaching child protection content in University-based teacher education programs across three Australian States. These different cases provide a basis for understanding existing strategies as an important precursor to improving practice. Although preschool, primary and secondary schools have been involved in efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect since the 1970s, teacher education programs, including preservice and inservice programs, have been slow to align their work with child protection agendas. This paper opens a long-overdue discussion about the extent and nature of child protection content in teacher education and proposes strategies for translating research into practice.

Interface design in interactive science courseware for the Malaysian Smart School Project

With the goal of improving the academic performance of primary and secondary students in Malaysia by 2020, the Malaysian Ministry of Education has made a significant investment in developing a Smart School Project. The aim of this project is to introduce interactive courseware into primary and secondary schools across Malaysia. As has been the case around the world, interactive courseware is regarded as a tool to motivate students to learn meaningfully and enhance learning experiences. Through an initial pilot phase, the Malaysian government has commissioned the development of interactive courseware by a number of developers and has rolled this courseware out to selected schools over the past 12 years. However, Ministry reports and several independent researchers have concluded that its uptake has been limited, and that much of the courseware has not been used effectively in schools. This has been attributed to weaknesses in the interface design of the courseware, which, it has been argued, fails to accommodate the needs of students and teachers. Taking the Smart School Project's science courseware as a sample, this research project has investigated the extent, nature, and reasons for the problems that have arisen. In particular, it has focused on examining the quality and effectivity of the interface design in facilitating interaction and supporting learning experiences. The analysis has been conducted empirically, by first comparing the interface design principles, characteristics and components of the existing courseware against best practice, as described in the international literature, as well as against the government guidelines provided to the developers. An ethnographic study was then undertaken to observe how the courseware is used and received in the classroom, and to investigate the stakeholders' (school principal, teachers and students') perceptions of its usability and effectivity. Finally, to understand how issues may have arisen, a review of the development process has been undertaken and it has been compared to development methods recommended in the literature, as well as the guidelines provided to the developers. The outcomes of the project include an empirical evaluation of the quality of the interface design of the Smart School Project's science courseware; the identification of other issues that have affected its uptake; an evaluation of the development process and, out of this, an extended set of principles to guide the design and development of future Smart School Project courseware to ensure that it accommodates the various stakeholders' needs.

Hebrew College collection, 1928-1996

Louis Hurwich, then superintendent of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Boston, founded Hebrew Teacher’s College in 1921. Hurwich was concerned about Jewish teachers leaving the field of Jewish education for other professions and sought an educational system that promoted Hebrew literacy at all levels. Hebrew Teacher’s College was also responsible for maintaining Hebrew High School (Prozdor), located at 14 Crawford Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Those students who graduated from the high school could matriculate to Hebrew Teacher’s College without having to take an exam. In 1943, the high school offered Talmud classes in addition to its regular curriculum, with studies in the Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, and codes and customs. In 2002, the College moved to its current location in Newton, Massachusetts. One year later, it opened its Rabbinical School. This collection contains brochures, catalogs, commencement addresses, event fliers, invitations, pamphlets and publications.

Opettajien teknologiasuhteen luonne ja muodostuminen

This study investigates primary and secondary school teachers’ social representations and ways to conceptualise new technologies. The focus is both on teachers’ descriptions, interpretations and conceptions of technology and on the adoption and formation of these conceptions. In addition, the purpose of this study is to analyse how the national objectives of the information society and the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools reflect teachers’ thinking and everyday practices. The starting point for the study is the idea of a dynamic and mutual relationship between teachers and technology so that technology does not affect one-sidedly teachers’ thinking. This relationship is described in this study as the teachers’ technology relationship. This concept emphasises that technology cannot be separated from society, social relations and the context where it is used but it is intertwined with societal practices and is therefore formed in interaction with the material and social factors. The theoretical part of this study encompasses three different research traditions: 1) the social shaping of technology, 2) research on how schools and teachers use technology and 3) social representations theory. The study was part of the Helmi Project (Holistic development of e-Learning and business models) in 2001–2005 at the Helsinki University of Technology, SimLab research unit. The Helmi Project focused on different aspects of the utilisation of ICT in teaching. The research data consisted of interviews of teachers and principals. Altogether 37 interviews were conducted in 2003 and 2004 in six different primary and secondary schools in Espoo, Finland. The data was analysed applying grounded theory. The results showed that the teachers’ technology relationship was diverse and context specific. Technology was interpreted differently depending on the context: the teachers’ technology related descriptions and metaphors illustrated on one hand the benefits and the possibilities and on the other hand the problems and threats of different technologies. The dualist nature of technology was also expressed in the teachers’ thinking about technology as a deterministic and irrevocable force and as a controllable and functional tool at the same time. Teachers did not consider technology as having a stable character but they interpreted technology in relation to the variable context of use. This way they positioned or anchored technology into their everyday practices. The study also analysed the formation of the teachers’ technology relationship and the ways teachers familiarise themselves with new technologies. Comparison of different technologies as well as technology related metaphors turned out to be significant in forming the technology relationship. Also the ways teachers described the familiarisation process and the interpretations of their own technical skills affected the formation of technology relationship. In addition, teachers defined technology together with other teachers, and the discussions reflected teachers’ interpretations and descriptions.

Koulun kestävän kehityksen työn merkitys kiinteistön jätehuollossa Case: Helsingin peruskoulujen jätekustannukset ja -määrät

Koulujen kestävän kehityksen työllä tarkoitetaan ekologiseen, taloudelliseen, sosiaaliseen ja kulttuuriseen kestävyyteen pohjautuvaa ympäristökasvatusta. Helsingissä peruskoulujen kestävän kehityksen työvälineet (ympäristökartoitukset ja – ohjelmat) ovat perustuneet koulujen ympäristöasioiden suunnitteluun, opetussuunnitelmien toteutumiseen ja ylläpitotoimintoihin, kuten jätehuoltoon. Opetusvirasto käytti vuosina 2005 ja 2009 ympäristötoiminnan arvioinnissa ympäristötasokuvauksia 1-3, joista arvosana 3 kuvaa ympäristöasioissa edistyneintä koulua. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia ympäristötoiminnan tasojen perusteella ryhmiteltyjen peruskoulujen välisiä eroja jätekustannuksissa ja – määrissä (euroa/henkilö ja kg/henkilö) ja löytää mahdollisesti eroihin vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Tutkielman toimeksiantajana on 4V-Välitä, vaikuta, viihdy, voi hyvin – hanke, jonka yhtenä toiminnan osa-alueena on koulujen kestävän kehityksen työ. Tuloksista tullaan johtamaan tietoa Opetusviraston sekä muiden tahojen, kuten HSY:n ja Palmian ympäristötyöhön sekä Kiinteistöviraston Tilakeskuksen hallinnassa olevien koulukiinteistöjen jätehuollon kehittämiseen. Tutkimusaineistoina käytettiin Helsingin peruskoulujen vuoden 2009 jätekustannuksia ja tutkielman yhteydessä kerätyn jäteseurannan tuloksia vuodelta 2010. Jätekustannus- ja jätemääräaineistot yhdistettiin vuoden 2009 ympäristötoiminnan tasoluokitusten perusteella otokseksi (n=64). Lopullinen jätekustannus- ja jätemääräanalyysi tehtiin 29 koulun otoksella, josta oli rajattu pois kiinteistöt, joilla on koulun toiminnan lisäksi muita käyttötarkoituksia. Analyysiin sisällytettiin myös tarkempi tarkastelu koulujen seka- ja biojätejakeiden kustannuksista ja määristä. Tutkimuksen johtopäätöksenä todettiin, että eri ympäristötasoisten peruskoulujen välillä on huomattavia euro- ja kilomääräisiä eroja henkilöä kohden lasketuissa jätekustannuksissa ja –määrissä. Kokonaisjätemäärässä ei ole tapahtunut merkittävää muutosta tarkasteluvuosien välillä, mutta lajittelu näyttäisi kuitenkin tehostuneen. Tulosten perusteella ympäristöasioissa edistyneiden tason 3 koulujen keskimääräiset sekajätemäärät ja -kustannukset olivat pienimmät tasojen 1 ja 2 kouluihin verrattuna. Biojätemäärät ja –kustannukset olivat suurimmat tason 2 kouluissa. Jätekustannuksiin ja – määriin näyttäisivät vaikuttavan jäteastioiden määrien, kokojen ja tyhjennysrytmien optimointi sekä jäteastioiden täyttöasteet. Peruskoulujen tulisi keskittyä kestävän kehityksen työn avulla jätteiden synnyn ehkäisyyn ja vähentämiseen, jotta jätekustannuksetkin vähentyisivät jätehuollon kehittämistoimenpiteiden seurauksena.