A practical system of rhetoric, or, The principles and rules of style : inferred from examples of writing : to which is added a historical dissertation on English style /

Mode of access: Internet.

Logical method to learn the Italian language.

Mode of access: Internet.

An essay upon the learning of devises, from their inception by writing, to their consummation by the death of the devisor.

Mode of access: Internet.

Fostering the growing need to learn : monographs and annotated bibliography on continuing education and health manpower.

Mode of access: Internet.

On dendrites in Down syndrome and DS murine models: a spiny way to learn

Since the discovery in the 1970s that dendritic abnormalities in cortical pyramidal neurons are the most consistent pathologic correlate of mental retardation, research has focused on how dendritic alterations are related to reduced intellectual ability. Due in part to obvious ethical problems and in part to the lack of fruitful methods to study neuronal circuitry in the human cortex, there is little data about the microanatomical contribution to mental retardation. The recent identification of the genetic bases of some mental retardation associated alterations, coupled with the technology to create transgenic animal models and the introduction of powerful sophisticated tools in the field of microanatomy, has led to a growth in the studies of the alterations of pyramidal cell morphology in these disorders. Studies of individuals with Down syndrome, the most frequent genetic disorder leading to mental retardation, allow the analysis of the relationships between cognition, genotype and brain microanatomy. In Down syndrome the crucial question is to define the mechanisms by which an excess of normal gene products, in interaction with the environment, directs and constrains neural maturation, and how this abnormal development translates into cognition and behaviour. In the present article we discuss mainly Down syndrome-associated dendritic abnormalities and plasticity and the role of animal models in these studies. We believe that through the further development of such approaches, the study of the microanatomical substrates of mental retardation will contribute significantly to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying human brain disorders associated with mental retardation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding sociocognitive space of written discourse: Implications for teaching business writing to Chinese students

Confronted with various issues in teaching business writing to Chinese students in New Zealand, this paper sees the need for bridging the gap between genre-based research and teaching in an intercultural context. Specifically, it develops an intercultural reflective model in the light of Bhatia's sociocognitive genre study as well as cross-cultural persuasion. As an important part of the model, New Zealand and Chinese experts' intracultural and intercultural reflections on business writing are solicited and compared and the theoretical implications for teaching and learning business writing are discussed. It has been found, through a case study of analysing English and Chinese business faxes, this model can offer an in-depth understanding about discursive competence across cultures, and provide a link between genre-based theory, teaching practice and professional expertise.

Using "war stories" to train for adaptive performance: Is it better to learn from error or success?

The study examines whether error exposure training can enhance adaptive performance. Fifty-nine experienced fire-fighters undergoing training for incident command participated in the study. War stories were developed based on real events to illustrate successful and unsuccessful incident command decisions. Two training methodologies were compared and evaluated. One group was trained using case studies that depicted incidents containing errors of management with severe consequences in fire-fighting outcomes (error-story training) while a second group was exposed to the same set of case studies except that the case studies depicted the incidents being managed without errors and their consequences (errorless-story training). The results provide some support for the hypothesis that it is better to learn from other people's errors than from their successes. Implications for training are discussed.

To learn from one's mistakes: The role of impulsivity in positive workplace behaviours

Recentiy a neuropsychological model of learning has been proposed Qackson, 2002) which argues that Responsibility provides a cognitive re-expression of Impulsivit)' in the prediction of functional and dysfunctional behaviour. Jackson argues that primitive, instinctive impulses lead to antisocial behaviours and socio-cognitive regulators such as Responsibility leads to the re-expression of Impulsivity in terms of pro-social behaviours. Study 1 tests and supports the measurement properties of the assessment methodology associated with the model. Study 2 provides evidence in favour of the instinctive basis of Impulsivity and the conscious basis of Responsibility, which reinforces the underlying neuropsychological basis of the model. Study 3 uses structural equation modelling to determine if Responsibility mediates Impulsivity in the prediction of a latent variable representing work performance, work commitment and team performance, but does not mediate Impulsivit}' in the prediction of a latent variable representing sexual proclivity, workplace deviancy, gambling and beer consumption. Results provide strong support for Jackson's model and suggest that Impulsivity and Responsibility are fundamental to both functional and dysfunctional learning

Motivating students to learn through good and helpful coursework feedback

The 2008 National Student Survey revealed that: 44% of full-time students in England did not think that the feedback on their work had been prompt nor did they agree that the feedback on their work helped them clarify things that they did not understand (HEFCE, 2008). Computer Science and Engineering & Technology have been amongst the poorest performers in this aspect as they ranked in the lower quartile (Surridge, 2007, p.32). Five years since the first NSS survey, assessment and feedback remains the biggest concern. Dissatisfaction in any aspect of studies demotivates students and can lead to disengagement and attrition. As the student number grows, the situation can only get worse if nothing is done about it. We have conducted a survey to investigate views on assessment and feedback from Engineering, Mathematics and Computing students. The survey aims at investigating the core issues of dissatisfaction in assessment and feedback and ways in which UK Engineering students can learn better through helpful feedback. The study focuses on collecting students' experiences with feedback received in their coursework, assignments and quizzes in Computing Science modules. The survey reveals the role of feedback in their learning. The results of the survey help to identify the forms of feedback that are considered to be helpful in learning and the time frame for timely feedback. We report on the findings of the survey. We also explore ways to improve assessment and feedback in a bid to better engage engineering students in their studies.