primary learning areas: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Sample records for primary learning areas

Investigation the opinions of the primary science teachers toward practice of teaching and learning activities in science learning area

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Chamnanwong, Pornpaka; Thathong, Kongsak

2018-01-01

In preparing a science lesson plan, teachers may deal with numerous difficulties. Having a deep understanding of their problems and their demands is extremely essential for the teachers in preparing themselves for the job. Moreover, it is also crucial for the stakeholders in planning suitable and in-need teachers' professional development programs, in school management, and in teaching aid. This study aimed to investigate the primary school science teachers' opinion toward practice of teaching and learning activities in science learning area. Target group was 292 primary science teachers who teach Grade 4 - 6 students in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand in the academic year of 2014. Data were collected using Questionnaire about Investigation the opinions of the primary science teachers toward practice of teaching and learning activities in science learning area. The questionnaires were consisted of closed questions scored on Likert scale and open-ended questions that invite a sentence response to cover from LS Process Ideas. Research findings were as follow. The primary science teachers' level of opinion toward teaching and learning science subject ranged from 3.19 - 3.93 (mean = 3.43) as "Moderate" level of practice. The primary school science teachers' needs to participate in a training workshop based on LS ranged from 3.66 - 4.22 (mean = 3.90) as "High" level. The result indicated that they were interested in attending a training course under the guidance of the Lesson Study by training on planning of management of science learning to solve teaching problems in science contents with the highest mean score 4.22. Open-ended questions questionnaire showed the needs of the implementation of the lesson plans to be actual classrooms, and supporting for learning Medias, innovations, and equipment for science experimentation.
Audiovisual Association Learning in the Absence of Primary Visual Cortex

OpenAIRE

Seirafi, Mehrdad; De Weerd, Peter; Pegna, Alan J.; de Gelder, Beatrice

2016-01-01

Learning audiovisual associations is mediated by the primary cortical areas; however, recent animal studies suggest that such learning can take place even in the absence of the primary visual cortex. Other studies have demonstrated the involvement of extra-geniculate pathways and especially the superior colliculus (SC) in audiovisual association learning. Here, we investigated such learning in a rare human patient with complete loss of the bilateral striate cortex. We carried out an implicit ...
Audiovisual Blindsight: Audiovisual learning in the absence of primary visual cortex

OpenAIRE

Mehrdad eSeirafi; Peter eDe Weerd; Alan J Pegna; Beatrice ede Gelder

2016-01-01

Learning audiovisual associations is mediated by the primary cortical areas; however, recent animal studies suggest that such learning can take place even in the absence of the primary visual cortex. Other studies have demonstrated the involvement of extra-geniculate pathways and especially the superior colliculus (SC) in audiovisual association learning. Here, we investigated such learning in a rare human patient with complete loss of the bilateral striate cortex. We carried out an implicit...
Contextual Teaching and Learning Approach of Mathematics in Primary Schools

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Selvianiresa, D.; Prabawanto, S.

2017-09-01

The Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach is an approach involving active students in the learning process to discover the concepts learned through to knowledge and experience of the students. Similar to Piaget’s opinion that learning gives students an actives trying to do new things by relating their experiences and building their own minds. When students to connecting mathematics with real life, then students can looking between a conceptual to be learned with a concept that has been studied. So that, students can developing of mathematical connection ability. This research is quasi experiment with a primary school in the city of Kuningan. The result showed that CTL learning can be successful, when learning used a collaborative interaction with students, a high level of activity in the lesson, a connection to real-world contexts, and an integration of science content with other content and skill areas. Therefore, CTL learning can be applied by techer to mathematics learning in primary schools.
Audiovisual Association Learning in the Absence of Primary Visual Cortex.

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Seirafi, Mehrdad; De Weerd, Peter; Pegna, Alan J; de Gelder, Beatrice

2015-01-01

Learning audiovisual associations is mediated by the primary cortical areas; however, recent animal studies suggest that such learning can take place even in the absence of the primary visual cortex. Other studies have demonstrated the involvement of extra-geniculate pathways and especially the superior colliculus (SC) in audiovisual association learning. Here, we investigated such learning in a rare human patient with complete loss of the bilateral striate cortex. We carried out an implicit audiovisual association learning task with two different colors of red and purple (the latter color known to minimally activate the extra-genicular pathway). Interestingly, the patient learned the association between an auditory cue and a visual stimulus only when the unseen visual stimulus was red, but not when it was purple. The current study presents the first evidence showing the possibility of audiovisual association learning in humans with lesioned striate cortex. Furthermore, in line with animal studies, it supports an important role for the SC in audiovisual associative learning.
Primary Sources and Inquiry Learning

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Pappas, Marjorie L.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author discusses inquiry learning and primary sources. Inquiry learning puts students in the active role of investigators. Questioning, authentic and active learning, and interactivity are a few of the characteristics of inquiry learning that put the teacher and library media specialist in the role of coaches while students…
Development of Learning to Learn Skills in Primary School

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Vainikainen, Mari-Pauliina; Wüstenberg, Sascha; Kupiainen, Sirkku; Hotulainen, Risto; Hautamäki, Jarkko

2015-01-01

In Finland, schools' effectiveness in fostering the development of transversal skills is evaluated through large-scale learning to learn (LTL) assessments. This article presents how LTL skills--general cognitive competences and learning-related motivational beliefs--develop during primary school and how they predict pupils' CPS skills at the end…
The Role of Context in Third Graders’ Learning of Area Measurement

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Denny Haris

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Many researches showed that the most of students find the difficulty in measuring area. The formula of area tends to be taught directly without involving the conceptual basis and the area measurement are separated from children’s daily experiences. For this reason, the teaching and learning of area measurement was designed and link to a set of students’ experience-based activities. The context of this research is Indonesian traditional handicraft namely anyaman. The study is situated in the context of implementing an Indonesian version of Realistic Mathematics Education, labeled as PMRI in Indonesia. Design Research methodology comprising preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis is applied. This research described the investigation of the context as preliminary of teaching and learning about area measurement held in 3th grade of primary school SDN 119 Palembang. The result of the teaching experiment showed that problem embedded in a context could encourage the students to develop the idea of area measurement concept. The strategies through emergent modeling showed how students’ contribution could be used to develop gradually their reasoning of area measurement concept. In the experience-based activities for learning area measurement, emergent modeling played an important role in the shift of students’ reasoning from informal level towards formal mathematical concepts of area measurement.
Learning from Primary Health Care Centers in Nepal: reflective writings on experiential learning of third year Nepalese medical students

OpenAIRE

Dhital, Rolina; Subedi, Madhusudan; Prasai, Neeti; Shrestha, Karun; Malla, Milan; Upadhyay, Shambhu

2015-01-01

Background Medical education can play important role in cultivating the willingness among the medical students to work in underprivileged areas after their graduation. Experiential learning through early exposure to primary health care centers could help students better understand the opportunities and challenges of such settings. However, the information on the real experiences and reflections of medical students on the rural primary health care settings from low-income countries like Nepal ...
Improving Primary Education in Pakistan: An Examination of the Association between School Autonomy and Children's Learning Outcomes

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Rahim, Bushra

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of the delegation of financial authority to public primary schools through Parent-Teacher Councils (PTCs) on learning outcomes of primary school children in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Pakistan. The learning outcomes were measured in three subject areas (Urdu, English, and Mathematics).…
Missed opportunities for diagnosis: lessons learned from diagnostic errors in primary care.

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Goyder, Clare R; Jones, Caroline H D; Heneghan, Carl J; Thompson, Matthew J

2015-12-01

Because of the difficulties inherent in diagnosis in primary care, it is inevitable that diagnostic errors will occur. However, despite the important consequences associated with diagnostic errors and their estimated high prevalence, teaching and research on diagnostic error is a neglected area. To ascertain the key learning points from GPs' experiences of diagnostic errors and approaches to clinical decision making associated with these. Secondary analysis of 36 qualitative interviews with GPs in Oxfordshire, UK. Two datasets of semi-structured interviews were combined. Questions focused on GPs' experiences of diagnosis and diagnostic errors (or near misses) in routine primary care and out of hours. Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Learning points include GPs' reliance on 'pattern recognition' and the failure of this strategy to identify atypical presentations; the importance of considering all potentially serious conditions using a 'restricted rule out' approach; and identifying and acting on a sense of unease. Strategies to help manage uncertainty in primary care were also discussed. Learning from previous examples of diagnostic errors is essential if these events are to be reduced in the future and this should be incorporated into GP training. At a practice level, learning points from experiences of diagnostic errors should be discussed more frequently; and more should be done to integrate these lessons nationally to understand and characterise diagnostic errors. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.
Non-primary motor areas in the human frontal lobe are connected directly to hand muscles.

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Teitti, S; Määttä, S; Säisänen, L; Könönen, M; Vanninen, R; Hannula, H; Mervaala, E; Karhu, J

2008-04-15

Structural studies in primates have shown that, in addition to the primary motor cortex (M1), premotor areas are a source of corticospinal tracts. The function of these putative corticospinal neuronal tracts in humans is still unclear. We found frontal non-primary motor areas (NPMAs), which react to targeted non-invasive magnetic pulses and activate peripheral muscles as fast as or even faster than those in M1. Hand muscle movements were observed in all our subjects about 20 ms after transcranial stimulation of the superior frontal gyrus (Brodmann areas 6 and 8). Stimulation of NPMA could activate both proximal and distal upper limb muscles with the same delay as a stimulation of the M1, indicating converging motor representations with direct functional connections to the hand. We suggest that these non-primary cortical motor representations provide additional capacity for the fast execution of movements. Such a capacity may play a role in motor learning and in recovery from motor deficits.
Differentiation of Enhancing Glioma and Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma by Texture-Based Machine Learning.

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Alcaide-Leon, P; Dufort, P; Geraldo, A F; Alshafai, L; Maralani, P J; Spears, J; Bharatha, A

2017-06-01

Accurate preoperative differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma is essential to avoid unnecessary neurosurgical resection in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a machine-learning algorithm by using texture analysis of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images for differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. Seventy-one adult patients with enhancing gliomas and 35 adult patients with primary central nervous system lymphomas were included. The tumors were manually contoured on contrast-enhanced T1WI, and the resulting volumes of interest were mined for textural features and subjected to a support vector machine-based machine-learning protocol. Three readers classified the tumors independently on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were estimated for each reader and for the support vector machine classifier. A noninferiority test for diagnostic accuracy based on paired areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve was performed with a noninferiority margin of 0.15. The mean areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.877 (95% CI, 0.798-0.955) for the support vector machine classifier; 0.878 (95% CI, 0.807-0.949) for reader 1; 0.899 (95% CI, 0.833-0.966) for reader 2; and 0.845 (95% CI, 0.757-0.933) for reader 3. The mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the support vector machine classifier was significantly noninferior to the mean area under the curve of reader 1 ( P = .021), reader 2 ( P = .035), and reader 3 ( P = .007). Support vector machine classification based on textural features of contrast-enhanced T1WI is noninferior to expert human evaluation in the differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.
The Role of Context in Third Graders’ Learning of Area Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denny Haris

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Many researches showed that the most of students find the difficulty in measuring area. The formula of area tends to be taught directly without involving the conceptual basis and the area measurement are separated from children’s daily experiences. For this reason, the teaching and learning of area measurement was designed and link to a set of students’ experience-based activities. The context of this research is Indonesian traditional handicraft namely anyaman. The study is situated in the context of implementing an Indonesian version of Realistic Mathematics Education, labeled as PMRI in Indonesia. Design Research methodology comprising preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis is applied. This research described the investigation of the context as preliminary of teaching and learning about area measurement held in 3th grade of primary school SDN 119 Palembang. The result of the teaching experiment showed that problem embedded in a context could encourage the students to develop the idea of area measurement concept. The strategies through emergent modeling showed how students’ contribution could be used to develop gradually their reasoning of area measurement concept. In the experience-based activities for learning area measurement, emergent modeling played an important role in the shift of students’ reasoning from informal level towards formal mathematical concepts of area measurement.Keywords: Area measurement, Anyaman, design research, PMRI DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.2.1.778.55-66
Investigative Primary Science: A Problem-Based Learning Approach

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Etherington, Matthew B.

2011-01-01

This study reports on the success of using a problem-based learning approach (PBL) as a pedagogical mode of learning open inquiry science within a traditional four-year undergraduate elementary teacher education program. In 2010, a problem-based learning approach to teaching primary science replaced the traditional content driven syllabus. During…
Understanding partnership practice in primary health as pedagogic work: what can Vygotsky's theory of learning offer?

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Hopwood, Nick

2015-01-01

Primary health policy in Australia has followed international trends in promoting models of care based on partnership between professionals and health service users. This reform agenda has significant practice implications, and has been widely adopted in areas of primary health that involve supporting families with children. Existing research shows that achieving partnership in practice is associated with three specific challenges: uncertainty regarding the role of professional expertise, tension between immediate needs and longer-term capacity development in families, and the need for challenge while maintaining relationships based on trust. Recently, pedagogic or learning-focussed elements of partnership practice have been identified, but there have been no systematic attempts to link theories of learning with the practices and challenges of primary health-care professionals working with families in a pedagogic role. This paper explores key concepts of Vygotsky's theory of learning (including mediation, the zone of proximal development, internalisation, and double stimulation), showing how pedagogic concepts can provide a bridge between the policy rhetoric of partnership and primary health practice. The use of this theory to address the three key challenges is explicitly discussed.
Learning invariance from natural images inspired by observations in the primary visual cortex.

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Teichmann, Michael; Wiltschut, Jan; Hamker, Fred

2012-05-01

The human visual system has the remarkable ability to largely recognize objects invariant of their position, rotation, and scale. A good interpretation of neurobiological findings involves a computational model that simulates signal processing of the visual cortex. In part, this is likely achieved step by step from early to late areas of visual perception. While several algorithms have been proposed for learning feature detectors, only few studies at hand cover the issue of biologically plausible learning of such invariance. In this study, a set of Hebbian learning rules based on calcium dynamics and homeostatic regulations of single neurons is proposed. Their performance is verified within a simple model of the primary visual cortex to learn so-called complex cells, based on a sequence of static images. As a result, the learned complex-cell responses are largely invariant to phase and position.
Region and task-specific activation of Arc in primary motor cortex of rats following motor skill learning.

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Hosp, J A; Mann, S; Wegenast-Braun, B M; Calhoun, M E; Luft, A R

2013-10-10

Motor learning requires protein synthesis within the primary motor cortex (M1). Here, we show that the immediate early gene Arc/Arg3.1 is specifically induced in M1 by learning a motor skill. Arc mRNA was quantified using a fluorescent in situ hybridization assay in adult Long-Evans rats learning a skilled reaching task (SRT), in rats performing reaching-like forelimb movement without learning (ACT) and in rats that were trained in the operant but not the motor elements of the task (controls). Apart from M1, Arc expression was assessed within the rostral motor area (RMA), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), striatum (ST) and cerebellum. In SRT animals, Arc mRNA levels in M1 contralateral to the trained limb were 31% higher than ipsilateral (pmotor skill learning in rats. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using online learning networks to promote self-regulated learning in primary teacher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrieling, Emmy; Bastiaens, Theo; Stijnen, Sjef

2017-01-01

Many recent studies have stressed the importance of students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) skills for successful learning. Consequently, teacher educators have begun to increase student teachers’ SRL opportunities in educational pre-service programs. Although primary teacher educators are aware of
Support for learning in the perspective of patient safety in primary health care

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Thatianny Tanferri de Brito Paranaguá

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the support for learning, in the perspective of patient safety, offered in the work environment, according to health professionals working in primary care. Method: a transversal study, held with 86 health professionals working in primary care. A validated instrument was used, applied via the Internet. Descriptive statistical analysis was undertaken with a presentation of median, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Results: points which are favorable to supporting learning were evidenced, such as mutual respect, autonomy for organizing the work and valorization of new ideas, which obtained means above 7.0. The variables which hinder the process of learning in the work environment, perceived by the professionals, were: resistance to changes, and excess of work impeding reflection on how to improve the work, with means above 6.0. Conclusion: the study found evidence of indicators related to the process of staff development in the area of health and indicates the influence of support for learning for the improvement of the work processes and of patient safety. It is necessary that a culture involving the systematic assessment of educational interventions in health should be established, the aim being to diagnose actions which are more incisive for changing health professionals' attitude and, therefore, clinical practice.

Developing Guidelines to Enhance Students Desirable Characteristics for Schools under the Office of Udornthani Primary Education Service Area 1

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Aroonsiri Janlon

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purposes of this research were 1 to study the elements and indicators students desirable characteristics for schools ; 2 to study the present condition and the desirable of students desirable characteristics for schools ; and 3 to develop guidelines to enhance students desirable characteristics for schools under the office of Udornthani primary education service area 1. Research and development. Method was divided into three phases for the purposes of research. The samples were 296 teachers and school administrators, using stratified random sampling. Instruments used were questionnaire, assessment elements and indicators, interview form and assessment guidelines. Data were analyzed using mean, standard devitation and modified priority needs index. Research findings were as follows: 1. There were 3 elements of students desirable characteristics for schools consisted of discipline, learning and commitment to work. Discipline consisted of four indicators, learning consisted of indicators and commitment to work consisted of two indicators. 2. The current situation of students desirable characteristics for schools under the office of Udornthani primary education service area 1, overall at a high level, considering each element, discipline was the highest, followed by learning and the lowest was commitment to work as well. In desirable situation the same relults on the current situation. 3. Guidelines to enhance students desirable characteristics for schools under the office of Udornthani primary education service area 1 consisted of 7 guidelines: 1 the policy clearly ; 2 providing specialized committees ; 3 creating a common understanding ; 4 targeting clearly ; 5 the environmental moral ; 6 supervision, monitoring and evaluation ; and 7 creating a network of parents and the community.
Hope or Despair? Learning in Pakistan's Primary Schools.

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Warwick, Donald P.; Reimers, Fernando

This book reports on the research findings of the Pakistan Study, a collaboration between the Harvard Institute for International Development and other organizations in Pakistan. The focus is primarily on what affects student learning in Pakistan's government-sponsored primary schools. Chapter 1 discusses primary schools in Pakistan and the…
Envisioning DIY learning in primary and secondary schools

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Juana Maria Sancho-Gil

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The DIYLab project (Do it yourself in Education: expanding digital competence to foster student agency and collaborative learning. European Commission seeks to explore the changes (and its educational effects occurring in the last decade regarding digital competencies, especially in relation to the emergence of a culture of collaboration, that connects youth learning, technology and DIY (Kafai & Peppler, 2011. To achieve the project's objective, we are following a methodology based on the principles of collaborative action research (CAR. This paper focuses on the first step of the CAR process and shows the main challenges identified by teachers, students and parents in order to implement the project’s learning philosophy in the current curricula and schools organisation. We carried out a series of focus groups with teachers, students and parents from primary and secondary schools and the university to discuss what DIY learning looks like in the participants’ educational contexts. Based on these discussions we have begun to analyse how each context imagines DIY learning and how it relates to the notion of virtual space. This paper focuses in the Spanish primary and secondary school participating in the project.
Universal Design for Learning: Critical Need Areas for People with Learning Disabilities

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Strobel, Wendy; Arthanat, Sajay; Bauer, Stephen; Flagg, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The primary market research outlined in this paper was conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer to identify critical technology needs for people with learning disabilities. Based on the research conducted, the underlying context of these technology needs is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The paper…
Identifying Areas of Primary Care Shortage in Urban Ohio

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Hsin-Chung Liao

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This study considers both spatial and a-spatial variables in examining accessibility to primary healthcare in the three largest urban areas of Ohio (Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Spatial access emphasizes the importance of geographic barriers between individuals and primary care physicians, while a-spatial variables include non-geographic barriers or facilitators such as age, sex, race, income, social class, education, living conditions and language skills. Population and socioeconomic data were obtained from the 2000 Census, and primary care physician data for 2008 was provided by the Ohio Medical Board. We first implemented a two-step method based on a floating catchment area using Geographic Information Systems to measure spatial accessibility in terms of 30-minute travel times. We then used principal component analysis to group various socio-demographic variables into three groups: (1 socioeconomic disadvantages, (2 living conditions, and (3 healthcare needs. Finally, spatial and a-spatial variables were integrated to identify areas with poor access to primary care in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. KEYWORDS: Geographic information systems, healthcare access, spatial accessibility, primary care shortage areas
Implementing Cooperative Learning in Australian Primary Schools: Generalist Teachers' Perspectives

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Hennessey, Angela; Dionigi, Rylee A.

2013-01-01

To implement cooperative learning successfully in practice, teachers require knowledge of cooperative learning, its features and terms, and how it functions in classrooms. This qualitative study examined 12 Australian generalist primary teachers', understandings of cooperative learning and perceived factors affecting its implementation. Using…
Teaching and Learning Mathematics from Primary Historical Sources

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Barnett, Janet Heine; Lodder, Jerry; Pengelley, David

2016-01-01

Why would anyone think of teaching and learning mathematics directly from primary historical sources? We aim to answer this question while sharing our own experiences, and those of our students across several decades. We will first describe the evolution of our motivation for teaching with primary sources, and our current view of the advantages…
Administrative Strategies of School Management Effectiveness, Buriram Office of Primary Educational Service Area 4

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Khanintipparat Prommaraj

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this research were 1 to study the current and the expected Conditions of school management effectiveness, Buriram Office of Primary Educational Service Area 4 and 2 to construct administrative strategies of such schools. Eighty of directors, board chairpersons, teachers and parents were sampled. The instruments for data collection were 5-level rating scale questionnaires with the IOC value between 0.60–1.00 and the reliability value of 0.88 and in-depth interview forms. Quantitative data were analyzed by computer and qualitative data were inductively analyzed. The findings were as follows: 1. The current conditions school management effectiveness, Buriram Office of Primary Educational Service Area 4 was moderate while the expected conditions was high. By means of expected condition can be listed from high to low were atmosphere and environment management, administration, learning management and participation. 2. Strategies for effective management of schools under the Office of Educational Service Area 4 consists of four elementary Bachelor’s strategy is the first strategic development, management efficiency. 2 learners develop strategies to meet educational standards. Strategy 3: create an atmosphere and environment conducive to development. Strategy 4 and the joint cooperation of network.
Interprofessional online learning for primary healthcare: findings from a scoping review.

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Reeves, Scott; Fletcher, Simon; McLoughlin, Clodagh; Yim, Alastair; Patel, Kunal D

2017-08-04

This article presents the findings from a scoping review which explored the nature of interprofessional online learning in primary healthcare. The review was informed by the following questions: What is the nature of evidence on online postgraduate education for primary healthcare interprofessional teams? What learning approaches and study methods are used in this context? What is the range of reported outcomes for primary healthcare learners, their organisations and the care they deliver to patients/clients? The review explored the global literature on interprofessional online learning in primary healthcare settings. The review found that the 23 included studies employed a range of different e-learning methods with contrasting course durations, use of theory, participant mix, approaches to accreditation and assessment of learning. Most of the included studies reported outcomes associated with learner reactions and positive changes in participant attitudes/perceptions and improvement in knowledge/skills as a result of engagement in an e-learning course. In contrast, fewer studies reported changes in participant behaviours, changes in organisational practice and improvements to patients/clients. A number of educational, methodological and outcome implications are be offered. E-learning can enhance an education experience, support development, ease time constraints, overcome geographic limitations and can offer greater flexibility. However, it can also contribute to the isolation of learners and its benefits can be negated by technical problems. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
Continuing Professional Development and Learning in Primary Science Classrooms

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Fraser, Christine A.

2010-01-01

This article explores the effects of continuing professional development (CPD) on teachers' and pupils' experiences of learning and teaching science in primary classrooms. During 2006-2007, quantitative and qualitative data were elicited from two primary teachers in Scotland using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video-stimulated…
Learning experiences of physiotherapy students during primary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Primary healthcare (PHC) is necessary to address the health needs of communities. It creates the opportunity for the attainment of curricular outcomes through community-based education. Appropriate learning opportunities are needed to enable students to develop the necessary skills to attain these outcomes ...
Effects of Language of Instruction on Learning of Literacy Skills among Pre-Primary School Children from Low-Income Urban Communities in Kenya

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Hungi, Njora; Njagi, Joan; Wekulo, Patricia; Ngware, Moses

2018-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between the language of instruction and learning of literacy skills among pre-primary school children in a multilingual environment. The sample consists of 1867 learners from low-income urban households, attending 147 low-cost private pre-primary schools located in low-income areas of Nairobi, Kenya. About…
Possibilities and barriers for e-learning in primary school in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alstrup, Stephen; Rootzén, Helle

2016-01-01

How much are we using e-learning in primary school in Denmark? What are the barriers? What are the benefits? Why do we not use e-learning even more? These questions have been the focus for a one year national investigation conducted by ATV, The Danish Academy of Technical Sciences....... The investigation included interviews with Danish researchers, persons from the ministry, teachers, students, and e-learning companies. The overall purpose was to make recommendations on how to accelerate the digital transformation of the Danish primary and high schools education system. In this paper, we combine...... a fear that using Big Data for personalization of the teaching/learning process will be used to stereotype education, or will only be used to save costs...
Exploring informal workplace learning in primary healthcare for continuous professional development.

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Joynes, Viktoria; Kerr, Micky; Treasure-Jones, Tamsin

2017-07-01

All health and social care professionals learn on the job through both formal and informal learning processes, which contributes to continuous professional development (CPD). This study explored workplace learning in General Practices, specifically looking at the role of informal learning and the workplace practices that appear to support or restrict that learning, as well as how technology was integrated into these learning processes. Three focus groups with general practitioners, practice nurses, managerial and administrative staff were conducted followed by twelve individual semi-structured interviews with participants drawn from the focus groups. Three observations of multi-disciplinary team meetings were used to establish potential team-based learning activities. Triggers for informal workplace learning included patients presenting challenging or unusual conditions; exposure to others' professional practice; and policy driven changes through revised guidance and protocols. By exploring how these triggers were acted upon, we identified mechanisms through which the primary care workplace supports or restricts informal learning through working practices, existing technologies and inter-professional structures. Informal workplace learning was identified as arising from both opportunistic encounters and more planned activities, which are both supported and restricted through a variety of mechanisms. Maximising informal learning opportunities and removing barriers to doing so should be a priority for primary care practitioners, managers and educators.
The effect of retrieval practice in primary school vocabulary learning

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Goossens, Nicole; Camp, Gino; Verkoeijen, Peter; Tabbers, Huib

2018-01-01

The testing effect refers to the finding that retrieval practice leads to better long-term retention than additional study of course material. In the present study, we examined whether this finding generalizes to primary school vocabulary learning. We also manipulated the word learning context.
Enhancing Primary Science Teaching: Interconnections of Content, Policy and Practice in a New Zealand Professional Learning and Development Programme

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Sexton, Steven S.

2018-01-01

This paper reports on an ongoing professional learning and development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand. The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for effective delivery of "The New Zealand Curriculum's" science subject area. Specifically, this paper…
Alcohol abuse management in primary care: an e-learning course.

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Pereira, Celina Andrade; Wen, Chao Lung; Tavares, Hermano

2015-03-01

The mental health knowledge gap challenges public health. The Alcohol Abuse Management in Primary Care (AAMPC) is an e-learning course designed to cover alcohol-related problems from the primary care perspective. The goal of this study was to verify if the AAMPC was able to enhance healthcare professionals' alcohol-related problems knowledge. One hundred subscriptions for the AAMPC were offered through the federal telehealth program. The course was instructor-led and had nine weekly classes, delivered synchronously or asynchronously, at the students' convenience, using a varied array of learning tools. At the beginning, students took a test that provided a positive score, related to critical knowledge for clinical management, and a negative score, related to misconceptions about alcohol-related problems. The test was repeated 2 months after course completion. Thirty-three students completed the course. The positive score improved significantly (pE-learning was highly appreciated as a learning tool, especially by students with the least frequency of Internet use. Nonetheless, it worked better for those previously familiar with e-courses. The AAMPC e-course provided effective knowledge transmission and retention. Complementary strategies to reduce misconceptions about alcohol-related problems must be developed for the training of primary care staff.
The Role of Pre-School Education on Learning Achievement at Primary Level in Bangladesh

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Nath, Samir Ranjan

2012-01-01

This paper examines the impact of pre-school education on learning achievement at primary level in Bangladesh. Evidence from learning achievement test and household and school-related data were obtained from 7093 pupils attending 440 primary schools in Bangladesh. Findings suggest that a small proportion (15.3%) of primary school pupils attended…
Science-Based Thematic Cultural Art Learning in Primary School (2013 Curriculum

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Warih Handayaningrum

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study is aimed at discussing the development result of thematic cultural art subject’s learning material based on science for primary school (2013 curriculum. This study is expected to inspire teacher to develop learning material that may explore artworks exist in our living environment (based on the context of children’s environment. This study applies steps in developmental research collaboration by Borg & Gall (1989 and Puslitjaknov (2008 to create the product. The development stages comprise observation in several primary schools in Surabaya, Gresik, and Sidoarjo that has implemented 2013 curriculum that is followed up by stages of development. Furthermore, prototype of cultural and art thematic learning material development results are verified by learning material experts, material expert, primary school teacher, and revised afterwards. The result of this research development is a set of teacher and student books. Science-based cultural art here means cultural art learning as the main medium to introduce local culture products (music, drawing, dance, and drama by integrating mathematics, sciences, Bahasa Indonesia, and local language subjects. Cultural art products in the form of dance, music, drawing, dramas will help children to understand a simple mathematical concept, such as: two-dimensional figure, geometry, comparing or estimating longer-shorter, smaller-bigger, or more-less.
Professional Learning in Mathematical Reasoning: Reflections of a Primary Teacher

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Sandra; Widjaja, Wanty; Bragg, Leicha A.; Loong, Esther; Vale, Colleen

2016-01-01

Reasoning is an important aspect in the understanding and learning of mathematics. This paper reports on a case study presenting one Australian primary teacher's reflections regarding the role played by a professional learning program in her developing understanding of mathematical reasoning. Examination of the transcripts of two interviews…

Inquiry-Based Learning in Teacher Education: A Primary Humanities Example

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Preston, Lou; Harvie, Kate; Wallace, Heather

2015-01-01

Inquiry-based learning features strongly in the new Australian Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum and increasingly in primary school practice. Yet, there is little research into, and few exemplars of, inquiry approaches in the primary humanities context. In this article, we outline and explain the implementation of a place-based simulation…
Enhancement of motor learning by focal intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) of either the primary motor (M1) or somatosensory area (S1) in healthy human subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Platz, Thomas; Adler-Wiebe, Marija; Roschka, Sybille; Lotze, Martin

2018-01-01

Motor rehabilitation after brain damage relies on motor re-learning as induced by specific training. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can alter cortical excitability and thereby has a potential to enhance subsequent training-induced learning. Knowledge about any priming effects of NIBS on motor learning in healthy subjects can help to design targeted therapeutic applications in brain-damaged subjects. To examine whether complex motor learning in healthy subjects can be enhanced by intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) to primary motor or sensory cortical areas. Eighteen young healthy subjects trained eight different arm motor tasks (arm ability training, AAT) once a day for 5 days using their left non-dominant arm. Except for day 1 (baseline), training was performed after applying an excitatory form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTBS) to either (I) right M1 or (II) S1, or (III) sham stimulation to the right M1. Subjects were randomly assigned to conditions I, II, or III. A principal component analysis of the motor behaviour data suggested eight independent motor abilities corresponding to the 8 trained tasks. AAT induced substantial motor learning across abilities with generalisation to a non-trained test of finger dexterity (Nine-Hole-Peg-Test, NHPT). Participants receiving iTBS (to either M1 or S1) showed better performance with the AAT tasks over the period of training compared to sham stimulation as well as a bigger improvement with the generalisation task (NHPT) for the trained left hand after training completion. Priming with an excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as iTBS of either M1 or S1 can enhance motor learning across different sensorimotor abilities.
TIME-ON-TASK IN PRIMARY CLASSROOMS, DURING DIFFERENT TEACHING-LEARNING APPROACHES

OpenAIRE

Sachin Mohite; Meenal Dashputre

2017-01-01

The entire education system is moving from the teacher-centered teaching-learning approaches towards student-centered teaching-learning approaches, with anticipation that it would increase the learning outcomes. This empirical study was carried out to compare the traditional and non-traditional classrooms. It also tried to understand the effectiveness of the Alternate Instructions in the Mathematics and Primary Language (Marathi) classrooms. This study collected about 8000 snapshots from the ...
The Role of Counseling Services in Understanding the Characteristics and Etiology of Learning Disabilities among Primary School Pupils in Nigeria

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Guyit Ruth

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper focused on the pivotal role of counseling services for parents, teachers and children with learning disabilities in primary schools with reference to Nigeria. This is with the view to educate the teachers to become more informed about what learning disabilities are and to create awareness and instill hope in the bewildered parents/guardians of children with learning disabilities to appreciate and serve as advocates for their wards. Consequently, a brief historical perspective of learning disabilities in terms of its origin, the need, characteristics and causes has been presented. It is discovered that learning disabilities is a condition with many manifestations and may be compounded by environmental factors such as the home and school. Contrary to people’s conception of the condition, individuals with learning disabilities are of above average intelligence and can be gifted and talented. The paper went further to examine specific areas of counseling services that are needed by pupils, parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities. These include but not limited to personal, social, and academic spheres. Possible challenges of providing effective guidance and counseling services in primary schools are highlighted. Among them are inadequate trained and certified counselors, poor facilities and non patronage by pupils and teachers in addition to parental ignorance. The paper then concluded with suggestions as a way forward.
Unintended Learning in Primary School Practical Science Lessons from Polanyi's Perspective of Intellectual Passion

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Park, Jisun; Song, Jinwoong; Abrahams, Ian

2016-01-01

This study explored, from the perspective of intellectual passion developed by Michael Polanyi, the unintended learning that occurred in primary practical science lessons. We use the term "unintended" learning to distinguish it from "intended" learning that appears in teachers' learning objectives. Data were collected using…
Opportunity to learn English and mathematics in Ghanaian primary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Opportunity to learn English and mathematics in Ghanaian primary schools: implications for teacher education programmes. ... teachers' instructional practices and management of instructional time, and • teachers' preparedness to implement the content standards. These inefficiencies could be attributed to the fact that the ...
[Associative Learning between Orientation and Color in Early Visual Areas].

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Amano, Kaoru; Shibata, Kazuhisa; Kawato, Mitsuo; Sasaki, Yuka; Watanabe, Takeo

2017-08-01

Associative learning is an essential neural phenomenon where the contingency of different items increases after training. Although associative learning has been found to occur in many brain regions, there is no clear evidence that associative learning of visual features occurs in early visual areas. Here, we developed an associative decoded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback (A-DecNef) to determine whether associative learning of color and orientation can be induced in early visual areas. During the three days' training, A-DecNef induced fMRI signal patterns that corresponded to a specific target color (red) mostly in early visual areas while a vertical achromatic grating was simultaneously, physically presented to participants. Consequently, participants' perception of "red" was significantly more frequently than that of "green" in an achromatic vertical grating. This effect was also observed 3 to 5 months after training. These results suggest that long-term associative learning of two different visual features such as color and orientation, was induced most likely in early visual areas. This newly extended technique that induces associative learning may be used as an important tool for understanding and modifying brain function, since associations are fundamental and ubiquitous with respect to brain function.
Learning Chinese Characters via Mobile Technology in a Primary School Classroom

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Lu, Jie; Meng, Sue; Tam, Vincent

2014-01-01

This paper describes a project, including the design, development, and use of a mobile application (referred to as application hereafter) for learning Chinese as a second language in a bilingual primary school. The application was designed for iPod Touch Apple technology with the purpose to facilitate learning of a fundamental set of 200 Chinese…
Perceptual learning as improved probabilistic inference in early sensory areas.

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Bejjanki, Vikranth R; Beck, Jeffrey M; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Pouget, Alexandre

2011-05-01

Extensive training on simple tasks such as fine orientation discrimination results in large improvements in performance, a form of learning known as perceptual learning. Previous models have argued that perceptual learning is due to either sharpening and amplification of tuning curves in early visual areas or to improved probabilistic inference in later visual areas (at the decision stage). However, early theories are inconsistent with the conclusions of psychophysical experiments manipulating external noise, whereas late theories cannot explain the changes in neural responses that have been reported in cortical areas V1 and V4. Here we show that we can capture both the neurophysiological and behavioral aspects of perceptual learning by altering only the feedforward connectivity in a recurrent network of spiking neurons so as to improve probabilistic inference in early visual areas. The resulting network shows modest changes in tuning curves, in line with neurophysiological reports, along with a marked reduction in the amplitude of pairwise noise correlations.
The development of metacognition in primary school learning environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jager, B; Jansen, M; Reezigt, G; Jansen, G.G.H.

Constructivist ideas have influenced recent major innovations in Dutch secondary education and new curricula for reading and math in primary education, for example, pay much more attention to metacognition than before. In our study, we compared the growth of student metacognition in varying learning
Using the Instructional Core to Implement a Professional Learning Programme for Primary Science Teachers in Australia: Teacher Learning and Student Skill Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Loughland, Tony; Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

2016-01-01

There has been a call for effective professional learning to improve the quality of the science teaching of primary teachers in Australia. It seems from the literature that teaching science effectively is a challenging endeavour for primary teachers. Professional learning based on the instructional core framework is an emerging approach that has…
Portfolios as "Learning Companions" for Children and a Means to Support and Assess Language Learning in the Primary School

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Jones, Jane

2012-01-01

This article explores the idea of portfolios as a way to collect evidence of pupils' learning and achievement in their language learning in the primary school. The emphasis is on portfolio work as an active and reflective process to underpin and support learning and to show evidence of achievement and progression. Pupil choice and reflexivity are…
Improving the primary school science learning unit about force and motion through lesson study

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Phaikhumnam, Wuttichai; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

The study aimed to develop primary school science lesson plan based on inquiry cycle (5Es) through lesson study. The study focused on the development of 4 primary school science lesson plans of force and motion for Grade 3 students in KKU Demonstration Primary School (Suksasart), first semester of 2015 academic year. The methodology is mixed method. The Inthaprasitha (2010) lesson study cycle was implemented in group of KKU Demonstration Primary School. Instruments of reflection of lesson plan developing included participant observation, meeting and reflection report, lesson plan and other document. The instruments of examining students' learning include classroom observation and achievement test. Data was categorized from these instruments to find the issues of changing and improving the good lesson plan of Thai primary school science learning. The findings revealed that teachers could develop the lesson plans through lesson study. The issues of changing and improving were disused by considering on engaging students related to societal issues, students' prior knowledge, scientific concepts for primary school students, and what they learned from their changing. It indicated that the Lesson Study allowed primary school science teachers to share ideas and develop ideas to improve the lesson. The study may have implications for Thai science teacher education through Lesson Study.
Toward interdependence: Implementation of cooperative learning in primary schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krol-Pot, K.

2005-01-01

The present dissertation concerns the implementation of cooperative learning in Dutch primary schools. The focus was on the process of implementation in four experimental schools and on the outcomes at the levels of the school, the teacher and the student. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 constitute the
Towards Primary School Physics Teaching and Learning: Design Research Approach. Research Report 256

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Juuti, Kalle

2005-01-01

This thesis describes a project to design a primary school physics learning environment which takes into account teachers' needs, design procedures, properties of the learning environment, and pupil learning outcomes. The project's design team has wide experience in research and development work in relation to science education, the use of ICT in…
Artificial Grammar Learning in Primary School Children with and without Developmental Dyslexia

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Pavlidou, Elpis V.; Williams, Joanne M.; Kelly, Louise M.

2009-01-01

This paper explores implicit learning in typically developing and primary school children (9-12 years old) with developmental dyslexia using an artificial grammar learning (AGL) task. Two experiments were conducted, which differed in time of presentation and nature of the instructional set (experiment 1-implicit instructions vs experiment…
Effectiveness of student learning during experimental work in primary school

OpenAIRE

Logar, Ana; Peklaj, Cirila; Ferk Savec, Vesna

2017-01-01

The aim of the research was to optimize the effectiveness of student learning based on experimental work in chemistry classes in Slovenian primary schools. To obtain evidence about how experimental work is implemented during regular chemistry classes, experimental work was videotaped during 19 units of chemistry lessons at 12 Slovenian primary schools from the pool of randomly selected schools. Altogether 332 eight-grade students were involved in the investigation, with an average...
ict and quality of teaching–learning related activities in primary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Irene

(ICT) enhance teaching learning related activities in primary schools in Ogoja education zone of Cross. River State ... A sample of six hundred and twenty ... Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that ... video conferencing).
The primary motor and premotor areas of the human cerebral cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Chouinard, Philippe A; Paus, Tomás

2006-04-01

Brodmann's cytoarchitectonic map of the human cortex designates area 4 as cortex in the anterior bank of the precentral sulcus and area 6 as cortex encompassing the precentral gyrus and the posterior portion of the superior frontal gyrus on both the lateral and medial surfaces of the brain. More than 70 years ago, Fulton proposed a functional distinction between these two areas, coining the terms primary motor area for cortex in Brodmann area 4 and premotor area for cortex in Brodmann area 6. The parcellation of the cortical motor system has subsequently become more complex. Several nonprimary motor areas have been identified in the brain of the macaque monkey, and associations between anatomy and function in the human brain are being tested continuously using brain mapping techniques. In the present review, the authors discuss the unique properties of the primary motor area (M1), the dorsal portion of the premotor cortex (PMd), and the ventral portion of the premotor cortex (PMv). They end this review by discussing how the premotor areas influence M1.
Math’s teaching through cooperative learning in year-2 Primary Education

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Jesús Iglesias Muñiz

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to assess the effects of cooperative learning as a methodological tool for maths teaching. A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent groups of students was used. A total of 33 students belonging to two year-2 Primary Education intact classes agreed to participate. One experienced a cooperative learning approach, while the other one experienced a traditional approach. Assessment was performed quantitatively through a maths’ skills test and qualitatively through children’s drawings. Quantitative results showed that the cooperative learning group reached higher math scores, while from the qualitative results emerged 3 positive categories: enjoyment, learning, group work and 3 negative: boredom/tiredness, difficult and bad behaviour. Cooperative learning seems to debilitate students’ negative perceptions on the math class.

Distributed Practice and Retrieval Practice in Primary School Vocabulary Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

N.A.M.C. Goossens (Nicole)

2015-01-01

markdownabstractThe aim of this thesis was to investigate whether particular memory strategies stemming from cognitive and educational psychology, enhance primary school vocabulary learning. Th e memory strategies investigated in this thesis were distributed practice and retrieval practice. Th e
Game-Based Learning: Increasing the Logical-Mathematical, Naturalistic, and Linguistic Learning Levels of Primary School Students

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María Esther Del Moral Pérez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Game-based learning is an innovative methodology that takes advantage of the educational potential offered by videogames in general and serious games in particular to boost training processes, thus making it easier for users to achieve motivated learning. The present paper focuses on the description of the Game to Learn Project, which has as its aim not only to promote the use of serious games and digital mini-games for the development of Multiple Intelligences, but also to analyse whether this methodology results in increased learning. Teachers assessed the level achieved by primary education students (N=119 in each learning category, before and after participating in the project, by means of a qualitative instrument. Finally, after corresponding analysis through descriptive statistical techniques, bivariate correlations, and ANOVA, the results showed significant differences between children’s learning levels in logical-mathematical, naturalistic and linguistic abilities before and after their participation in this innovative project, thus revealing a widespread increase in every indicator.
Constructing a Successful Cross-National Virtual Learning Environment in Primary and Secondary Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ligorio, Maria Beatrice; van Veen, Klaas

2006-01-01

Virtual environments are more and more used in primary schools. One of the most interesting potentialities of these environments is to foster cross-national applications. Yet, this specific feature is not fully exploited. This paper presents a successful virtual learning environment for primary
A professional learning community model: a case study of primary teachers community in west Bandung

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, A.; Suryadi, D.; Syaodih, E.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative model of professional learning community for primary school teachers in improving the knowledge and professional skills. This study is a qualitative research with case study method with data collection is an interview, observation and document and triangulation technique for validation data that focuses on thirteen people 5th grade elementary school teacher. The results showed that by joining a professional learning community, teachers can share both experience and knowledge to other colleagues so that they can be able to continue to improve and enhance the quality of their learning. This happens because of the reflection done together before, during and after the learning activities. It was also revealed that by learning in a professional learning community, teachers can learn in their own way, according to need, and can collaborate with their colleagues in improving the effectiveness of learning. Based on the implementation of professional learning community primary school teachers can be concluded that teachers can develop the curriculum, the students understand the development, overcome learning difficulties faced by students and can make learning design more effective and efficient.
Improving education in primary care: development of an online curriculum using the blended learning model

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Lewin Linda

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Standardizing the experiences of medical students in a community preceptorship where clinical sites vary by geography and discipline can be challenging. Computer-assisted learning is prevalent in medical education and can help standardize experiences, but often is not used to its fullest advantage. A blended learning curriculum combining web-based modules with face-to-face learning can ensure students obtain core curricular principles. Methods This course was developed and used at The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and its associated preceptorship sites in the greater Cleveland area. Leaders of a two-year elective continuity experience at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine used adult learning principles to develop four interactive online modules presenting basics of office practice, difficult patient interviews, common primary care diagnoses, and disease prevention. They can be viewed at http://casemed.case.edu/cpcp/curriculum. Students completed surveys rating the content and technical performance of each module and completed a Generalist OSCE exam at the end of the course. Results Participating students rated all aspects of the course highly; particularly those related to charting and direct patient care. Additionally, they scored very well on the Generalist OSCE exam. Conclusion Students found the web-based modules to be valuable and to enhance their clinical learning. The blended learning model is a useful tool in designing web-based curriculum for enhancing the clinical curriculum of medical students.
[Computer-assisted multimedia interactive learning program "Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma"].

Science.gov (United States)

Dick, V B; Zenz, H; Eisenmann, D; Tekaat, C J; Wagner, R; Jacobi, K W

1996-05-01

Advances in the area of information technology have opened up new possibilities for the use of interactive media in the training of medical students. Classical instructional technologies, such as video, slides, audio cassettes and computer programs with a textbook orientation, have been merged into one multimedia computer system. The medical profession has been increasingly integrating computer-based applications which can be used, for example, for record keeping within a medical practice. The goal of this development is to provide access to all modes of information storage and retrieval as well as documentation and training systems within a specific context. Since the beginning of the winter semester 1995, the Department of Ophthalmology in Giessen has used the learning program "Primary Open Angle Glaucoma" in student instruction. One factor that contributed to the implementation of this project was that actual training using patients within the clinic is difficult to conduct. Media-supported training that can provide a simulation of actual practice offers a suitable substitute. The learning program has been installed on Power PCs (Apple MacIntosh), which make up the technical foundation of our system. The program was developed using Hypercard software, which provides userfriendly graphical work environment. This controls the input and retrieval of data, direct editing of documents, immediate simulation, the creation of on-screen documents and the integration of slides that have been scanned in as well as QuickTime films. All of this can be accomplished without any special knowledge of programming language or operating systems on the part of the user. The glaucoma learning program is structured along the lines of anatomy, including an explanation of the circulation of the aqueous humor, pathology, clinical symptoms and findings, diagnosis and treatment. This structure along with the possibility for creating a list of personal files for the user with a collection
Defining Primary Care Shortage Areas: Do GIS-based Measures Yield Different Results?

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Michael R; Mellor, Jennifer M; Millones, Marco

2018-02-12

To examine whether geographic information systems (GIS)-based physician-to-population ratios (PPRs) yield determinations of geographic primary care shortage areas that differ from those based on bounded-area PPRs like those used in the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation process. We used geocoded data on primary care physician (PCP) locations and census block population counts from 1 US state to construct 2 shortage area indicators. The first is a bounded-area shortage indicator defined without GIS methods; the second is a GIS-based measure that measures the populations' spatial proximity to PCP locations. We examined agreement and disagreement between bounded shortage areas and GIS-based shortage areas. Bounded shortage area indicators and GIS-based shortage area indicators agree for the census blocks where the vast majority of our study populations reside. Specifically, 95% and 98% of the populations in our full and urban samples, respectively, reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree. Although agreement is generally high in rural areas (ie, 87% of the rural population reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree), agreement is significantly lower compared to urban areas. One source of disagreement suggests that bounded-area measures may "overlook" some shortages in rural areas; however, other aspects of the HPSA designation process likely mitigate this concern. Another source of disagreement arises from the border-crossing problem, and it is more prevalent. The GIS-based PPRs we employed would yield shortage area determinations that are similar to those based on bounded-area PPRs defined for Primary Care Service Areas. Disagreement rates were lower than previous studies have found. © 2018 National Rural Health Association.
An Automated Self-Learning Quantification System to Identify Visible Areas in Capsule Endoscopy Images.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Shinichi; Ogihara, Hiroyuki; Suenaga, Masato; Fujita, Yusuke; Terai, Shuji; Hamamoto, Yoshihiko; Sakaida, Isao

2017-08-01

Visibility in capsule endoscopic images is presently evaluated through intermittent analysis of frames selected by a physician. It is thus subjective and not quantitative. A method to automatically quantify the visibility on capsule endoscopic images has not been reported. Generally, when designing automated image recognition programs, physicians must provide a training image; this process is called supervised learning. We aimed to develop a novel automated self-learning quantification system to identify visible areas on capsule endoscopic images. The technique was developed using 200 capsule endoscopic images retrospectively selected from each of three patients. The rate of detection of visible areas on capsule endoscopic images between a supervised learning program, using training images labeled by a physician, and our novel automated self-learning program, using unlabeled training images without intervention by a physician, was compared. The rate of detection of visible areas was equivalent for the supervised learning program and for our automatic self-learning program. The visible areas automatically identified by self-learning program correlated to the areas identified by an experienced physician. We developed a novel self-learning automated program to identify visible areas in capsule endoscopic images.
Identifying key areas for active interprofessional learning partnerships: A facilitated dialogue.

Science.gov (United States)

Steven, Kathryn; Angus, Allyson; Breckenridge, Jenna; Davey, Peter; Tully, Vicki; Muir, Fiona

2016-11-01

Student and service user involvement is recognised as an important factor in creating interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities. We used a team-based learning approach to bring together undergraduate health professional students, early career professionals (ECPs), public partners, volunteers, and carers to explore learning partnerships. Influenced by evaluative inquiry, this qualitative study used a free text response to allow participants to give their own opinion. A total of 153 participants (50 public partners and 103 students and professionals representing 11 healthcare professions) took part. Participants were divided into mixed groups of six (n = 25) and asked to identify areas where students, professionals, and public could work together to improve health professional education. Each group documented their discussions by summarising agreed areas and next steps. Responses were collected and transcribed for inductive content analysis. Seven key themes (areas for joint working) were identified: communication, public as partners, standards of conduct, IPE, quality improvement, education, and learning environments. The team-based learning format enabled undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals to achieve consensus with public partners on areas for IPE and collaboration. Some of our results may be context-specific but the approach is generalisable to other areas.
The Influence of Interactive Learning Materials on Self-Regulated Learning and Learning Satisfaction of Primary School Teachers in Mongolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengru Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interactive learning materials on learners’ self-regulated learning processes and learning satisfaction. A two-group experimental design was employed for 285 primary school teachers involved in teacher training. Teachers in the experimental group utilised interactive learning materials along with training videos and guidelines for their self-development at the school level. Teachers in the control group conducted self-development only with training videos and guidelines. The result was analysed using self-regulated learning theory explaining how one’s self-regulation processes affect learning satisfaction. Five self-regulation processes were identified in this study: internal motivation, motivation for better assessment, planning and organizing skills, critical and positive thinking skills, and effort regulation. The analysis was conducted in two steps. First, t-test analysis was used to identify the significant differences between the experimental group and the control group. The analysis revealed: (1 teachers conducting self-development with interactive learning materials were highly motivated to achieve better teacher assessment, (2 teachers with interactive learning materials had higher learning satisfaction. Second, the study further investigated the effect of interactive materials on the relationship between self-regulation processes and learning satisfaction, using moderation analysis. The results showed that interactive materials significantly affect the relationship between motivation for better assessment and learning satisfaction, as well as the relationship between internal motivation and learning satisfaction. These results were complemented by qualitative analysis including interviews and focus group discussions with teachers.
A picture tells 1000 words: learning teamwork in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Martina; Bennett, Deirdre; O'Flynn, Siun; Foley, Tony

2013-04-01

Teamwork and patient centredness are frequently articulated concepts in medical education, but are not always explicit in the curriculum. In Ireland, recent government policy emphasises the importance of a primary care team approach to health care. We report on an appraisal of a newly introduced community-based student attachment, which focused on teamwork. To review students' experience of teamwork following a community clinical placement by examining student assignments: essays, poetry, music and art. Year-2 graduate-entry students (n = 45) spent 2 weeks with a primary care team. Attachments comprised placements with members of the primary care team, emphasising team dynamics, at the end of which students submitted a representative piece of work, which captured their learning. Essays (n = 22) were analysed using a thematic content analysis. Artwork consisted of painting, collage, photography, poetry and original music (n = 23). These were analysed using Gardner's entry points. Three core themes emerged in both written and visual work: patient centredness; communication; and an improved appreciation of the skills of other health care professionals. Students identified optimal team communication occurring when patient outcomes were prioritised. Metaphors relating to puzzles, hands and inter-connectedness feature strongly. The poems and artwork had a high impact when they were presented to tutors. Primary care team placements focus student attention on teamwork and patient centredness. Student artwork shows potential as a tool to evaluate student learning in medical education. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.
Meaningful cultural learning by imitative participation: the case of abstract thinking in primary school

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oers, B.

2012-01-01

The article describes a theory-driven approach to meaningful learning in primary schools, based on the Vygotskian cultural-historical theory of human development and learning. This approach is elaborated into an educational concept called 'developmental education' that is implemented in the
Teacher feedback during active learning: current practices in primary schools.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Bergh, Linda; Ros, Anje; Beijaard, Douwe

2013-06-01

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools, which teachers can use to enhance student learning. It appears difficult for teachers to give qualitatively good feedback, especially during active learning. In this context, teachers should provide facilitative feedback that is focused on the development of meta-cognition and social learning. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the existing knowledge about feedback and to give directions to improve teacher feedback in the context of active learning. The participants comprised 32 teachers who practiced active learning in the domain of environmental studies in the sixth, seventh, or eighth grade of 13 Dutch primary schools. A total of 1,465 teacher-student interactions were examined. Video observations were made of active learning lessons in the domain of environmental studies. A category system was developed based on the literature and empirical data. Teacher-student interactions were assessed using this system. Results. About half of the teacher-student interactions contained feedback. This feedback was usually focused on the tasks that were being performed by the students and on the ways in which these tasks were processed. Only 5% of the feedback was explicitly related to a learning goal. In their feedback, the teachers were directing (rather than facilitating) the learning processes. During active learning, feedback on meta-cognition and social learning is important. Feedback should be explicitly related to learning goals. In practice, these kinds of feedback appear to be scarce. Therefore, giving feedback during active learning seems to be an important topic for teachers' professional development. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.
Model of Supervision Based on Primary School Teacher Professional Competency in Tematic Learning in Curriculum 2013

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Meilani Hartono

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to find the Supervision Model Based on Primary Teacher Professional Competence which effective on integrated learning. This study use research and development with qualitative approach which will be carried out in the Palmerah, West Jakarta. The techniques used to collect data are interviews, questionnaires, observation and documentation. Data v alidity is tested with credibility, transferability, dependability, and comfortability. The model developed will be validated using the Delphi technique. The result of this research is the discovery of the model and device-based supervision model of professional competence of primary teachers in integrated learning. The long-term goal of this research is to improve the teachers’ competence and the supervision quality for primary teachers in integrated learning
ICT and quality of teaching–learning related activities in primary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper is a report of a study carried out to examine how information and communication technology (ICT) enhance teaching learning related activities in primary schools in Ogoja education zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, one research question was formulated to direct the study.
Perceptual learning modifies the functional specializations of visual cortical areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Nihong; Cai, Peng; Zhou, Tiangang; Thompson, Benjamin; Fang, Fang

2016-05-17

Training can improve performance of perceptual tasks. This phenomenon, known as perceptual learning, is strongest for the trained task and stimulus, leading to a widely accepted assumption that the associated neuronal plasticity is restricted to brain circuits that mediate performance of the trained task. Nevertheless, learning does transfer to other tasks and stimuli, implying the presence of more widespread plasticity. Here, we trained human subjects to discriminate the direction of coherent motion stimuli. The behavioral learning effect substantially transferred to noisy motion stimuli. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the transfer of learning. The TMS experiment revealed dissociable, causal contributions of V3A (one of the visual areas in the extrastriate visual cortex) and MT+ (middle temporal/medial superior temporal cortex) to coherent and noisy motion processing. Surprisingly, the contribution of MT+ to noisy motion processing was replaced by V3A after perceptual training. The fMRI experiment complemented and corroborated the TMS finding. Multivariate pattern analysis showed that, before training, among visual cortical areas, coherent and noisy motion was decoded most accurately in V3A and MT+, respectively. After training, both kinds of motion were decoded most accurately in V3A. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of perceptual learning extend far beyond the retuning of specific neural populations for the trained stimuli. Learning could dramatically modify the inherent functional specializations of visual cortical areas and dynamically reweight their contributions to perceptual decisions based on their representational qualities. These neural changes might serve as the neural substrate for the transfer of perceptual learning.
Reliability and validity of the rey visual design learning test in primary school children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilhelm, P.

2004-01-01

The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (Rey, 1964, in Spreen & Strauss, 1991) assesses immediate memory span, new learning and recognition for non-verbal material. Three studies are presented that focused on the reliability and validity of the RVDLT in primary school children. Test-retest reliability
ICT-Supported Problem-Based Learning: Possibilities of Applying Problem-Based Learning from Primary School to Higher Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Czékmán Balázs

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Problem Based Learning was originally created for medical students to better diagnose new illnesses; this methodology can be used in almost all the fields of education. Teachers can teach by appealing to students’ natural instincts to create, and they can improve the students’ performance in different disciplines. So, we can say that it is an easy way of the acquisition and integration of new knowledge. While the content and structure of PBL courses may differ, the general goals and learning objectives tend to be similar. It begins with the assumption that learning is an active, integrated, and constructive process influenced by social and contextual factors. The task of our paper is to show how Problem-Based Learning can be used from primary to university level education in teaching different subjects.
Learning Science through Creating a `Slowmation': A case study of preservice primary teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Hoban, Garry; Nielsen, Wendy

2013-01-01

Many preservice primary teachers have inadequate science knowledge, which often limits their confidence in implementing the subject. This paper proposes a new way for preservice teachers to learn science by designing and making a narrated stop-motion animation as an instructional resource to explain a science concept. In this paper, a simplified way for preservice teachers to design and make an animation called 'slowmation' (abbreviated from 'slow animation') is exemplified. A case study of three preservice primary teachers creating one from start to finish over 2 h was conducted to address the following research question: How do the preservice primary teachers create a slowmation and how does this process influence their science learning? The method of inquiry used a case study design involving pre- and post-individual interviews in conjunction with a discourse analysis of video and audio data recorded as they created a slowmation. The data illustrate how the preservice teachers' science learning was related to their prior knowledge and how they iteratively revisited the content through the construction of five representations as a cumulative semiotic progression: (i) research notes; (ii) storyboard; (iii) models; (iv) digital photographs; culminating in (v) the narrated animation. This progression enabled the preservice teachers to revisit the content in each representation and make decisions about which modes to use and promoted social interaction. Creating a slowmation facilitated the preservice teachers' learning about the life cycle of a ladybird beetle and revised their alternative conceptions.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE SELECTION OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT NURSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

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H. lita

2002-11-01

The study therefore focused on the following objective: To identify the factors that influence the selection of learning opportunities for primary health care in hospital units. A qualitative research design utilising focus group discussions were used. The population consisted of conveniently selected lecturers, student nurses and registered nurses. The same initial question was asked in each focus group to initiate the discussions. The data were analysed according to Tesch's method. The results indicated that there is positive commitment from the lecturers and registered nurses to be involved in selecting appropriate learning opportunities. The student nurses also demonstrated a willingness to learn and to be exposed to learning opportunities in primary health care. There were however certain constraints that emerged as themes, namely: • Managerial constraints • Educational constraints Under the theme "managerial constraints" categories such as workload, nursing staff shortages and communication problems were identified. Under the theme "educational constraints" categories such as a lack of guidance, and the correlation of theory and practice emerged. Recommendations based on this research report include improvement of in-service education on managerial and educational aspects to facilitate the primary health care approach in hospitals.

Naïve conceptions about multimedia learning: a study on primary school textbooks

OpenAIRE

Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2013-01-01

HIGHLIGHTS This interview study explores beliefs about the instructional role of illustrations We compared illustrators', teachers', students' and common people's ideas Participants' responses were internally coherent and close to multimedia learning theory We propose and discuss an integrated multimedia learning model An interview study, based on specific pictures taken from textbooks used in primary schools, was carried out to investigate illustrators', teachers', students'...
Interactions between attention, context and learning in primary visual cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, C; Ito, M; Kapadia, M; Westheimer, G

2000-01-01

Attention in early visual processing engages the higher order, context dependent properties of neurons. Even at the earliest stages of visual cortical processing neurons play a role in intermediate level vision - contour integration and surface segmentation. The contextual influences mediating this process may be derived from long range connections within primary visual cortex (V1). These influences are subject to perceptual learning, and are strongly modulated by visuospatial attention, which is itself a learning dependent process. The attentional influences may involve interactions between feedback and horizontal connections in V1. V1 is therefore a dynamic and active processor, subject to top-down influences.
Vision first? The development of primary visual cortical networks is more rapid than the development of primary motor networks in humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Gervan

Full Text Available The development of cortical functions and the capacity of the mature brain to learn are largely determined by the establishment and maintenance of neocortical networks. Here we address the human development of long-range connectivity in primary visual and motor cortices, using well-established behavioral measures--a Contour Integration test and a Finger-tapping task--that have been shown to be related to these specific primary areas, and the long-range neural connectivity within those. Possible confounding factors, such as different task requirements (complexity, cognitive load are eliminated by using these tasks in a learning paradigm. We find that there is a temporal lag between the developmental timing of primary sensory vs. motor areas with an advantage of visual development; we also confirm that human development is very slow in both cases, and that there is a retained capacity for practice induced plastic changes in adults. This pattern of results seems to point to human-specific development of the "canonical circuits" of primary sensory and motor cortices, probably reflecting the ecological requirements of human life.
Relationship between Professional Learning Community, Bureaucratic Structure and Organisational Trust in Primary Education Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, Fatma

2016-01-01

This research uses relational survey method to determine the relationship between professional learning community, bureaucratic structure and organisational trust according to the perceptions of teachers who work in primary education schools. Data were collected from 805 teachers who work in primary education schools in the districts (Altindag,…
Learning vocabulary through a serious game in Primary Education

OpenAIRE

Heitink, Maaike Christine; Fisser, Petra; Voogt, Joke; McBride, Ron; Searson, Michael

2013-01-01

This study explored the effect of a serious game on the vocabulary of students in primary education. 206 students and 10 teachers used the game during vocabulary lessons in three conditions: (a)online game and vocabulary instruction, (b)online game only, and (c)paper game and vocabulary instruction. Both immediate learning and retention effects were examined. Additionally a student questionnaire and teacher interview regarding their experiences has been employed. Results show a significant le...
Naïve Conceptions About Multimedia Learning:A Study on Primary School Textbooks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara eColombo

2013-07-01

Full Text Available An interview study, based on specific pictures taken from textbooks used in primary schools, was carried out to investigate illustrators’, teachers’, students’, and common people’s beliefs about the role that illustrations play in facilitating learning. Participants’ responses were internally coherent, indicating a systematic nature of the underlying naïve conceptions. Findings disprove Mayer’s pessimistic claim that laypersons’ conceptions of multimedia learning fail to match experimentally supported principles and theories. On the contrary, interviewees spontaneously came very close to the multimedia learning theory, which states that students learn better from pictures, which fit specific cognitive principles. Implications for school instruction are highlighted.
The Day-to-Day Work of Primary School Teachers: A Source of Professional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Ambler, Trudy Belinda

2016-01-01

Teachers are an important influence on students' learning, and therefore the opportunity for teachers to learn and develop is something of interest to educators internationally. This article reports on a research project involving six primary school teachers who participated in one-on-one and small group interviews to explore the opportunities for…
Unintended Learning in Primary School Practical Science Lessons from Polanyi's Perspective of Intellectual Passion

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jisun; Song, Jinwoong; Abrahams, Ian

2016-03-01

This study explored, from the perspective of intellectual passion developed by Michael Polanyi, the unintended learning that occurred in primary practical science lessons. We use the term `unintended' learning to distinguish it from `intended' learning that appears in teachers' learning objectives. Data were collected using video and audio recordings of a sample of twenty-four whole class practical science lessons, taught by five teachers, in Korean primary schools with 10- to 12-year-old students. In addition, video and audio recordings were made for each small group of students working together in order to capture their activities and intra-group discourse. Pre-lesson interviews with the teachers were undertaken and audio-recorded to ascertain their intended learning objectives. Selected key vignettes, including unintended learning, were analysed from the perspective of intellectual passion developed by Polanyi. What we found in this study is that unintended learning could occur when students got interested in something in the first place and could maintain their interest. In addition, students could get conceptual knowledge when they tried to connect their experience to their related prior knowledge. It was also found that the processes of intended learning and of unintended learning were different. Intended learning was characterized by having been planned by the teacher who then sought to generate students' interest in it. In contrast, unintended learning originated from students' spontaneous interest and curiosity as a result of unplanned opportunities. Whilst teachers' persuasive passion comes first in the process of intended learning, students' heuristic passion comes first in the process of unintended learning. Based on these findings, we argue that teachers need to be more aware that unintended learning, on the part of individual students, can occur during their lesson and to be able to better use this opportunity so that this unintended learning can be
Input, Process, and Learning in primary and lower secondary schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Michael Søgaard; Nordenbo, Sven Erik; Holm, Anders

What do we want to know? What empirical research has been carried out to examine the relationship between factors in primary and lower secondary schools (inputs and processes) and the learning achieved by primary and lower secondary school pupils (outputs and outcomes)? What are the results...... with weight of evidence of this empirical research? Who wants to know and why? The project was commissioned by the Danish Evaluation Institute (Danmarks Evalueringsinstitut) and was performed on behalf of the Nordic Indicator Workgroup (DNI). DNI is a workgroup nominated by the Nordic Evaluation Network...... and development etc. within the primary and lower secondary school sector. What did we find? From 1990 to 2008, 109 studies were published on malleable school factors within school effectiveness research. Of these studies, 71 are of high or medium weight of evidence. Synthesising these studies establishes that 11...
Do textbooks address known learning challenges in area measurement? A comparative analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Dae S.; Choi, Kyong Mi; Runnalls, Cristina; Hwang, Jihyun

2018-02-01

This study compared area lessons from Korean textbooks and US standard-based textbooks to understand differences and similarities among these textbooks, as well as how these textbooks address known learning challenges in area measurement. Several well-known challenges have been identified in previous studies, such as covering, array structure, and linking array structure to area formula. We were interested in knowing if textbooks addressed these issues in their treatments of area measurement and, in doing so, provided students with opportunities to overcome or become familiar with known challenges. The results show that both countries' textbooks demonstrated similar limitations; only few area and area-related lessons are covered and three important learning challenges in area measurement are not covered well, which need to be informed to practicing teachers.
Walkability around primary schools and area deprivation across Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Macdonald, Laura; McCrorie, Paul; Nicholls, Natalie; Ellaway, Anne

2016-04-14

A number of studies based in the US, Canada, and Australia, have found evidence of associations between the built environment (BE) and mode of transport to school, and links between active travel and deprivation. Limited research in the UK compares potential BE supports for walking to school by area deprivation. Within this study, we gathered data on BE attributes previously linked to active travel, i.e., street/path connectivity, and dwelling density, created a composite 'walkability score' (WS) for areas around primary schools across urban Scotland, and explored whether poorer areas exhibit lower scores than more affluent areas, or vice versa. We consider this to be a novel approach as few studies have compared BE features by deprivation across a whole country. Address and road/path maps were obtained and primary schools (N = 937) across mainland Scotland were mapped. Schools were attributed income deprivation scores (scores divided into quintiles (Q1: least deprived, Q5: most deprived)). Catchment area (CA) boundaries, i.e., the geographic area representing eligibility for local school attendance, were drawn around schools, and WS calculated for each CA. We compared mean WS by income quintile (ANOVA), for all local authorities (LAs) combined (N = 29), and separately for the four LAs with the greatest number of schools included in the analysis. For all LAs combined, the least deprived quintile (Q1) showed a significantly lower WS (-0.61), than quintiles 3, 4 and 5 (Q2: -0.04 (non-sig), Q3: 0.38, Q4: 0.09, Q5: 0.18); while for Glasgow the second least deprived quintile (Q2) showed significantly higher WS (Q1: 1.35, Q2: 1.73), than middling (Q3: 0.18) and most deprived quintiles (Q4: 0.06, Q5: -0.10). WS differ by deprivation with patterns varying depending on the spatial scale of the analysis. It is essential that less walkable areas are provided with the resources to improve opportunities to engage in active travel.
Analysis of an Interactive Technology Supported Problem-Based Learning STEM Project Using Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA)

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, David Devraj

2017-01-01

This paper reports an analysis of an interactive technology-supported, problem-based learning (PBL) project in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from a Learning Sciences perspective using the Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA). The SLSIA was adapted from the "What kinds of topics do ISLS [International…
Boundary crossing and learning identities – digital storytelling in primary schools

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Anne Mette Bjørgen

2010-11-01

Full Text Available This article contributes to academic discussions on how digital storytelling in an educational setting may have potential to build and develop learning identities, agency and digital competences. With a socio-cultural framework on learning and identity as a point of departure, the article sets out to study these issues approached as boundary crossing between the intersecting contexts of leisure time and school. The analysis draws on three examples of digital storytelling among 5th - 7th graders in three Norwegian primary school classes. My findings suggest that digital storytelling might represent a boundary crossing enabling pupils to adopt new roles as producers of creative content, as mentors or guides, to explore new technology and software in a context different from that of outside school and to learn and develop competences related to production processes and multimodal resources. I argue that digital storytelling has a potential to contribute to learning, learning identity and agency, provided it is based on a more fully developed pedagogical strategy of carefully linking school and leisure time.
A Study on Teaching Gases to Prospective Primary Science Teachers through Problem-Based Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Senocak, Erdal; Taskesenligil, Yavuz; Sozbilir, Mustafa

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the achievement of prospective primary science teachers in a problem-based curriculum with those in a conventional primary science teacher preparation program with regard to success in learning about gases and developing positive attitudes towards chemistry. The subjects of the study were 101 first year…
Impact of E-Learning and Digitalization in Primary and Secondary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Tunmibi, Sunday; Aregbesola, Ayooluwa; Adejobi, Pascal; Ibrahim, Olaniyi

2015-01-01

This study examines into the impact of e-learning and digitalization in primary and secondary schools, using Greensprings School in Lagos State, Nigeria as a case study. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, and descriptive statistical method was adopted for analysis. Responses from students and teachers reveal that application…
Naïve conceptions about multimedia learning: a study on primary school textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2013-01-01

HIGHLIGHTSThis interview study explores beliefs about the instructional role of illustrationsWe compared illustrators', teachers', students' and common people's ideasParticipants' responses were internally coherent and close to multimedia learning theoryWe propose and discuss an integrated multimedia learning model An interview study, based on specific pictures taken from textbooks used in primary schools, was carried out to investigate illustrators', teachers', students', and common people's beliefs about the role that illustrations play in facilitating learning. Participants' responses were internally coherent, indicating a systematic nature of the underlying naïve conceptions. Findings disprove Mayer's pessimistic claim that laypersons' conceptions of multimedia learning fail to match experimentally supported principles and theories. On the contrary, interviewees spontaneously came very close to the multimedia learning theory, which states that students learn better from pictures, which fit specific cognitive principles. Implications for school instruction are highlighted.
Designing instruction and learning for cognitively gifted pupils in preschool and primary school

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mooij, Ton

2012-01-01

Mooij, T. (2013). Designing education and learning for cognitively gifted pupils in preschool and primary school. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(6), 597-613. doi:10.1080/13603116.2012.696727
Utilization of Electronic Learning System in Swat Rural Areas

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Nazir Ahmed Sangi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available As developments in electronic technologies i.e. personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobiles and wearable devices, the way of learning is also changing. Therefore, utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT has great important role in schools and colleges. ICT is using by students, teachers and societies in District Swat, KP, Pakistan in the form of mobiles internet (for social contact and chat, computers internet (for knowledge exploration and entertainment and multimedia (for teaching and learning. One of the difficulties involved in rural areas’ students of District Swat is that they cannot join class rooms due to their poor livelihood condition and far away from schools and colleges. Especially most of the females of rural areas of Swat do not come to schools and colleges for their family tradition and culture. Various questions were examined in every aspect of educational technologies in this study. We surveyed 50 responded randomly at District Swat from different schools and colleges and discovered that the responded were generally positive and have great interest about e-learning in Swat. The use of proposed electronic system for the learning, the literacy rate will increase in rural areas and students will achieve their individual goals.
[Development and evolution of a balanced scorecard in primary health care: Lessons learned].

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolomé-Benito, E; Jiménez-Carramiñana, J; Sánchez-Perruca, L; Bartolomé-Casado, M S; Dominguez-Mandueño, A B; Marti-Argandoña, M; Hernández-Pascual, M; Miquel-Gómez, A

To describe the design, implementation, and monitoring of eSOAP (Primary Health Care Balanced Scorecard) and its role in the deployment of strategic objectives and clinical management, as well as to show the lessons learned during six years of follow-up. Descriptive study areas: methodology (conceptual framework, strategic matrix, strategic map, and processes map), technology and standardisation. As of December 2014, 9,046 (78%) professionals are registered in eSOAP. A total of 381 indicators were measured from 16 data sources, of which 36% were of results (EFQM model), 39.1% of clinical management, and 20% were included in the Program Centre Contract. The Balanced Scorecard has enabled to deploy all strategic lines of Primary Health Care, and has enabled the healthcare professionals to evaluate the evolution of results over time, and at patient level (e.g. 16% increase in control of diabetic patients). A total of 295,779 reports were generated and 13,080 professionals were evaluated by goals. There was an increased use of the eSOAP application by the professionals. The Balanced Scorecard was the key in deploying Primary Health Care strategies. It has helped clinical management and improved relevant indicators (health, patient experience, and costs), such as the management models that we used as references (EFQM Kaplan and Norton), and new emerging scenarios (Triple aim). Copyright © 2016 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Naïve Conceptions About Multimedia Learning:A Study on Primary School Textbooks

OpenAIRE

Barbara eColombo; Alessandro eAntonietti

2013-01-01

An interview study, based on specific pictures taken from textbooks used in primary schools, was carried out to investigate illustrators’, teachers’, students’, and common people’s beliefs about the role that illustrations play in facilitating learning. Participants’ responses were internally coherent, indicating a systematic nature of the underlying naïve conceptions. Findings disprove Mayer’s pessimistic claim that laypersons’ conceptions of multimedia learning fail to match experiment...

Canadian Council for Area Studies Learned Societies - 2007-2008 ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

CCASLS) ... for four area studies associations: the Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS); the ... IDRC invites applications for the IDRC Doctoral Research Awards ... Canada can learn from Uganda's gender budgeting experience.
Effectiveness of computer-assisted learning in biology teaching in primary schools in Serbia

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Županec Vera

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes the comparative effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL and the traditional teaching method in biology on primary school pupils. A stratified random sample consisted of 214 pupils from two primary schools in Novi Sad. The pupils in the experimental group learned the biology content (Chordate using CAL, whereas the pupils in the control group learned the same content using traditional teaching. The research design was the pretest-posttest equivalent groups design. All instruments (the pretest, the posttest and the retest contained the questions belonging to three different cognitive domains: knowing, applying, and reasoning. Arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and standard error were analyzed using the software package SPSS 14.0, and t-test was used in order to establish the difference between the same statistical indicators. The analysis of results of the posttest and the retest showed that the pupils from the CAL group achieved significantly higher quantity and quality of knowledge in all three cognitive domains than the pupils from the traditional group. The results accomplished by the pupils from the CAL group suggest that individual CAL should be more present in biology teaching in primary schools, with the aim of raising the quality of biology education in pupils. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179010: Quality of Educational System in Serbia in the European Perspective
Chronicling Innovative Learning in Primary Classrooms: Conceptualizing a Theatrical Pedagogy to Successfully Engage Young Children Learning Science

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor, Debra

2014-01-01

This article reports on an innovative pedagogical approach devised to re-envigorate primary (elementary) teachers' practice in the United Kingdom for older children. Learning science in elementary schools for 8-11 year olds (Key Stage 2 in England) has been constrained for several decades while teachers prepared them for national tests. The recent…
Support Required for Primary and Secondary Students with Communication Disorders and/or Other Learning Needs

Science.gov (United States)

McLeod, Sharynne; McKinnon, David H.

2010-01-01

Prioritization of school students with additional learning needs is a reality due to a finite resource base. Limited evidence exists regarding teachers' prioritization of primary and secondary school students with additional learning needs. The aim of the present article was to differentiate teachers' perceptions of the level of support required…
Revolution, Evolution or a Trojan Horse? Piloting Assessment for Learning in Some Scottish Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Kirton, Alison; Hallam, Susan; Peffers, Jack; Robertson, Pamela; Stobart, Gordon

2007-01-01

This article analyses some of the findings of an evaluation of Project One of the "Assessment is for Learning" Development Programme in 16 Scottish primary schools and two junior high schools in which teachers developed formative assessment strategies aimed at improving teaching and learning. Drawing on data from pupils, teachers and…
Standing on the Precipice: Evaluating Final-Year Physiotherapy Students' Perspectives of Their Curriculum as Preparation for Primary Health Care Practice

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donoghue, Grainne; Doody, Catherine; O'Neill, Geraldine; Barrett, Terry; Cusack, Tara

2016-01-01

Purpose: To explore final-year physiotherapy students' perceptions of primary health care practice to determine (1) aspects of their curriculum that support their learning, (2) deficiencies in their curriculum, and (3) areas that they believe should be changed to adequately equip them to make the transition from student to primary health care professional. Methods: Framework analysis methodology was used to analyze group opinion obtained using structured group feedback sessions. Sixty-eight final-year physiotherapy students from the four higher education institutions in Ireland participated. Results: The students identified several key areas that (1) supported their learning (exposure to evidence-based practice, opportunities to practise with problem-based learning, and interdisciplinary learning experiences); (2) were deficient (primary health care placements, additional active learning sessions, and further education and practice opportunities for communication and health promotion), and (3) required change (practice placements in primary health care, better curriculum organization to accommodate primary health care throughout the programme with the suggestion of a specific primary health care module). Conclusion: This study provides important insights into physiotherapy students' perceptions of primary health care. It also provides important indicators of the curriculum changes needed to increase graduates' confidence in their ability to take up employment in primary health care. PMID:27909366
Perspective Changing in Primary and Secondary Learning: A Gender Difference Study

Science.gov (United States)

Piccardi, L.; Risetti, M.; Nori, R.; Tanzilli, A.; Bernardi, L.; Guariglia, C.

2011-01-01

In the present study, we investigated the ability of 106 (55 males, 51 females) college students to recall an 8-step path from different viewpoints (0 degrees; 90 degrees; 180 degrees and 270 degrees) after primary and secondary learning without a time limit. For each participant, we computed the time and number of repetitions necessary to learn…
Causes of learning problems in primary school students

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Mirkov Snežana I.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Investigations were conducted on learning problems using the sample of eighth-grade students of primary school (N=335. The respondents opted for one or more than seven offered statements related to: insufficient previous knowledge, insufficient studying, teaching contents (extensive, difficult unintelligible, textbook and teacher’s method of presenting the contents. On the basis of the results obtained, one-third of students have problems in mastering teaching contents of foreign language, physics and chemistry, and about one-fourth in mastering those of history and mathematics. All the mentioned causes of problems are present in varying degrees in some school subjects. The causes of learning problems are markedly present in a larger number of school subjects and they are related to some characteristics of teaching contents. Respondents point out, to a large extent, that teaching contents of technical education are uninteresting. In addition, students’ responses indicate that it is necessary to improve the method for mastering the teaching contents in various school subjects i.e. methods applied in the teaching process. Subjective causes, as pointed out by students, are connected with some of the subjects they have characterized as the most difficult. Unintelligible textbook is stressed to the lowest extent as a cause of learning problems compared to other causes stated for the majority of school subjects.
Teaching Chemistry in Primary Science: What Does the Research Suggest?

Science.gov (United States)

Skamp, Keith

2011-01-01

The new Australian national science curriculum includes chemistry content at the primary level. Chemistry for young students is learning about changes in material stuff (matter) and, by implication, of what stuff is made. Pedagogy in this area needs to be guided by research if stepping stones to later learning of chemical ideas are to facilitate…
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to the Primary Motor Cortex Interferes with Motor Learning by Observing

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Liana E.; Wilson, Elizabeth T.; Gribble, Paul L.

2009-01-01

Neural representations of novel motor skills can be acquired through visual observation. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to test the idea that this "motor learning by observing" is based on engagement of neural processes for learning in the primary motor cortex (M1). Human subjects who observed another person learning…
Impact of ICT Usage in Primary-School Students' Learning in the Case of Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Arukaroon, Benjawan; Krairit, Donyaprueth

2017-01-01

The utilization of ICT as a teaching-learning tool continues to be very popular in Thai primary schools. However, technology impact assessments are not always properly carried out, and the benefits of using ICT in primary education are not always clear. The aim of this paper is to assess whether the use of ICT has an impact on student performance…
Learning with and about Technology: A Middle School Nature Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Fetterman, David

1998-01-01

Discussion of learning with technology as well as about technology focuses on a case study of a middle school nature area that uses technology to extend accessibility of environmental data. Highlights include the design of Web pages to describe the nature area; file sharing software; and the use of videoconferencing. (LRW)
Children Literature Based Program for Developing EFL Primary Pupils' Life Skills and Language Learning Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhalim, Safaa M.

2015-01-01

This study examines the effectiveness of a proposed English language program based on integrating two forms of children literature, mainly short stories and songs, in developing the needed life skills and language learning strategies of primary school students. Besides, it emphasized the importance of providing EFL fifth year primary students with…
Robot education peers in a situated primary school study: Personalisation promotes child learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, Paul; Ashurst, Emily; Read, Robin; Kennedy, James; Belpaeme, Tony

2017-01-01

The benefit of social robots to support child learning in an educational context over an extended period of time is evaluated. Specifically, the effect of personalisation and adaptation of robot social behaviour is assessed. Two autonomous robots were embedded within two matched classrooms of a primary school for a continuous two week period without experimenter supervision to act as learning companions for the children for familiar and novel subjects. Results suggest that while children in both personalised and non-personalised conditions learned, there was increased child learning of a novel subject exhibited when interacting with a robot that personalised its behaviours, with indications that this benefit extended to other class-based performance. Additional evidence was obtained suggesting that there is increased acceptance of the personalised robot peer over a non-personalised version. These results provide the first evidence in support of peer-robot behavioural personalisation having a positive influence on learning when embedded in a learning environment for an extended period of time.
Robot education peers in a situated primary school study: Personalisation promotes child learning.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Baxter

Full Text Available The benefit of social robots to support child learning in an educational context over an extended period of time is evaluated. Specifically, the effect of personalisation and adaptation of robot social behaviour is assessed. Two autonomous robots were embedded within two matched classrooms of a primary school for a continuous two week period without experimenter supervision to act as learning companions for the children for familiar and novel subjects. Results suggest that while children in both personalised and non-personalised conditions learned, there was increased child learning of a novel subject exhibited when interacting with a robot that personalised its behaviours, with indications that this benefit extended to other class-based performance. Additional evidence was obtained suggesting that there is increased acceptance of the personalised robot peer over a non-personalised version. These results provide the first evidence in support of peer-robot behavioural personalisation having a positive influence on learning when embedded in a learning environment for an extended period of time.
Robot education peers in a situated primary school study: Personalisation promotes child learning

Science.gov (United States)

Ashurst, Emily; Read, Robin; Kennedy, James; Belpaeme, Tony

2017-01-01

The benefit of social robots to support child learning in an educational context over an extended period of time is evaluated. Specifically, the effect of personalisation and adaptation of robot social behaviour is assessed. Two autonomous robots were embedded within two matched classrooms of a primary school for a continuous two week period without experimenter supervision to act as learning companions for the children for familiar and novel subjects. Results suggest that while children in both personalised and non-personalised conditions learned, there was increased child learning of a novel subject exhibited when interacting with a robot that personalised its behaviours, with indications that this benefit extended to other class-based performance. Additional evidence was obtained suggesting that there is increased acceptance of the personalised robot peer over a non-personalised version. These results provide the first evidence in support of peer-robot behavioural personalisation having a positive influence on learning when embedded in a learning environment for an extended period of time. PMID:28542648
WebQuests in special primary education: Learning in a web-based environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleemans, M.A.J.; Segers, P.C.J.; Droop, W.; Wentink, W.M.J.

2011-01-01

The present study investigated the differences in learning gain when performing a WebQuest with a well-defined versus an ill-defined assignment. Twenty boys and twenty girls (mean age 11; 10), attending a special primary education school, performed two WebQuests. In each WebQuest, they performed
Structure of Primary Health Care: Lessons from a Rural Area in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Structure of Primary Health Care: Lessons from a Rural Area in South-West Nigeria. ... of the facilities enjoyed community participation in planning and management. There ... None of the facilities had a functional 2-way referral system in place.
Functional connectivity between somatosensory and motor brain areas predicts individual differences in motor learning by observing.

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor, Heather R; Gribble, Paul L

2017-08-01

Action observation can facilitate the acquisition of novel motor skills; however, there is considerable individual variability in the extent to which observation promotes motor learning. Here we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in brain function or structure can predict subsequent observation-related gains in motor learning. Subjects underwent an anatomical MRI scan and resting-state fMRI scans to assess preobservation gray matter volume and preobservation resting-state functional connectivity (FC), respectively. On the following day, subjects observed a video of a tutor adapting her reaches to a novel force field. After observation, subjects performed reaches in a force field as a behavioral assessment of gains in motor learning resulting from observation. We found that individual differences in resting-state FC, but not gray matter volume, predicted postobservation gains in motor learning. Preobservation resting-state FC between left primary somatosensory cortex and bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, primary motor cortex, and primary somatosensory cortex and left superior parietal lobule was positively correlated with behavioral measures of postobservation motor learning. Sensory-motor resting-state FC can thus predict the extent to which observation will promote subsequent motor learning. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that individual differences in preobservation brain function can predict subsequent observation-related gains in motor learning. Preobservation resting-state functional connectivity within a sensory-motor network may be used as a biomarker for the extent to which observation promotes motor learning. This kind of information may be useful if observation is to be used as a way to boost neuroplasticity and sensory-motor recovery for patients undergoing rehabilitation for diseases that impair movement such as stroke. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
Enhancing Student Self-Worth in the Primary School Learning Environment: Teachers' Views and Students' Views

Science.gov (United States)

Cushman, Penni; Cowan, Jackie

2010-01-01

This paper reports the findings from a study of teachers and students' views regarding self-worth in the primary school learning environment. The revised New Zealand curriculum recognises the importance of self-worth in students' motivation and ability to learn. While the need to enhance self-worth in the classroom has been well established in the…

Learning About Bird Species on the Primary Level

Science.gov (United States)

Randler, Christoph

2009-04-01

Animal species identification is often emphasized as a basic prerequisite for an understanding of ecology because ecological interactions are based on interactions between species at least as it is taught on the school level. Therefore, training identification skills or using identification books seems a worthwhile task in biology education, and should already start on the primary level. On the primary level, however, complex interactions could not be taught but pupils are often interested in basic knowledge about species. We developed a hands-on, group-based and self-determined learning phase organized in workstations. About 138 pupils (2nd-4th graders) participated in this study. The two groups received an identification treatment with six different bird species. These were presented either as soft toys or as taxidermy specimen. Both groups scored similar prior and after the treatment (posttest 1) and with a delay of 6-8 weeks (posttest 2). More complex general linear modeling revealed a significant influence of prior knowledge, treatment and of grade (2nd, 3rd or 4th grade) on the first posttest while in the retention test gender differences emerged. We suggest that soft toys may be of equal value for teaching species identification on the primary level compared to natural taxidermic specimen, especially when considering pricing, insensitivity to handling, and contamination with agents used for preservation.
Primary School Pupils' Response to Audio-Visual Learning Process in Port-Harcourt

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Olube, Friday K.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine primary school children's response on the use of audio-visual learning processes--a case study of Chokhmah International Academy, Port-Harcourt (owned by Salvation Ministries). It looked at the elements that enhance pupils' response to educational television programmes and their hindrances to these…
Learning through Hallmark People in the Content Areas

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Ciecierski, Lisa M.; Bintz, William P.

2018-01-01

This article shares aspects to consider when designing and implementing content area instruction through the study of people. It begins with a description of an inquiry that investigated students' learning with the use of authentic literature and meaningful writing in social studies, and then extends to a discussion of how to apply these same…
Classroom anxiety of year 6 EFL primary school students in correlation with their learning achievements

OpenAIRE

Praček, Anja

2017-01-01

The Master thesis examines classroom anxiety of the 6th Grade primary School students in relation to their learning achievements in English as a foreign language. In many a thing, the English class differs from other classes and it is precisely this unique learning situation that can provoke anxiety in students. The Master thesis consists of a theoretical and empirical part. The theoretical part reviews the literature available on the current state of teaching and learning English as a for...
Investigation of Primary Education Second Level Students' Motivations toward Science Learning in Terms of Various Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Sert Çibik, Ayse

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the primary education second level students' motivations towards science learning in terms of various factors. Within the research, the variation of the total motivational scores in science learning according to the gender, class, socio-economic levels, success in science-technology course and…
Pacemaker Primary Curriculum; Lesson Book Level B.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Dorothea M.; Ross, Sheila A.

This lesson book, which is the second in a four-level program for young children with learning difficulties, describes the purpose of and equipment and procedures for teaching lessons in the following subjects areas on the primary grade level: arithmetic, reading, vocabulary, listening, planning, problem solving, social behavior, art, music, and…
Pacemaker Primary Curriculum; Lesson Book Level C.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Dorothea M.; Ross, Sheila A.

This lesson book, which is the third in a four-level program for young children with learning difficulties, describes the purpose of and equipment and procedures for teaching lessons in the following subject areas on the primary grade level: arithmetic, reading, vocabulary, spelling, printing, listening, planning, problem solving, social behavior,…
Pacemaker Primary Curriculum; Lesson Book Level D.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Dorothea M.; Ross, Sheila A.

This lesson book, which is the last in a four-level program for young children with learning difficulties, describes the purpose of and equipment and procedures for teaching lessons in the following subject areas on the primary level: arithmetic, reading, vocabulary, spelling, printing, listening, planning and problem solving, social behavior,…
A Study on Teaching Gases to Prospective Primary Science Teachers Through Problem-Based Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Senocak, Erdal; Taskesenligil, Yavuz; Sozbilir, Mustafa

2007-07-01

The aim of this study was to compare the achievement of prospective primary science teachers in a problem-based curriculum with those in a conventional primary science teacher preparation program with regard to success in learning about gases and developing positive attitudes towards chemistry. The subjects of the study were 101 first year undergraduate students, who were in two different classes and who were taught by the same lecturer. One of the classes was randomly selected as the intervention group in which problem-based learning (PBL) was used, and the other as the control in which conventional teaching methods were used. The data were obtained through use of the gases diagnostic test (GDT), the chemistry attitude scale (CAS), and scales specific to students’ evaluation of PBL such as the peer evaluation scale (PES), self evaluation scale (SES), tutor’s performance evaluation scale (TPES) and students’ evaluation of PBL scale (SEPBLS). Data were analysed using SPSS 10.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). In order to find out the effect of the intervention (PBL) on students’ learning of gases, independent sample t-tests and ANCOVA (analysis of co-variance) were used. The results obtained from the study showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of students’ GDT total mean scores and, their attitude towards chemistry, as well as PBL has a significant effect on the development of students’ skills such as self-directed learning, cooperative learning and critical thinking.
Debating the use of work-based learning and interprofessional education in promoting collaborative practice in primary care: a discussion paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Shona; Rutherford, Ishbel; Mountain, Kristina

2012-01-01

The context of primary care in the UK is changing rapidly, underpinned by continuing policy drivers to ensure person-centred safe and effective practice. Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes for healthcare practitioners are increasingly using interprofessional education (IPE) as one route to engender greater understanding of others' roles and contributions to health care, with the suggestion that IPE leads to better integration and teamwork, and thus stronger collaborative practice. Access to education and professional development for those working in primary care is difficult, and individuals need the focus of learning to be clearly relevant to their practice. To review and debate the evidence on the role of work-based learning and IPE in enhancing collaborative practice in primary care. Literature search and critique of key papers relevant to primary care practice. The three themes emerged of IPE, workbased learning (WBL) and collaborative practice. There is a growing body of literature to support the positive outcomes of IPE and the utilisation of WBL in developing practice. A range of practitioners in a variety of work settings have used WBL approaches in the implementation of innovations and the development of communities of practice. However, little evidence exists to support these approaches in primary care. The application of WBL across primary care teams can support a positive and collaborative learning culture, resulting in changes to professional practice.
Effectiveness of Student Learning during Experimental Work in Primary School.

Science.gov (United States)

Logar, Ana; Peklaj, Cirila; Ferk Savec, Vesna

2017-09-01

The aim of the research was to optimize the effectiveness of student learning based on experimental work in chemistry classes in Slovenian primary schools. To obtain evidence about how experimental work is implemented during regular chemistry classes, experimental work was videotaped during 19 units of chemistry lessons at 12 Slovenian primary schools from the pool of randomly selected schools. Altogether 332 eight-grade students were involved in the investigation, with an average age of 14.2 years. Students were videotaped during chemistry lessons, and their worksheets were collected afterward. The 12 chemistry teachers, who conducted lessons in these schools, were interviewed before the lessons; their teaching plans were also collected. The collected data was analyzed using qualitative methods. The results indicate that many teachers in Slovenian primary schools are not fully aware of the potential of experimental work integrated into chemistry lessons for the development of students' experimental competence. Further research of the value of different kinds of training to support teachers for the use of experimental work in chemistry teaching is needed.
Engineering Computer Games: A Parallel Learning Opportunity for Undergraduate Engineering and Primary (K-5 Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Michael Budnik

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present how our College of Engineering is developing a growing portfolio of engineering computer games as a parallel learning opportunity for undergraduate engineering and primary (grade K-5 students. Around the world, many schools provide secondary students (grade 6-12 with opportunities to pursue pre-engineering classes. However, by the time students reach this age, many of them have already determined their educational goals and preferred careers. Our College of Engineering is developing resources to provide primary students, still in their educational formative years, with opportunities to learn more about engineering. One of these resources is a library of engineering games targeted to the primary student population. The games are designed by sophomore students in our College of Engineering. During their Introduction to Computational Techniques course, the students use the LabVIEW environment to develop the games. This software provides a wealth of design resources for the novice programmer; using it to develop the games strengthens the undergraduates
Integrating Various Apps on BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) into Seamless Inquiry-Based Learning to Enhance Primary Students' Science Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yanjie; Wen, Yun

2018-04-01

Despite that BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) technology model has been increasingly adopted in education, few studies have been reported on how to integrate various apps on BYOD into inquiry-based pedagogical practices in primary schools. This article reports a case study, examining what apps on BYOD can help students enhance their science learning, and how students develop their science knowledge in a seamless inquiry-based learning environment supported by these apps. A variety of qualitative data were collected and analyzed. The findings show that the affordances of the apps on BYOD could help students improve their science knowledge without time and place constraints and gain a better sense of ownership in learning.
Investigation of Current Situation of Learning Motivation, Social Anxiety and Loneliness of the Left-behind Children in Rural Primary School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Biyun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To understand the situation of learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of the left-behind children. Method: Selecting three rural primary schools in Xian’an District of Xianning City to investigate left-behind situation, learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of pupils in Grades 4 to 6 in rural primary school in Xian’an District by the use of the MAAT-I-A which is revised by Zhou Bucheng, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC and the Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS. Results: (1 The learning motivation of the left-behind children in rural primary school is in a slightly higher medium level. Social anxiety is significantly higher than normal level in Chinese city, and the level of loneliness of about 1/5 of the left-behind children is relatively high. (2 The score of learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of the left-behind children in the level of knowledge learning has significant grade differences, without significant gender differences. (3 The level of learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of the left-behind children is slightly higher than that of non-left-behind children, but both differences are not significant.
WebQuests in Special Primary Education: Learning in a Web-Based Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Kleemans, Tijs; Segers, Eliane; Droop, Mienke; Wentink, Hanneke

2011-01-01

The present study investigated the differences in learning gain when performing a WebQuest with a well-defined versus an ill-defined assignment. Twenty boys and twenty girls (mean age 11; 10), attending a special primary education school, performed two WebQuests. In each WebQuest, they performed either a well-defined or an ill-defined assignment.…
Analysis of Primary School Student's Science Learning Anxiety According to Some Variables

Science.gov (United States)

Karakaya, Ferhat; Avgin, Sakine Serap; Kumperli, Ethem

2016-01-01

On this research, it is analyzed if the science learning anxiety level shows difference according to variables which are gender, grade level, science lesson grade, mother education, father education level. Scanning Design is used for this study. Research working group is consisted of 294 primary school from 6th, 7th and 8th graders on 2015-2016…
Learning to associate orientation with color in early visual areas by associative decoded fMRI neurofeedback

Science.gov (United States)

Amano, Kaoru; Shibata, Kazuhisa; Kawato, Mitsuo; Sasaki, Yuka; Watanabe, Takeo

2016-01-01

Summary Associative learning is an essential brain process where the contingency of different items increases after training. Associative learning has been found to occur in many brain regions [1-4]. However, there is no clear evidence that associative learning of visual features occurs in early visual areas, although a number of studies have indicated that learning of a single visual feature (perceptual learning) involves early visual areas [5-8]. Here, via decoded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback, termed “DecNef” [9], we tested whether associative learning of color and orientation can be created in early visual areas. During three days' training, DecNef induced fMRI signal patterns that corresponded to a specific target color (red) mostly in early visual areas while a vertical achromatic grating was physically presented to participants. As a result, participants came to perceive “red” significantly more frequently than “green” in an achromatic vertical grating. This effect was also observed 3 to 5 months after the training. These results suggest that long-term associative learning of the two different visual features such as color and orientation was created most likely in early visual areas. This newly extended technique that induces associative learning is called “A(ssociative)-DecNef” and may be used as an important tool for understanding and modifying brain functions, since associations are fundamental and ubiquitous functions in the brain. PMID:27374335
Learning to Associate Orientation with Color in Early Visual Areas by Associative Decoded fMRI Neurofeedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Amano, Kaoru; Shibata, Kazuhisa; Kawato, Mitsuo; Sasaki, Yuka; Watanabe, Takeo

2016-07-25

Associative learning is an essential brain process where the contingency of different items increases after training. Associative learning has been found to occur in many brain regions [1-4]. However, there is no clear evidence that associative learning of visual features occurs in early visual areas, although a number of studies have indicated that learning of a single visual feature (perceptual learning) involves early visual areas [5-8]. Here, via decoded fMRI neurofeedback termed "DecNef" [9], we tested whether associative learning of orientation and color can be created in early visual areas. During 3 days of training, DecNef induced fMRI signal patterns that corresponded to a specific target color (red) mostly in early visual areas while a vertical achromatic grating was physically presented to participants. As a result, participants came to perceive "red" significantly more frequently than "green" in an achromatic vertical grating. This effect was also observed 3-5 months after the training. These results suggest that long-term associative learning of two different visual features such as orientation and color was created, most likely in early visual areas. This newly extended technique that induces associative learning is called "A-DecNef," and it may be used as an important tool for understanding and modifying brain functions because associations are fundamental and ubiquitous functions in the brain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Self-Reported Learning from Co-Teaching Primary Science Lessons to Peers at University

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Peter; Nykvist, Shaun; Mukherjee, Michelle

2016-01-01

Universities are challenged continuously in reviews to improve teacher education, which includes providing substantial theory-practice connections for undergraduates. This study investigated second year preservice teachers' (n = 48) self-reported learning as a result of co-teaching primary science to their peers within the university setting. From…
Place-Based Curriculum Making: Devising a Synthesis between Primary Geography and Outdoor Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Dolan, Anne M.

2016-01-01

Outdoor learning provides children with an opportunity to experience the interdisciplinary nature of the real world through interactions with each other and the planet. Geographical enquiry involves exploring the outdoors in an investigative capacity. Space, place and sustainability are three core concepts in primary geography, although…

Examination of Attitudes to Learning and Educational Stress in Prospective Primary School Teachers: Izmir-Buca Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Hamurcu, Hülya

2018-01-01

Many factors interact with each other in learning and internalizing a subject along with performing a new task. Attitudes and stress are the two of these factors. The aim of this study was to examine attitudes to learning and educational stress in third and fourth year students as prospective primary school teachers. The relational model was used…
Role of the area postrema in radiation-induced taste aversion learning and emesis in cats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabin, B.M.; Hunt, W.A.; Chedester, A.L.; Lee, J.

1986-01-01

The role of the area postrema in radiation-induced emesis and taste aversion learning and the relationship between these behaviors were studied in cats. The potential involvement of neural factors which might be independent of the area postrema was minimized by using low levels of ionizing radiation (100 rads at a dose rate of 40 rads/min) to elicit a taste aversion, and by using body-only exposures (4500 and 6000 rads at 450 rads/min) to produce emesis. Lesions of the area postrema disrupted both taste aversion learning and emesis following irradiation. These results, which indicate that the area postrema is involved in the mediation of both radiation-induced emesis and taste aversion learning in cats under these experimental conditions, are interpreted as being consistent with the hypotheses that similar mechanisms mediate both responses to exposure to ionizing radiation, and that the taste aversion learning paradigm can therefore serve as a model system for studying radiation-induced emesis
Modelling multiple hospital outcomes: the impact of small area and primary care practice variation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Congdon Peter

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: Appropriate management of care – for example, avoiding unnecessary attendances at, or admissions to, hospital emergency units when they could be handled in primary care – is an important part of health strategy. However, some variations in these outcomes could be due to genuine variations in health need. This paper proposes a new method of explaining variations in hospital utilisation across small areas and the general practices (GPs responsible for patient primary care. By controlling for the influence of true need on such variations, one may identify remaining sources of excess emergency attendances and admissions, both at area and practice level, that may be related to the quality, resourcing or organisation of care. The present paper accordingly develops a methodology that recognises the interplay between population mix factors (health need and primary care factors (e.g. referral thresholds, that allows for unobserved influences on hospitalisation usage, and that also reflects interdependence between hospital outcomes. A case study considers relativities in attendance and admission rates at a North London hospital involving 149 small areas and 53 GP practices. Results: A fixed effects model shows variations in attendances and admissions are significantly related (positively to area and practice need, and nursing home patients, and related (negatively to primary care access and distance of patient homes from the hospital. Modelling the impact of known factors alone is not sufficient to produce a satisfactory fit to the observations, and random effects at area and practice level are needed to improve fit and account for overdispersion. Conclusion: The case study finds variation in attendance and admission rates across areas and practices after controlling for need, and remaining differences between practices may be attributable to referral behaviour unrelated to need, or to staffing, resourcing, and access issues. In
Disparities in the access to primary healthcare in rural areas from the county of Iasi - Romania.

Science.gov (United States)

Duma, Olga-Odetta; Roşu, Solange Tamara; Manole, M; Petrariu, F D; Constantin, Brânduşa

2014-01-01

To identify the factors that may conduct to various forms of social exclusion of the population from the primary healthcare and to analyze health disparities as population-specific differences in the access to primary healthcare in rural compared to urban residence areas from Iasi, the second biggest county, situated in the North--East region of Romania. This research is a type of inquiry-based opinion survey of the access to primary healthcare in rural compared to urban areas of the county of Iasi. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews. There were taken into account the socioeconomic status (education level in the adult population, employment status, family income, household size) and two temporal variables (the interval of time spent to arrive at the primary healthcare office as a marker for the geographical access and the waiting time for a consultation). The study group consisted of two samples, from rural and urban area, each of 150 patients, all ages, randomly selected, who were waiting at the family doctor's practice. The study has identified disparities related to a poor economic status assessed through the employed status ("not working" 15% in urban and of 20% in rural).The income calculated per member of family and divided in terciles has recorded significant differences for "high" (36.7% urban and 14.7% rural) and "low", respectively (14.6% urban and 56.6% rural). High household size with more than five members represented 22.6% of the total subjects in rural and 15.3% in urban areas. The assessment of the education level in the adult population (> 18 years) revealed that in the rural areas more than a half (56%) of the sample is placed in the category primary and secondary incomplete, whereas the value for secondary complete and postsecondary was 37.3%. The proportion of respondents in the urban areas who have post-secondary education is five times higher than those in rural areas (15.4% vs. 2.7%). The reduced geographical access assessed as
Factors associated with student learning processes in primary health care units: a questionnaire study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bos, Elisabeth; Alinaghizadeh, Hassan; Saarikoski, Mikko; Kaila, Päivi

2015-01-01

Clinical placement plays a key role in education intended to develop nursing and caregiving skills. Studies of nursing students' clinical learning experiences show that these dimensions affect learning processes: (i) supervisory relationship, (ii) pedagogical atmosphere, (iii) management leadership style, (iv) premises of nursing care on the ward, and (v) nursing teachers' roles. Few empirical studies address the probability of an association between these dimensions and factors such as student (a) motivation, (b) satisfaction with clinical placement, and (c) experiences with professional role models. The study aimed to investigate factors associated with the five dimensions in clinical learning environments within primary health care units. The Swedish version of Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Teacher, a validated evaluation scale, was administered to 356 graduating nursing students after four or five weeks clinical placement in primary health care units. Response rate was 84%. Multivariate analysis of variance is determined if the five dimensions are associated with factors a, b, and c above. The analysis revealed a statistically significant association with the five dimensions and two factors: students' motivation and experiences with professional role models. The satisfaction factor had a statistically significant association (effect size was high) with all dimensions; this clearly indicates that students experienced satisfaction. These questionnaire results show that a good clinical learning experience constitutes a complex whole (totality) that involves several interacting factors. Supervisory relationship and pedagogical atmosphere particularly influenced students' satisfaction and motivation. These results provide valuable decision-support material for clinical education planning, implementation, and management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Determinants of Learning Achievements: Empirical Analysis of Seven Schools in Cambodian Primary School

Science.gov (United States)

Ishiguro, Kaoru

2018-01-01

This paper examines the determinants of learning achievements in Cambodian primary schools. Both student factors and family factors are evaluated. The student factors consist of student age, enrollment age, frequency of homework completion, and number of questions to ask in class. The family factors include the father's educational background,…
Creating collaborative learning environments for transforming primary care practices now.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, William L; Cohen-Katz, Joanne

2010-12-01

The renewal of primary care waits just ahead. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) movement and a refreshing breeze of collaboration signal its arrival with demonstration projects and pilots appearing across the country. An early message from this work suggests that the development of collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams may be essential for the success of the PCMH. Our focus in this article is on training existing health care professionals toward being thriving members of this transformed clinical care team in a relationship-centered PCMH. Our description of the optimal conditions for collaborative training begins with delineating three types of teams and how they relate to levels of collaboration. We then describe how to create a supportive, safe learning environment for this type of training, using a different model of professional socialization, and tools for building culture. Critical skills related to practice development and the cross-disciplinary collaborative processes are also included. Despite significant obstacles in readying current clinicians to be members of thriving collaborative teams, a few next steps toward implementing collaborative training programs for existing professionals are possible using competency-based and adult learning approaches. Grasping the long awaited arrival of collaborative primary health care will also require delivery system and payment reform. Until that happens, there is an abundance of work to be done envisioning new collaborative training programs and initiating a nation-wide effort to motivate and reeducate our colleagues. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.
Deep Learning for Automated Extraction of Primary Sites From Cancer Pathology Reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, John X; Yoon, Hong-Jun; Fearn, Paul A; Tourassi, Georgia D

2018-01-01

Pathology reports are a primary source of information for cancer registries which process high volumes of free-text reports annually. Information extraction and coding is a manual, labor-intensive process. In this study, we investigated deep learning and a convolutional neural network (CNN), for extracting ICD-O-3 topographic codes from a corpus of breast and lung cancer pathology reports. We performed two experiments, using a CNN and a more conventional term frequency vector approach, to assess the effects of class prevalence and inter-class transfer learning. The experiments were based on a set of 942 pathology reports with human expert annotations as the gold standard. CNN performance was compared against a more conventional term frequency vector space approach. We observed that the deep learning models consistently outperformed the conventional approaches in the class prevalence experiment, resulting in micro- and macro-F score increases of up to 0.132 and 0.226, respectively, when class labels were well populated. Specifically, the best performing CNN achieved a micro-F score of 0.722 over 12 ICD-O-3 topography codes. Transfer learning provided a consistent but modest performance boost for the deep learning methods but trends were contingent on the CNN method and cancer site. These encouraging results demonstrate the potential of deep learning for automated abstraction of pathology reports.
Learning "Math on the Move": Effectiveness of a Combined Numeracy and Physical Activity Program for Primary School Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Vetter, Melanie; O'Connor, Helen; O'Dwyer, Nicholas; Orr, Rhonda

2018-03-27

Physically active learning that combines physical activity with core curriculum areas is emerging in school-based health interventions. This study investigates the effectiveness of learning an important numeracy skill of times tables (TT) while concurrently engaging in aerobic activity compared with a seated classroom approach. Grade-4 primary school students were randomly allocated to physical activity (P) or classroom (C) groups and received the alternate condition in the following term. P group received moderate to vigorous exercise (20 min, 3 times per week, 6 wk) while simultaneously learning selected TT. C group received similar learning, but seated. Changes in TT accuracy, general numeracy, aerobic fitness, and body mass index were assessed. Data were expressed as mean (SEM) and between-condition effect size (ES; 95% confidence interval). Participants [N = 85; 55% male, 9.8 (0.3) y, 36.4% overweight/obese] improved similarly on TT in both conditions [C group: 2.2% (1.1%); P group: 2.5% (1.3%); ES = 0.03; -0.30 to 0.36; P = .86]. Improvement in general numeracy was significantly greater for P group than C group [C group: 0.7% (1.2%); P group: 5.3% (1.4%); ES = 0.42; 0.08 to 0.75; P < .03]. An improvement in aerobic fitness for P group (P < .01) was not significantly greater than C group [C group: 0.8 (0.6); P group: 2.2 (0.5) mL·kg·min -1 ; ES = 0.32; -0.01 to 0.66; P = .06]. Body mass index was unchanged. Combined movement with learning TT was effective. Physically active learning paradigms may contribute to meeting daily physical activity guidelines while supporting or even boosting learning.
Emotion as the Amplifier and the Primary Motive: Some Theories of Emotion with Relevance to Language Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Oxford, Rebecca L.

2015-01-01

Emotion is crucial to living and learning. The powerful intertwining of emotion and cognition ignites learning within a complex dynamic system, which, as several sections of this paper show, also includes societal and cultural influences. As "the primary human motive" (MacIntyre, 2002a, p. 61), emotion operates as an amplifier, which…
Distributed practice and retrieval practice in primary school vocabulary learning: A multi-classroom study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goossens, Nicole; Camp, Gino; Verkoeijen, Peter; Tabbers, Huib; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Zwaan, Rolf

2018-01-01

Distributed practice and retrieval practice are promising learning strategies to use in education. We examined the effects of these strategies in primary school vocabulary lessons. Grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 children performed exercises that were part of the regular curriculum. For the distributed
Cultivating engaged leadership through a learning collaborative: lessons from primary care renewal in Oregon safety net clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

McMullen, Carmit K; Schneider, Jennifer; Firemark, Alison; Davis, James; Spofford, Mark

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore how learning collaboratives cultivate leadership skills that are essential for implementing patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). We conducted an ethnographic evaluation of a payor-incentivized PCMH implementation in Oregon safety net clinics, known as Primary Care Renewal. Analyses primarily drew on in-depth interviews with organizational leaders who were involved in the initiative. We solicited perspectives on the history, barriers, facilitators, and other noteworthy factors related to the implementation of PCMH. We reviewed and summarized transcripts and created and applied a coding dictionary to identify emergent leadership themes. We reviewed field notes from clinic site visits and observations of learning collaborative activities for additional information on the role of engaged leadership. Interview data suggested that organizations followed a similar, sequential process of Primary Care Renewal implementation having 2 phases-inspiration and implementation-and that leaders needed and learned different leadership skills in each phase. Leaders reported that collaborative learning opportunities were critical for developing engaged leadership skills during the inspiration phase of transformation. Facilitative and modeling aspects of engaged leadership were most important for codesigning a vision and plan for change. Adaptive leadership skills became more important during the implementation phase, when specific operational and management skills were needed to foster standardization and spread of the Primary Care Renewal initiative throughout participating clinics. The PCMH has received much attention as a way to reorganize and potentially improve primary care. Documenting steps and stages for cultivating leaders with the vision and skills to transform their organizations into PCMHs may offer a useful roadmap to other organizations considering a similar transformation.
Practice guidelines in the context of primary care, learning and usability in the physicians' decision-making process--a qualitative study.

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Ingemansson, Maria; Bastholm-Rahmner, Pia; Kiessling, Anna

2014-08-20

Decision-making is central for general practitioners (GP). Practice guidelines are important tools in this process but implementation of them in the complex context of primary care is a challenge. The purpose of this study was to explore how GPs approach, learn from and use practice guidelines in their day-to-day decision-making process in primary care. A qualitative approach using focus-group interviews was chosen in order to provide in-depth information. The participants were 22 GPs with a median of seven years of experience in primary care, representing seven primary healthcare centres in Stockholm, Sweden in 2011. The interviews focused on how the GPs use guidelines in their decision-making, factors that influence their decision how to approach these guidelines, and how they could encourage the learning process in routine practice.Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Meaning units were condensed and grouped in categories. After interpreting the content in the categories, themes were created. Three themes were conceptualized. The first theme emphasized to use guidelines by interactive contextualized dialogues. The categories underpinning this theme: 1. Feedback by peer-learning 2. Feedback by collaboration, mutual learning, and equality between specialties, identified important ways to achieve this learning dialogue. Confidence was central in the second theme, learning that establishes confidence to provide high quality care. Three aspects of confidence were identified in the categories of this theme: 1. Confidence by confirmation, 2. Confidence by reliability and 3. Confidence by evaluation of own results. In the third theme, learning by use of relevant evidence in the decision-making process, we identified two categories: 1. Design and lay-out visualizing the evidence 2. Accessibility adapted to the clinical decision-making process as prerequisites for using the practice guidelines. Decision-making in primary care is a dual process that involves
Pupils' Views about Spiders. Learning in Science Project (Primary). Working Paper No. 123.

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Hawe, Eleanor

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--investigated the ideas and interests about spiders held by 8- to 10-year-old children. Data included 303 questions--and answers to some of the questions--about spiders obtained from children in four classes and from responses obtained during individual interviews with 10 children from each age…
A framework for exploring integrated learning systems for the governance and management of public protected areas.

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Nkhata, Bimo Abraham; Breen, Charles

2010-02-01

This article discusses how the concept of integrated learning systems provides a useful means of exploring the functional linkages between the governance and management of public protected areas. It presents a conceptual framework of an integrated learning system that explicitly incorporates learning processes in governance and management subsystems. The framework is premised on the assumption that an understanding of an integrated learning system is essential if we are to successfully promote learning across multiple scales as a fundamental component of adaptability in the governance and management of protected areas. The framework is used to illustrate real-world situations that reflect the nature and substance of the linkages between governance and management. Drawing on lessons from North America and Africa, the article demonstrates that the establishment and maintenance of an integrated learning system take place in a complex context which links elements of governance learning and management learning subsystems. The degree to which the two subsystems are coupled influences the performance of an integrated learning system and ultimately adaptability. Such performance is largely determined by how integrated learning processes allow for the systematic testing of societal assumptions (beliefs, values, and public interest) to enable society and protected area agencies to adapt and learn in the face of social and ecological change. It is argued that an integrated perspective provides a potentially useful framework for explaining and improving shared understanding around which the concept of adaptability is structured and implemented.
E-Learning Pedagogy in the Primary School Classroom: The McDonaldization of Education

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Etherington, Matthew

2008-01-01

This paper begins as an initial rejoinder to the ideas expressed by Ross (2000) in The Promise and Perils of E-Learning: A critical look at the new technology. In his article, Ross supports the traditional practices of pedagogy at the primary school level--face-to-face pedagogy--and then critiques what he describes as a "fetishisation"…
[Variations in antihypertensive drug utilization among primary care areas in the autonomous region of Valencia (Spain)].

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Sanfélix-Gimeno, Gabriel; Peiró, Salvador; Librero, Julián

2010-01-01

To estimate consumption of five subgroups of antihypertensive drugs by primary care areas and to analyze its variation. We performed an ecological, descriptive study of antihypertensive consumption in 239 primary care areas in the autonomous region of Valencia in 2005 followed by analysis of the variability observed. The 239 primary care areas were studied by descriptive analysis of dispensation [defined daily dose (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants/day in pensioners (DDD/1000p/day) and in the active population (DDD/1000a/day)] and standardized consumption ratios. Small-area variation analysis was used to analyze the observed variability. Associations among dispensations of the distinct therapeutic subgroups were also analyzed. Overall antihypertensive use in the autonomous region of Valencia in 2005 was 235.6DDD/1000/day. This consumption was concentrated in pensioners (800DDD/1000p/day vs. 73DDD/1000a/day). Consumption of antihypertensive subgroups oscillated from 442DDD/1000p/day for drugs with action on the renin-angiotensin system to 32DDD/1000p/day for doxazosin. The active population showed similar patterns. Variation in consumption was moderate, with coefficients of variation from 0.20 to 0.40 (slightly greater for the active population). Associations among dispensations of the different therapeutic subgroups were strong. This study shows major variations in the overall consumption of antihypertensive drugs among primary care areas of the autonomous region of Valencia. These results suggest that variation may be associated with problems of underutilization in areas with lower consumption. Copyright © 2010 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
Does Teaching English in Saudi Primary Schools Affect Students’ Academic Achievement in Arabic Subjects?

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Othman Aljohani

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The global trend of introducing second language learning, namely, English, in primary schools is increasing. In Saudi Arabia, where English has never been taught in primary schools, the government to implement English as a second language at the primary level in 2005; however, this generated controversy. Opposition to the learning of English has been based on religious, cultural, and educational arguments. The latter argument consists of claims that learning English at a young age might influence children’s mother tongue development and influence their academic success. This paper investigates the impact of teaching English in Saudi primary schools on students’ achievement in Arabic-language subjects. This quantitative research aims to inform the debate on second language learning in primary schools by studying children’s examination results in the Arabic subject areas of grammar, reading, and writing. The sample consisted of primary school students from years 1 to 6 as well as year 6 students from the last year before (2004 and the first year after (2005 the introduction of English. Student results from four primary schools (two government schools and two private schools were collected and analysed. This study found no indication of a positive or negative impact of learning English on students’ achievement in Arabic subjects. However, private school students who studied English beginning in their first year of school had better results in the Arabic subjects that were the focus of this research. Keywords: second language acquisition, language impact, ESL
A Brief Survey of English Education of Tibetan Primary School in Ganzi County

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He, Xiaojun; Lazo, Xia

2015-01-01

The current social backgrounds have made English learning become an important part in every Chinese student's life. Tibetan students begin to study Tibetan, Chinese and English from primary school. However, in many Chinese ethnic-minorities areas like Tibetan areas, English education is facing many problems and challenges, especially the English…
Improving Science Process Skills for Primary School Students Through 5E Instructional Model-Based Learning

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Choirunnisa, N. L.; Prabowo, P.; Suryanti, S.

2018-01-01

The main objective of this study is to describe the effectiveness of 5E instructional model-based learning to improve primary school students’ science process skills. The science process skills is important for students as it is the foundation for enhancing the mastery of concepts and thinking skills needed in the 21st century. The design of this study was experimental involving one group pre-test and post-test design. The result of this study shows that (1) the implementation of learning in both of classes, IVA and IVB, show that the percentage of learning implementation increased which indicates a better quality of learning and (2) the percentage of students’ science process skills test results on the aspects of observing, formulating hypotheses, determining variable, interpreting data and communicating increased as well.

Adaptation and validation of the instrument Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision for medical students in primary health care

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Eva Öhman

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical learning takes place in complex socio-cultural environments that are workplaces for the staff and learning places for the students. In the clinical context, the students learn by active participation and in interaction with the rest of the community at the workplace. Clinical learning occurs outside the university, therefore is it important for both the university and the student that the student is given opportunities to evaluate the clinical placements with an instrument that allows evaluation from many perspectives. The instrument Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision (CLES was originally developed for evaluation of nursing students’ clinical learning environment. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the CLES instrument to measure medical students’ perceptions of their learning environment in primary health care. Methods In the adaptation process the face validity was tested by an expert panel of primary care physicians, who were also active clinical supervisors. The adapted CLES instrument with 25 items and six background questions was sent electronically to 1,256 medical students from one university. Answers from 394 students were eligible for inclusion. Exploratory factor analysis based on principal component methods followed by oblique rotation was used to confirm the adequate number of factors in the data. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the dimensions of CLES instrument. Results The construct validity showed a clearly indicated four-factor model. The cumulative variance explanation was 0.65, and the overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.95. All items loaded similarly with the dimensions in the non-adapted CLES except for one item that loaded to another dimension. The CLES instrument in its adapted form had high construct validity and high reliability and internal consistency. Conclusion CLES, in its adapted form, appears
Primary School Puberty/Sexuality Education: Student-Teachers' Past Learning, Present Professional Education, and Intention to Teach These Subjects

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Goldman, Juliette D. G.; Coleman, Stephanie J.

2013-01-01

Primary school teachers are often tasked with puberty/sexuality education for students who are undergoing sexual maturation at ever-earlier ages. This study explores the changing trajectories of the pre-service learning and teaching of primary school puberty/sexuality education at an urban university, including student-teachers' childhood…
The Intercultural and Non-Formal Learning Processes of Children in Primary School Exchange Programmes in France and Germany

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Melin, Valérie; Wagner, Bernd

2015-01-01

This paper is based on educational anthropology, and presents the initial findings of a three-year international comparative study of primary school children's learning-processes during travel and cross-cultural encounters. A French-German research team investigated and here reports on primary school exchange programmes. Open coding of the…
The development of learning model for natural science based on environmental in conservation area of Bengkulu University

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Karyadi, B.; Susanta, A.; Winari, E. W.; Ekaputri, R. Z.; Enersi, D.

2018-05-01

Research on development of a learning model for Natural Science base on conservation area in Bengkulu University has been conducted. The research methods were referred to the standard steps of Research and Development. Stage activities were (a) analysis of needs, (b) observation of the ecological aspects of conservation area as a learning resource, and (c) instructional design based on conservation area for secondary school students. The observation results on the ecological aspects revealed that the diversity of plants and animals, at the conservation area were sufficient as a source for learning. The instructional design was prepared in three phase activities namely Introduction-Exploration-Interpretation (IEI), and then it was compiled in a teaching material Based on Surrounding Natural Environment” (BSNE). The results of a limited scale trial at secondary school students in two districts of Bengkulu province showed that, the students who learned using the IEI model at the conservation area have a good performance and critical thinking. The product from the research is a book named BSNE that can be used for teachers and conservation practitioners in doing the learning activities on environmental conservation which involved public participation.
Connecting Knowledge Domains : An Approach to Concept Learning in Primary Science and Technology Education

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Koski, M.

2014-01-01

In order to understand our dependency on technology and the possible loss of control that comes with it, it is necessary for people to understand the nature of technology as well as its roots in science. Learning basic science and technology concepts should be a part of primary education since it
Designing Multimodal User-Interfaces for Effective E-Learning in the School Primary Stages Applied on Real Fractions

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Salaheddin Odeh

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This contribution focuses on the development and design of e-learning tools for school students in primary stages through dealing and considering the math of real fractions, which presents an example of learning material difficult to understand by many school students and a real challenge for e-learning designers and multimedia authoring. Firstly, we will highlight several problems facing school students and teachers caused by the traditional learning approach. Then, we are going to discuss some aspects related to e-learning, the major theoretical issues of educational psychology and e-learning with various modalities related to our work, and the classification of the interactive multimedia methodologies adopted in this work. Furthermore, the software-ergonomic and –architectural features of the developed e-learning tool will be introduced. Finally, the paper will conclude with a brief summary of a usability testing carried out to compare the developed e-learning user-interface with the traditional learning approach.
Social Learning Analytics in Higher Education. An experience at the Primary Education stage

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Jose Javier Díaz-Lázaro

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The concept of Learning Analytics, as we understand it today, is relatively new but the practice of evaluating user behavior is not innovative. For years, technological development, along with other educational aspects, have encouraged, developed and facilitated this practice as a way of providing a personalized quality experience to students. The main goal of this study, carried out in the Primary Education Degree of the University of Murcia, was to research, from the perspective of Social Learning Analytics, how students learn and collaborate in online environments, specifically through their use of social media. With the idea of improving and optimizing future teaching experiences, a pilot study was conducted using weblog, Twitter and Facebook to work with different topics on the subject. The method used in this research was a participant observation and the analysis performed was both quantitative, based mainly on the data gathered from the learning analytics, and qualitative (analyzing students’ content from comments. Results show that there was greater interaction on Facebook than weblogs, where students interacted to deal with aspects related to the learning process and the topic of the subject. This exchange of information grew during the development of the experience. In addition, learning analytics shows that there is a relationship between group members and their interaction and behavior in networks.
Investigation of Current Situation of Learning Motivation, Social Anxiety and Loneliness of the Left-behind Children in Rural Primary School

OpenAIRE

Zhang Biyun; Xu Ming

2015-01-01

Objective: To understand the situation of learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of the left-behind children. Method: Selecting three rural primary schools in Xian’an District of Xianning City to investigate left-behind situation, learning motivation, social anxiety and loneliness of pupils in Grades 4 to 6 in rural primary school in Xian’an District by the use of the MAAT-I-A which is revised by Zhou Bucheng, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC) and the Children’s Lonelin...
[Teaching and learning the science of qualitative research in the health area].

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Calderón, Carlos

2012-03-01

Qualitative research constitutes a necessary perspective of knowledge within the field of health services. Healthcare always occurs in complex contexts and its enhancement requires research methodologies that address this complexity. Nevertheless, the knowledge and use of qualitative research in health services is still very limited. Among the different factors that affect its development, the teaching and learning of qualitative research proves to be fundamental, even beyond undergraduate education. Healthcare professionals and health services present certain specific aspects that must be considered in the design and development of the teaching and learning of qualitative research. Based on an eight-year online training experience with Primary Healthcare professionals, the main challenges are indentified and discussed.
Primary Headaches and School Performance-Is There a Connection?

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Genizi, J; Guidetti, V; Arruda, M A

2017-07-01

Headache is a common complaint among children and adolescents. School functioning is one of the most important life domains impacted by chronic pain in children. This review discusses the epidemiological and pathophysiological connections between headaches and school functioning including a suggested clinical approach. The connection between recurrent and chronic headache and learning disabilities might be psychosocial (fear of failure) or anatomical (malfunctioning of the frontal and prefrontal areas). Only few population-based and clinical studies were done and good studies are still needed in order to understand the complex relationship better. However, relating to our patients' learning and school performance, history is crucial when a child with primary headaches is evaluated. Learning disabilities seem to have a high prevalence among children with primary headache syndromes especially migraine. The connection between the two is complex and might be either part of a common brain pathophysiology and/or a consequence of poor quality of life.
Conflict Prevalence in Primary School and How It Is Understood to Affect Teaching and Learning in Ghana

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Nana Afia Amponsaa Opoku-Asare

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Verbal and non-verbal interactions that occur daily between teachers and headteachers, teachers and pupils, and among pupils can generate conflict that may adversely affect teaching, learning, and schooling effectiveness. Little attention is, however, paid to the quality of relationships that exists between teachers and pupils, among teachers, among pupils, between teachers and their school heads, and between schools and their local communities. This study sought to investigate conflict prevalence in Ghana’s primary schools, and how relationship conflict is understood to affect teaching and learning at the level of headteachers as administrators, teachers as classroom managers, and pupils as learners, and direct beneficiaries of primary education. Using data gathered via interview, questionnaire administration, and observation in 30 public primary schools in 10 circuits of one district of Ashanti Region, the findings revealed a high prevalence of fighting, heckling, bullying, and other forms of relationship conflict among pupils; strained teacher–pupil relations due to insolence, indiscipline, and use of offensive language; and teacher–parent arguments and quarrels due to harsh punishment and verbal assault of pupils. Teacher–pupil conflicts may extend to teachers excluding the affected pupils from teaching and learning activities, denying them the rights to ask and answer questions, and have their class exercises marked, leading to lowered pupil self-esteem, reduced concentration during lessons, and passive involvement in learning activities, which could result in truancy and school dropout. Strengthening guidance mechanisms and encouraging peer mediation could significantly curb conflict in school environments and thereby raise educational standards in the district.
Integrating Various Apps on BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) into Seamless Inquiry-Based Learning to Enhance Primary Students' Science Learning

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Song, Yanjie; Wen, Yun

2018-01-01

Despite that BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) technology model has been increasingly adopted in education, few studies have been reported on how to integrate various apps on BYOD into inquiry-based pedagogical practices in primary schools. This article reports a case study, examining what apps on BYOD can help students enhance their science learning,…
Assessment for Learning in Norway and Portugal: The Case of Primary School Mathematics Teaching

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Nortvedt, Guri A.; Santos, Leonor; Pinto, Jorge

2016-01-01

In this study, we aim to understand the forces driving assessment for learning (AfL) in primary school teaching. By applying a case study design, including the two cases of Norway and Portugal and using mathematics teaching as an example, available policy documents and research reports are analysed to identify the differences and similarities that…
[Professional quality of life in workers of the Toledo primary care health area].

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Villarín Castro, A; Méndez García, T; Zuzuárregui Gironés, M S; Sánchez Serrano, S; Conejo Ocaña, R

2015-01-01

To determine the professional quality of life in the workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area and to analyse its components. Descriptive, cross-sectional study, performed on workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area with an online self-administered questionnaire. age, sex, health centre, professional group, seniority, management experience, collaboration in working groups, employment situation, and the PQL-35 professional quality of life questionnaire. A total of 430 completed questionnaires were received (45.3%), of which 68.4% were women. The mean age was 47.7±8.6 years old. Mean seniority was 21.5±9.7 years. PQL-35 results were: perception of management support 4.8±1.5; perception of workload 6.2±1.3; intrinsic motivation 7.9±1.1; job disconnection capacity 6.3±2.6; and professional quality of life 5.2±2.1. Gender differences were found in perception of management support (4.5±1.5 in males vs 4.9±1.5 in females; P=.031) and professional quality of life (4.9±2.0 vs 5.3±2.1; p=.044). Depending on the professional group, differences were found in the perception of workload (6.4±1.1 in physicians, 6.3±1.3 in nurses, 5.9±1.6 in non-sanitary professionals, and 5.3±1.2 in support units professionals; Pquality of life in the workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area is similar to that of other Spanish Health Areas, even in a time of economic crisis. The intrinsic motivation of the professionals is very high, in contrast with their high perception of workload and their low perception of management support. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.
Masters of adaptation: learning in late life adjustments.

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Roberson, Donald N

2005-01-01

The purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between human development in older adults and personal learning. Personal or self-directed learning (SDL) refers to a style of learning where the individual directs, controls, and evaluates what is learned. It may occur with formal classes, but most often takes place in non-formal situations. This study employed a descriptive qualitative design incorporating in-depth, semistructured interviews for data collection. The sample of 10 purposefully selected older adults from a rural area reflected diversity in gender, race, education, and employment. Data analysis was guided by the constant comparative method. The primary late life adjustments of these older adults were in response to having extra time, changes in family, and social and physical loss. This research also indicated that late life adjustments are a primary incentive for self-directed learning. The results of this study indicated that older adults become masters of adaptation through the use of self-directed learning activities.
Mind tools contributing to an ICT-rich learning environment for technology education en primary schools

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Lou A.M.P. Slangen; Peter B. Sloep

2005-01-01

This paper examines how the learning environment in primary education can be enhanced by stimulating the use of innovative ICT applications. In particular, this discussion focuses on mind tools as a means of leveraging ICT for the development of cognitive skills. The stimulating effect of mind tools
Response to "Learning through Life": Thematic Area of Poverty Reduction

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Preece, Julia

2010-01-01

This paper responds to the NIACE report "Learning through Life" in relation to the report's thematic area of poverty reduction. The paper draws on the thematic working papers that informed the report as well as wider literature on poverty. It takes a multidimensional perspective of poverty, drawing on Sen's concept of poverty as "unfreedom" and…
Multimedia Scenario Based Learning Programme for Enhancing the English Language Efficiency among Primary School Students

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Navnath Tupe

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This research was undertaken with a view to assess the deficiencies in English language among Primary School Children and to develop Multimedia Scenario Based Learning Programme (MSBLP for mastery of English language which required special attention and effective treatment. The experimental study with pretest, post-test control group design was employed to carry out the experiment of MSBLP in a sample school and to determine its efficacy for enhancing English Language skills among Primary School Students. In India, the Central and State Government has made great efforts to Education for All (EFA and initiated several programs to provide universal access to education, to reduce the drop-out rates and ensure achievement of minimum levels of learning. To our surprise the scenario had not much changed inside the classroom even implementing several programmes. However, it was still unclear how effective was the delivery of the course content in the classroom. An intensive training for teachers on a regular basis on a state-wide scale may not be feasible again and again. Hence, multimedia offers pragmatic solutions So that this research paper devoted to explore the issues of learning English and describes the creation of MSBLP as a solution in scientific manner.
Designing Math Trails for Enhanced by Mobile Learning Realistic Mathematics Education in Primary Education

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Georgios Fesakis

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Seeking a systematic combination of the pedagogical model of m-learning with the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME approach, this study concerns the use of math trail as a learning activity model that can take the advantages of mobile computing devices for the design of effective learning experiences in an authentic context. The paper presents the design and the case study of the first pilot implementation of a math trail, using mobile devices for primary school students. In this math trail, the students are guided, through a digital map, to a sequence of preselected sites of a park where they solve specially designed math problems using data from the environmental context. The students measure real objects’ dimensions either with conventional instruments or by measurement applications of their tablet. According to the findings of the study, students solved the puzzles by applying mathematical knowledge, discussion and collaboration. The students applied and reinforced their knowledge through an effective and engaging learning activity. Moreover, the students were puzzled about the differences of the measurements by conventional and digital instruments and this confusion triggered social negotiation. Further research is needed for a grounded theory development about m-learning design for RME.
How do primary health care teams learn to integrate intimate partner violence (IPV) management? A realist evaluation protocol.

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Goicolea, Isabel; Vives-Cases, Carmen; San Sebastian, Miguel; Marchal, Bruno; Kegels, Guy; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2013-03-23

Despite the existence of ample literature dealing, on the one hand, with the integration of innovations within health systems and team learning, and, on the other hand, with different aspects of the detection and management of intimate partner violence (IPV) within healthcare facilities, research that explores how health innovations that go beyond biomedical issues-such as IPV management-get integrated into health systems, and that focuses on healthcare teams' learning processes is, to the best of our knowledge, very scarce if not absent. This realist evaluation protocol aims to ascertain: why, how, and under what circumstances primary healthcare teams engage (if at all) in a learning process to integrate IPV management in their practices; and why, how, and under what circumstances team learning processes lead to the development of organizational culture and values regarding IPV management, and the delivery of IPV management services. This study will be conducted in Spain using a multiple-case study design. Data will be collected from selected cases (primary healthcare teams) through different methods: individual and group interviews, routinely collected statistical data, documentary review, and observation. Cases will be purposively selected in order to enable testing the initial middle-range theory (MRT). After in-depth exploration of a limited number of cases, additional cases will be chosen for their ability to contribute to refining the emerging MRT to explain how primary healthcare learn to integrate intimate partner violence management. Evaluations of health sector responses to IPV are scarce, and even fewer focus on why, how, and when the healthcare services integrate IPV management. There is a consensus that healthcare professionals and healthcare teams play a key role in this integration, and that training is important in order to realize changes. However, little is known about team learning of IPV management, both in terms of how to trigger such learning

Ventral Tegmental Area and Substantia Nigra Neural Correlates of Spatial Learning

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Martig, Adria K.; Mizumori, Sheri J. Y.

2011-01-01

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) may provide modulatory signals that, respectively, influence hippocampal (HPC)- and striatal-dependent memory. Electrophysiological studies investigating neural correlates of learning and memory of dopamine (DA) neurons during classical conditioning tasks have found DA…
An Investigation of Social Behaviors of Primary School Children in Terms of Their Grade, Learning Disability and Intelligence Potential

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Yukay Yuksel, Muge

2013-01-01

In this study, to what extent 7-9-year old primary school children's' social behaviors at school vary depending on their grade, gender and learning disability was investigated. In addition, the predictive value of the intelligence scores of children with normal development and with learning disability was explored for their negative and positive…
Cognitive Neurostimulation: Learning to Volitionally Sustain Ventral Tegmental Area Activation.

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MacInnes, Jeff J; Dickerson, Kathryn C; Chen, Nan-Kuei; Adcock, R Alison

2016-03-16

Activation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and mesolimbic networks is essential to motivation, performance, and learning. Humans routinely attempt to motivate themselves, with unclear efficacy or impact on VTA networks. Using fMRI, we found untrained participants' motivational strategies failed to consistently activate VTA. After real-time VTA neurofeedback training, however, participants volitionally induced VTA activation without external aids, relative to baseline, Pre-test, and control groups. VTA self-activation was accompanied by increased mesolimbic network connectivity. Among two comparison groups (no neurofeedback, false neurofeedback) and an alternate neurofeedback group (nucleus accumbens), none sustained activation in target regions of interest nor increased VTA functional connectivity. The results comprise two novel demonstrations: learning and generalization after VTA neurofeedback training and the ability to sustain VTA activation without external reward or reward cues. These findings suggest theoretical alignment of ideas about motivation and midbrain physiology and the potential for generalizable interventions to improve performance and learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Portuguese primary school children's conceptions about digestion: identification of learning obstacles

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Silva, Rui Graça; Lima, Nelson; Coquet, Eduarda; Clément, Pierre

2004-09-01

A cross-sectional study of Portuguese primary school pupils' conceptions on digestion and the digestive tract was carried out before and after teaching this topic. Pupils of the prior four school years (5/6 to 9/10 year old) drew what happens to a cookie inside their body. In some cases they also wrote a short text or were interviewed. To identify their level of graphic development, they produced a free-hand drawing. The main conceptual changes in explaining digestion were strongly linked to teaching. Children's previous conceptions were not epistemological obstacles to learning about digestion. The main obstacles were of didactical origin, as images of primary school books do not represent (i) the path of food from the intestine into the blood, (associated to the epistemological obstacle of the permeability of the gut wall); (ii) a clear continuous tract from stomach to anus, which causes a specific confusion at the intestine level.
Improving family medicine resident training in dementia care: an experiential learning opportunity in Primary Care Collaborative Memory Clinics.

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Lee, Linda; Weston, W Wayne; Hillier, Loretta; Archibald, Douglas; Lee, Joseph

2018-06-21

Family physicians often find themselves inadequately prepared to manage dementia. This article describes the curriculum for a resident training intervention in Primary Care Collaborative Memory Clinics (PCCMC), outlines its underlying educational principles, and examines its impact on residents' ability to provide dementia care. PCCMCs are family physician-led interprofessional clinic teams that provide evidence-informed comprehensive assessment and management of memory concerns. Within PCCMCs residents learn to apply a structured approach to assessment, diagnosis, and management; training consists of a tutorial covering various topics related to dementia followed by work-based learning within the clinic. Significantly more residents who trained in PCCMCs (sample = 98), as compared to those in usual training programs (sample = 35), reported positive changes in knowledge, ability, and confidence in ability to assess and manage memory problems. The PCCMC training intervention for family medicine residents provides a significant opportunity for residents to learn about best clinical practices and interprofessional care needed for optimal dementia care integrated within primary care practice.
Effects of Improving Primary Health Care Workers’ Knowledge About Public Health Services in Rural China: A Comparative Study of Blended Learning and Pure E-Learning

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Zhan, Xingxin; Zhang, Zhixia; Sun, Fang; Liu, Qian; Peng, Weijun; Zhang, Heng

2017-01-01

Background Primary health care workers (PHCWs) are a major force in delivering basic public health services (BPHS) in rural China. It is necessary to take effective training approaches to improve PHCWs’ competency on BPHS. Both electronic learning (e-learning) and blended learning have been widely used in the health workers’ education. However, there is limited evidence on the effects of blended learning in comparison with pure e-learning. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a blended-learning approach for rural PHCWs in improving their knowledge about BPHS as well as training satisfaction in comparison with a pure e-learning approach. Methods The study was conducted among PHCWs in 6 rural counties of Hubei Province, China, between August 2013 and April 2014. Three counties were randomly allocated blended-learning courses (29 township centers or 612 PHCWs—the experimental group), and three counties were allocated pure e-learning courses (31 township centers or 625 PHCWs—the control group). Three course modules were administered for 5 weeks, with assessments at baseline and postcourse. Primary outcomes were score changes in courses’ knowledge. Secondary outcome was participant satisfaction (5-point Likert scale anchored between 1 [strongly agree] and 5 [strongly disagree]). Results The experimental group had higher mean scores than the control group in knowledge achievement in three course modules: (1) module 1: 93.21 (95% CI 92.49-93.93) in experimental group versus 88.29 (95% CI 87.19-89.40) in the control group; adjusted difference, 4.92 (95% CI 2.61-7.24; Plearning group gave more positive responses with the four issues than control group participants: (1) the increase of interest in learning, 1.85 (95% CI 1.22-2.80; P=.003); (2) the increase of interaction with others, 1.77 (95% CI 1.20-2.60; P=.004); (3) the satisfaction with learning experience, 1.78 (95% CI 1.11-2.88; P=.02); and (4) achievement of learning objectives, 1
Unequal socioeconomic distribution of the primary care workforce: whole-population small area longitudinal study.

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Asaria, Miqdad; Cookson, Richard; Fleetcroft, Robert; Ali, Shehzad

2016-01-19

To measure changes in socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of family physicians (general practitioners (GPs)) relative to need in England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. Whole-population small area longitudinal data linkage study. England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. 32,482 lower layer super output areas (neighbourhoods of 1500 people on average). Slope index of inequality (SII) between the most and least deprived small areas in annual full-time equivalent GPs (FTE GPs) per 100,000 need adjusted population. In 2004/2005, inequality in primary care supply as measured by the SII in FTE GPs was 4.2 (95% CI 3.1 to 5.3) GPs per 100,000. By 2013/2014, this SII had fallen to -0.7 (95% CI -2.5 to 1.1) GPs per 100,000. The number of FTE GPs per 100,000 serving the most deprived fifth of small areas increased over this period from 54.0 to 60.5, while increasing from 57.2 to 59.9 in the least deprived fifth, so that by the end of the study period there were more GPs per 100,000 need adjusted population in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. The increase in GP supply in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods was larger in areas that received targeted investment for establishing new practices under the 'Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care'. There was a substantial reduction in socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply associated with national policy. This policy may not have completely eliminated socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply since existing need adjustment formulae do not fully capture the additional burden of multimorbidity in deprived neighbourhoods. The small area approach introduced in this study can be used routinely to monitor socioeconomic inequality of access to primary care and to indicate workforce shortages in particular neighbourhoods. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to
The Effects of Computer Games on Primary School Students' Achievement and Motivation in Geography Learning

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Tuzun, Hakan; Yilmaz-Soylu, Meryem; Karakus, Turkan; Inal, Yavuz; Kizilkaya, Gonca

2009-01-01

The implementation of a computer game for learning about geography by primary school students is the focus of this article. Researchers designed and developed a three-dimensional educational computer game. Twenty four students in fourth and fifth grades in a private school in Ankara, Turkey learnt about world continents and countries through this…
Developing a universal reading comprehension intervention for mainstream primary schools within areas of social deprivation for children with and without language-learning impairment: a feasibility study.

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McCartney, Elspeth; Boyle, James; Ellis, Sue

2015-01-01

Some children in areas of social deprivation in Scotland have lower reading attainment than neighbouring children in less deprived areas, and some of these also have lower spoken language comprehension skills than expected by assessment norms. There is a need to develop effective reading comprehension interventions that fit easily into the school curriculum and can benefit all pupils. A feasibility study of reading comprehension strategies with existing evidence of efficacy was undertaken in three mainstream primary schools within an area of social deprivation in west central Scotland, to decide whether further investigation of this intervention was warranted. Aims were to measure comprehension of spoken language and reading via standardised assessments towards the beginning of the school year (T1) in mainstream primary school classrooms within an area of social deprivation; to have teachers introduce previously-validated text comprehension strategies, and to measure change in reading comprehension outcome measures towards the end of the year (T2). A pre- and post-intervention cohort design was used. Reading comprehension strategies were introduced to staff in participating schools and used throughout the school year as part of on-going reading instruction. Spoken language comprehension was measured by TROG-2 at T1, and reading progress by score changes from T1 to T2 on the WIAT-II(UK) -T reading comprehension scale. Forty-seven pupils in five classes in three primary schools took part: 38% had TROG-2 scores below the 10(th) centile. As a group, children made good reading comprehension progress, with a medium effect size of 0.46. Children with TROG-2 scores below the 10(th) centile had lower mean reading scores than others at T1 and T2, although with considerable overlap. However, TROG-2 did not make a unique contribution to reading progress: children below the 10(th) centile made as much progress as other children. The intervention was welcomed by schools, and the
Personality characteristics and their connection with learning efficiency of deaf and partially deaf pupils in mainstream primary and secondary school

OpenAIRE

Kastelic, Helena

2012-01-01

This thesis deals with personality characteristics and their connection with learning efficiency of deaf and partially deaf pupils and students in mainstream primary and secondary school. The theoretical part defines learning efficiency and focuses on the most significant factors of learning efficiency, including also personality characteristics of an individual. This thesis represents the idea of inclusion and its advantages and disadvantages and suggests to what extent it is present in our ...
Comparison on testability of visual acuity, stereo acuity and colour vision tests between children with learning disabilities and children without learning disabilities in government primary schools.

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Abu Bakar, Nurul Farhana; Chen, Ai-Hong

2014-02-01

Children with learning disabilities might have difficulties to communicate effectively and give reliable responses as required in various visual function testing procedures. The purpose of this study was to compare the testability of visual acuity using the modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) and Cambridge Crowding Cards, stereo acuity using Lang Stereo test II and Butterfly stereo tests and colour perception using Colour Vision Test Made Easy (CVTME) and Ishihara's Test for Colour Deficiency (Ishihara Test) between children in mainstream classes and children with learning disabilities in special education classes in government primary schools. A total of 100 primary school children (50 children from mainstream classes and 50 children from special education classes) matched in age were recruited in this cross-sectional comparative study. The testability was determined by the percentage of children who were able to give reliable respond as required by the respective tests. 'Unable to test' was defined as inappropriate response or uncooperative despite best efforts of the screener. The testability of the modified ETDRS, Butterfly stereo test and Ishihara test for respective visual function tests were found lower among children in special education classes ( P learning disabilities. Modifications of vision testing procedures are essential for children with learning disabilities.
Student-perceived barriers and facilitators to e-learning in continuing professional development in primary care.

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Docherty, Andrea; Sandhu, Harbinder

2006-01-01

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THIS AREA • E-learning is being increasingly used within learning and teaching including its application within healthcare education and service provision. Multiple advantages have been identified including enhanced accessibility and increased flexibility of learning. Guidance on the generic-design and development of e-learning courses has been generated. WHAT THIS WORK ADDS • This paper provides a detailed understanding of the barriers and facilitators to e-learning as perceived by students on a continuing professional development (CPD); course arid highlights its multifaceted values. In addition, the paper ṕrovides evidence-based guidance for the development of courses within CPD utilising e-learning. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH • Future research would benefit from, focusing upon the perceptions of staff including barriers and facilitators to the implementation of e-learning and awareness of student experience to generate a balanced and informed understanding of e-learning within the context-of CPD.
The English Education in Primary Schools in Minor Ethnic Areas in Western China--Taking Leshan City as an Example

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Bing, Wang

2016-01-01

As we all know, China is a country with many ethnic minorities mainly living in the northeastern and southwestern China. The English education in the primary schools in these areas is an important issue. The article analyzes the status quo of English education in primary schools in minor ethnic areas, taking the Leshan city, a western one as an…
A Crisis of Professional Identity: How Primary Teachers Are Coming to Terms with Changing Views of Literacy

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McDougall, Jenny

2010-01-01

As definitions of literacy become conceptualized, so too do constructions of the primary teacher's identity. This study analyses the discourses that emerged from interviews with a group of Australian primary teachers who talked about their reactions to teaching media. Teachers who embraced this area of learning had a more futures-oriented view of…
Experimental Activities in Primary School to Learn about Microbes in an Oral Health Education Context

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Mafra, Paulo; Lima, Nelson; Carvalho, Graça S.

2015-01-01

Experimental science activities in primary school enable important cross-curricular learning. In this study, experimental activities on microbiology were carried out by 16 pupils in a Portuguese grade-4 classroom (9-10?years old) and were focused on two problem-questions related to microbiology and health: (1) do your teeth carry microbes? (2) why…
Evaluating E-Learning Systems: An Empirical Investigation on Students' Perception in Higher Education Area

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Muneer Abbad

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In search of better, traditional learning universities have expanded their ways to deliver knowledge and integrate cost effective e-learning systems. Universities' use of information and communication technologies has grown tremendously over the last decade. To ensure efficient use of the e-learning system, the Arab Open University (AOU in Bahrain was the first to use e-learning system there, aimed to evaluate the good and bad practices, detect errors and determine areas for further improvements in usage. This study critically evaluated the students' perception of the elearning system in Bahrain and recommended changes to improve students' e-learning usage. Results of the study indicated that, in general, students have favourable perceptions toward using the e-learning system. This study has shown that technology acceptance is the most variable, factor that contributes to students' perception and satisfaction of the e-learning system.
From Hearing Sounds to Recognizing Phonemes: Primary Auditory Cortex is A Truly Perceptual Language Area

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Byron Bernal

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to present a systematic review about the anatomy, function, connectivity, and functional activation of the primary auditory cortex (PAC (Brodmann areas 41/42 when involved in language paradigms. PAC activates with a plethora of diverse basic stimuli including but not limited to tones, chords, natural sounds, consonants, and speech. Nonetheless, the PAC shows specific sensitivity to speech. Damage in the PAC is associated with so-called “pure word-deafness” (“auditory verbal agnosia”. BA41, and to a lesser extent BA42, are involved in early stages of phonological processing (phoneme recognition. Phonological processing may take place in either the right or left side, but customarily the left exerts an inhibitory tone over the right, gaining dominance in function. BA41/42 are primary auditory cortices harboring complex phoneme perception functions with asymmetrical expression, making it possible to include them as core language processing areas (Wernicke’s area.
Effects of Improving Primary Health Care Workers' Knowledge About Public Health Services in Rural China: A Comparative Study of Blended Learning and Pure E-Learning.

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Zhan, Xingxin; Zhang, Zhixia; Sun, Fang; Liu, Qian; Peng, Weijun; Zhang, Heng; Yan, Weirong

2017-05-01

Primary health care workers (PHCWs) are a major force in delivering basic public health services (BPHS) in rural China. It is necessary to take effective training approaches to improve PHCWs' competency on BPHS. Both electronic learning (e-learning) and blended learning have been widely used in the health workers' education. However, there is limited evidence on the effects of blended learning in comparison with pure e-learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a blended-learning approach for rural PHCWs in improving their knowledge about BPHS as well as training satisfaction in comparison with a pure e-learning approach. The study was conducted among PHCWs in 6 rural counties of Hubei Province, China, between August 2013 and April 2014. Three counties were randomly allocated blended-learning courses (29 township centers or 612 PHCWs-the experimental group), and three counties were allocated pure e-learning courses (31 township centers or 625 PHCWs-the control group). Three course modules were administered for 5 weeks, with assessments at baseline and postcourse. Primary outcomes were score changes in courses' knowledge. Secondary outcome was participant satisfaction (5-point Likert scale anchored between 1 [strongly agree] and 5 [strongly disagree]). The experimental group had higher mean scores than the control group in knowledge achievement in three course modules: (1) module 1: 93.21 (95% CI 92.49-93.93) in experimental group versus 88.29 (95% CI 87.19-89.40) in the control group; adjusted difference, 4.92 (95% CI 2.61-7.24; Plearning group gave more positive responses with the four issues than control group participants: (1) the increase of interest in learning, 1.85 (95% CI 1.22-2.80; P=.003); (2) the increase of interaction with others, 1.77 (95% CI 1.20-2.60; P=.004); (3) the satisfaction with learning experience, 1.78 (95% CI 1.11-2.88; P=.02); and (4) achievement of learning objectives, 1.63 (95% CI 1.08-2.48; P=.02). Among PHCWs in
Improving Students' Transfer of Learning among Subject Areas through the Use of an Integrated Curriculum and Alternative Assessment.

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Boidy, Tish; Moran, Michelle

An intervention program sought to improve third- and fifth- grade students' ability to transfer learning among subject areas and to apply their learning to everyday occurrences. Surveys and interviews revealed the lack of student transference of knowledge among subject areas; teacher surveys and an interview with the curriculum director provided…
The Primary Student Teachers' Views about a Blended Learning Application in a Basic Physics Course

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Taskin Ekici, Fatma; Kara, Izzet; Ekici, Erhan

2012-01-01

In this study we present an overview of the undergraduate blended Physics course that has been supported by the Moodle platform. The course that has been applied is a basic physics course for primary student teachers. The aim of Moodle is to create an online learning environment which helps students to have a virtual space where they can share…

What? Me? Teach Dance? Background and Confidence of Primary Preservice Teachers in Dance Education across Five Countries

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Russell-Bowie, Deirdre E.

2013-01-01

In primary schools across many countries, dance is now included within the arts key learning area with its own outcomes and content. But as future teachers of dance and other art forms, how do preservice generalist primary teachers perceive their background and confidence in relation to dance and dance education? This study investigates the…
Problems and Guidelines of Strategy Implementation in Basic Educational Institutions under the Supervision of KhonKaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 4

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Sasiwan Tonkanya

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The research aimed to 1 study problems of strategy implementation in basic educational institutions under Khonkaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 4 ; and 2 propose the guidelines for strategy implementation in basic educational institutions under Khonkaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 4. The study was carried out in 2 phases. In phase 1, it focused on the study and analysis of the strategic implementation problems and phase 2 studied the best practice schools. The informants for the interview in phase 1 comprised 6 school administrators and teachers who were involved in strategy implementation from small-sized, medium-sized, and large-sized schools. They were selected by the use of purposive sampling technique. The population in the study of the strategic implementation problems in basic educational institutions in phase 1 consisted of 543 school administrators and teachers who were involved in strategy implementation from 181 schools under Khonkaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 4 in academic year 2014. The study samples were 217 school administrators and teachers who were involved in strategy implementation from small-sized, medium-sized, and large-sized schools under Khonkaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 4. The samples were selected by the use of stratified sampling technique. The informants of the phase 2 study were 6 school administrators and teachers who were involved in strategy implementation from small-sized, medium-sized, and large-sized best practice schools obtained from purposive sampling technique. The research instruments used for data collection consisted of 2 sets of questionnaires. The Set 1 questionnaire was the 5-point Likert scale on the levels of the problems in implementation with item discrimination at 0.60 – 1.00 and reliability of the whole questionnaire at .9359. The questionnaire contained 3 parts with 65 items. The Set 2 questionnaire comprised 2 parts with 10 items regarding
Problems of Primary Education Today

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Dubova, M. V.

2014-01-01

Primary education in Russia has failed to adapt to the needs of post-Soviet society, and is still based on rote learning and memorization instead of learning through discovery and learning to use and apply what is learned.
The silent partners? Leading parental involvement in primary schools in areas experiencing educational inequality.

OpenAIRE

O'Reilly, Siobhan

2012-01-01

This research project explored and examined parental involvement in two primary school with an emphasis on ‘leading’ this involvement. Both schools were situated in designated DEIS Urban Band 1 areas in Dublin. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools are identified as areas of high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. The project was contextualised within the current national policy which has committed to parents as partners in their child’s education and the evidence from international literature clearly...
Top-down inputs enhance orientation selectivity in neurons of the primary visual cortex during perceptual learning.

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Samat Moldakarimov

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Perceptual learning has been used to probe the mechanisms of cortical plasticity in the adult brain. Feedback projections are ubiquitous in the cortex, but little is known about their role in cortical plasticity. Here we explore the hypothesis that learning visual orientation discrimination involves learning-dependent plasticity of top-down feedback inputs from higher cortical areas, serving a different function from plasticity due to changes in recurrent connections within a cortical area. In a Hodgkin-Huxley-based spiking neural network model of visual cortex, we show that modulation of feedback inputs to V1 from higher cortical areas results in shunting inhibition in V1 neurons, which changes the response properties of V1 neurons. The orientation selectivity of V1 neurons is enhanced without changing orientation preference, preserving the topographic organizations in V1. These results provide new insights to the mechanisms of plasticity in the adult brain, reconciling apparently inconsistent experiments and providing a new hypothesis for a functional role of the feedback connections.
Interprofessional Workplace Learning in Primary Care: Students from Different Health Professions Work in Teams in Real-Life Settings

OpenAIRE

Bondevik, Gunnar Tschudi; Holst, Lone; Haugland, Mildrid; Bærheim, Anders; Raaheim, Arild

2015-01-01

Interprofessional education may be defined as an occasion when two or more professions learn with, from, and about each other in order to improve collaboration and quality of care. We studied the self-reported experiences from Norwegian health care students participating in interprofessional workplace learning in primary care. We discuss the results particularly in light of self-determination theory. During 2012, 24 students from eight different health educations at the University of Bergen a...
A cognitive perspective on Singaporean primary school pupils' use of reading strategies in learning to read in English.

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Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Hu, Guangwei

2008-06-01

This study is conducted in Singapore, where learning to read in English is regarded as essential because it is offered as a First Language (L1) subject in the curriculum and is stipulated as the medium of instruction in the education system, and the mother tongues are offered as Second Language (L2) subjects, although the majority still learn English as an L2. The paper reports on the reading strategies used by Singaporean primary school pupils from a cognitive perspective, which is part of a larger study that aims to investigate these pupils' language learning strategies. The participants were 18 pupils from three neighbourhood primary schools, in grades Primary 4, 5 and 6. The data were collected from high- and low-proficiency pupils at each of the three grades in each school, who read two texts at each level. Grounded in an information-processing theory and based on successful experiences of scholars using think-aloud for data collection, we asked the pupils to read and report what they were thinking about while reading. The think-aloud protocols were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed. The results suggest that participants' flexible and appropriate use of reading strategies varies according to language proficiency and grade level, with the high-proficiency group outperforming its lower-proficiency counterpart and the high-graders outnumbering the lower-graders in terms of the number of strategies that they used. These differences were also exemplified with qualitative findings from case studies. The use of reading strategies differs according to proficiency levels, and the quality of pupils' strategy-use patterns has more significant implications for understanding efficient reading among primary school pupils.
Drawing-Based Simulation for Primary School Science Education: An Experimental Study of the GearSketch Learning Environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leenaars, Frank; van Joolingen, Wouter; Gijlers, Aaltje H.; Bollen, Lars

2012-01-01

Touch screen computers are rapidly becoming available to millions of students. These devices make the implementation of drawing-based simulation environments like Gear Sketch possible. This study shows that primary school students who received simulation-based support in a drawing-based learning
The burden of polyparasitism among primary schoolchildren in rural and farming areas in Zimbabwe.

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Midzi, N; Sangweme, D; Zinyowera, S; Mapingure, M P; Brouwer, K C; Munatsi, A; Mutapi, F; Mudzori, J; Kumar, N; Woelk, G; Mduluza, T

2008-10-01

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Zimbabwe among 1303 primary schoolchildren from a rural (53.3%) and a commercial farming area (46.7%) to determine the prevalence of co-infection by helminths and Plasmodium falciparum. Urine was examined on three successive days using the filtration method. Two stool specimens were processed using the Kato-Katz method and a third specimen was processed using the sedimentation method. Plasmodium falciparum was diagnosed from thick blood films. The prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium in the rural and farming areas was 66.8% and 52.3%, respectively, and for S. mansoni the prevalence was 12.4% and 22.7%, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum, hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura occurred only in the farming area, with a prevalence of 27.9%, 23.7%, 2.1%, 2.3%, respectively. Co-infection and triple infection with schistosomes, P. falciparum and soil-transmitted helminths occurred in the commercial farming area only. Hookworm and S. mansoni infections were associated with P. falciparum malaria (P<0.001, OR=2.48, 95% CI 1.56-3.93 and P=0.005, OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.20-2.87, respectively). Overlap of helminths with malaria is a concern among primary schoolchildren and incorporating helminth control in programmes aiming to control malaria will improve funding and increase the efficiency of control for neglected tropical diseases in identified co-endemic settings.
Optimizing area under the ROC curve using semi-supervised learning.

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Wang, Shijun; Li, Diana; Petrick, Nicholas; Sahiner, Berkman; Linguraru, Marius George; Summers, Ronald M

2015-01-01

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis is a standard methodology to evaluate the performance of a binary classification system. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is a performance metric that summarizes how well a classifier separates two classes. Traditional AUC optimization techniques are supervised learning methods that utilize only labeled data (i.e., the true class is known for all data) to train the classifiers. In this work, inspired by semi-supervised and transductive learning, we propose two new AUC optimization algorithms hereby referred to as semi-supervised learning receiver operating characteristic (SSLROC) algorithms, which utilize unlabeled test samples in classifier training to maximize AUC. Unlabeled samples are incorporated into the AUC optimization process, and their ranking relationships to labeled positive and negative training samples are considered as optimization constraints. The introduced test samples will cause the learned decision boundary in a multidimensional feature space to adapt not only to the distribution of labeled training data, but also to the distribution of unlabeled test data. We formulate the semi-supervised AUC optimization problem as a semi-definite programming problem based on the margin maximization theory. The proposed methods SSLROC1 (1-norm) and SSLROC2 (2-norm) were evaluated using 34 (determined by power analysis) randomly selected datasets from the University of California, Irvine machine learning repository. Wilcoxon signed rank tests showed that the proposed methods achieved significant improvement compared with state-of-the-art methods. The proposed methods were also applied to a CT colonography dataset for colonic polyp classification and showed promising results.
Active-learning laboratory session to teach the four M's of diabetes care.

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Darbishire, Patricia L; Plake, Kimberly S; Nash, Christiane L; Shepler, Brian M

2009-04-07

To implement an active-learning methodology for teaching diabetes care to pharmacy students and evaluate its effectiveness. Laboratory instruction was divided into 4 primary areas of diabetes care, referred to by the mnemonic, the 4 M's: meal planning, motion, medication, and monitoring. Students participated in skill-based learning laboratory stations and in simulated patient experiences. A pretest, retrospective pretest, and posttest were administered to measure improvements in students' knowledge about diabetes and confidence in providing care to diabetes patients. Students knowledge of and confidence in each area assessed improved. Students enjoyed the laboratory session and felt it contributed to their learning. An active-learning approach to teaching diabetes care allowed students to experience aspects of the disease from the patient's perspective. This approach will be incorporated in other content areas.
Emotion as the amplifier and the primary motive: Some theories of emotion with relevance to language learning

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Rebecca L. Oxford

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Emotion is crucial to living and learning. The powerful intertwining of emotion and cognition ignites learning within a complex dynamic system, which, as several sections of this paper show, also includes societal and cultural influences. As “the primary human motive” (MacIntyre, 2002a, p. 61, emotion operates as an amplifier, which provides energetic intensity to all human behavior, including language learning. This chapter explains major theories of emotion drawn from positive psychology, social psychology, social constructivism, social constructionism, and existential psychotherapy. It also offers implications for language learning related to understanding and managing emotions; expressing emotions appropriately despite cultural and linguistic differences; viewing emotions as transitory social roles; enhancing positive emotions and developing resilience; and recognizing, perhaps paradoxically, both the negative and the positive aspects of anxiety. The chapter concludes with the statement that language learners can become more agentic in dealing with their emotions. This form of self-regulation can lead to greater success in language learning.
Influence of problem-based teaching and learning of grammar on pupils’ attainment in primary school

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Jocić Zorica

2010-01-01

Full Text Available With the purpose of getting an insight into the effects of problem-based teaching and learning, an experiment was carried out by using the method of parallel groups on the sample of 204 pupils in the third and sixth grade of primary school. The results of final knowledge assessment showed that problem-based teaching and learning of grammar had positive influence on pupils' attainment comparing to the usual way of learning grammar. A significant improvement has been achieved in the field of reproductive and productive grammar knowledge on the whole sample of pupils as well as on the subsamples of pupils in the third and sixth grade. Because of the limited time left for this experimental programme, the reproductive knowledge of pupils was bigger than the productive knowledge. It has been noticed that regarding the successfulness of solving the grammatical problems, there was no difference between the pupils of younger and older primary school age, in the situation when these problems were decided on according to their age and intellectual abilities. All pupils had made an improvement, but they remained within the range of their marks in Serbian language. In addition to this, better progress was made by the pupils with better marks in Serbian language. Girls were more successful than boys, but the difference between boys and girls was smaller regarding the reproductive knowledge than the productive knowledge.
Concurrent TMS to the primary motor cortex augments slow motor learning

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Narayana, Shalini; Zhang, Wei; Rogers, William; Strickland, Casey; Franklin, Crystal; Lancaster, Jack L.; Fox, Peter T.

2013-01-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has shown promise as a treatment tool, with one FDA approved use. While TMS alone is able to up- (or down-) regulate a targeted neural system, we argue that TMS applied as an adjuvant is more effective for repetitive physical, behavioral and cognitive therapies, that is, therapies which are designed to alter the network properties of neural systems through Hebbian learning. We tested this hypothesis in the context of a slow motor learning paradigm. Healthy right-handed individuals were assigned to receive 5 Hz TMS (TMS group) or sham TMS (sham group) to the right primary motor cortex (M1) as they performed daily motor practice of a digit sequence task with their non-dominant hand for 4 weeks. Resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by H215O PET at baseline and after 4 weeks of practice. Sequence performance was measured daily as the number of correct sequences performed, and modeled using a hyperbolic function. Sequence performance increased significantly at 4 weeks relative to baseline in both groups. The TMS group had a significant additional improvement in performance, specifically, in the rate of skill acquisition. In both groups, an improvement in sequence timing and transfer of skills to non-trained motor domains was also found. Compared to the sham group, the TMS group demonstrated increases in resting CBF specifically in regions known to mediate skill learning namely, the M1, cingulate cortex, putamen, hippocampus, and cerebellum. These results indicate that TMS applied concomitantly augments behavioral effects of motor practice, with corresponding neural plasticity in motor sequence learning network. These findings are the first demonstration of the behavioral and neural enhancing effects of TMS on slow motor practice and have direct application in neurorehabilitation where TMS could be applied in conjunction with physical therapy. PMID:23867557
Informal mobile learning in nurse education and practice in remote areas--a case study from rural South Africa.

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Pimmer, Christoph; Brysiewicz, Petra; Linxen, Sebastian; Walters, Fiona; Chipps, Jennifer; Gröhbiel, Urs

2014-11-01

With the proliferation of portable digital technology, mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular in nursing education and practice. Most of the research in this field has been concentrated on small-scale projects in high income countries. Very little is known about the ways in which nurses and midwives use mobile technology in remote and resource poor areas in informal learning contexts in low and middle income countries. To address this gap, this study investigates whether nurses use mobile phones as effective educational tools in marginalized and remote areas, and if so, how and why. In rural South Africa, 16 nurses who attended an advanced midwifery education program, facilitators and clinical managers were interviewed about their use of digital mobile technology for learning. Techniques of qualitative content analysis were used to examine the data. Several rich "organically-grown", learning practices were identified: mobile phone usage facilitated (1) authentic problem solving; (2) reflective practice; (3) emotional support and belongingness; (4) the realization of unpredictable teaching situations; and (5) life-long learning. It is concluded that mobile phones, and the convergence of mobile phones and social media, in particular, change learning environments. In addition, these tools are suitable to connect learners and learning distributed in marginalized areas. Finally, a few suggestions are made about how these insights from informal settings can inform the development of more systematic mobile learning formats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
New perspectives on the auditory cortex: learning and memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Norman M

2015-01-01

Primary ("early") sensory cortices have been viewed as stimulus analyzers devoid of function in learning, memory, and cognition. However, studies combining sensory neurophysiology and learning protocols have revealed that associative learning systematically modifies the encoding of stimulus dimensions in the primary auditory cortex (A1) to accentuate behaviorally important sounds. This "representational plasticity" (RP) is manifest at different levels. The sensitivity and selectivity of signal tones increase near threshold, tuning above threshold shifts toward the frequency of acoustic signals, and their area of representation can increase within the tonotopic map of A1. The magnitude of area gain encodes the level of behavioral stimulus importance and serves as a substrate of memory strength. RP has the same characteristics as behavioral memory: it is associative, specific, develops rapidly, consolidates, and can last indefinitely. Pairing tone with stimulation of the cholinergic nucleus basalis induces RP and implants specific behavioral memory, while directly increasing the representational area of a tone in A1 produces matching behavioral memory. Thus, RP satisfies key criteria for serving as a substrate of auditory memory. The findings suggest a basis for posttraumatic stress disorder in abnormally augmented cortical representations and emphasize the need for a new model of the cerebral cortex. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
"Because We Weren't Actually Teaching Them, We Thought They Weren't Learning": Primary Teacher Perspectives from the "My Science" Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, Anne; Skamp, Keith

2014-01-01

"MyScience" is a primary science education initiative in which being in a community of practice is integral to the learning process. This paper describes the ongoing journey to date of eight primary teachers from three primary schools who actively participated in "MyScience" over an extended period. Their views of interactions…
General practitioners learning qualitative research: A case study of postgraduate education.

Science.gov (United States)

Hepworth, Julie; Kay, Margaret

2015-10-01

Qualitative research is increasingly being recognised as a vital aspect of primary healthcare research. Teaching and learning how to conduct qualitative research is especially important for general practitioners and other clinicians in the professional educational setting. This article examines a case study of postgraduate professional education in qualitative research for clinicians, for the purpose of enabling a robust discussion around teaching and learning in medicine and the health sciences. A series of three workshops was delivered for primary healthcare academics. The workshops were evaluated using a quantitative survey and qualitative free-text responses to enable descriptive analyses. Participants found qualitative philosophy and theory the most difficult areas to engage with, and learning qualitative coding and analysis was considered the easiest to learn. Key elements for successful teaching were identified, including the use of adult learning principles, the value of an experienced facilitator and an awareness of the impact of clinical subcultures on learning.
Console Game-Based Pedagogy: A Study of Primary and Secondary Classroom Learning through Console Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Groff, Jennifer S.; Howells, Cathrin; Cranmer, Sue

2012-01-01

The main focus of this research project was to identify the educational benefits of console game-based learning in primary and secondary schools. The project also sought to understand how the benefits of educational gaming could transfer to other settings. For this purpose, research was carried out in classrooms in Scotland to explore learning…
LGBTQ Youth's Perceptions of Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Barbara K; Burack, Gail D; Petrova, Anna

2017-05-01

Despite published guidelines on the need to provide comprehensive care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) youth, there has been limited research related to the deliverance of primary health care to this population. The goals of this study were to learn about LGBTQ youth's experiences with their primary care physicians and to identify areas for improvement. Youth attending 1 of 5 community-based programs completed a written questionnaire and participated in a focus group discussion regarding experiences at primary care visits, including topics discussed, counselling received, and physician communication. Most of the youth did not feel their health care needs were well met. The majority acknowledged poor patient-provider communication, disrespect, and lack of discussions about important topics such as sexual and emotional health. Participants cited concerns about confidentiality and inappropriate comments as barriers to care. Youth expressed a strong desire to have physicians be more aware of their needs and concerns.

Small Schools Student Learning Objectives, 9-12: Mathematics, Reading, Reading in the Content Areas, Language Arts.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, JoAnne, Ed.; Hartl, David, Ed.

Designed by Washington curriculum specialists and secondary teachers to assist teachers in small schools with the improvement of curriculum and instruction and to aid smaller districts lacking curriculum personnel to comply with Washington's Student Learning Objectives Law, this handbook contains learning objectives in the areas of language arts,…
Sex, Grade-Level and Stream Differences in Learning Environment and Attitudes to Science in Singapore Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Peer, Jarina; Fraser, Barry J.

2015-01-01

Learning environment research provides a well-established approach for describing and understanding what goes on in classrooms and has attracted considerable interest in Singapore. This article reports the first study of science classroom environments in Singapore primary schools. Ten scales from the What Is Happening In this Class?,…
Dissecting Sequences of Regulation and Cognition: Statistical Discourse Analysis of Primary School Children's Collaborative Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Inge; Chiu, Ming Ming

2014-01-01

Extending past research showing that regulative activities (metacognitive and relational) can aid learning, this study tests whether sequences of cognitive, metacognitive and relational activities affect subsequent cognition. Scaffolded by a computer avatar, 54 primary school students (working in 18 groups of 3) discussed writing a report about a…
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1H-MRS reveals geniculocalcarine and striate area degeneration in primary glaucoma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Zhang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a collection of neurodegenerative diseases that affect both the retina and the central visual pathway. We investigated whether metabolites' concentrations changed in the geniculocalcarine (GCT and the striate area of occipital lobe by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1H-MRS, suggesting neurodegeneration of the central visual pathway in primary glaucoma. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 20 patients with glaucoma in both eyes were paired with 20 healthy volunteers in same gender and an age difference less than 3 years. All the participants were examined by MR imaging including T1 Flair, T2 FSE and (1H-MRS. The T1 intensity and T2 intensity of their GCTs and striate areas were measured. The ratio of N-acetylaspartate (NAA/Creatine (Cr, Choline (Cho/Cr, glutamine and glutamate (Glx/Cr were derived by multi-voxels (1H-MRS in the GCT and the striate area of each brain hemisphere. The T1 intensity and T2 intensity had no difference between the groups. Significant decreases in NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr but no difference in Glx/Cr was found between the groups in both the GCT and the striate area. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Primary glaucoma affects metabolites' concentrations in the GCT and the striate area suggesting there is ongoing neurodegenerative process.
Access to primary care for socio-economically disadvantaged older people in rural areas: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, John A; Turley, Rachel; Porter, Tom; Shakespeare, Tom; Wong, Geoff; Jones, Andy P; Steel, Nick

2018-01-01

We aim to explore the barriers to accessing primary care for socio-economically disadvantaged older people in rural areas. Using a community recruitment strategy, fifteen people over 65 years, living in a rural area, and receiving financial support were recruited for semi-structured interviews. Four focus groups were held with rural health professionals. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify barriers to primary care access. Older people's experience can be understood within the context of a patient perceived set of unwritten rules or social contract-an individual is careful not to bother the doctor in return for additional goodwill when they become unwell. However, most found it difficult to access primary care due to engaged telephone lines, availability of appointments, interactions with receptionists; breaching their perceived social contract. This left some feeling unwelcome, worthless or marginalised, especially those with high expectations of the social contract or limited resources, skills and/or desire to adapt to service changes. Health professionals' described how rising demands and expectations coupled with service constraints had necessitated service development, such as fewer home visits, more telephone consultations, triaging calls and modifying the appointment system. Multiple barriers to accessing primary care exist for this group. As primary care is re-organised to reduce costs, commissioners and practitioners must not lose sight of the perceived social contract and models of care that form the basis of how many older people interact with the service.
PREZICEREA PERFORMANŢELOR STUDENŢILOR FOLOSIND ÎNVĂŢAREA AUTOMATĂ (Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria CRISTEI

2017-08-01

Full Text Available În prezent, învăţarea automată (machine learning ocupă un loc important în inteligenţa artificială, preocupându-se de dezvoltarea algoritmilor ce permit unui sistem informatic să înveţe date, reguli şi algoritmi. Învăţarea automată presupune în primul rând identificarea şi implementarea unei modalităţi cât mai eficiente de reprezentare a informaţiilor, în sensul facilitării căutării, reorganizării şi modificării acestora. În acest sens, în prezentul articol se descrie utilitatea şi aplicabilitatea tehnicilor de învăţare automată supervizată la problemele de predicţie şi implementarea acestora în dezvoltarea aplicaţiilor informatice. Aplicaţia elaborată este unică prin felul ei de executare a modelului machine learning de predicţie. Metodologia folosită în aplicaţia elaborată este mixtă, cuprinzând tehnologii complexe de ultimă oră: mediul de dezvoltare Jupyter Notebook, limbajul de programare Python împreună cu cele mai populare librării ale acestuia utilizate în machine learning, instrumente de dezvoltare a aplicaţiei web Flask.PREDICTING STUDENT PERFORMANCE USING MACHINE LEARNINGAt present, machine learning occupies an important place in artificial intelligence, and is concerned with the development of algorithms that allow an information system to learn data, rules, and algorithms. Automatic learning involves first and foremost the identification and implementation of a more efficient way of representing information in order to facilitate search, reorganization and change. In this respect, this article describes the utility and applicability of supervised automated learning techniques to prediction problems and their implementation in the development of computer applications. The elaborate application is unique in its way of executing the Machine learning prediction model. The methodology used in the developed application is mixed, including state-of-the-art complex
An Online Q-learning Based Multi-Agent LFC for a Multi-Area Multi-Source Power System Including Distributed Energy Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Shayeghi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an online two-stage Q-learning based multi-agent (MA controller for load frequency control (LFC in an interconnected multi-area multi-source power system integrated with distributed energy resources (DERs. The proposed control strategy consists of two stages. The first stage is employed a PID controller which its parameters are designed using sine cosine optimization (SCO algorithm and are fixed. The second one is a reinforcement learning (RL based supplementary controller that has a flexible structure and improves the output of the first stage adaptively based on the system dynamical behavior. Due to the use of RL paradigm integrated with PID controller in this strategy, it is called RL-PID controller. The primary motivation for the integration of RL technique with PID controller is to make the existing local controllers in the industry compatible to reduce the control efforts and system costs. This novel control strategy combines the advantages of the PID controller with adaptive behavior of MA to achieve the desired level of robust performance under different kind of uncertainties caused by stochastically power generation of DERs, plant operational condition changes, and physical nonlinearities of the system. The suggested decentralized controller is composed of the autonomous intelligent agents, who learn the optimal control policy from interaction with the system. These agents update their knowledge about the system dynamics continuously to achieve a good frequency oscillation damping under various severe disturbances without any knowledge of them. It leads to an adaptive control structure to solve LFC problem in the multi-source power system with stochastic DERs. The results of RL-PID controller in comparison to the traditional PID and fuzzy-PID controllers is verified in a multi-area power system integrated with DERs through some performance indices.
Implementation of the principles of primary health care in a rural area of South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Visagie, Surona; Schneider, Marguerite

2014-02-18

The philosophy of primary healthcare forms the basis of South Africa's health policy and provides guidance for healthcare service delivery in South Africa. Healthcare service provision in South Africa has shown improvement in the past five years. However, it is uncertain as to whether the changes have reached rural areas and if primary healthcare is implemented successfully in these areas. The aim of this article is to explore the extent to which the principles of primary healthcare are implemented in a remote, rural setting in South Africa. A descriptive, qualitative design was implemented. Data were collected through interviews and case studies with 36 purposively-sampled participants, then analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings indicated challenges with regard to client-centred care, provision of health promotion and rehabilitation, the way care was organised, the role of the doctor, health worker attitudes, referral services and the management of complex conditions. The principles of primary healthcare were not implemented successfully. The community was not involved in healthcare management, nor were users involved in their personal health management. The initiation of a community-health forum is recommended. Service providers, users and the community should identify and address the determinants of ill health in the community. Other recommendations include the training of service managers in the logistical management of ensuring a constant supply of drugs, using a Kombi-type vehicle to provide user transport for routine visits to secondary- and tertiary healthcare services and increasing the doctors' hours.
Children's understanding of area concepts: development, curriculum and educational achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Trevor G; Parkinson, Kellie

2010-01-01

As one part of a series of studies undertaken to investigate the contribution of developmental attributes of learners to school learning, a representative sample of forty-two students (age from 5 years and 3 months to 13 years and 1 month) was randomly selected from a total student population of 142 students at a small private primary school in northern Australia. Those children's understandings of area concepts taught during the primary school years were assessed by their performance in two testing situations. The first consisted of a written classroom test of ability to solve area problems with items drawn directly from school texts, school examinations and other relevant curriculum documents. The second, which focused more directly on each child's cognitive development, was an individual interview for each child in which four "area" tasks such as the Meadows and Farmhouse Experiment taken from Chapter 11 of The Child's Conception of Geometry (Piaget, Inhelder and Szeminska, 1960, pp. 261-301) were administered. Analysis using the Rasch Partial Credit Model provided a finely detailed quantitative description of the developmental and learning progressions revealed in the data. It is evident that the school mathematics curriculum does not satisfactorily match the learner's developmental sequence at some key points. Moreover, the children's ability to conserve area on the Piagetian tasks, rather than other learner characteristics, such as age and school grade seems to be a precursor for complete success on the mathematical test of area. The discussion focuses on the assessment of developmental (and other) characteristics of school-aged learners and suggests how curriculum and school organization might better capitalize on such information in the design and sequencing of learning experiences for school children. Some features unique to the Rasch family of measurement models are held to have special significance in elucidating the development/attainment nexus.
A research agenda on patient safety in primary care. Recommendations by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

Science.gov (United States)

Verstappen, Wim; Gaal, Sander; Bowie, Paul; Parker, Diane; Lainer, Miriam; Valderas, Jose M.; Wensing, Michel; Esmail, Aneez

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Healthcare can cause avoidable serious harm to patients. Primary care is not an exception, and the relative lack of research in this area lends urgency to a better understanding of patient safety, the future research agenda and the development of primary care oriented safety programmes. Objective: To outline a research agenda for patient safety improvement in primary care in Europe and beyond. Methods: The LINNEAUS collaboration partners analysed existing research on epidemiology and classification of errors, diagnostic and medication errors, safety culture, and learning for and improving patient safety. We discussed ideas for future research in several meetings, workshops and congresses with LINNEAUS collaboration partners, practising GPs, researchers in this field, and policy makers. Results: This paper summarizes and integrates the outcomes of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care. It proposes a research agenda on improvement strategies for patient safety in primary care. In addition, it provides background information to help to connect research in this field with practicing GPs and other healthcare workers in primary care. Conclusion: Future research studies should target specific primary care domains, using prospective methods and innovative methods such as patient involvement. PMID:26339841
A research agenda on patient safety in primary care. Recommendations by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Verstappen, Wim; Gaal, Sander; Bowie, Paul; Parker, Diane; Lainer, Miriam; Valderas, Jose M; Wensing, Michel; Esmail, Aneez

2015-09-01

Healthcare can cause avoidable serious harm to patients. Primary care is not an exception, and the relative lack of research in this area lends urgency to a better understanding of patient safety, the future research agenda and the development of primary care oriented safety programmes. To outline a research agenda for patient safety improvement in primary care in Europe and beyond. The LINNEAUS collaboration partners analysed existing research on epidemiology and classification of errors, diagnostic and medication errors, safety culture, and learning for and improving patient safety. We discussed ideas for future research in several meetings, workshops and congresses with LINNEAUS collaboration partners, practising GPs, researchers in this field, and policy makers. This paper summarizes and integrates the outcomes of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care. It proposes a research agenda on improvement strategies for patient safety in primary care. In addition, it provides background information to help to connect research in this field with practicing GPs and other healthcare workers in primary care. Future research studies should target specific primary care domains, using prospective methods and innovative methods such as patient involvement.
Innovative Work Practices and Lessons Learned at the N Area Deactivation Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, R.S.

1999-01-01

This report identifies many of the lessons learned, innovations,and effective work practices that derived from activities supporting the N Area Deactivation Project at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. The work practices discussed in this report may be applicable and beneficial to similar projects throughout the DOE complex
Heritage learning outcomes in the Nordic and Baltic area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fristrup, Tine; Kling, Sofia,; Sonne, Lasse

, there is a cultural heritage sector in a somewhat new arena, where concepts such as citizenship, lifelong learning, social cohesion and human capital are central. This means that museums and archives need to find new ways to justify their activities: it is no longer sufficient to focus on the collection and the care...... and preservation of documents and objects. On the contrary, it has become increasingly important to create new areas of use, relevant to the surrounding society, for the documents and objects chosen for preservation. These guidelines relate to competence development among adult visitors to archives and museums...
Primary collector wall local temperature fluctuations in the area of water-steam phase boundary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matal, O.; Klinga, J.; Simo, T. [Energovyzkum Ltd., Brno (Switzerland)

1995-12-31

A limited number of temperature sensors could be installed at the primary collector surface in the area of water - steam phase boundary. The surface temperatures as well WWER 440 steam generator process data were measured and stored for a long time and off-line evaluated. Selected results are presented in the paper. (orig.). 2 refs.
Primary collector wall local temperature fluctuations in the area of water-steam phase boundary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matal, O; Klinga, J; Simo, T [Energovyzkum Ltd., Brno (Switzerland)

1996-12-31

A limited number of temperature sensors could be installed at the primary collector surface in the area of water - steam phase boundary. The surface temperatures as well WWER 440 steam generator process data were measured and stored for a long time and off-line evaluated. Selected results are presented in the paper. (orig.). 2 refs.
Outline for Remediation of Problem Areas for Children with Learning Disabilities. Revised. = Bosquejo para la Correccion de Areas Problematicas para Ninos con Impedimientos del Aprendizaje.

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Joan L.

The booklet outlines ways to help children with learning disabilities in specific subject areas. Characteristic behavior and remedial exercises are listed for seven areas of auditory problems: auditory reception, auditory association, auditory discrimination, auditory figure ground, auditory closure and sound blending, auditory memory, and grammar…
Entornos de e-learning para la asignatura de educación musical en primaria. Caso de estudio los blogs de Enxaneta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feliu Camprubí Soler

2013-05-01

The music is a compulsory subject in the first stage of primary education. We detected several teachers from different educational areas, including the area of music, using e-learning platforms and web tools for teaching the curriculum that marks the “Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya”.Through the sample of e-learning platforms in music education, have identified four schools with blogs as e-learning platforms.
Enhancing Children's Success in Science Learning: An Experience of Science Teaching in Teacher Primary School Training

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Maria Eduarda; Porteiro, Ana Cláudia; Pitarma, Rui

2015-01-01

The Environmental Studies curricular area, taught at primary school level in Portugal, is a challenging context for curricular interdisciplinarity and the achievement of small-scale research and creative and innovative experiences, inside and outside the classroom. From that assumption, we present, under the master course of primary teacher…
Regional structural differences across functionally parcellated Brodmann areas of human primary somatosensory cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Panchuelo, Rosa-María; Besle, Julien; Mougin, Olivier; Gowland, Penny; Bowtell, Richard; Schluppeck, Denis; Francis, Susan

2014-06-01

Ultra-high-field (UHF) MRI is ideally suited for structural and functional imaging of the brain. High-resolution structural MRI can be used to map the anatomical boundaries between functional domains of the brain by identifying changes related to the pattern of myelination within cortical gray matter, opening up the possibility to study the relationship between functional domains and underlying structure in vivo. In a recent study, we demonstrated the correspondence between functional (based on retinotopic mapping) and structural (based on changes in T2(⁎)-weighted images linked to myelination) parcellations of the primary visual cortex (V1) in vivo at 7T (Sanchez-Panchuelo et al., 2012b). Here, we take advantage of the improved BOLD CNR and high spatial resolution achievable at 7T to study regional structural variations across the functionally defined areas within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in individual subjects. Using a traveling wave fMRI paradigm to map the internal somatotopic representation of the index, middle, and ring fingers in S1, we were able to identify multiple map reversals at the tip and base, corresponding to the boundaries between Brodmann areas 3a, 3b, 1 and 2. Based on high resolution structural MRI data acquired in the same subjects, we inspected these functionally-parcellated Brodmann areas for differences in cortical thickness and MR contrast measures (magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and signal intensity in phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) images) that are sensitive to myelination. Consistent area-related differences in cortical thickness and MTR/PSIR measurements were found across subjects. However these measures did not have sufficient sensitivity to allow definition of areal boundaries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Declarative virtual water maze learning and emotional fear conditioning in primary insomnia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Marion; Hertenstein, Elisabeth; Feige, Bernd; Landmann, Nina; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Baglioni, Chiara; Hemmerling, Johanna; Durand, Diana; Frase, Lukas; Klöppel, Stefan; Riemann, Dieter; Nissen, Christoph

2018-05-02

Healthy sleep restores the brain's ability to adapt to novel input through memory formation based on activity-dependent refinements of the strength of neural transmission across synapses (synaptic plasticity). In line with this framework, patients with primary insomnia often report subjective memory impairment. However, investigations of memory performance did not produce conclusive results. The aim of this study was to further investigate memory performance in patients with primary insomnia in comparison to healthy controls, using two well-characterized learning tasks, a declarative virtual water maze task and emotional fear conditioning. Twenty patients with primary insomnia according to DSM-IV criteria (17 females, three males, 43.5 ± 13.0 years) and 20 good sleeper controls (17 females, three males, 41.7 ± 12.8 years) were investigated in a parallel-group study. All participants completed a hippocampus-dependent virtual Morris water maze task and amygdala-dependent classical fear conditioning. Patients with insomnia showed significantly delayed memory acquisition in the virtual water maze task, but no significant difference in fear acquisition compared with controls. These findings are consistent with the notion that memory processes that emerge from synaptic refinements in a hippocampal-neocortical network are particularly sensitive to chronic disruptions of sleep, while those in a basic emotional amygdala-dependent network may be more resilient. © 2018 European Sleep Research Society.

EVALUATION OF PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY AT THE WILDLIFE PROTECTED AREA, "NEVADO DE TOLUCA" MEXICO, DURING THE DRY SEASON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. MartÃnez-HernÃ¡ndez

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This is the first report on grassland primary productivity for the wildlife protected area Nevado de Toluca (APFF Nevado de Toluca. We evaluated three communities in this area during dry season: Loma Alta, La PeÃ±uela y Agua Blanca. Following Hodgson (1994, for this study we used exclusion cages. Vegetation was cut every 28 days during a five months sampling period. A randomized block design was used, where the blocks represented the grassland communities and the different months constituted treatments. The month of September showed the higher production (610.3 kg/ha DM. No significant differences were observed among communities (P >0.05. In conclusion, these communities have similar low primary productivity through the evaluation dry season months, which in addition was found lower in comparison to other areas, therefore livestock grazing in this region should be limited this season.
Access to primary care for socio-economically disadvantaged older people in rural areas: A qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

Turley, Rachel; Porter, Tom; Shakespeare, Tom; Wong, Geoff; Jones, Andy P.; Steel, Nick

2018-01-01

Objective We aim to explore the barriers to accessing primary care for socio-economically disadvantaged older people in rural areas. Methods Using a community recruitment strategy, fifteen people over 65 years, living in a rural area, and receiving financial support were recruited for semi-structured interviews. Four focus groups were held with rural health professionals. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify barriers to primary care access. Findings Older people’s experience can be understood within the context of a patient perceived set of unwritten rules or social contract–an individual is careful not to bother the doctor in return for additional goodwill when they become unwell. However, most found it difficult to access primary care due to engaged telephone lines, availability of appointments, interactions with receptionists; breaching their perceived social contract. This left some feeling unwelcome, worthless or marginalised, especially those with high expectations of the social contract or limited resources, skills and/or desire to adapt to service changes. Health professionals’ described how rising demands and expectations coupled with service constraints had necessitated service development, such as fewer home visits, more telephone consultations, triaging calls and modifying the appointment system. Conclusion Multiple barriers to accessing primary care exist for this group. As primary care is re-organised to reduce costs, commissioners and practitioners must not lose sight of the perceived social contract and models of care that form the basis of how many older people interact with the service. PMID:29509811
Learning and Recognition of a Non-conscious Sequence of Events in Human Primary Visual Cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, Clive R; Andrews, Samantha K; Antoniades, Chrystalina A; Kennard, Christopher; Soto, David

2016-03-21

Human primary visual cortex (V1) has long been associated with learning simple low-level visual discriminations [1] and is classically considered outside of neural systems that support high-level cognitive behavior in contexts that differ from the original conditions of learning, such as recognition memory [2, 3]. Here, we used a novel fMRI-based dichoptic masking protocol-designed to induce activity in V1, without modulation from visual awareness-to test whether human V1 is implicated in human observers rapidly learning and then later (15-20 min) recognizing a non-conscious and complex (second-order) visuospatial sequence. Learning was associated with a change in V1 activity, as part of a temporo-occipital and basal ganglia network, which is at variance with the cortico-cerebellar network identified in prior studies of "implicit" sequence learning that involved motor responses and visible stimuli (e.g., [4]). Recognition memory was associated with V1 activity, as part of a temporo-occipital network involving the hippocampus, under conditions that were not imputable to mechanisms associated with conscious retrieval. Notably, the V1 responses during learning and recognition separately predicted non-conscious recognition memory, and functional coupling between V1 and the hippocampus was enhanced for old retrieval cues. The results provide a basis for novel hypotheses about the signals that can drive recognition memory, because these data (1) identify human V1 with a memory network that can code complex associative serial visuospatial information and support later non-conscious recognition memory-guided behavior (cf. [5]) and (2) align with mouse models of experience-dependent V1 plasticity in learning and memory [6]. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Implementation of the principles of primary health care in a rural area of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Surona Visagie

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background: The philosophy of primary healthcare forms the basis of South Africa’s health policy and provides guidance for healthcare service delivery in South Africa. Healthcare service provision in South Africa has shown improvement in the past five years. However, it is uncertain as to whether the changes have reached rural areas and if primary healthcare is implemented successfully in these areas. Objectives: The aim of this article is to explore the extent to which the principles of primary healthcare are implemented in a remote, rural setting in South Africa. Method: A descriptive, qualitative design was implemented. Data were collected through interviews and case studies with 36 purposively-sampled participants, then analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Findings indicated challenges with regard to client-centred care, provision of health promotion and rehabilitation, the way care was organised, the role of the doctor, healthworker attitudes, referral services and the management of complex conditions. Conclusion: The principles of primary healthcare were not implemented successfully. The community was not involved in healthcare management, nor were users involved in their personal health management. The initiation of a community-health forum is recommended. Service providers, users and the community should identify and address the determinants of ill health in the community. Other recommendations include the training of service managers in the logistical management of ensuring a constant supply of drugs, using a Kombi-type vehicle to provide user transport for routine visits to secondary- and tertiary healthcareservices and increasing the doctors’ hours.
Substance P signalling in primary motor cortex facilitates motor learning in rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Hertler

Full Text Available Among the genes that are up-regulated in response to a reaching training in rats, Tachykinin 1 (Tac1-a gene that encodes the neuropeptide Substance P (Sub P-shows an especially strong expression. Using Real-Time RT-PCR, a detailed time-course of Tac1 expression could be defined: a significant peak occurs 7 hours after training ended at the first and second training session, whereas no up-regulation could be detected at a later time-point (sixth training session. To assess the physiological role of Sub P during movement acquisition, microinjections into the primary motor cortex (M1 contralateral to the trained paw were performed. When Sub P was injected before the first three sessions of a reaching training, effectiveness of motor learning became significantly increased. Injections at a time-point when rats already knew the task (i.e. training session ten and eleven had no effect on reaching performance. Sub P injections did not influence the improvement of performance within a single training session, but retention of performance between sessions became strengthened at a very early stage (i.e. between baseline-training and first training session. Thus, Sub P facilitates motor learning in the very early phase of skill acquisition by supporting memory consolidation. In line with these findings, learning related expression of the precursor Tac1 occurs at early but not at later time-points during reaching training.
Substance P signalling in primary motor cortex facilitates motor learning in rats.

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Hertler, Benjamin; Hosp, Jonas Aurel; Blanco, Manuel Buitrago; Luft, Andreas Rüdiger

2017-01-01

Among the genes that are up-regulated in response to a reaching training in rats, Tachykinin 1 (Tac1)-a gene that encodes the neuropeptide Substance P (Sub P)-shows an especially strong expression. Using Real-Time RT-PCR, a detailed time-course of Tac1 expression could be defined: a significant peak occurs 7 hours after training ended at the first and second training session, whereas no up-regulation could be detected at a later time-point (sixth training session). To assess the physiological role of Sub P during movement acquisition, microinjections into the primary motor cortex (M1) contralateral to the trained paw were performed. When Sub P was injected before the first three sessions of a reaching training, effectiveness of motor learning became significantly increased. Injections at a time-point when rats already knew the task (i.e. training session ten and eleven) had no effect on reaching performance. Sub P injections did not influence the improvement of performance within a single training session, but retention of performance between sessions became strengthened at a very early stage (i.e. between baseline-training and first training session). Thus, Sub P facilitates motor learning in the very early phase of skill acquisition by supporting memory consolidation. In line with these findings, learning related expression of the precursor Tac1 occurs at early but not at later time-points during reaching training.
Availability of books as a factor in reading, teaching and learning behaviour in twenty disadvantaged primary schools in South Africa

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Mary Nassimbeni

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the research project was to investigate the effects of the provision of story books in twenty disadvantaged primary schools in rural South Africa. The recipients of the donation were children in deprived areas, growing up in printpoor environments. The programme theory of the donor organisation, Biblionef, is that access to attractive ageappropriate books will have beneficial effects such as improved literacy skills, the promotion of confidence and improvement in learning. A qualitative approach was adopted to collect data before the intervention, and six months after the book donation, which included a comprehensive training programme in the use of the books. During the site visits, observation schedules were used; also focus groups of both teachers and children. We were able to chart impact in a number of areas such as improved availability and use of books in fifteen of the schools, with respect to both classroom activities and voluntary reading. In five schools there was no appreciable change. We recommend that innovation in teaching approaches associated with the use of books should be accompanied by careful training, and benign monitoring.
Mirror neuron system and observational learning: behavioral and neurophysiological evidence.

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Lago-Rodriguez, Angel; Lopez-Alonso, Virginia; Fernández-del-Olmo, Miguel

2013-07-01

Three experiments were performed to study observational learning using behavioral, perceptual, and neurophysiological data. Experiment 1 investigated whether observing an execution model, during physical practice of a transitive task that only presented one execution strategy, led to performance improvements compared with physical practice alone. Experiment 2 investigated whether performing an observational learning protocol improves subjects' action perception. In experiment 3 we evaluated whether the type of practice performed determined the activation of the Mirror Neuron System during action observation. Results showed that, compared with physical practice, observing an execution model during a task that only showed one execution strategy does not provide behavioral benefits. However, an observational learning protocol allows subjects to predict more precisely the outcome of the learned task. Finally, intersperse observation of an execution model with physical practice results in changes of primary motor cortex activity during the observation of the motor pattern previously practiced, whereas modulations in the connectivity between primary and non primary motor areas (PMv-M1; PPC-M1) were not affected by the practice protocol performed by the observer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Equity Gains in Bangladesh Primary Education

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Chowdhury, A. Mushtaque R.; Nath, Samir R.; Choudhury, Rasheda K.

2003-11-01

Although equity is a desirable objective of any form of development intervention, including education, not many studies dwell upon this important area. Information on related trends is even more rare. This essay uses field-level data from Bangladesh to examine equity levels and trends in primary education, including enrolment and quality of learning, focusing on equity for different gender, urban or rural, economic and ethnic groups. The study shows that while some disparity between girls and boys has been eliminated, girls are still far behind boys in terms of learning achievement. Children belonging to poorer families and ethnic minority groups lag behind the respective dominant groups in terms of both enrolment and learning achievement. At the same time, there have been some improvements for hitherto excluded groups such as rural girls and children of the poor. These changes are attributed mainly to 'positive discriminatory' steps taken by the government and non-governmental organizations in favour of such groups. If this trend continues, Bangladesh can look forward to establishing itself as a more equitable society than it is now.
A Learning Collaborative Approach to Improve Primary Care STI Screening.

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McKee, M Diane; Alderman, Elizabeth; York, Deborah V; Blank, Arthur E; Briggs, Rahil D; Hoidal, Kelsey E S; Kus, Christopher; Lechuga, Claudia; Mann, Marie; Meissner, Paul; Patel, Nisha; Racine, Andrew D

2017-10-01

The Bronx Ongoing Pediatric Screening (BOPS) project sought to improve screening for sexual activity and sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhea and chlamydia [GCC] and HIV) in a primary care network, employing a modified learning collaborative, real-time clinical data feedback to practices, improvement coaching, and a pay-for-quality monetary incentive. Outcomes are compared for 11 BOPS-participating sites and 10 non-participating sites. The quarterly median rate for documenting sexual activity status increased from 55% to 88% (BOPS sites) and from 13% to 74% (non-BOPS sites). GCC screening of sexually active youth increased at BOPS and non-BOPS sites. Screening at non-health care maintenance visits improved more at BOPS than non-BOPS sites. Data from nonparticipating sites suggests that introduction of an adolescent EMR template or other factors improved screening rates regardless of BOPS participation; BOPS activities appear to promote additional improvement of screening during non-health maintenance visits.
Delivering Formal Outdoor Learning in Protected Areas: A Case Study of Scottish Natural Heritage National Nature Reserves

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Black, Rosemary

2013-01-01

In most countries, protected area management agencies provide formal outdoor learning opportunities for a wide range of educational groups. For high-quality formal outdoor learning programmes that provide a range of experiences to be effectively delivered, specific resources and infrastructure are needed. Using the case study of Scottish Natural…
Teachers' Experience and Reflections on Game-Based Learning in the Primary Classroom: Views from England and Italy

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Allsop, Yasemin; Jessel, John

2015-01-01

This study aims to provide a comparative account of teachers' experience and views of their role when using digital games in primary classrooms in England and Italy. Interviews and a survey administered online and in hardcopy were used to find out teachers' perceptions of game-based learning and how these impact upon their role as a teacher. This…
An Inquiry into the NEST Program in Relation to English Teaching and Learning in Taiwanese Primary Schools

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Luo, Wen-Hsing

2014-01-01

This study aims to explore the Native English-Speaking Teacher (NEST) Program in relation to teachers' instruction and students' learning of English in primary schools in Taiwan. Inviting native English-speakers to teach English in the school system is not an unusual practice in the Asia-Pacific region. As the practice of including NESTs in the…
Expanded emergency medical services for the provision of primary care in remote rural areas.

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Mccabe, S

2000-05-01

It is now widely recognised that a potential recruitment crisis is looming in the provision of primary care physicians for remote rural areas of the United Kingdom. Anecdotal evidence suggests that rural registrar, associate and principal vacancies are becoming increasingly difficult to fill and for many rural GPs locums are an impossible dream. Many practitioners are no longer prepared to work in areas where out-of-hours cooperatives are not available. We are now faced with the very real possibility that in some remote areas of the Scottish Highlands and Islands the recruitment of suitable GPs may no longer be possible. So what are the alternatives? In October 1999 I visited a community in the mountains of northern New Mexico which has had to deal with this very problem.
Creating better doctors: exploring the value of learning medicine in primary care.

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Newbronner, Elizabeth; Borthwick, Rachel; Finn, Gabrielle; Scales, Michael; Pearson, David

2017-07-01

Across the UK, 13% of undergraduate medical education is undertaken in primary care (PC). Students value their experiences in this setting but uncertainty remains about the extent to which these placements influence their future practice. To explore the impact of PC based undergraduate medical education on the development of medical students and new doctors as clinicians, and on students' preparedness for practice. Mixed method study across two UK medical schools. Focus groups and individual interviews with Year 5 medical students, Foundation Year 2 doctors and GP Specialty Trainees; online surveys of Year 5 medical students and Foundation Year 2 doctors. PC placements play an important part in the development of all 'apprentice' doctors, not just those wanting to become GPs. They provide a high quality learning environment, where students can: gradually take on responsibility; build confidence; develop empathy in their approach to patient care; and gain understanding of the social context of health and illness. The study suggests that for these results to be achieved, PC placements have to be high quality, with strong links between practice-based learning and teaching/assessment in medical school. GP tutors need to be enthusiastic and students actively involved in consultations.
Assessment of Patient Safety Culture in Primary Health Care Settings in Kuwait

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Maha Mohamed Ghobashi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background Patient safety is critical component of health care quality. We aimed to assess the awareness of primary healthcare staff members about patient safety culture and explore the areas of deficiency and opportunities for improvement concerning this issue.Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study surveyed 369 staff members in four primary healthcare centers in Kuwait using self-administered “Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture” adopted questionnaire. The total number of respondents was 276 participants (response rate = 74.79%.Results: Five safety dimensions with lowest positivity (less than 50% were identified and these are; the non – punitive response to errors, frequency of event reporting, staffing, communication openness, center handoffs and transitions with the following percentages of positivity 24%, 32%, 41%, 45% and 47% respectively. The dimensions of highest positivity were teamwork within the center’s units (82% and organizational learning (75%.Conclusion: Patient safety culture in primary healthcare settings in Kuwait is not as strong as improvements for the provision of safe health care. Well-designed patient safety initiatives are needed to be integrated with organizational policies, particularly the pressing need to address the bioethical component of medical errors and their disclosure, communication openness and emotional issues related to them and investing the bright areas of skillful organizational learning and strong team working attitudes.
Scabies among primary schoolchildren in Egypt: sociomedical environmental study in Kafr El-Sheikh administrative area

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Hegab DS

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Doaa Salah Hegab,1 Abdullah Mahfouz Kato,1 Ibrahim Ali Kabbash,2 Ghada Maged Dabish3 1Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, 2Department of Public Health and Community, Faculty of Medicine, 3Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt Background/objectives: Scabies is a major global public health issue that might affect people from all socioeconomic levels. The primary contributing factors in contracting scabies seem to be poverty and overcrowded living conditions. Scabies often spreads among schoolchildren quite rapidly, owing to their close contact and overcrowding within the schools. However, limited information is available about its risk factors and the socioeconomic correlates among schoolchildren in Egypt. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of scabies and its risk factors among primary schoolchildren in Kafr El-Sheikh administrative area, Egypt. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on primary schoolchildren in urban and rural areas of Kafr El-Sheikh administrative area. A predesigned questionnaire was used for data collection from the randomly selected 2,104 children, and clinical dermatological examination was done for them. Results: Out of 2,104 children studied, there were 92 cases of scabies with a prevalence of 4.4%. The prevalence of scabies infestation in male students was 3.9%, while it was 4.8% in females, with no statistical significance. The results showed significant variations in the risk of scabies infestation by factors such as residence, paternal education and occupation, maternal education, sleeping with others, having animals at home, dealing with animals outside the house, type of building for living, family history of itchy rash, and sharing clothes with others. Conclusion: In our community, scabies is still an important health problem affecting schoolchildren, especially in rural areas. It is characterized by a complex web of causation, particularly poor
Neurons in primary motor cortex engaged during action observation.

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Dushanova, Juliana; Donoghue, John

2010-01-01

Neurons in higher cortical areas appear to become active during action observation, either by mirroring observed actions (termed mirror neurons) or by eliciting mental rehearsal of observed motor acts. We report the existence of neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1), an area that is generally considered to initiate and guide movement performance, responding to viewed actions. Multielectrode recordings in monkeys performing or observing a well-learned step-tracking task showed that approximately half of the M1 neurons that were active when monkeys performed the task were also active when they observed the action being performed by a human. These 'view' neurons were spatially intermingled with 'do' neurons, which are active only during movement performance. Simultaneously recorded 'view' neurons comprised two groups: approximately 38% retained the same preferred direction (PD) and timing during performance and viewing, and the remainder (62%) changed their PDs and time lag during viewing as compared with performance. Nevertheless, population activity during viewing was sufficient to predict the direction and trajectory of viewed movements as action unfolded, although less accurately than during performance. 'View' neurons became less active and contained poorer representations of action when only subcomponents of the task were being viewed. M1 'view' neurons thus appear to reflect aspects of a learned movement when observed in others, and form part of a broadly engaged set of cortical areas routinely responding to learned behaviors. These findings suggest that viewing a learned action elicits replay of aspects of M1 activity needed to perform the observed action, and could additionally reflect processing related to understanding, learning or mentally rehearsing action.
Evaluation of a primary-care setting at a veterinary teaching hospital by a student business group: implementing business training within the curriculum.

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Louisa Poon, W Y; Covington, Jennifer P; Dempsey, Lauren S; Goetgeluck, Scott L; Marscher, William F; Morelli, Sierra C; Powell, Jana E; Rivers, Elizabeth M; Roth, Ira G

2014-01-01

This article provides an introduction to the use of students' business skills in optimizing teaching opportunities, student learning, and client satisfaction in a primary health care setting at a veterinary teaching hospital. Seven veterinary-student members of the local chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) evaluated the primary-care service at the University of Georgia (UGA) veterinary teaching hospital and assessed six areas of focus: (1) branding and marketing, (2) client experience, (3) staff and staffing, (4) student experience, (5) time management, and (6) standard operating procedures and protocols. For each area of focus, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were identified. Of the six areas, two were identified as areas in need of immediate improvement, the first being the updating of standard operating protocols and the second being time management and the flow of appointments. Recommendations made for these two areas were implemented. Overall, the staff and students provided positive feedback on the recommended changes. Through such a student-centered approach to improving the quality of their education, students are empowered and are held accountable for their learning environment. The fact that the VBMA functions without a parent organization and that the primary-care service at UGA functions primarily as a separate entity from the specialty services at the College of Veterinary Medicine allowed students to have a direct impact on their learning environment. We hope that this model for advancing business education will be studied and promoted to benefit both veterinary education and business practice within academia.
A statistical analysis of the characteristics of the intended curriculum for Japanese primary science and its relationship to the attained curriculum

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Kenji Matsubara

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract This study statistically investigates the characteristics of the intended curriculum for Japanese primary science, focusing on the learning content. The study used the TIMSS 2011 Grade 4 Curriculum Questionnaire data as a major source for the learning content prescribed at the national level. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the extent to which a topic area was covered, as compared to the average among the 59 TIMSS 2011 participating countries. The study revealed that the topic areas of “Human Health” and “Changes in Environments,” both in the life science domain, showed statistically less coverage in the Japanese primary science curriculum when compared to the international average. Furthermore, in discussion, the study relates the characteristics found in the intended curriculum to those in the attained curriculum, examining the percent correct statistics for relevant items from the science assessment. Based on these findings, the study proposes two recommendations for revision of the Japanese primary science curriculum.

Identification of Learning Management Systems Functional Areas and Limitations (Case Study: E-Learning Center of University of Tehran

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Ali akbar Farhangi

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Currently, ICT and educational processes are experiencing development and innovation. This new trend will help promote educational technology and enhance innovations regarding educational planning. E-learning is considered as one of the most prominent ICT applications across the world. Advantages of virtual learning have entailed daily usage in various universities. Learning management systems are specific web-based systems to manage, track students, define courses, and evaluate the learners. However, these systems may involve inefficiencies and disadvantages as well. This paper attempts to identify the LMS functional areas in University of Tehran based on a specific conceptual framework and to present the relevant issues and problems for each dimension. The data for the present study were collected using focused group interviews, system observations. The researchers also compared the documents and the university system with that of other universities. The results of the theme analysis indicated that “communication” and “system cooperation” dimensions are involved with more important problems and issues. The researchers believe that the main issues are due to the test modules, evaluations, and systemic and underlying databases.
An Evaluation of "Success and Dyslexia"--A Multi Component School-Based Coping Program for Primary School Students with Learning Disabilities: Is It Feasible?

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Firth, Nola Virginia; Frydenberg, Erica; Bond, Lyndal

2012-01-01

A learning disabilities coping program was implemented in the final year of two primary schools within the context of a whole class coping program and whole school learning disabilities professional development. Using data collected over three years from school surveys, reports, interviews, school documents and a field diary, this paper reports on…
Structure of receptive fields in a computational model of area 3b of primary sensory cortex.

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Detorakis, Georgios Is; Rougier, Nicolas P

2014-01-01

In a previous work, we introduced a computational model of area 3b which is built upon the neural field theory and receives input from a simplified model of the index distal finger pad populated by a random set of touch receptors (Merkell cells). This model has been shown to be able to self-organize following the random stimulation of the finger pad model and to cope, to some extent, with cortical or skin lesions. The main hypothesis of the model is that learning of skin representations occurs at the thalamo-cortical level while cortico-cortical connections serve a stereotyped competition mechanism that shapes the receptive fields. To further assess this hypothesis and the validity of the model, we reproduced in this article the exact experimental protocol of DiCarlo et al. that has been used to examine the structure of receptive fields in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex. Using the same analysis toolset, the model yields consistent results, having most of the receptive fields to contain a single region of excitation and one to several regions of inhibition. We further proceeded our study using a dynamic competition that deeply influences the formation of the receptive fields. We hypothesized this dynamic competition to correspond to some form of somatosensory attention that may help to precisely shape the receptive fields. To test this hypothesis, we designed a protocol where an arbitrary region of interest is delineated on the index distal finger pad and we either (1) instructed explicitly the model to attend to this region (simulating an attentional signal) (2) preferentially trained the model on this region or (3) combined the two aforementioned protocols simultaneously. Results tend to confirm that dynamic competition leads to shrunken receptive fields and its joint interaction with intensive training promotes a massive receptive fields migration and shrinkage.
Structure of Receptive Fields in a Computational Model of Area 3b of Primary Sensory Cortex

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Georgios eDetorakis

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In a previous work, we introduced a computational model of area 3b which is built upon the neural field theory and receives input from a simplified model of the index distal finger pad populated by a random set of touch receptors(Merkell cells. This model has been shown to be able to self-organize following the random stimulation of the finger pad model and to cope, to some extent, with cortical or skin lesions. The main hypothesis of the model is that learning of skin representations occurs at the thalamo-cortical level while cortico-cortical connections serve a stereotyped competition mechanism that shapes the receptive fields. To further assess this hypothesis and the validity of the model, we reproduced in this article the exact experimental protocol of DiCarlo et al. that has been used to examine the structure of receptive fields in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex. Using the same analysis toolset, the model yields consistent results, having most of the receptive fields to contain a single region of excitation and one to severalregions of inhibition. We further proceeded our study using a dynamic competition that deeply influences the formation of the receptive fields. We hypothesized this dynamic competition to correspond to some form of somatosensory attention that may help to precisely shape the receptive fields. To test this hypothesis, we designed a protocol where an arbitrary region of interest is delineated on the index distal finger pad and we either (1 instructed explicitly the model to attend to this region (simulating an attentional signal (2 preferentially trained the model on this region or (3combined the two aforementioned protocols simultaneously. Results tend to confirm that dynamic competition leads to shrunken receptive fields and its joint interaction with intensive training promotes a massive receptive fields migration and shrinkage.
Ipsilateral corticotectal projections from the primary, premotor and supplementary motor cortical areas in adult macaque monkeys: a quantitative anterograde tracing study

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Fregosi, Michela; Rouiller, Eric M.

2018-01-01

The corticotectal projection from cortical motor areas is one of several descending pathways involved in the indirect control of spinal motoneurons. In non-human primates, previous studies reported that cortical projections to the superior colliculus originated from the premotor cortex and the primary motor cortex, whereas no projection originated from the supplementary motor area. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the properties of corticotectal projections originating from these three cortical motor areas in intact adult macaques (n=9). The anterograde tracer BDA was injected into one of these cortical areas in each animal. Individual axonal boutons, both en passant and terminaux, were charted and counted in the different layers of the ipsilateral superior colliculus. The data confirmed the presence of strong corticotectal projections from the premotor cortex. A new observation was that strong corticotectal projections were also found to originate from the supplementary motor area (its proper division). The corticotectal projection from the primary motor cortex was quantitatively less strong than that from either the premotor or supplementary motor areas. The corticotectal projection from each motor area was directed mainly to the deep layer of the superior colliculus, although its intermediate layer was also a consistent target of fairly dense terminations. The strong corticotectal projections from non-primary motor areas are in position to influence the preparation and planning of voluntary movements. PMID:28921678
LEARNING ABOUT LEARNING, A CONFERENCE REPORT.

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BRUNER, JEROME

TO EXPLORE THE NATURE OF THE LEARNING PROCESS, THREE IMPORTANT PROBLEM AREAS WERE STUDIED. STUDIES IN THE FIRST AREA, ATTITUDINAL AND AFFECTIVE SKILLS, ARE CONCERNED WITH INDUCING A CHILD TO LEARN AND SUSTAINING HIS ATTENTION. STUDIES IN THE SECOND AREA, COGNITIVE SKILLS, SOUGHT TO DISCOVER WHETHER GENERAL IDEAS AND SKILLS CAN BE LEARNED IN SUCH A…
Perceptual learning and adult cortical plasticity.

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Gilbert, Charles D; Li, Wu; Piech, Valentin

2009-06-15

The visual cortex retains the capacity for experience-dependent changes, or plasticity, of cortical function and cortical circuitry, throughout life. These changes constitute the mechanism of perceptual learning in normal visual experience and in recovery of function after CNS damage. Such plasticity can be seen at multiple stages in the visual pathway, including primary visual cortex. The manifestation of the functional changes associated with perceptual learning involve both long term modification of cortical circuits during the course of learning, and short term dynamics in the functional properties of cortical neurons. These dynamics are subject to top-down influences of attention, expectation and perceptual task. As a consequence, each cortical area is an adaptive processor, altering its function in accordance to immediate perceptual demands.
The connection between teaching and learning: Linking teaching quality and metacognitive strategy use in primary school.

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Rieser, Svenja; Naumann, Alexander; Decristan, Jasmin; Fauth, Benjamin; Klieme, Eckhard; Büttner, Gerhard

2016-12-01

In order for teaching to be successful, students need to be actively involved in learning. However, research on teaching effectiveness often neglects students' learning activities. Although it is assumed that effective teaching promotes the use of beneficial learning activities, empirical evidence for this connection is still limited. This study aimed to investigate the connection between effective teaching and reported learning activities. We hypothesize specific relations between a three-dimensional model of teaching quality (i.e., cognitive activation, supportive climate, and classroom management) and students' reported use of metacognitive strategies. Students' intrinsic motivation is considered as a mediator and a moderator of this connection. N = 1,052 students from 53 German primary school classes and their science teachers participated. Data were collected through classroom or video observation and questionnaires over a period of approximately 2 months. Multilevel analysis was utilized to test our hypotheses. Each dimension of teaching quality positively predicted students' reported use of metacognitive strategies. For supportive climate, this connection was mediated by students' intrinsic motivation. Cognitive activation negatively predicted the slopes between students' reported metacognitive strategy use and motivation. The results support the notion that effective teaching is connected to learning activities and stress the importance of students' learning motivation. Results from the cross-level interaction could indicate that especially less motivated students' reported metacognitive strategy use might be supported by cognitively activating teaching. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.
(Re)Affirming Identities: Implementing a Play-Based Approach to Learning in the Early Years of Schooling

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Nolan, Andrea; Paatsch, Louise

2018-01-01

Learning through play has traditionally been a central tenet in early childhood education, however, in recent times primary schools have begun to consider the benefits of introducing a play-based approach into early years classrooms to support young children's learning, especially in the areas of language and literacy. This study focuses on the…
Learning based in projects to promote interdisciplinarity in Secondary School

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Daniela Boff

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The project-based learning is an active learning strategy that helps break the paradigm of traditional teaching methods. The student is involved in the learning proposal that includes the PiBL, on which one is not passive and becomes the main actor in one's own teaching learning process. Within this learning strategy, the teacher becomes a mediator between theory and practice thus each different subject interact with one another in order to develop a topic that is mutual to all areas because the learning environment is naturally interdisciplinary. The idea of this kind of learning strategy was applied during a workshop that took place with primary and secondary schoolteachers in order to help them approach the strategy in the classroom, contributing with experiences and ideas towards the interdisciplinary based project.
Plasticity in the Primary Auditory Cortex, Not What You Think it is: Implications for Basic and Clinical Auditory Neuroscience

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Weinberger, Norman M.

2013-01-01

Standard beliefs that the function of the primary auditory cortex (A1) is the analysis of sound have proven to be incorrect. Its involvement in learning, memory and other complex processes in both animals and humans is now well-established, although often not appreciated. Auditory coding is strongly modifed by associative learning, evident as associative representational plasticity (ARP) in which the representation of an acoustic dimension, like frequency, is re-organized to emphasize a sound that has become behaviorally important. For example, the frequency tuning of a cortical neuron can be shifted to match that of a significant sound and the representational area of sounds that acquire behavioral importance can be increased. ARP depends on the learning strategy used to solve an auditory problem and the increased cortical area confers greater strength of auditory memory. Thus, primary auditory cortex is involved in cognitive processes, transcending its assumed function of auditory stimulus analysis. The implications for basic neuroscience and clinical auditory neuroscience are presented and suggestions for remediation of auditory processing disorders are introduced. PMID:25356375
WHAT ARE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS PH.D. STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT AGRIBUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS AND SUBJECT AREAS?

OpenAIRE

House, Lisa; Sterns, James A.

2002-01-01

This document contains the PowerPoint presentation given by the authors at the 2002 WCC-72 meetings, regarding what agricultural economics Ph.D students are learning about agribusiness research methods and subject areas.
Exploring Daily Physical Activity and Nutrition Patterns in Early Learning Settings: Snapshots of Young Children in Head Start, Primary, and After-School Settings

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Stegelin, Dolores A.; Anderson, Denise; Kemper, Karen; Wagner, Jennifer; Evans, Katharine

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research project was to gain a greater understanding of daily routines of 4-7 year olds regarding physical activity and nutrition practices in typical early learning environments. The settings selected for this observational study included Head Start, primary, and after-school learning environments in a city in the southeast.…
Retrieval Practice, with or without Mind Mapping, Boosts Fact Learning in Primary School Children

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Ritchie, Stuart J.; Della Sala, Sergio; McIntosh, Robert D.

2013-01-01

Retrieval practice is a method of study in which testing is incorporated into the learning process. This method is known to facilitate recall for facts in adults and in secondary-school-age children, but existing studies in younger children are somewhat limited in their practical applicability. In two studies of primary school-age children of 8–12 years, we tested retrieval practice along with another study technique, mind mapping, which is more widely-used, but less well-evidenced. Children studied novel geographical facts, with or without retrieval practice and with or without mind mapping, in a crossed-factorial between-subjects design. In Experiment 1, children in the retrieval practice condition recalled significantly more facts four days later. In Experiment 2, this benefit was replicated at one and five weeks in a different, larger sample of schoolchildren. No consistent effects of mind mapping were observed. These results underline the effectiveness of retrieval practice for fact learning in young children. PMID:24265738
Regulatory analysis and lessons learned from the LLRW [low-level radioactive waste] disposal area at West Valley, New York: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has sponsored a project to develop an integrated set of site management plans for the West Valley low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal area. The plans were directed to upgrade the disposal area so that passive custodial care and monitoring activities would be sufficient to protect public health and safety and the environment. Tasks 5 and 6, Regulatory Analysis and Lessons Learned, are the subject of this report. The regulatory analysis identified areas of inconsistencies between the historic site operations and the current state and federal LLRW disposal regulations and guidelines. The lessons learned task identified the causes of the disposal problems at West Valley, discussed the lessons learned, and described the responses developed by the NRC and industry to the lessons learned. 85 refs., 6 figs., 19 tabs
Satellite remote sensing for estimating leaf area index, FPAR and primary production. A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boresjoe Bronge, Laine

2004-03-01

Land vegetation is a critical component of several biogeochemical cycles that have become the focus of concerted international research effort. Most ecosystem productivity models, carbon budget models, and global models of climate, hydrology and biogeochemistry require vegetation parameters to calculate land surface photosynthesis, evapotranspiration and net primary production. Therefore, accurate estimates of vegetation parameters are increasingly important in the carbon cycle, the energy balance and in environmental impact assessment studies. The possibility of quantitatively estimating vegetation parameters of importance in this context using satellite data has been explored by numerous papers dealing with the subject. This report gives a summary of the present status and applicability of satellite remote sensing for estimating vegetation productivity by using vegetation index for calculating leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR). Some possible approaches for use of satellite data for estimating LAI, FPAR and net primary production (NPP) on a local scale are suggested. Recommendations for continued work in the Forsmark and Oskarshamn investigation areas, where vegetation data and NDVI-images based on satellite data have been produced, are also given
Satellite remote sensing for estimating leaf area index, FPAR and primary production. A literature review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boresjoe Bronge, Laine [SwedPower AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2004-03-01

Land vegetation is a critical component of several biogeochemical cycles that have become the focus of concerted international research effort. Most ecosystem productivity models, carbon budget models, and global models of climate, hydrology and biogeochemistry require vegetation parameters to calculate land surface photosynthesis, evapotranspiration and net primary production. Therefore, accurate estimates of vegetation parameters are increasingly important in the carbon cycle, the energy balance and in environmental impact assessment studies. The possibility of quantitatively estimating vegetation parameters of importance in this context using satellite data has been explored by numerous papers dealing with the subject. This report gives a summary of the present status and applicability of satellite remote sensing for estimating vegetation productivity by using vegetation index for calculating leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR). Some possible approaches for use of satellite data for estimating LAI, FPAR and net primary production (NPP) on a local scale are suggested. Recommendations for continued work in the Forsmark and Oskarshamn investigation areas, where vegetation data and NDVI-images based on satellite data have been produced, are also given.
Stunting and zinc deficiency among primary school children in rural areas with low soil zinc concentrations in Jiangsu Province, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Qin, Yu; Boonstra, A.; Zhao, J.; Wu, M.; Hu, X.; Kok, F.J.

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess stunting and zinc deficiency among primary school children in north rural area of Jiangsu Province with low soil zinc concentrations, eastern part of China. METHODS: Two data collection rounds were conducted. In the first data collection round, 2268 primary school children aged
Service Learning: Study on the degree of satisfaction of students in primary school

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Pilar Folgueiras Bertomeu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Service learning (SL is a pedagogical methodology that engages school and community in a common project. Based on this methodology the article presents the results of a comprehensive descriptive study completed with 93 primary education students in order to analyze the satisfaction they have regarding their participation in SL projects. By adapting a model of satisfaction 4 key dimensions are discussed. The main technique for data analysis is content analysis where we triangulate techniques as well as informants. The data analysis shows a high degree of satisfaction from participating students and opens to discussion the key aspects of SL methodology: reflection, evaluation and participation.
Repetitive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Induced Excitability Changes of Primary Visual Cortex and Visual Learning Effects-A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sczesny-Kaiser, Matthias; Beckhaus, Katharina; Dinse, Hubert R; Schwenkreis, Peter; Tegenthoff, Martin; Höffken, Oliver

2016-01-01

Studies on noninvasive motor cortex stimulation and motor learning demonstrated cortical excitability as a marker for a learning effect. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive tool to modulate cortical excitability. It is as yet unknown how tDCS-induced excitability changes and perceptual learning in visual cortex correlate. Our study aimed to examine the influence of tDCS on visual perceptual learning in healthy humans. Additionally, we measured excitability in primary visual cortex (V1). We hypothesized that anodal tDCS would improve and cathodal tDCS would have minor or no effects on visual learning. Anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS were applied over V1 in a randomized, double-blinded design over four consecutive days (n = 30). During 20 min of tDCS, subjects had to learn a visual orientation-discrimination task (ODT). Excitability parameters were measured by analyzing paired-stimulation behavior of visual-evoked potentials (ps-VEP) and by measuring phosphene thresholds (PTs) before and after the stimulation period of 4 days. Compared with sham-tDCS, anodal tDCS led to an improvement of visual discrimination learning (p learning effect. For cathodal tDCS, no significant effects on learning or on excitability could be seen. Our results showed that anodal tDCS over V1 resulted in improved visual perceptual learning and increased cortical excitability. tDCS is a promising tool to alter V1 excitability and, hence, perceptual visual learning.

"We Found the 'Black Spots' on Campus on Our Own": Development of Inquiry Skills in Primary Science Learning with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

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Song, Yanjie

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a study situated in a one-year project "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for Mobile Knowledge Building," aiming at investigating how primary school students developed their inquiry skills in science learning in BYOD-supported learning environments. Student perceptions of the BYOD-supported inquiry experience were also…
The Harvard Medical School Academic Innovations Collaborative: transforming primary care practice and education.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitton, Asaf; Ellner, Andrew; Pabo, Erika; Stout, Somava; Sugarman, Jonathan R; Sevin, Cory; Goodell, Kristen; Bassett, Jill S; Phillips, Russell S

2014-09-01

Academic medical centers (AMCs) need new approaches to delivering higher-quality care at lower costs, and engaging trainees in the work of high-functioning primary care practices. In 2012, the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care, in partnership with with local AMCs, established an Academic Innovations Collaborative (AIC) with the goal of transforming primary care education and practice. This novel two-year learning collaborative consisted of hospital- and community-based primary care teaching practices, committed to building highly functional teams, managing populations, and engaging patients. The AIC built on models developed by Qualis Health and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, optimized for the local AMC context. Foundational elements included leadership engagement and development, application of rapid-cycle process improvement, and the creation of teams to care for defined patient populations. Nineteen practices across six AMCs participated, with nearly 260,000 patients and 450 resident learners. The collaborative offered three 1.5-day learning sessions each year featuring shared learning, practice coaches, and improvement measures, along with monthly data reporting, webinars, and site visits. Validated self-reports by transformation teams showed that practices made substantial improvement across all areas of change. Important factors for success included leadership development, practice-level resources, and engaging patients and trainees. The AIC model shows promise as a path for AMCs to catalyze health system transformation through primary care improvement. In addition to further evaluating the impact of practice transformation, expansion will require support from AMCs and payers, and the application of similar approaches on a broader scale.
Access to primary care for socioeconomically disadvantaged older people in rural areas: a realist review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, John A; Wong, Geoff; Jones, Andy P; Steel, Nick

2016-05-17

The aim of this review is to identify and understand the contexts that effect access to high-quality primary care for socioeconomically disadvantaged older people in rural areas. A realist review. MEDLINE and EMBASE electronic databases and grey literature (from inception to December 2014). Broad inclusion criteria were used to allow articles which were not specific, but might be relevant to the population of interest to be considered. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were assessed for rigour and relevance and coded for concepts relating to context, mechanism or outcome. An overarching patient pathway was generated and used as the basis to explore contexts, causal mechanisms and outcomes. 162 articles were included. Most were from the USA or the UK, cross-sectional in design and presented subgroup data by age, rurality or deprivation. From these studies, a patient pathway was generated which included 7 steps (problem identified, decision to seek help, actively seek help, obtain appointment, get to appointment, primary care interaction and outcome). Important contexts were stoicism, education status, expectations of ageing, financial resources, understanding the healthcare system, access to suitable transport, capacity within practice, the booking system and experience of healthcare. Prominent causal mechanisms were health literacy, perceived convenience, patient empowerment and responsiveness of the practice. Socioeconomically disadvantaged older people in rural areas face personal, community and healthcare barriers that limit their access to primary care. Initiatives should be targeted at local contextual factors to help individuals recognise problems, feel welcome, navigate the healthcare system, book appointments easily, access appropriate transport and have sufficient time with professional staff to improve their experience of healthcare; all of which will require dedicated primary care resources. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For
Role of Broca's Area in Implicit Motor Skill Learning: Evidence from Continuous Theta-Burst Magnetic Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Clerget, Emeline; Poncin, William; Fadiga, Luciano; Olivier, Etienne

2012-01-01

Complex actions can be regarded as a concatenation of simple motor acts, arranged according to specific rules. Because the caudal part of the Broca's region (left Brodmann's area 44, BA 44) is involved in processing hierarchically organized behaviors, we aimed to test the hypothesis that this area may also play a role in learning structured motor…
Generalization of perceptual and motor learning: a causal link with memory encoding and consolidation?

Science.gov (United States)

Censor, N

2013-10-10

In both perceptual and motor learning, numerous studies have shown specificity of learning to the trained eye or hand and to the physical features of the task. However, generalization of learning is possible in both perceptual and motor domains. Here, I review evidence for perceptual and motor learning generalization, suggesting that generalization patterns are affected by the way in which the original memory is encoded and consolidated. Generalization may be facilitated during fast learning, with possible engagement of higher-order brain areas recurrently interacting with the primary visual or motor cortices encoding the stimuli or movements' memories. Such generalization may be supported by sleep, involving functional interactions between low and higher-order brain areas. Repeated exposure to the task may alter generalization patterns of learning and overall offline learning. Development of unifying frameworks across learning modalities and better understanding of the conditions under which learning can generalize may enable to gain insight regarding the neural mechanisms underlying procedural learning and have useful clinical implications. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Disrupted modular organization of primary sensory brain areas in schizophrenia

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Cécile Bordier

Full Text Available Abnormal brain resting-state functional connectivity has been consistently observed in patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ using functional MRI and other neuroimaging techniques. Graph theoretical methods provide a framework to investigate these defective functional interactions and their effects on the organization of brain connectivity networks. A few studies have shown altered distribution of connectivity within and between functional modules in SCZ patients, an indication of imbalanced functional segregation ad integration. However, no major alterations of modular organization have been reported in patients, and unambiguous identification of the neural substrates affected remains elusive. Recently, it has been demonstrated that current modularity analysis methods suffer from a fundamental and severe resolution limit, as they fail to detect features that are smaller than a scale determined by the size of the entire connectivity network. This resolution limit is likely to have hampered the ability to resolve differences between patients and controls in previous studies. Here, we apply Surprise, a novel resolution limit-free approach, to study the modular organization of resting state functional connectivity networks in a large cohort of SCZ patients and in matched healthy controls. Leveraging these important methodological advances we find new evidence of substantial fragmentation and reorganization involving primary sensory, auditory and visual areas in SCZ patients. Conversely, frontal and prefrontal areas, typically associated with higher cognitive functions, appear to be largely unaffected, with changes selectively involving language and speech processing areas. Our findings support the hypothesis that cognitive dysfunction in SCZ may involve deficits occurring already at early stages of sensory processing. Keywords: Schizophrenia, Surprise, Asymptotical surprise, Functional connectivity, Community detection, Modularity, Graph theory
Curriculum Integration in Distance Learning at Primary and Secondary Educational Levels on the Example of eTwinning Projects

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Elżbieta Gajek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Curriculum integration is one of the concepts which has been discussed for years. Telecollaborative projects, which employ elements of distance learning, provide opportunities for putting the idea into practice. Analysis of eTwinning projects undertaken in Polish schools aims at demonstrating the integrative role of distance learning approaches and their contribution to integration of various themes in educational context. As the eTwinning framework is very flexible, allowing for teacher and students autonomy the projects may vary in the topics, age and number of participants, duration scope within curriculum etc. The study shows various levels and perspectives of curriculum integration which take place in eTwinning projects. It also discusses the role of distance learning at primary and secondary educational levels. The challenge is to transform international collaboration of selected schools an everyday practice for all learners and teachers.
The primary care amplification model: taking the best of primary care forward

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Nicholson Caroline

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Primary care internationally is approaching a new paradigm. The change agenda implicit in this threatens to de-stabilise and challenge established general practice and primary care. Discussion The Primary Care Amplification Model offers a means to harness the change agenda by 'amplifying' the strengths of established general practices around a 'beacon' practice. Conclusion Such 'beacon' practices can provide a mustering point for an expanded scope of practice for primary care, integrated primary/secondary service delivery, interprofessional learning, relevant local clinical research, and a focus on local service innovation, enhancing rather than fragmenting the collective capacity of existing primary care.
English Language Teaching in Rural Areas: A Scenario and Problems and Prospects in Context of Bangladesh

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Md.Mahroof Hossain

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Language is one of the medium of expressing our ideas, feelings and emotions. And if we think about language in present world then English is one of the most used languages in the world and English is used as a second language in Bangladesh. English is introduced here at the primary level and its inclusion continues till the tertiary level of education. Most of the students of the primary schools in rural areas are weak in English language due to lack of skilled and trained teachers who are familiar to the modern methods and approaches of teaching and lack of materials for teaching in the classroom. Primary level English curriculum implementation is essential in Bangladesh to achieve the set English language competency in the rural areas. Students in the rural areas are performing poorly in English compared to their urban counterparts. Statistics showed that there was a gulf of difference between the facilities enjoyed by rural schools and urban schools. The study explores the challenges of teaching English language in rural areas in context of Bangladesh. This study investigated the factors affecting student’s performance in English language in rural areas. Data were collected using interviews, classroom observation and questionnaire. Result of the study reveals that students were highly motivated to learn English for future expectations such as local and international communication, academic advancement and employment prospects. It also provide a scenario of English teaching system in rural areas of Bangladesh as well as the problems and prospects of English language in perspective of Bangladesh. Keywords: English language, rural areas, education, learning and teaching, competency
Using Virtual Manipulative Instruction to Teach the Concepts of Area and Perimeter to Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Satsangi, Rajiv; Bouck, Emily C.

2015-01-01

Secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics often struggle with the academic demands presented in advanced mathematics courses, such as algebra and geometry. With greater emphasis placed on problem solving and higher level thinking skills in these subject areas, students with a learning disability in mathematics often fail to keep…
Learning environment, learning styles and conceptual understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, Lourdes M.

1990-01-01

In recent years there have been many studies on learners developing conceptions of natural phenomena. However, so far there have been few attempts to investigate how the characteristics of the learners and their environment influence such conceptions. This study began with an attempt to use an instrument developed by McCarthy (1981) to describe learners in Malaysian primary schools. This proved inappropriate as Asian primary classrooms do not provide the same kind of environment as US classrooms. It was decided to develop a learning style checklist to suit the local context and which could be used to describe differences between learners which teachers could appreciate and use. The checklist included four dimensions — perceptual, process, self-confidence and motivation. The validated instrument was used to determine the learning style preferences of primary four pupils in Penang, Malaysia. Later, an analysis was made regarding the influence of learning environment and learning styles on conceptual understanding in the topics of food, respiration and excretion. This study was replicated in the Philippines with the purpose of investigating the relationship between learning styles and achievement in science, where the topics of food, respiration and excretion have been taken up. A number of significant relationships were observed in these two studies.
Developing a programme theory to explain how primary health care teams learn to respond to intimate partner violence: a realist case-study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goicolea, Isabel; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; San Sebastian, Miguel; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Marchal, Bruno

2015-06-09

Despite the progress made on policies and programmes to strengthen primary health care teams' response to Intimate Partner Violence, the literature shows that encounters between women exposed to IPV and health-care providers are not always satisfactory, and a number of barriers that prevent individual health-care providers from responding to IPV have been identified. We carried out a realist case study, for which we developed and tested a programme theory that seeks to explain how, why and under which circumstances a primary health care team in Spain learned to respond to IPV. A realist case study design was chosen to allow for an in-depth exploration of the linkages between context, intervention, mechanisms and outcomes as they happen in their natural setting. The first author collected data at the primary health care center La Virgen (pseudonym) through the review of documents, observation and interviews with health systems' managers, team members, women patients, and members of external services. The quality of the IPV case management was assessed with the PREMIS tool. This study found that the health care team at La Virgen has managed 1) to engage a number of staff members in actively responding to IPV, 2) to establish good coordination, mutual support and continuous learning processes related to IPV, 3) to establish adequate internal referrals within La Virgen, and 4) to establish good coordination and referral systems with other services. Team and individual level factors have triggered the capacity and interest in creating spaces for team leaning, team work and therapeutic responses to IPV in La Virgen, although individual motivation strongly affected this mechanism. Regional interventions did not trigger individual and/ or team responses but legitimated the workings of motivated professionals. The primary health care team of La Virgen is involved in a continuous learning process, even as participation in the process varies between professionals. This
Research about social, curricular and geographical transversality of a teaching and learning history model based on ojbects as primary sources and classroom museums

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Glória Solé

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article’s starting point is the problem of perception and understanding of history –which is essential to create a critical citizenship- by future citizens (primary school students as well as future educators (teachers training university students. The article proposes two models of teaching and learning history and its development in two case studies adapted to different ages and geographical contexts (case 1: teachers training degree students of a Spanish university and case 2: Portuguese primary education pupils. Results of the development of the teaching and learning model in both contexts are presented at the same time that the social, curricular and geographical transversality of the model proposed is exposed.
Moroccan Mothers' Involvement in Dialogic Literary Gatherings in a Catalan Urban Primary School: Increasing Educative Interactions and Improving Learning

Science.gov (United States)

de Botton, Lena; Girbés, Sandra; Ruiz, Laura; Tellado, Itxaso

2014-01-01

This article analyses a case study on Moroccan mothers' involvement in the Dialogic Literary Gathering (DLG) in an urban primary school in Catalonia (Spain). DLG is a dialogic learning environment that improves reading skills and communicative abilities and promotes school-community links. This activity has been identified in previous European…
Exploring levers and barriers to accessing primary care for marginalised groups and identifying their priorities for primary care provision: a participatory learning and action research study.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, Patrick; Tierney, Edel; O'Carroll, Austin; Nurse, Diane; MacFarlane, Anne

2016-12-03

The involvement of patients and the public in healthcare has grown significantly in recent decades and is documented in health policy documents internationally. Many benefits of involving these groups in primary care planning have been reported. However, these benefits are rarely felt by those considered marginalised in society and they are often excluded from participating in the process of planning primary care. It has been recommended to employ suitable approaches, such as co-operative and participatory initiatives, to enable marginalised groups to highlight their priorities for care. This Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) research study involved 21 members of various marginalised groups who contributed their views about access to primary care. Using a series of PLA techniques for data generation and co-analysis, we explored barriers and facilitators to primary healthcare access from the perspective of migrants, Irish Travellers, homeless people, drug users, sex workers and people living in deprivation, and identified their priorities for action with regard to primary care provision. Four overarching themes were identified: the home environment, the effects of the 'two-tier' healthcare system on engagement, healthcare encounters, and the complex health needs of many in those groups. The study demonstrates that there are many complicated personal and structural barriers to accessing primary healthcare for marginalised groups. There were shared and differential experiences across the groups. Participants also expressed shared priorities for action in the planning and running of primary care services. Members of marginalised groups have shared priorities for action to improve their access to primary care. If steps are taken to address these, there is scope to impact on more than one marginalised group and to address the existing health inequities.
BLENDED LEARNING COURSE FOR FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IMPLEMENTATION

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Vira V. Kotkova

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Ukrainian and foreign scientists’ views on the essence of blended learning are analyzed in the article. The author's definition of a blended learning course is presented. The process of such course designing is described according to target, motivational, substantive, operational and diagnostic components. Both the structure of the blended learning course implementation as well as students’ educational-cognitive activity distribution between classroom learning and distance course are shown. The problems for students, teachers, and educational institutions of blended courses effective implementation are summarized. Students’ academic performance of three years study is analyzed. The results of students’ questioning to determine their perception of blended learning course are described according to the following categories: the effectiveness of blended course, evaluation objectivity, motivation to study, the use of plagiarism in studies, understanding of blended learning course.
Interactions between radiation and amphetamine in taste aversion learning and the role of the area postrema in amphetamine-induced conditioned taste aversions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabin, B.M.; Hunt, W.A.; Lee, J.

1987-01-01

Three experiments were run to assess the role of the area postrema in taste aversion learning resulting from combined treatment with subthreshold unconditioned stimuli and in the acquisition of an amphetamine-induced taste aversion. In the first experiment, it was shown that combined treatment with subthreshold radiation (15 rad) and subthreshold amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg, IP) resulted in the acquisition of a taste aversion. The second experiment showed that lesions of the area postrema blocked taste aversion learning produced by two subthreshold doses of amphetamine. In the third experiment, which looked at the dose-response curve for amphetamine-induced taste aversion learning in intact rats and rats with area postrema lesions, it was shown that both groups of rats acquired taste aversions following injection of amphetamine, although the rats with lesions showed a less severe aversion than the intact rats. The results are interpreted as indicating that amphetamine-induced taste aversion learning may involve area postrema-mediated mechanisms, particularly at the lower doses, but that an intact area postrema is not a necessary condition for the acquisition of an amphetamine-induced taste aversion
Understanding the Primary School Students' Van Hiele Levels of Geometry Thinking in Learning Shapes and Spaces: A Q-Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Hock, Tan Tong; Tarmizi, Rohani Ahmad; Yunus, Aida Suraya Md.; Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi

2015-01-01

This study was conducted using a new hybrid method of research which combined qualitative and quantitative designs to investigate the viewpoints of primary school students' conceptual understanding in learning geometry from the aspect of shapes and spaces according to van Hiele theory. Q-methodology is used in this research to find out what…
Effective strategies for preventing and overcoming learned helplesness among children with special needs in primary school education

OpenAIRE

Obolnar Hrnjičić, Maja; Pirih, Neža

2013-01-01

Children with special needs are commonly faced with faliure due to their special needs. Therefore they gradually develop a belief that thay can not influence their academic success, which leads to passivity. Learned helplessness influences academic, emotional and motivational aspect of their lives. Children who are facing learned helplessness tend to generalize their belief that they do not have an influence on their success on different areas of their lives. In our diploma thesis we w...
Health Barriers to Learning

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Delaney Gracy

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This article summarizes the results from a 2013 online survey with 408 principals and assistant principals in New York City public elementary and middle schools. The survey assessed three primary areas: health issues in the school, health issues perceived as barriers to learning for affected students, and resources needed to address these barriers. Eighteen of the 22 health conditions listed in the survey were considered a moderate or serious issue within their schools by at least 10% of respondents. All 22 of the health issues were perceived as a barrier to learning by between 12% and 87% of the respondents. Representatives from schools that serve a higher percentage of low-income students reported significantly higher levels of concern about the extent of health issues and their impact on learning. Respondents most often said they need linkages with organizations that can provide additional services and resources at the school, especially for mental health.

Service-learning in nursing: Integrating student learning and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Service-learning in nursing: Integrating student learning and community-based service experience through reflective practice. ... the students' reflective journals, group project reports and a focus-group discussion as the primary data sources.
Primary schools, markets and choice: studying polarization and the core catchment areas of schools

OpenAIRE

Harris, R J; Johnston, RJ

2007-01-01

In this paper we distinguish polarization from other conceptions of segregation by conceiving the former as a local phenomenon. To this end we argue that evidence for any school-level separation of ethnic groups must be sought and contextualised within the local markets within which schools operate. By determining the ‘core catchment’ areas of primary schools from geographical micro-data reporting where pupils reside and which school they attend within the study region of Birmingham, England,...
Mapping Burned Areas in Tropical Forests Using a Novel Machine Learning Framework

OpenAIRE

Varun Mithal; Guruprasad Nayak; Ankush Khandelwal; Vipin Kumar; Ramakrishna Nemani; Nikunj C. Oza

2018-01-01

This paper presents an application of a novel machine-learning framework on MODIS (moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer) data to map burned areas over tropical forests of South America and South-east Asia. The RAPT (RAre Class Prediction in the absence of True labels) framework is able to build data adaptive classification models using noisy training labels. It is particularly suitable when expert annotated training samples are difficult to obtain as in the case of wild fires in the ...
Inhalation of primary motor vehicle emissions: Effects of urbanpopulation and land area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marshall, Julian D.; McKone, Thomas E.; Nazaroff, William W.

2004-06-14

Urban population density can influence transportation demand, as expressed through average daily vehicle-kilometers traveled per capita (VKT). In turn, changes in transportation demand influence total passenger vehicle emissions. Population density can also influence the fraction of total emissions that are inhaled by the exposed urban population. Equations are presented that describe these relationships for an idealized representation of an urban area. Using analytic solutions to these equations, we investigate the effect of three changes in urban population and urban land area (infill, sprawl, and constant-density growth) on per capita inhalation intake of primary pollutants from passenger vehicles. The magnitude of these effects depends on density-emissions elasticity ({var_epsilon}{sub e}), a normalized derivative relating change in population density to change in vehicle emissions. For example, if urban population increases, per capita intake is less with infill development than with constant-density growth if {var_epsilon}{sub e} is less than -0.5, while for {var_epsilon}{sub e} greater than -0.5 the reverse is true.
Development of a participatory Management approach of the Committee for Basic Education School under the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2

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Jirayu Prommajak

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This study aimed: 1 study the present state and adverse conditions of administration with the participation of the basic education in schools. 2 Development of a participatory Management approach of the Committee for Basic Education school under the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2. Split data into 2 phases. Phase 1: The sample used for this research consisted of 128 members of the committee on basic education in school under the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2. Selected by using stratified random sampling. Instruments used included a set of rating scale questionnaires. Phase 2: Data from the interviews using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussion. The basic statistics used for analyzing the collected data were percentage, means and standard deviation. The results of this study were as follows: 1. On the present state administration with the participation of the basic education commission in schools underunder the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 overall participation in management is moderate. Considering the individual aspects, found that the academic administration overall participation in management and budget management were moderate. The personnel management and general and administrative overall participation in management at a high level. 2. Adverse conditions of administration with the participation of the school board for basic education in schools underunder the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 overall in a high level. Considering the individual aspects, found that the school board in basic education is desirable to participate in the management of all aspects. 3. Development of a participatory management approach of the committee for basic education school under the Nongbualamphu Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 is a developmental process management principles PDCA, 5 steps. Step 1: Creating a common understanding Step
the relationship between primary school teachers extrinsic

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF EKWUEME

Primary School Teachers Motivation Questionnaire (PSTMQ) and objective test items in English Language, Mathematics and Primary Science to measure students' performance. ... Mathematics and Primary Science. ... teachers as those who mediate pupils learning and act as facilitators ..... Students' perception of teacher- ...
Barriers to Use of Educational Technology in the Learning Process of Primary School Students in District 13 in Tehran

Science.gov (United States)

Doshmanziari, Esfandiar; Mostafavi, Aida

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the barriers to use of educational technology in the learning process of primary school students in district 13 of Tehran. This research in terms of purpose is practical, in terms of the title characteristics of the research is descriptive, and in terms of data collection method is a field research. The…
Growing Community: The Impact of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program on the Social and Learning Environment in Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Karen; Gibbs, Lisa; Staiger, Petra K.; Gold, Lisa; Johnson, Britt; Macfarlane, Susie; Long, Caroline; Townsend, Mardie

2012-01-01

This article presents results from a mixed-method evaluation of a structured cooking and gardening program in Australian primary schools, focusing on program impacts on the social and learning environment of the school. In particular, we address the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program objective of providing a pleasurable experience that has…
Long lasting structural changes in primary motor cortex after motor skill learning: a behavioural and stereological study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PAOLA MORALES

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Many motor skills, once acquired, are stored over a long time period, probably sustained by permanent neuronal changes. Thus, in this paper we have investigated with quantitative stereology the generation and persistence of neuronal density changes in primary motor cortex (MI following motor skill learning (skilled reaching task. Rats were trained a lateralised reaching task during an "early" (22-31 days oíd or "late" (362-371 days oíd postnatal period. The trained and corresponding control rats were sacrificed at day 372, immediately after the behavioural testing. The "early" trained group preserved the learned skilled reaching task when tested at day 372, without requiring any additional training. The "late" trained group showed a similar capacity to that of the "early" trained group for learning the skilled reaching task. All trained animáis ("early" and "late" trained groups showed a significant Ínter hemispheric decrease of neuronal density in the corresponding motor forelimb representation área of MI (cortical layers II-III
Learning and Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

... List About PPMD Events News Login By Area Learning & Behavior Attention, Listening & Learning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ... Care Guidelines ❯ By Area ❯ Learning & Behavior Share Print Learning & Behavior Facts to Remember People with Duchenne may ...
Morphometric analysis of feedforward pathways from the primary somatosensory area (S1 of rats

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A.L. de Sá

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We used biotinylated dextran amine (BDA to anterogradely label individual axons projecting from primary somatosensory cortex (S1 to four different cortical areas in rats. A major goal was to determine whether axon terminals in these target areas shared morphometric similarities based on the shape of individual terminal arbors and the density of two bouton types: en passant (Bp and terminaux (Bt. Evidence from tridimensional reconstructions of isolated axon terminal fragments (n=111 did support a degree of morphological heterogeneity establishing two broad groups of axon terminals. Morphological parameters associated with the complexity of terminal arbors and the proportion of beaded Bp vs stalked Bt were found to differ significantly in these two groups following a discriminant function statistical analysis across axon fragments. Interestingly, both groups occurred in all four target areas, possibly consistent with a commonality of presynaptic processing of tactile information. These findings lay the ground for additional work aiming to investigate synaptic function at the single bouton level and see how this might be associated with emerging properties in postsynaptic targets.
The State of Ethical Learning of Students in the Spanish University System: Considerations for the European Higher Education Area

Science.gov (United States)

Buxarrais, Maria Rosa; Esteban, Francisco; Mellen, Teodor

2015-01-01

With the establishment of the European higher education area (EHEA), the ethical learning of students is a matter of central importance in European universities. This paper examines the current state of ethical learning of students in the Spanish university system. We present the results of a descriptive survey, which used a training model for…
PREZICEREA PERFORMANŢELOR STUDENŢILOR FOLOSIND ÎNVĂŢAREA AUTOMATĂ (Machine Learning)

OpenAIRE

Maria CRISTEI; Ghenadie MARIN; Victor STELEA

2017-01-01

În prezent, învăţarea automată (machine learning) ocupă un loc important în inteligenţa artificială, preocupându-se de dezvoltarea algoritmilor ce permit unui sistem informatic să înveţe date, reguli şi algoritmi. Învăţarea automată presupune în primul rând identificarea şi implementarea unei modalităţi cât mai eficiente de reprezentare a informaţiilor, în sensul facilitării căutării, reorganizării şi modificării acestora. În acest sens, în prezentul articol se descrie utilitatea şi aplicabi...
Strategies Used by Primary School Teachers to Manage Dyslexia in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Learning disabilities are a common phenomenon among learners in primary schools. Dyslexia is one such learning disability prevalent in mainstream classes. Research studies on strategies used by primary school teachers to manage learners with dyslexia in mainstream classes are scarce. This study analysed strategies ...
[Prevalence of neurodevelopmental, behavioural and learning disorders in Pediatric Primary Care].

Science.gov (United States)

Carballal Mariño, Marta; Gago Ageitos, Ana; Ares Alvarez, Josefa; Del Rio Garma, Mercedes; García Cendón, Clara; Goicoechea Castaño, Ana; Pena Nieto, Josefina

2017-11-20

To determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in primary care pediatrics in Atlantic Galicia. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional prevalence study was carried out in 9 outpatient clinics in A Coruña and Pontevedra with a population of 8293 children between September and November 2015. A total of 1286 randomly selected patients from 0 to 14 years of age were included. From the medical history was registered: age, sex, psychiatric diagnosis established by DSM-IV-TR criteria in its five axes, professionals who participated in the diagnosis and treatment of the process and what type of treatment was received. Authorization was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of Galicia number 2015/427. 148 of 1286 patients presented psychiatric pathology (11,5% IC 95% 9.73-13,29), 68% male. Between 0 and 5years, the prevalence was 4.5%; between 6y and 10y, 18.5% and between 11y and 14y 22%. Symptoms lasted a median of 25 months. The most frequent pathologies in 1286 patients were ADHD (5.36%), language disorders (3.42%), learning disorders (3.26%), anxiety-depressive disorders (2.4%) and behavior disorders (1.87%). Of the 148 cases, 47% had comorbidity with another mental disorder. Most of them required attention by multiple social, health and educational professionals; 33% received psychopharmacological treatment. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in pediatric primary care is frequent, chronic and complex, increases with age and requires many health, educational and social resources. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.
The Nature of Primary Students' Conversation in Technology Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fox-Turnbull, Wendy H.

2016-01-01

Classroom conversations are core to establishing successful learning for students. This research explores the nature of conversation in technology education in the primary classroom and the implications for teaching and learning. Over a year, two units of work in technology were taught in two primary classrooms. Most data was gathered in Round 2…
Dynamic assessment of word learning skills of pre-school children with primary language impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Camilleri, Bernard; Law, James

2014-10-01

Dynamic assessment has been shown to have considerable theoretical and clinical significance in the assessment of socially disadvantaged and culturally and linguistically diverse children. In this study it is used to enhance assessment of pre-school children with primary language impairment. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a dynamic assessment (DA) has the potential to enhance the predictive capacity of a static measure of receptive vocabulary in pre-school children. Forty pre-school children were assessed using the static British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS), a DA of word learning potential and an assessment of non-verbal cognitive ability. Thirty-seven children were followed up 6 months later and re-assessed using the BPVS. Although the predictive capacity of the static measure was found to be substantial, the DA increased this significantly especially for children with static scores below the 25th centile. The DA of children's word learning has the potential to add value to the static assessment of the child with low language skills, to predict subsequent receptive vocabulary skills and to increase the chance of correctly identifying children in need of ongoing support.
Cultural entrainment of motor skill development: Learning to write hiragana in Japanese primary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Nonaka, Tetsushi

2017-09-01

The aim of the present study was to examine how the social norms shared in a classroom environment influence the development of movement dynamics of handwriting of children who participate in the environment. To look into this issue, the following aspects of the entire period of classroom learning of hiragana letters in Japanese 1st graders who had just entered primary school were studied: First, the structure of classroom events and the specific types of interaction and learning within such environment were described. Second, in the experiment involving 6-year-old children who participated in the class, writing movements of children and their changes over the period of hiragana education were analyzed for each stroke composing letters. It was found that writing movement of children became differentiated in a manner specific to the different types of stroke endings, to which children were systematically encouraged to attend in the classroom. The results provide a detailed description of the process of how dynamics of fine motor movement of children is modulated by the social norms of a populated, classroom environment in a non-Latin alphabet writing system. © 2017 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Model of Itinerant Intervention for the audition and language primary teacher

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Luque de la Rosa

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Immersed as we are in a process of reform of university curricula to adjust them to the European Higher Education Area, it is necessary to reflect on the professional profile developed by professionals such as Audition and Language Itinerant Primary Teachers at schools, taking note of those factors that could have prevented the development of a role adjusted to curricular and collaborative proposals which were promoted under the LOGSE. At present, under the LOE and the new university curricula, in which it is intended to introduce the Attention for Diversity Primary Teacher profile, we have the opportunity to learn from mistakes and to promote educational work in favour of quality at schools advancing towards inclusiveness.
Research and Development Projects with ICT and students as learning designers in Primary Schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin; Sørensen, Birgitte Holm; Tosca, Susana

2014-01-01

In this paper we present some methodological challenges that emerged during the process of shaping the research design for the comprehensive and complex research project Children as learning designers in a digital school. The project is the realization of our proposal to a research call from...... to the need to strengthen the populations’ digital literacy and 21st century competencies. The call’s scope was research and development projects as pilot school experiments in relation to five selected areas. The selected projects should contribute with new generalizable and practice oriented knowledge...... of how: • ICT supports students learning, • ICT release time for more teaching, and • teachers digital literacy impact on the role of ICT in the educational practice. Further the call required collaboration between universities and university colleges in order to disseminate knowledge and new practices...

Posttraining transcranial magnetic stimulation of striate cortex disrupts consolidation early in visual skill learning.

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De Weerd, Peter; Reithler, Joel; van de Ven, Vincent; Been, Marin; Jacobs, Christianne; Sack, Alexander T

2012-02-08

Practice-induced improvements in skilled performance reflect "offline " consolidation processes extending beyond daily training sessions. According to visual learning theories, an early, fast learning phase driven by high-level areas is followed by a late, asymptotic learning phase driven by low-level, retinotopic areas when higher resolution is required. Thus, low-level areas would not contribute to learning and offline consolidation until late learning. Recent studies have challenged this notion, demonstrating modified responses to trained stimuli in primary visual cortex (V1) and offline activity after very limited training. However, the behavioral relevance of modified V1 activity for offline consolidation of visual skill memory in V1 after early training sessions remains unclear. Here, we used neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) directed to a trained retinotopic V1 location to test for behaviorally relevant consolidation in human low-level visual cortex. Applying TMS to the trained V1 location within 45 min of the first or second training session strongly interfered with learning, as measured by impaired performance the next day. The interference was conditional on task context and occurred only when training in the location targeted by TMS was followed by training in a second location before TMS. In this condition, high-level areas may become coupled to the second location and uncoupled from the previously trained low-level representation, thereby rendering consolidation vulnerable to interference. Our data show that, during the earliest phases of skill learning in the lowest-level visual areas, a behaviorally relevant form of consolidation exists of which the robustness is controlled by high-level, contextual factors.
Professional learning for distributed leadership:Primary headteachers’ perspectives

OpenAIRE

Torrance, Deirdre

2015-01-01

This article draws from a small-scale study of headteachers motivated to positively impact on the quality of pupil experience by involving all staff in a distributed perspective on leadership. Each headteacher perceived leadership as involving learned processes requiring support and experience, expending considerable effort in providing a fertile environment for learning about its practice. This perspective developed from their personal experience of challenging established leadership orthodo...
Training teachers to teach mental health skills to staff in primary care settings in a vast, under-populated area.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, D P; Gask, L; Zakroyeva, A; Proselkova, E; Ryzhkova, N; Williams, P

2012-12-01

Background The Arkhangelsk Oblast is an area the size of France with a sparsely distributed population. The existing primary care staff have had very little training in the management of mental health disorders, despite the frequency of these disorders in the population. They requested special teaching on depression, suicide, somatisation and alcohol problems. Methods An educational intervention was developed in partnership with mental health and primary care staff in Russia, to develop mental health skills using established, evidence-based methods. After a preliminary demonstration of teaching methods to be employed, a 5-day full-time teaching course was offered to trainers of general practitioners and feldshers. Results The findings are presented by providing details of improvements that occurred over a 3-month period in four areas, namely depression in primary care, somatic presentations of distress, dealing with suicidal patients, and alcohol problems. We present preliminary data on how the training has generalised since our visits to Archangelsk. Conclusions Teachers who are used to teaching by didactic lectures can be taught the value of short introductory talks that invite discussion, and mental health skills can be taught using role play. The content of such training should be driven by perceived local needs, and developed in conjunction with local leaders and teachers within primary care services. Further research will be needed to establish the impact on clinical outcomes.
Improved Discriminability of Spatiotemporal Neural Patterns in Rat Motor Cortical Areas as Directional Choice Learning Progresses

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Hongwei eMao

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Animals learn to choose a proper action among alternatives to improve their odds of success in food foraging and other activities critical for survival. Through trial-and-error, they learn correct associations between their choices and external stimuli. While a neural network that underlies such learning process has been identified at a high level, it is still unclear how individual neurons and a neural ensemble adapt as learning progresses. In this study, we monitored the activity of single units in the rat medial and lateral agranular (AGm and AGl, respectively areas as rats learned to make a left or right side lever press in response to a left or right side light cue. We noticed that rat movement parameters during the performance of the directional choice task quickly became stereotyped during the first 2-3 days or sessions. But learning the directional choice problem took weeks to occur. Accompanying rats’ behavioral performance adaptation, we observed neural modulation by directional choice in recorded single units. Our analysis shows that ensemble mean firing rates in the cue-on period did not change significantly as learning progressed, and the ensemble mean rate difference between left and right side choices did not show a clear trend of change either. However, the spatiotemporal firing patterns of the neural ensemble exhibited improved discriminability between the two directional choices through learning. These results suggest a spatiotemporal neural coding scheme in a motor cortical neural ensemble that may be responsible for and contributing to learning the directional choice task.
Didactital design of mathematics teaching in primary school

Science.gov (United States)

Nur’aeni, E.; Muharram, M. R. W.

2018-05-01

The fact that the low ability of geometrical understanding of primary school students is what triggers this study to be conducted. Thus, this research aimed to find out how to create a didactical design of students' mathematical understanding, particularly on one of geometry materials that is unit of length. A qualitative approach promoting Didactical Design Research (DDR) was administered in this study. Participants of the study were primary school students in Tasikmalaya, an city in West Java Province, Indonesia. The results show that there was a learning design based on learning obstacles found in the mathematics teaching and learning processes. The learning obstacles comprised students' difficulties in memorizing, relating, and operating the standards of unit of lengths. It has been proven that the most influential factor in the success of mathematics teaching and learning processes is the use of creative media.
in primary care

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Claire van Deventer

Keywords: child HIV, doctor involvement, primary health care, quality improvement ... expertise increased, PHC facilities are now expected to be able to .... organised patient documentation were revisited. .... Review: what can we learn from quality ... South Pacific: Review of evidence and lessons from an innovative.
Pedagogy framework design in social networked-based learning: Focus on children with learning difficulties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samira Sadat Sajadi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an investigation on the theory of constructivism applicable for learners with learning difficulties, specifically learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD. The primary objective of this paper is to determine whether a constructivist technology enhanced learning pedagogy could be used to help ADHD learners cope with their educational needs within a social-media learning environment. Preliminary work is stated here, in which we are seeking evidence to determine the viability of a constructivist approach for learners with ADHD. The novelty of this research lies in the proposals to support ADHD learners to overcome their weaknesses with appropriate pedagogically sound interventions. As a result, a framework has been designed to illuminate areas in which constructivist pedagogies require to address the limitations of ADHD learners. An analytical framework addressing the suitability of a constructivist learning for ADHD is developed from a combination of literature and expert advice from those involved in the education of learners with ADHD. This analytical framework is married to a new model of pedagogy, which the authors have derived from literature analysis. Future work will expand this model to develop a constructivist social network-based learning and eventually test it in specialist schools with ADHD learners.
Applied Linguistics and Primary School Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Sue, Ed.; McCartney, Elspeth, Ed.

2011-01-01

Modern primary teachers must adapt literacy programmes and ensure efficient learning for all. They must also support children with language and literacy difficulties, children learning English as an additional language and possibly teach a modern foreign language. To do this effectively, they need to understand the applied linguistics research…
Prehypertension and hypertension among young Indonesian adults at a primary health care in a rural area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix F. Widjaja

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Prehypertension and hypertension were related with many complications of nearly every organ, but often neglected by young adults in rural area. This research was done to observe the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among young adult in a primary health care of rural area at Cicurug, Sukabumi District, West Java.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in Cicurug Public Health Center, Sukabumi District, West Java. The subjects were consecutively recruited from the outpatient clinic on Monday until Saturday in September 2012,18–25 years old, not pregnant nor having shock. They were interviewed about their age, gender, physical activity, sitting hours, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, and family history and examined by trained health professionals (weight, height, body mass index [BMI], systolic and diastolic blood pressure.Results: From 111 young adults, 34.2% had prehypertension and 17.1% had hypertension. Within sex groups, the prevalence of prehypertension was higher in females, whereas hypertension was occurred more in males. Neither of family history from mother nor father were associated with prehypertension and hypertension compared with normotension. Total activity was not associated with prehypertension (OR = 2.6; p = 0.052 and hypertension (OR = 1.758; p = 0.498. BMI was associated with hypertension (OR = 3.354; p = 0.041 and not associated with prehypertension (OR = 2.343; p = 0.099.Conclusion: Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension were relatively high among young adult in primary health care of rural area. Intervention to prevent further complications needs to be done early with lifestyle modification because blood pressure is associated with modifiable risk factors, such as BMI and total activity. (Med J Indones. 2013;22:39-45Keywords: Hypertension, prehypertension, rural area, young adult
Validating the accuracy of GIS-based accessibility analysis in determining public primary health care demand in metropolitan areas: conference presentation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mokgalaka, H

2014-07-01

Full Text Available selected for the analysis are mainly those that offered public primary health care services and acted as first point of contact with the health service delivery system. Attached to the facility data are attribute data indicating the capacity...-Based Accessibility Analysis in Determining Public Primary Health Care Demand in Metropolitan Areas Hunadi Mokgalaka July 2014 Contents • Service access planning • GIS-based accessibility analysis • Key challenges to application • Methodology...
Mobile Devices and Apps as Scaffolds to Science Learning in the Primary Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Falloon, Garry

2017-12-01

Considerable work over many years has explored the contribution technology can make to science learning, at all levels of education. In the school sector, historically this has focused on the use of fixed, desktop-based or semi-mobile laptop systems for purposes such as experiment data collection or analysis, or as a means of engaging or motivating interest in science. However, the advent of mobile devices such as iPads supported by a huge array of low or no cost apps, means that new opportunities are becoming available for teachers to explore how these resources may be useful for supporting `hands on' science learning. This article reports outcomes from a study of primary (elementary) school students' use of a series of apps integrated with practical science activities, in a topic exploring Energy concepts. It used an innovative display capture tool to examine how the students used the apps and features of their iPads to scaffold their practical work at different stages during the experiments. Results identify device functions and app-based scaffolds that assisted these students to structure their experiments, understand procedures, think about the influence of variables and communicate and share outcomes. However, they also discovered limitations in the apps' ability to support conceptual knowledge development, identifying the critical role of teachers and the importance of task structure and design to ensuring conceptual knowledge objectives are met.
Creating a Learning Environment to Promote Food Sustainability Issues in Primary Schools? Staff Perceptions of Implementing the Food for Life Partnership Programme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judy Orme

2013-03-01

Full Text Available There is increasing interest in the role that schools can play in promoting education for sustainable development (ESD, and evidence is emerging that schools can be influential in the emerging agenda around the ecological, ethical and social aspects of food, diet and nutrition. With regard to such food sustainability issues, this paper analyses the role of the Food for Life Partnership national programme in supporting garden and farm-based learning activities in 55 primary schools in England, UK. Using a mixed methods approach, the study examined the programme’s implementation through staff perceptions and a range of school change indicators. The study found that the programme delivery was associated with widespread institutional reforms. According to staff, implementation of the programme provided a range of opportunities for pupils to learn about food production and sustainability, but addressing these issues was challenging for teachers and raised a number of questions concerned with effective, equitable and on-going implementation. At a pedagogical level, teachers also reflected on conceptually challenging aspects of food sustainability as a topic for primary school education. The study identified ways that ESD programmes could support schools to think about and implement learning opportunities as well as identifying significant barriers related to resourcing such programmes.
Development of Guidelines for Mentoring Internal Supervision for the Schools under Roi-Et Office of Primary Education Service Area 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natchana Sahunil

2017-06-01

the lowest mean is evaluation of mentoring supervision. 3. Regarding the guidelines on the operation of mentoring internal supervision for the schools under Roi-Et Office of Primary Education Service Area 2, they have the suitability and feasibility, on the whole, in the high level on every factor. The guidelines are concluded and listed as follows: the operation of the mentoring internal supervision should have a support system organized in order to monitor the relationship of the supervision process between the mentor and the mentee ; a handbook of mentoring internal supervision which contains the main substances of the matters under supervision should be written and be used as part of the work and as a reference ; an orientation should be organized for mentors and mentees to get acquainted ; the evaluation of the internal supervision should cover the process, the product and working factors ; there should be achievement evaluation of the project by considering teacher development and the learning achievement of the students ; a network system of mentoring internal supervision should be built in order that personnel of the school as well as personnel of different schools can study together which will induce good collaboration ; there should be production of media, tools, equipment and documents used in internal supervision ; The activities of mentoring internal supervision should be arranged in steps, comprising: meeting before the semester begins, giving advice, focus group discussion, classroom-visit supervision, teaching observation and self-assessment, monitoring in order to give advice, support, and listen to opinions and suggestions from the teachers ; provide opportunities for the teachers to take part in setting the policy of the school ; and there should be conclusion of the operation for further improvements ; feedbacks should be used in the improvement and the work should be publicized and admired as an example in the school.
The relationship between BMI and dietary intake of primary school children from a rural area of South Africa: The Ellisras longitudinal study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Den Ende, C.; Twisk, J.W.R.; Monyeki, K.D.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between dietary intake and BMI of primary school children from a rural area of South Africa cross-sectionally. Both under and over nutrition remain major health problems in South Africa. In rural areas, where especially undernutrition leads to child
Thai primary students' understanding of nature of science (NOS) in learning about force and motion for explicit NOS through STS approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jimakorn, Narakorn; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

This paper aimed to study of primary school students' understanding of nature of science in learning about force and motion for Explicit Nature of Science through science technology and society (STS) approach. Participants were 11 Grade 5 students who study in Baan Khongtaphet, Bothong, Chonburi, Thailand. This research regarded interpretive paradigm. The intervention of STS physics provided 4 weeks of teaching about force and motion through Yuenyong (2006) science technology and society (STS) approach. The issues of making skate board was brought into the class in order to enhance students learning about force and motion and applying knowledge for designing skate board. The intervention was also designed to allow students explicitly mentioning their ideas about nature of science related to learning activities of STS force and motion. Students' understanding of nature of science was interpreted through students' worksheets, participant observation, students' journal writing and informal interview. The findings revealed that majority of students could reflect their ideas related to many aspects of nature of science. This included Science demands and relies on empirical evidence; knowledge production in science shares many common factors and shared habits of mind, norms, logical thinking and methods; tentative of scientific knowledge; historical, cultural and social influences on science; historical, cultural and social influences on science; science and its methods cannot answer all questions. The study has implications for NOS teaching in Thailand primary school.
Healthcare provider perceptions of the role of interprofessional care in access to and outcomes of primary care in an underserved area.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Shaowei; Teichman, Peter G; Latif, David; Boyd, Jennifer; Gupta, Rahul

2018-03-01

To meet the needs of an aging population who often have multiple chronic conditions, interprofessional care is increasingly adopted by patient-centred medical homes and Accountable Care Organisations to improve patient care coordination and decrease costs in the United States, especially in underserved areas with primary care workforce shortages. In this cross-sectional survey across multiple clinical settings in an underserved area, healthcare providers perceived overall outcomes associated with interprofessional care teams as positive. This included healthcare providers' beliefs that interprofessional care teams improved patient outcomes, increased clinic efficiency, and enhanced care coordination and patient follow-up. Teams with primary care physician available each day were perceived as better able to coordinate care and follow up with patients (p = .031), while teams that included clinical pharmacists were perceived as preventing medication-associated problems (p care model as a useful strategy to improve various outcomes across different clinical settings in the context of a shortage of primary care physicians.
Creating a supportive learning environment for students with learning difficulties

OpenAIRE

Grah, Jana

2013-01-01

Co-building of supporting learning environment for the learners with learning difficulties is one of the 21st century inclusive school’s elements. Since the physical presence of learners with learning difficulties in the classroom does not self-evidently lead to an effective co-operation and implementation of 21st century inclusive school, I have dedicated my doctor thesis to the establishment of supporting learning environment for the learners with learning difficulties in primary school wit...
Visual Perceptual Learning and Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Dosher, Barbara; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2017-09-15

Visual perceptual learning through practice or training can significantly improve performance on visual tasks. Originally seen as a manifestation of plasticity in the primary visual cortex, perceptual learning is more readily understood as improvements in the function of brain networks that integrate processes, including sensory representations, decision, attention, and reward, and balance plasticity with system stability. This review considers the primary phenomena of perceptual learning, theories of perceptual learning, and perceptual learning's effect on signal and noise in visual processing and decision. Models, especially computational models, play a key role in behavioral and physiological investigations of the mechanisms of perceptual learning and for understanding, predicting, and optimizing human perceptual processes, learning, and performance. Performance improvements resulting from reweighting or readout of sensory inputs to decision provide a strong theoretical framework for interpreting perceptual learning and transfer that may prove useful in optimizing learning in real-world applications.
Improvement of auditory hallucinations and reduction of primary auditory area's activation following TMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giesel, Frederik L.; Mehndiratta, Amit; Hempel, Albrecht; Hempel, Eckhard; Kress, Kai R.; Essig, Marco; Schröder, Johannes

2012-01-01

Background: In the present case study, improvement of auditory hallucinations following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy was investigated with respect to activation changes of the auditory cortices. Methods: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), activation of the auditory cortices was assessed prior to and after a 4-week TMS series of the left superior temporal gyrus in a schizophrenic patient with medication-resistant auditory hallucinations. Results: Hallucinations decreased slightly after the third and profoundly after the fourth week of TMS. Activation in the primary auditory area decreased, whereas activation in the operculum and insula remained stable. Conclusions: Combination of TMS and repetitive fMRI is promising to elucidate the physiological changes induced by TMS.
Learning Styles of Law Enforcement Officers: Does Police Work Affect How Officers Learn?

Science.gov (United States)

Landry, John M.

2011-01-01

This quantitative study utilized the VARK learning style preference assessment instrument to examine how full-time sworn law enforcement officers learn and attempted to identify a predominant learning style preference among the participants. The primary question was: Which is the dominant learning style preference of full-time sworn law…

The impact of family planning on primary school enrolment in sub-national areas within 25 African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Longwe, Abiba; Smits, Jeroen

2013-06-01

We study how the availability and use of family planning services in African countries influences the family planning situation of households and through this the educational participation of young children. A district panel dataset is used for 441 urban and rural areas within 233 districts of 25 countries. Path analysis shows that a decrease in the number of births is associated with an increase in educational participation in the area. The number of births is negatively associated with acceptance, knowledge and actual use of contraceptives in the area. As reversed causality and selection bias seem unlikely, the identified relationship probably is at least partially causal. Hence, investments in family planning services in poor areas are not only important because they allow women to plan their births better, but also because they may lead to higher primary enrolment rates and thus contribute to the region's future economic growth.
Multidisciplinary practice experience of nursing faculty and their collaborators for primary health care in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mi Ja; Chung, Hyang-In Cho; Ahn, Yang Heui

2008-03-01

This study aimed to describe the range of participation of nursing faculty members and their collaborators in multidisciplinary primary health care in Korea and to analyze facilitators, benefits, barriers, and learned lessons. An exploratory descriptive research design was utilized. A total of 13 nursing faculty members and 13 multidisciplinary collaborators were interviewed face to face using a brief questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide. Descriptive statistics, comparative analysis, and content analysis were used for data analysis. About 43% of the nursing faculty had multidisciplinary primary health care experience. Facilitators included a government-funded research/demonstration project, personal belief and expertise in primary health care, and well-delineated role boundaries. Benefits included improved quality of life, more convenient community life, meeting multifaceted needs of community residents, and enhanced research activities. Barriers were lack of teamwork; territoriality and self-protective behaviors; lack of insight into primary health care among stakeholders; nurses undervaluing their work; and the rigid bureaucratic system of public health centers. Learned lessons were the importance of teamwork and its synergistic benefits, the importance of conducting clinically relevant research, having the government's support in the improvement of public health, developing health policies through multidisciplinary primary health care (M-D PHC) work, and respecting each other's territory and expertise. Teamwork should be included in all health professions' curricula, and nursing clinical practicums should include primary health care in all specialty areas. More faculties should engage in multidisciplinary primary health care. The benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to primary health care outweigh the difficulties experienced by multidisciplinary team members. The findings of this study may be useful for future multidisciplinary primary health
Mars mission program for primary students: Building student and teacher skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Mathers, Naomi; Pakakis, Michael; Christie, Ian

2011-09-01

The Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) scenario-based programs, including the Mission to Mars and Mission to the Orbiting Space Laboratory, utilize methodologies such as hands-on applications, immersive learning, integrated technologies, critical thinking and mentoring. The use of a scenario provides a real-life context and purpose to what students might otherwise consider disjointed information. These programs engage students in the areas of maths and science, and highlight potential career paths in science and engineering. The introduction of a scenario-based program for primary students engages students in maths and science at a younger age, addressing the issues of basic numeracy and science literacy, thus laying the foundation for stronger senior science initiatives. Primary students absorb more information within the context of the scenario, and presenting information they can see, hear, touch and smell creates a memorable learning and sensory experience. The mission also supports development of teacher skills in the delivery of hands-on science and helps build their confidence to teach science. The Primary Mission to the Mars Base gives primary school students access to an environment and equipment not available in schools. Students wear flight suits for the duration of the program to immerse them in the experience of being an astronaut. Astronauts work in the VSSEC Space Laboratory, which is transformed into a Mars base for the primary program, to conduct experiments in areas such as robotics, human physiology, microbiology, nanotechnology and environmental science. Specialist mission control software has been developed by La Trobe University Centre for Games Technology to provide age appropriate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based problem solving and support the concept of a mission. Students in Mission Control observe the astronauts working in the space laboratory and talk to them via the AV system. This interactive
Technologically Enhanced Language Learning in Primary Schools in England, France and Spain: Developing Linguistic Competence in a Technologically Enhanced Classroom Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Macrory, Gee; Chretien, Lucette; Ortega-Martin, Jose Luis

2012-01-01

This paper reports on an EU-funded project (Ref: 134244-2007-UK-COMENIUS-CMP) that explored the impact of technology, notably video-conferencing, on primary school children's language learning in England, France and Spain. Data were gathered from the children in the project, their teachers and also from trainee teachers placed in the schools. The…
[Accidents with biological material in health care workers in 2 primary health care areas (1990-1999)].

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández Navarrete, M J; Montes Villameriel, F J; Solano Bernad, V M; Sánchez Matienzo, D; del Val García, J L; Gil Montalbán, E; Arribas Llorente, J L

2001-09-15

To find out the exposures with biological material in health care workers in primary health care, registered in the biological accidents database from Preventive Medicine Service in Miguel Servet Universitary Hospital of Zaragoza. Descriptive study of a retrospective cohort. SITE: Primary health care, Areas II and V of Zaragoza.Participants. Workers in this areas, distributed by: physician, nursing staff, auxiliary, orderly, housekeeping staff, others. Data of: workers, accident, serologic source, worker protection and vaccinal status of hepatitis B. The incidence of accidents was 26 (period 1997-1999). Most proportion of accidents were declared by nursing (78%). The highest occupational incidence was in auxiliary (63 ). In 90,1% of the cases, the accident was needlestick injury. The source was known in 67,7% of cases. The accidents occurred in hands in 96,8% of cases, and only one third of workers carried gloves. Results obtained are similar with previous studies about this event. We must insist on the need to declare these accidents, providing more information and accessibility for the declaration to worker. Moreover, we must insist on the correct application in the health care field of the standard precautions, because almost 50% of accidents are evitable, and to increase hepatitis B vaccination covertures.
Parental Choice of Schooling, Learning Processes and Inter-Ethnic Friendship Patterns: The Case of Malay Students in Chinese Primary Schools in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Sua, Tan Yao; Ngah, Kamarudin; Darit, Sezali Md.

2013-01-01

This study surveys 200 Malay students enrolled in three Chinese primary schools in relation to three issues, i.e., parental choice of schooling, learning processes and inter-ethnic friendship patterns. The three issues are explored through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Parental expectations for their…
Teacher Feedback during Active Learning: Current Practices in Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

van den Bergh, Linda; Ros, Anje; Beijaard, Douwe

2013-01-01

Background: Feedback is one of the most powerful tools, which teachers can use to enhance student learning. It appears dif?cult for teachers to give qualitatively good feedback, especially during active learning. In this context, teachers should provide facilitative feedback that is focused on the development of meta-cognition and social learning.…
Secondary school learners' perceptions of responsible citizenship as taught in the life orientation learning area: a case study

OpenAIRE

2008-01-01

In this study, secondary school learners perceptions of Responsible Citizenship as taught in the Life Orientation learning area are explored. Citizen Education, which is set out in Learning Outcome Two of the Life Orientation Curriculum, forms the basis of the programme used to conduct this study. An international as well as a national perspective of Responsible Citizenship and the teaching thereof is explicated with special reference being made to the Further Education and Training Band. The...
Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Area Promotes Implicit Motor Learning in a Golf Putting Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Frank F; Yeung, Andrew Y; Poolton, Jamie M; Lee, Tatia M C; Leung, Gilberto K K; Masters, Rich S W

2015-01-01

Implicit motor learning is characterized by low dependence on working memory and stable performance despite stress, fatigue, or multi-tasking. However, current paradigms for implicit motor learning are based on behavioral interventions that are often task-specific and limited when applied in practice. To investigate whether cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area during motor learning suppressed working memory activity and reduced explicit verbal-analytical involvement in movement control, thereby promoting implicit motor learning. Twenty-seven healthy individuals practiced a golf putting task during a Training Phase while receiving either real cathodal tDCS stimulation over the left DLPFC area or sham stimulation. Their performance was assessed during a Test phase on another day. Verbal working memory capacity was assessed before and after the Training Phase, and before the Test Phase. Compared to sham stimulation, real stimulation suppressed verbal working memory activity after the Training Phase, but enhanced golf putting performance during the Training Phase and the Test Phase, especially when participants were required to multi-task. Cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC may foster implicit motor learning and performance in complex real-life motor tasks that occur during sports, surgery or motor rehabilitation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Men learning to be primary school teachers

OpenAIRE

Smedley, Susan May

2005-01-01

Abstract: Few men choose to become primary school teachers. Those who do move into a world often thought of as feminised and contend with a publiclyvoiced rhetoric which simultaneously idealises and demonises them. It has not been the norm for women to research men. I am setting out from a different place as a woman and former primary school teacher writing about men doing women's work in what can be seen as a man's world. The problem I am tackling is embedded in two questions. First, how do ...
The effects of learning analytics empowered technology on the students' arithmetic skills learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knoop-van Campen, C.A.N.; Molenaar, I.; Hasselman, F.W.

2017-01-01

Learning analytics empowered educational technologies (LA-ET) in primary classrooms lead to blended learning scenarios with teacher lead instruction, class paced and individually paced practice. Learning analytics may function as a bridge between class and individual paced activities to support
Exploring the Moderating Role of Self-Management of Learning in Mobile English Learning

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Huang, Rui-Ting

2014-01-01

Although a considerable number of studies have revealed that self-management of learning (SML) could be closely related to learning achievements, there is still a paucity of research investigating the moderating effect of self-management of learning on mobile learning outcomes. Accordingly, the primary purpose of this study was to explore the…
Learning receptive fields using predictive feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Jehee, Janneke F M; Rothkopf, Constantin; Beck, Jeffrey M; Ballard, Dana H

2006-01-01

Previously, it was suggested that feedback connections from higher- to lower-level areas carry predictions of lower-level neural activities, whereas feedforward connections carry the residual error between the predictions and the actual lower-level activities [Rao, R.P.N., Ballard, D.H., 1999. Nature Neuroscience 2, 79-87.]. A computational model implementing the hypothesis learned simple cell receptive fields when exposed to natural images. Here, we use predictive feedback to explain tuning properties in medial superior temporal area (MST). We implement the hypothesis using a new, biologically plausible, algorithm based on matching pursuit, which retains all the features of the previous implementation, including its ability to efficiently encode input. When presented with natural images, the model developed receptive field properties as found in primary visual cortex. In addition, when exposed to visual motion input resulting from movements through space, the model learned receptive field properties resembling those in MST. These results corroborate the idea that predictive feedback is a general principle used by the visual system to efficiently encode natural input.
The Development of the Academic Administration Model of Basic Primary Educational Institutions under the Office of Sakon Nakhon Educational Service Area Office 3

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Kamonlrat Kaenchan

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The research aimed to 1 examine the current conditions, problems and academic administration of basic education schools under the office of Sakon Nakhon educational service area office 3, 2 develop the academic administration model of basic educational schools under the office of Sakon Nakhon educational service area office 3. The study was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1: Study the researches and literatures concerning the framework, the current conditions and the problems of academic administration to gain the concept for constructing a set of questionnaire. The questionnaire was then used to collect data from 50 administrators, 83 heads of academic sections and 198 heads of learning areas ; and interviewed the administrators of 5 schools that ranked top-five of the national education test scores (O-NET and were certified by the office of educational standard assurance and quality assessment in the third-round inspection. Phase 2: Construct the model of educational administration of basic education schools under the office of Sakon Nakhon educational service area office 3, held a focus group discussion of which the participants were 2 educational administrators and 5 school directors on the constructed model, evaluated the educational administration models of the schools under the office of Sakon Nakhon educational service area office 3 by 30 school administrators and teachers. The instruments used to collect data were a set of questionnaire, interviewing forms, recording forms and evaluating forms. The data were analyzed by a computer application. The statistics used to analyze the data were percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results were as follows: 1 The current conditions of academic administration of basic education schools under the office of Sakon Nakhon educational service area office 3, overall, were at a high level. The highest mean was the development of the learning process. The problems of academic administration, overall
A Learning Activity Design Framework for Supporting Mobile Learning

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Jalal Nouri

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article introduces the Learning Activity Design (LEAD framework for the development and implementation of mobile learning activities in primary schools. The LEAD framework draws on methodological perspectives suggested by design-based research and interaction design in the specific field of technology-enhanced learning (TEL. The LEAD framework is grounded in four design projects conducted over a period of six years. It contributes a new understanding of the intricacies and multifaceted aspects of the design-process characterizing the development and implementation of mobile devices (i.e. smart phones and tablets in curricular activities conducted in Swedish primary schools. This framework is intended to provide both designers and researchers with methodological tools that take account of the pedagogical foundations of technologically-based educational interventions, usability issues related to the interaction with the mobile application developed, multiple data streams generated during the design project, multiple stakeholders involved in the design process and sustainability aspects of the mobile learning activities implemented in the school classroom.
Introducing Cooperative Learning to Primary 1 and Primary 2 Pupils

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Fong, Salim; Ho, Linda; Chew, Lay See; Wong, Kok Wah; Wee, Sheila; Jacobs, George M.

2000-01-01

It was scary at first. Just getting P1 and 2 students to follow basic instructions is hard enough; trying to get them to work together in groups seemed like asking for extra trouble. But, a dash or two of trouble adds a bit of spice to a veteran teacher's life; so the four of us teachers at Mayflower Primary School--a neighbourhood school in Ang…
Support for learning in the perspective of patient safety in primary health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Paranaguá, Thatianny Tanferri de Brito; Bezerra, Ana Lúcia Queiroz; Tobias, Gabriela Camargo; Ciosak, Suely Itsuko

2016-08-18

to analyze the support for learning, in the perspective of patient safety, offered in the work environment, according to health professionals working in primary care. a transversal study, held with 86 health professionals working in primary care. A validated instrument was used, applied via the Internet. Descriptive statistical analysis was undertaken with a presentation of median, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation. points which are favorable to supporting learning were evidenced, such as mutual respect, autonomy for organizing the work and valorization of new ideas, which obtained means above 7.0. The variables which hinder the process of learning in the work environment, perceived by the professionals, were: resistance to changes, and excess of work impeding reflection on how to improve the work, with means above 6.0. the study found evidence of indicators related to the process of staff development in the area of health and indicates the influence of support for learning for the improvement of the work processes and of patient safety. It is necessary that a culture involving the systematic assessment of educational interventions in health should be established, the aim being to diagnose actions which are more incisive for changing health professionals' attitude and, therefore, clinical practice. analisar o suporte para a aprendizagem, na perspectiva da segurança do paciente, oferecido no ambiente de trabalho, segundo os profissionais de saúde atuantes na atenção primária. estudo transversal, conduzido com 86 profissionais de saúde atuantes na atenção primária. Utilizou-se instrumento validado, aplicado via web. Foi realizada análise estatística descritiva com apresentação de mediana, média, desvio padrão e coeficiente de variação. foram evidenciados pontos favoráveis de suporte à aprendizagem, como respeito mútuo, autonomia para organizar o trabalho e a valorização de novas ideias, que obtiveram médias acima de 7,0. As
Implication of the displacement of the T1 primary target in the west area at the CERN SPS

CERN Document Server

Gatignon, L

1999-01-01

As soon as the transfer line T12 for proton injection into the LHC must be installed, the T1 primary target has to be at least partly dismantled, as its shielding would block the passage of the beam. Even though the installation of T12 is only foreseen for later, in view of sharing of workload related to the SLI project, it is preferred to move the primary production target T1 for the West Area to its new position already in the shutdown 1999/2000. The new position of the target requires major modifications of support structures in TCC6, of the transfer line towards T1 and of a more than 500 metres long section of the H3 secondary beam in the West Area, all to be completed in the 1999/2000 shutdown. To allow the work to be finished in time, part of it (including some civil engineering in TT4) is already done in the 1998/99 shutdown. In this memo the necessary modifications are described, cost estimates are given and a planning is provided.
Implementation and Evaluation of Two Educational Strategies to Improve Screening for Eating Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Gooding, Holly C; Cheever, Elizabeth; Forman, Sara F; Hatoun, Jonathan; Jooma, Farah; Touloumtzis, Currie; Vernacchio, Louis

2017-05-01

Routine screening for disordered eating or body image concerns is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. We evaluated the ability of two educational interventions to increase screening for eating disorders in pediatric primary care practice, predicting that the "active-learning" group would have an increase in documented screening after intervention. We studied 303 practitioners in a large independent practice association located in the northeastern United States. We used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of printed educational materials ("print-learning" group, n = 280 participants) compared with in-person shared learning followed by on-line spaced education ("active-learning" group, n = 23 participants) on documented screening of adolescents for eating disorder symptoms during preventive care visits. A subset of 88 participants completed additional surveys regarding knowledge of eating disorders, comfort screening for, diagnosing, and treating eating disorders, and satisfaction with their training regarding eating disorders. During the preintervention period, 4.5% of patients seen by practitioners in both the print-learning and active-learning groups had chart documentation of screening for eating disorder symptoms or body image concerns. This increased to 22% in the active-learning group and 5.7% in the print-learning group in the postintervention period, a statistically significant result. Compared with print-learning participants, active-learning group participants had greater eating disorder knowledge scores, increases in comfort diagnosing eating disorders, and satisfaction with their training in this area. In-person shared learning followed by on-line spaced education is more effective than print educational materials for increasing provider documentation of screening for eating disorders in primary care. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effects of prior knowledge on learning from different compositions of representations in a mobile learning environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T.-C. Liu (Tzu-Chien); Y.-C. Lin (Yi-Chun); G.W.C. Paas (Fred)

2014-01-01

textabstractTwo experiments examined the effects of prior knowledge on learning from different compositions of multiple representations in a mobile learning environment on plant leaf morphology for primary school students. Experiment 1 compared the learning effects of a mobile learning environment

A Model for Predicting Learning Flow and Achievement in Corporate e-Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Joo, Young Ju; Lim, Kyu Yon; Kim, Su Mi

2012-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of learning flow and achievement in corporate online training. Self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and test anxiety were selected as learners' motivational factors, while perceived usefulness and ease of use were also selected as learning environmental factors. Learning flow was…
An Analysis of Learning Activities in a Technology Education Textbook for Teachers : Learning Process Based on Contents Framework and Learning Scene to Develop Technological Literacy

OpenAIRE

Yata, Chikahiko; Hamamoto, Kengo; Oguri, Takenori

2014-01-01

This study analyzed the learning activities in a textbook on technology education for teachers, in order to examine the learning processes and learning scenes detailed therein. Results of analyzing learning process, primary learning activity found each contents framework. Other learning activities designated to be related to complementary in learning process. Results of analyzing learning scene, 14 learning scenes, among them "Scene to recognize the impact on social life and progress of techn...
Anomaly detection in wide area network mesh using two machine learning anomaly detection algorithms

OpenAIRE

Zhang, James; Vukotic, Ilija; Gardner, Robert

2018-01-01

Anomaly detection is the practice of identifying items or events that do not conform to an expected behavior or do not correlate with other items in a dataset. It has previously been applied to areas such as intrusion detection, system health monitoring, and fraud detection in credit card transactions. In this paper, we describe a new method for detecting anomalous behavior over network performance data, gathered by perfSONAR, using two machine learning algorithms: Boosted Decision Trees (BDT...
Game-Based Learning: Increasing the Logical-Mathematical, Naturalistic, and Linguistic Learning Levels of Primary School Students

Science.gov (United States)

del Moral Pérez, M. Esther; Duque, Alba P. Guzmán; García, L. Carlota Fernández

2018-01-01

Game-based learning is an innovative methodology that takes advantage of the educational potential offered by videogames in general and serious games in particular to boost training processes, thus making it easier for users to achieve motivated learning. The present paper focuses on the description of the Game to Learn Project, which has as its…
Cooperative Learning in Elementary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Slavin, Robert E.

2015-01-01

Cooperative learning refers to instructional methods in which students work in small groups to help each other learn. Although cooperative learning methods are used for different age groups, they are particularly popular in elementary (primary) schools. This article discusses methods and theoretical perspectives on cooperative learning for the…
Mental disorders and the use of primary health care services among homeless shelter users in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenius-Ayoade, Agnes; Haaramo, Peija; Erkkilä, Elisabet; Marola, Niko; Nousiainen, Kirsi; Wahlbeck, Kristian; Eriksson, Johan G

2017-06-21

Homelessness is associated with increased morbidity, mortality and health care use. The aim of this study was to examine the role of mental disorders in relation to the use of 1) daytime primary health care services and 2) after hours primary health care emergency room (PHER) services among homeless shelter users in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. The study cohort consists of all 158 homeless persons using the four shelters operating in the study area during two selected nights. The health records were analyzed over a period of 3 years prior to the sample nights and data on morbidity and primary health care visits were gathered. We used negative binomial regression to estimate the association between mental disorders and daytime visits to primary health care and after hours visits to PHERs. During the 3 years the 158 homeless persons in the cohort made 1410 visits to a physician in primary health care. The cohort exhibited high rates of mental disorders, including substance use disorders (SUDs); i.e. 141 persons (89%) had a mental disorder. We found dual diagnosis, defined as SUD concurring with other mental disorder, to be strongly associated with daytime primary health care utilization (IRR 11.0, 95% CI 5.9-20.6) when compared with those without any mental disorder diagnosis. The association was somewhat weaker for those with only SUDs (IRR 4.9, 95% CI 2.5-9.9) or with only other mental disorders (IRR 5.0, 95% CI 2.4-10.8). When focusing upon the after hours visits to PHERs we observed that both dual diagnosis (IRR 14.1, 95% CI 6.3-31.2) and SUDs (11.5, 95% CI 5.7-23.3) were strongly associated with utilization of PHERs compared to those without any mental disorder. In spite of a high numbers of visits, we found undertreatment of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Dual diagnosis is particularly strongly associated with primary health care daytime visits among homeless persons staying in shelters, while after hours visits to primary
[Primary Health Care in Austria - Tu Felix Austria nube - Concept for networking in the primary care of Upper Austria].

Science.gov (United States)

Kriegel, Johannes; Rebhandl, Erwin; Hockl, Wolfgang; Stöbich, Anna-Maria

2017-10-01

The primary health care in rural areas in Austria is currently determined by challenges such as ageing of the population, the shift towards chronic and age-related illnesses, the specialist medical and hospital-related education and training of physicians' as well growing widespread difficulty of staffing doctor's office. The objective is to realize a general practitioner centered and team-oriented primary health care (PHC) approach by establishing networked primary health care in rural areas of Austria. Using literature research, online survey, expert interviews and expert workshops, we identified different challenges in terms of primary health care in rural areas. Further, current resources and capacities of primary health care in rural areas were identified using the example of the district of Rohrbach. Twelve design dimensions and 51 relevant measurement indicators of a PHC network were delineated and described. Based on this, 12 design approaches of PHC concept for the GP-centered and team-oriented primary health care in rural areas have been developed.
Designing Learning Resources in Synchronous Learning Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Rene B

2015-01-01

Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) and synchronous learning environments offer new solutions for teachers and students that transcend the singular one-way transmission of content knowledge from teacher to student. CMC makes it possible not only to teach computer mediated but also to design...... and create new learning resources targeted to a specific group of learners. This paper addresses the possibilities of designing learning resources within synchronous learning environments. The empirical basis is a cross-country study involving students and teachers in primary schools in three Nordic...... Countries (Denmark, Sweden and Norway). On the basis of these empirical studies a set of design examples is drawn with the purpose of showing how the design fulfills the dual purpose of functioning as a remote, synchronous learning environment and - using the learning materials used and recordings...
Reading comprehension and textual consciousness on primary school

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Vera Wannmacher Pereira

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The difficulties on reading comprehension in the primary school are evidenced by several official exams applied. Given these statistics and the evidences obtained through academic research and observations on children’s performance during the school life, there is acknowledgment of the situation as a problem that requires further development and finding solutions. The Psycholinguistics is giving its contribution, especially regarding the role of linguistic consciousness on reading learning. Many studies have been conducted specifically focusing on phonological consciousness. Studies on syntactic consciousness are also found, although less than phonological ones. Regarding the role of textual consciousness, few initiatives considers the students of the primary school. This makes the author proposes as the heartland of this communication the textual consciousness with support predominantly on Gombert (1992, aiming to examine the relationship between this level of consciousness and learning to read. Based on recent studies (PEREIRA; SCLIAR-CABRAL, 2012, the author presents in this paper: a the analysis of the context of learning and teaching of reading; b a theoretical exposition about reading learning and textual consciousness; c the pedagogical referrals for education based on the interaction between these two topics; and d the development of reflections on the possibility of the proposed path contribute to the solution of the worrying problem on read learning by the primary schools students.
District Governance and Student Learning in Indonesia

OpenAIRE

Pradhan, Menno; de Ree, Joppe

2014-01-01

We document the likely importance of district governance and teacher management policies in relation to student learning in Indonesian primary schools. As the responsibility to deliver primary education has been decentralized to district governments, we expect district specific variations in teacher management policies. Consequently, we also expect variations in learning trajectories across districts. We document substantial heterogeneity in learning gains across districts. Furthermore, we sh...
Effects of Matching Multiple Memory Strategies with Computer-Assisted Instruction on Students' Statistics Learning Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Ying; Lin, Wen-He

2016-01-01

In the era when digitalization is pursued, numbers are the major medium of information performance and statistics is the primary instrument to interpret and analyze numerical information. For this reason, the cultivation of fundamental statistical literacy should be a key in the learning area of mathematics at the stage of compulsory education.…
E-learning Paradigms and The Development of E-learning Strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duus, Henrik Johannsen

2006-01-01

The e-learning area is characterized by a magnitude of different products, systems and approaches. The variations can also be observed in differences in the views and notions of e-learning among business people, researchers and journalists. This article attempts to disentangle the area by using...... economic and sociological theories, the theories of marketing management and strategy as well as practical experience gained by the author while working with leading edge suppliers of e-learning. On this basis, a distinction between knowledge creation e-learning and knowledge transfer e-learning....... The selection of which paradigm to use in the development of an e-learning strategy may prove crucial for success. Implications for the development of an e-learning strategy in businesses and learning institutions are outlined....
Prevalence of specific learning disabilities among primary school children in a South Indian city.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogasale, Vijayalaxmi V; Patil, Vishwanath D; Patil, Nanasaheb M; Mogasale, Vittal

2012-03-01

To measure the prevalence of specific learning disabilities (SpLDs) such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia among primary school children in a South Indian city. A cross-sectional multi-staged stratified randomized cluster sampling study was conducted among children aged 8-11 years from third and fourth standard. A six level screening approach that commenced with identification of scholastic backwardness followed by stepwise exclusion of impaired vision and hearing, chronic medical conditions and subnormal intelligence was carried out among these children. In the final step, the remaining children were subjected to specific tests for reading, comprehension, writing and mathematical calculation. The prevalence of specific learning disabilities was 15.17% in sampled children, whereas 12.5%, 11.2% and 10.5% had dysgraphia, dyslexia and dyscalculia respectively. This study suggests that the prevalence of SpLDs is at the higher side of previous estimations in India. The study is unique due to its large geographically representative design and identification of the problem using simplified screening approach and tools, which minimizes the number and time of specialist requirement and spares the expensive investigation. This approach and tools are suitable for field situations and resource scarce settings. Based on the authors' experience, they express the need for more prevalence studies, remedial education and policy interventions to manage SpLDs at main stream educational system to improve the school performance in Indian children.
Examining Prediction Models of Giving up within a Resource-Based Framework of Coping in Primary School Students with and without Learning Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Skues, Jason L.; Cunningham, Everarda G.; Theiler, Stephen S.

2016-01-01

This study tests a proposed model of coping outcomes for 290 primary school students in Years 5 and 6 (mean age = 11.50 years) with and without learning disabilities (LDs) within a resource-based framework of coping. Group-administered educational and intelligence tests were used to screen students for LDs. Students also completed a questionnaire…
Effects of Modality and Redundancy Principles on the Learning and Attitude of a Computer-Based Music Theory Lesson among Jordanian Primary Pupils

Science.gov (United States)

Aldalalah, Osamah Ahmad; Fong, Soon Fook

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of modality and redundancy principles on the attitude and learning of music theory among primary pupils of different aptitudes in Jordan. The lesson of music theory was developed in three different modes, audio and image (AI), text with image (TI) and audio with image and text (AIT). The…
Perceptual learning and human expertise.

Science.gov (United States)

Kellman, Philip J; Garrigan, Patrick

2009-06-01

We consider perceptual learning: experience-induced changes in the way perceivers extract information. Often neglected in scientific accounts of learning and in instruction, perceptual learning is a fundamental contributor to human expertise and is crucial in domains where humans show remarkable levels of attainment, such as language, chess, music, and mathematics. In Section 2, we give a brief history and discuss the relation of perceptual learning to other forms of learning. We consider in Section 3 several specific phenomena, illustrating the scope and characteristics of perceptual learning, including both discovery and fluency effects. We describe abstract perceptual learning, in which structural relationships are discovered and recognized in novel instances that do not share constituent elements or basic features. In Section 4, we consider primary concepts that have been used to explain and model perceptual learning, including receptive field change, selection, and relational recoding. In Section 5, we consider the scope of perceptual learning, contrasting recent research, focused on simple sensory discriminations, with earlier work that emphasized extraction of invariance from varied instances in more complex tasks. Contrary to some recent views, we argue that perceptual learning should not be confined to changes in early sensory analyzers. Phenomena at various levels, we suggest, can be unified by models that emphasize discovery and selection of relevant information. In a final section, we consider the potential role of perceptual learning in educational settings. Most instruction emphasizes facts and procedures that can be verbalized, whereas expertise depends heavily on implicit pattern recognition and selective extraction skills acquired through perceptual learning. We consider reasons why perceptual learning has not been systematically addressed in traditional instruction, and we describe recent successful efforts to create a technology of perceptual
Perceptual learning and human expertise

Science.gov (United States)

Kellman, Philip J.; Garrigan, Patrick

2009-06-01

We consider perceptual learning: experience-induced changes in the way perceivers extract information. Often neglected in scientific accounts of learning and in instruction, perceptual learning is a fundamental contributor to human expertise and is crucial in domains where humans show remarkable levels of attainment, such as language, chess, music, and mathematics. In Section 2, we give a brief history and discuss the relation of perceptual learning to other forms of learning. We consider in Section 3 several specific phenomena, illustrating the scope and characteristics of perceptual learning, including both discovery and fluency effects. We describe abstract perceptual learning, in which structural relationships are discovered and recognized in novel instances that do not share constituent elements or basic features. In Section 4, we consider primary concepts that have been used to explain and model perceptual learning, including receptive field change, selection, and relational recoding. In Section 5, we consider the scope of perceptual learning, contrasting recent research, focused on simple sensory discriminations, with earlier work that emphasized extraction of invariance from varied instances in more complex tasks. Contrary to some recent views, we argue that perceptual learning should not be confined to changes in early sensory analyzers. Phenomena at various levels, we suggest, can be unified by models that emphasize discovery and selection of relevant information. In a final section, we consider the potential role of perceptual learning in educational settings. Most instruction emphasizes facts and procedures that can be verbalized, whereas expertise depends heavily on implicit pattern recognition and selective extraction skills acquired through perceptual learning. We consider reasons why perceptual learning has not been systematically addressed in traditional instruction, and we describe recent successful efforts to create a technology of perceptual
Modeling And Simulation As The Basis For Hybridity In The Graphic Discipline Learning/Teaching Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Žiljak Vujić

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Only some fifteen years have passed since the scientific graphics discipline was established. In the transition period from the College of Graphics to «Integrated Graphic Technology Studies» to the contemporary Faculty of Graphics Arts with the University in Zagreb, three main periods of development can be noted: digital printing, computer prepress and automatic procedures in postpress packaging production. Computer technology has enabled a change in the methodology of teaching graphics technology and studying it on the level of secondary and higher education. The task has been set to create tools for simulating printing processes in order to master the program through a hybrid system consisting of methods that are separate in relation to one another: learning with the help of digital models and checking in the actual real system. We are setting a hybrid project for teaching because the overall acquired knowledge is the result of completely different methods. The first method is on the free programs level functioning without consequences. Everything remains as a record in the knowledge database that can be analyzed, statistically processed and repeated with new parameter values of the system being researched. The second method uses the actual real system where the results are in proving the value of new knowledge and this is something that encourages and stimulates new cycles of hybrid behavior in mastering programs. This is the area where individual learning incurs. The hybrid method allows the possibility of studying actual situations on a computer model, proving it on an actual real model and entering the area of learning envisaging future development.
Modeling and Simulation as the Basis for Hybridity in the Graphic Discipline Learning/Teaching Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilko Ziljak

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Only some fifteen years have passed since the scientific graphics discipline was established. In the transition period from the College of Graphics to «Integrated Graphic Technology Studies» to the contemporary Faculty of Graphics Arts with the University in Zagreb, three main periods of development can be noted: digital printing, computer prepress and automatic procedures in postpress packaging production. Computer technology has enabled a change in the methodology of teaching graphics technology and studying it on the level of secondary and higher education. The task has been set to create tools for simulating printing processes in order to master the program through a hybrid system consisting of methods that are separate in relation to one another: learning with the help of digital models and checking in the actual real system. We are setting a hybrid project for teaching because the overall acquired knowledge is the result of completely different methods. The first method is on the free programs level functioning without consequences. Everything remains as a record in the knowledge database that can be analyzed, statistically processed and repeated with new parameter values of the system being researched. The second method uses the actual real system where the results are in proving the value of new knowledge and this is something that encourages and stimulates new cycles of hybrid behavior in mastering programs. This is the area where individual learning incurs. The hybrid method allows the possibility of studying actual situations on a computer model, proving it on an actual real model and entering the area of learning envisaging future development.
A screening on Specific Learning Disorders in an Italian speaking high genetic homogeneity area.

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Cappa, Claudia; Giulivi, Sara; Schilirò, Antonino; Bastiani, Luca; Muzio, Carlo; Meloni, Fabrizio

2015-01-01

The aim of the present research is to investigate the prevalence of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) in Ogliastra, an area of the island of Sardinia, Italy. Having experienced centuries of isolation, Ogliastra has become a high genetic homogeneity area, and is considered particularly interesting for studies on different kinds of pathologies. Here we are going to describe the results of a screening carried out throughout 2 consecutive years in 49 second grade classes (24 considered in the first year and 25 in the second year of the study) of the Ogliastra region. A total of 610 pupils (average age 7.54 years; 293 female, 317 male) corresponding to 68.69% of all pupils who were attending second grade in the area, took part in the study. The tool used for the screening was "RSR-DSA. Questionnaire for the detection of learning difficulties and disorders", which allowed the identification of 83 subjects at risk (13.61% of the whole sample involved in the study). These subjects took part in an enhancement training program of about 6 months. After the program, pupils underwent assessment for reading, writing and calculation abilities, as well as cognitive assessment. According to the results of the assessment, the prevalence of SLDs is 6.06%. For what concerns dyslexia, 4.75% of the total sample manifested this disorder either in isolation or in comorbidity with other disorders. According to the first national epidemiological investigation carried out in Italy, the prevalence of dyslexia is 3.1-3.2%, which is lower than the prevalence obtained in the present study. Given the genetic basis of SLDs, this result, together with the presence of several cases of SLD in isolation (17.14%) and with a 3:1 ratio of males to females diagnosed with a SLD, was to be expected in a sample coming from a high genetic homogeneity area. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semantic Modelling for Learning Styles and Learning Material in an E-Learning Environment

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Alhasan, Khawla; Chen, Liming; Chen, Feng

2017-01-01

Various learners with various requirements have led to the raise of a crucial concern in the area of e-learning. A new technology for propagating learning to learners worldwide, has led to an evolution in the e-learning industry that takes into account all the requirements of the learning process. In spite of the wide growing, the e-learning…
The role of learning disability nurses in promoting cervical screening uptake in women with intellectual disabilities: A qualitative study.

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Lloyd, Jennifer L; Coulson, Neil S

2014-06-01

Research suggests that the uptake of cervical screening by women with intellectual disabilities (commonly known as learning disabilities within UK policy frameworks, practice areas and health services) is poor compared to women without intellectual disabilities. The present study explored learning disability nurses' experiences of supporting women with intellectual disabilities to access cervical screening in order to examine their role in promoting attendance and elucidate potential barriers and facilitators to uptake. Ten participants recruited from a specialist learning disability service completed a semi-structured interview and data were analysed using experiential thematic analysis. Identified individual barriers included limited health literacy, negative attitudes and beliefs and competing demands; barriers attributed to primary care professionals included time pressures, limited exposure to people with intellectual disabilities and lack of appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills. Attendance at cervical screening was facilitated by prolonged preparation work undertaken by learning disability nurses, helpful clinical behaviours in the primary care context and effective joint working. © The Author(s) 2014.
Effect of Demographic Factors on E-Learning Effectiveness in a Higher Learning Institution in Malaysia

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Islam, Md. Aminul; Rahim, Noor Asliza Abdul; Liang, Tan Chee; Momtaz, Hasina

2011-01-01

This research attempted to find out the effect of demographic factors on the effectiveness of the e-learning system in a higher learning Institution. The students from this institution were randomly selected in order to evaluate the effectiveness of learning system in student's learning process. The primary data source is the questionnaires that…
Enabling Real-Time Video Services over Ad-Hoc Networks Opens the Gates for E-learning in Areas Lacking Infrastructure

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Johannes Karlsson

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper we suggest a promising solution to come over the problems of delivering e-learning to areas with lack or deficiencies in infrastructure for Internet and mobile communication. We present a simple, reasonably priced and efficient communication platform for providing e-learning. This platform is based on wireless ad-hoc networks. We also present a preemptive routing protocol suitable for real-time video communication over wireless ad-hoc networks. Our results show that this routing protocol can significantly improve the quality of the received video. This makes our suggested system not only good to overcome the infrastructure barrier but even capable of delivering a high quality e-learning material.
Physical Education in English. A proposal for working postural hygiene in Primary Education

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García Pellicer, J. J.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In recent years, European Union has increased the demand for bilingual education as a tool to prepare young people in school and at work. This need has been reflected in the educational legislation of its member countries In Spain, since 2006 there is a basic competency related to foreign language learning. The Physical Education area has become an ideal means to facilitate the learning of English through play and movement. In order to facilitate the work of future teachers in the area, this article examines the teaching of Physical Education in the bilingual English. The current legislation that governs the implementation of bilingualism in schools will be presented, along with the most important methodological considerations for teaching our subject in English. Finally, in the section about practical applications, we present a circuit of activities to work postural hygiene in Primary Education. Each activity has its description in Spanish and English, along with the «teacher speech», with specific instructions to carry out in each of the exercises
Cohort Learning Online in Graduate Higher Education: Constructing Knowledge in Cyber Community

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Gabriele I. E. Strohschen

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses a qualitative participatory action research study, which examined the nature of the cohort learning experience in an online masters program, from both faculty and student perspectives. After describing this online masters program in adult education designed from a social constructivist theoretical frame, this paper discusses two primary areas of findings related to cohort learning. First, were those related to the ongoing negotiation of the learning process: the importance of an opening residential; a consistent but flexible cohort structure; and building ongoing relationships. Second, were those related to the ongoing construction of knowledge: the role of team-teaching and the cohort model in transformative learning; the application of theory to real life practice, and the value of group support and collaboration in conducting research and constructing knowledge. Implications for practice are discussed.
Relational aggression: the voices of primary school learners

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Johan Botha

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to explore and describe primary school learners' experiences of relational aggression at school. This was done within a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach. In order to give a voice to primary school learners' lived experiences of relational aggression, 25 individual interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of learners from two primary schools in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, North-West Province. Data analysis was done using Tesch's systematic open coding process. Social Learning Theory underscored the theoretical foundation that emphasises relational aggression as a socially learned phenomenon through observation. Although existing theory supports the findings, the reality, however, is that the effects of relational aggression impede negatively on learners' social and academic development and well-being. This jeopardises schools' endeavours to effectively socialise learners in order to establish and maintain effective personal and social relationships. Curtailing relational aggression has the possibility of reducing other forms of aggression in schools and will enhance the creation of effective teaching-learning environments that are conducive to teaching and learning that will support the task of schooling, which is the socialisation of learners to optimally achieve their potential in schools. The article provides some suggestions to assist teachers in endeavours to effectively curtail relational aggression.
Action Learning: How Learning Transfers from Entrepreneurs to Small Firms

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Jones, Karen; Sambrook, Sally A.; Pittaway, Luke; Henley, Andrew; Norbury, Heather

2014-01-01

This paper presents research with small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners who have participated in a leadership development programme. The primary focus of this paper is on learning transfer and factors affecting it, arguing that entrepreneurs must engage in "action" in order to "learn" and that under certain conditions…
Developing a facilitation model to promote organisational development in primary care practices

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Elwyn Glyn

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The relationship between effective organisation of general practices and health improvement is widely accepted. The Maturity Matrix is an instrument designed to assess organisational development in general practice settings and to stimulate quality improvement. It is undertaken by a practice team with the aid of a facilitator. There is a tradition in the primary care systems in many countries of using practice visitors to educate practice teams about how to improve. However the role of practice visitors as facilitators who enable teams to plan practice-led organisational development using quality improvement instruments is less well understood. The objectives of the study were to develop and explore a facilitation model to support practice teams in stimulating organisational development using a quality improvement instrument called the Maturity Matrix. A qualitative study based on transcript analysis was adopted. Method A model of facilitation was constructed based on a review of relevant literature. Audio tapes of Maturity Matrix assessment sessions with general practices were transcribed and facilitator skills were compared to the model. The sample consisted of two facilitators working with twelve general practices based in UK primary care. Results The facilitation model suggested that four areas describing eighteen skills were important. The four areas are structuring the session, obtaining consensus, handling group dynamics and enabling team learning. Facilitators effectively employed skills associated with the first three areas, but less able to consistently stimulate team learning. Conclusion This study suggests that facilitators need careful preparation for their role and practices need protected time in order to make best use of practice-led quality improvement instruments. The role of practice visitor as a facilitator is becoming important as the need to engender ownership of the quality improvement process by
Developing a facilitation model to promote organisational development in primary care practices.

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Rhydderch, Melody; Edwards, Adrian; Marshall, Martin; Elwyn, Glyn; Grol, Richard

2006-06-19

The relationship between effective organisation of general practices and health improvement is widely accepted. The Maturity Matrix is an instrument designed to assess organisational development in general practice settings and to stimulate quality improvement. It is undertaken by a practice team with the aid of a facilitator. There is a tradition in the primary care systems in many countries of using practice visitors to educate practice teams about how to improve. However the role of practice visitors as facilitators who enable teams to plan practice-led organisational development using quality improvement instruments is less well understood. The objectives of the study were to develop and explore a facilitation model to support practice teams in stimulating organisational development using a quality improvement instrument called the Maturity Matrix. A qualitative study based on transcript analysis was adopted. A model of facilitation was constructed based on a review of relevant literature. Audio tapes of Maturity Matrix assessment sessions with general practices were transcribed and facilitator skills were compared to the model. The sample consisted of two facilitators working with twelve general practices based in UK primary care. The facilitation model suggested that four areas describing eighteen skills were important. The four areas are structuring the session, obtaining consensus, handling group dynamics and enabling team learning. Facilitators effectively employed skills associated with the first three areas, but less able to consistently stimulate team learning. This study suggests that facilitators need careful preparation for their role and practices need protected time in order to make best use of practice-led quality improvement instruments. The role of practice visitor as a facilitator is becoming important as the need to engender ownership of the quality improvement process by practices increases.
International Students in American Pathway Programs: Learning English and Culture through Service-Learning

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Miller, Julie; Berkey, Becca; Griffin, Francis

2015-01-01

As the number of international students studying in the United States continues to grow, the body of literature about service-learning in English Language Learning (ELL) curricula is growing in tandem. The primary goal of this paper is to explore how service-learning impacts the development and transition of pathway program students in the United…
Common skin problems in the community and primary care.

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Armstrong, Kirsty

2014-10-01

Skin problems can be hard to diagnose, leaving clinicians frustrated and patients incorrectly treated, but rashes and lesions can be markers of systemic disease and infections. However, by using simple history-taking and mnemonics, safety and correct diagnoses can be achieved. This article will consider some common problems encountered in primary and community care, issues that need to be excluded, resources that will help with diagnosis and some management guidelines. This is not an exhaustive guide, and advice should be sought from learned colleagues in specific cases. Pressure area care and the use of compression bandaging will not be discussed unless it is of relevance to the subject of rashes and lesions.
Toward a Social Approach to Learning in Community Service Learning

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Cooks, Leda; Scharrer, Erica; Paredes, Mari Castaneda

2004-01-01

The authors describe a social approach to learning in community service learning that extends the contributions of three theoretical bodies of scholarship on learning: social constructionism, critical pedagogy, and community service learning. Building on the assumptions about learning described in each of these areas, engagement, identity, and…
Relationships Play Primary Role in Boys' Learning

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Reichert. Michael; Hawley. Richard

2013-01-01

There is a pantheon of literature and popular panic pointing toward the academic ascent of girls and the decline of boys. On the contrary, the reality is different: Boys are learning and succeeding in many places. Two studies find that the places where boys excel have several common characteristics, including teachers who relate to the boys…
Price Transparency in Primary Care: Can Patients Learn About Costs When Scheduling an Appointment?

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Saloner, Brendan; Cope, Lisa Clemans; Hempstead, Katherine; Rhodes, Karin V; Polsky, Daniel; Kenney, Genevieve M

2017-07-01

Cost-sharing in health insurance plans creates incentives for patients to shop for lower prices, but it is unknown what price information patients can obtain when scheduling office visits. To determine whether new patients can obtain price information for a primary care visit and identify variation across insurance types, offices, and geographic areas. Simulated patient methodology in which trained interviewers posed as non-elderly adults seeking new patient primary care appointments. Caller insurance type (employer-sponsored insurance [ESI], Marketplace, or uninsured) and plan were experimentally manipulated. Callers who were offered a visit asked for price information. Unadjusted means and regression-adjusted differences by insurance, office types, and geography were calculated. Calls to a representative sample of primary care offices in ten states in 2014: Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas (N = 7865). Callers recorded whether they were able to obtain a price. If not, they recorded whether they were referred to other sources for price information. Overall, 61.8% of callers with ESI were able to obtain a price, versus 89.2% of uninsured and 47.3% of Marketplace callers (P information was also more readily available in small offices and in counties with high uninsured rates. Among callers not receiving a price, 72.1% of callers with ESI were referred to other sources (billing office or insurance company), versus 25.8% of uninsured and 50.9% of Marketplace callers (P information is often unavailable for privately insured patients seeking primary care visits at the time a visit is scheduled.
Thoughts on primary care.

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Raskin, Lynne

2010-01-01

The uptake of family health teams in Ontario has been tremendous. And the creation of group practices in primary care has taken root in other provinces as well. For many people, being involved with something new is exciting. At the same time, once they are committed, they discover the challenges that can be simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating. This issue of Healthcare Quarterly offers two articles that provide interesting reflections on what has been learned so far from the perspectives of both team leadership and the team members themselves within a transforming primary care system.
Classroom observation data and instruction in primary mathematics education: improving design and rigour

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Thompson, Carla J.; Davis, Sandra B.

2014-06-01

The use of formal observation in primary mathematics classrooms is supported in the literature as a viable method of determining effective teaching strategies and appropriate tasks for inclusion in the early years of mathematics learning. The twofold aim of this study was to (a) investigate predictive relationships between primary mathematics classroom observational data and student achievement data, and (b) to examine the impact of providing periodic classroom observational data feedback to teachers using a Relational-Feedback-Intervention (RFI) Database Model. This observational research effort focused on an empirical examination of student engagement levels in time spent on specific learning activities observed in primary mathematics classrooms as predictors of student competency outcomes in mathematics. Data were collected from more than 2,000 primary classroom observations in 17 primary schools during 2009-2011 and from standardised end-of-year tests for mathematics achievement. Results revealed predictive relationships among several types of teaching and learning tasks with student achievement. Specifically, the use of mathematics concepts, technology and hands-on materials in primary mathematics classrooms was found to produce substantive predictors of increased student mathematics achievement. Additional findings supported the use of periodic classroom observation data reporting as a positive influence on teachers' decisions in determining instructional tasks for inclusion in primary mathematics classrooms. Study results indicate classroom observational research involving a RFI Database Model is a productive tool for improving teaching and learning in primary mathematics classrooms.
Vocabulary learning in primary school children: working memory and long-term memory components.

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Morra, Sergio; Camba, Roberta

2009-10-01

The goal of this study was to investigate which working memory and long-term memory components predict vocabulary learning. We used a nonword learning paradigm in which 8- to 10-year-olds learned picture-nonword pairs. The nonwords varied in length (two vs. four syllables) and phonology (native sounding vs. including one Russian phoneme). Short, phonologically native nonwords were learned best, whereas learning long nonwords leveled off after a few presentation cycles. Linear structural equation analyses showed an influence of three constructs-phonological sensitivity, vocabulary knowledge, and central attentional resources (M capacity)-on nonword learning, but the extent of their contributions depended on specific characteristics of the nonwords to be learned. Phonological sensitivity predicted learning of all nonword types except short native nonwords, vocabulary predicted learning of only short native nonwords, and M capacity predicted learning of short nonwords but not long nonwords. The discussion considers three learning processes-effortful activation of phonological representations, lexical mediation, and passive associative learning-that use different cognitive resources and could be involved in learning different nonword types.
Re-Envisaging the Teaching of Mathematics: One Student Teacher's Experience Learning to Teach Primary Mathematics in a Manner Congruent with the New Zealand Curriculum

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Bailey, Judy

2013-01-01

Teacher education can provide opportunities for contributing towards a re-envisaging of the teaching and learning of mathematics in the primary classroom. This study documents the experiences of one student teacher who, during her mathematics education courses, embraced a perception of mathematics as a social, creative and experiential discipline.…
An Investigation on Elementary School Students' Level of Math Learning, Using Math E-Books (A Case Study: Pishtazan Computer Primary School, 4th Zone of Tehran

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Arezoo Naseri

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Since the focus on technology exists in all schools and classes, teachers need to know how to apply it in their teaching practices. The use of ICT in education is an undeniable necessity. Since the use of information and communication technology can smooth the paths of teaching-learning process for students, the researchers in this study tried to apply one of the information and communication technology tools, called electronic books (E-books in teaching math. The aim of this study is to examine elementary school students' level of math learning, using math e-books with the focus on teaching multiplication (Case Study: Pishtazan computer primary school, the 4th zone of Tehran. Using a quasi-experimental study, 61 third grade students from two primary schools for girls located in the 4th education zone of Tehran were selected. Math tests were used to collect data. Using T-test for independent samples, the results showed that level of math learning was higher in the students who have been trained with the help of e-book, compared to the students who have been trained through traditional teaching method.

The Effect of Blended Learning and Social Media-Supported Learning on the Students' Attitude and Self-Directed Learning Skills in Science Education

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Akgunduz, Devrim; Akinoglu, Orhan

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of blended learning and social media supported learning on the students' attitude and self-directed learning skills in Science Education. This research took place with the 7th grade 74 students attending to a primary school in Kadikoy, Istanbul and carried out "Our Body Systems"…
Learning from doing: the case for combining normalisation process theory and participatory learning and action research methodology for primary healthcare implementation research.

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de Brún, Tomas; O'Reilly-de Brún, Mary; O'Donnell, Catherine A; MacFarlane, Anne

2016-08-03

The implementation of research findings is not a straightforward matter. There are substantive and recognised gaps in the process of translating research findings into practice and policy. In order to overcome some of these translational difficulties, a number of strategies have been proposed for researchers. These include greater use of theoretical approaches in research focused on implementation, and use of a wider range of research methods appropriate to policy questions and the wider social context in which they are placed. However, questions remain about how to combine theory and method in implementation research. In this paper, we respond to these proposals. Focussing on a contemporary social theory, Normalisation Process Theory, and a participatory research methodology, Participatory Learning and Action, we discuss the potential of their combined use for implementation research. We note ways in which Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action are congruent and may therefore be used as heuristic devices to explore, better understand and support implementation. We also provide examples of their use in our own research programme about community involvement in primary healthcare. Normalisation Process Theory alone has, to date, offered useful explanations for the success or otherwise of implementation projects post-implementation. We argue that Normalisation Process Theory can also be used to prospectively support implementation journeys. Furthermore, Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action can be used together so that interventions to support implementation work are devised and enacted with the expertise of key stakeholders. We propose that the specific combination of this theory and methodology possesses the potential, because of their combined heuristic force, to offer a more effective means of supporting implementation projects than either one might do on its own, and of providing deeper understandings of
Designing a primary science curriculum in a globalizing world: How do social constructivism and Vietnamese culture meet?

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Hằng, Ngô Vũ Thu; Meijer, Marijn Roland; Bulte, Astrid M. W.; Pilot, Albert

2017-09-01

The implementation of social constructivist approaches to learning science in primary education in Vietnamese culture as an example of Confucian heritage culture remains challenging and problematic. This theoretical paper focuses on the initial phase of a design-based research approach; that is, the description of the design of a formal, written curriculum for primary science education in which features of social constructivist approaches to learning are synthesized with essential aspects of Vietnamese culture. The written design comprises learning aims, a framework that is the synthesis of learning functions, learning settings and educational expectations for learning phases, and exemplary curriculum units. Learning aims are formulated to comprehensively develop scientific knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward science for primary students. Derived from these learning aims, the designed framework consists of four learning phases respectively labeled as Engagement, Experience, Exchange, and Follow-up. The designed framework refers to knowledge of the "nature of science" education and characteristics of Vietnamese culture as an example of Confucian heritage culture. The curriculum design aims to serve as an educational product that addresses previously analyzed problems of primary science education in the Vietnamese culture in a globalizing world.
Scientific and Technological Skills Acquisition at the Primary School ...

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... at the Primary School Level as a Strategy to Mitigating the Challenges of Vision 2020 ... Primary science is the foundation on which subsequent science teaching and learning at the secondary and tertiary levels of education is built. The low
Relationship between Organizational Learning and Workplace Bullying in Learning Organizations

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Korkmaz, Mehmet; Cemaloglu, Necati

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research is to define the relationship between features of a learning organization in formal educational institutions in Turkey, specifically primary schools, and workplace bullying of teachers in these institutions. The scope and sampling group of the research are teachers in primary schools. Two different scales are used in…
First year undergraduate nursing students and nursing mentors: An evaluation of their experience of specialist areas as their hub practice learning environment.

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McCallum, Jacqueline; Lamont, David; Kerr, Emma-Louise

2016-01-01

Specialist environments have traditionally not been considered as practice learning environments for year one nursing students. Through implementation of the hub and spoke model of practice learning this was implemented across one health board and Higher Education Institution in Scotland. Sixty nine students from specialist and 147 from general areas out of a total population of 467 students (46.2%) and thirteen mentors from specialist and 26 from general areas out of a total 577 mentors (6.7%) completed a questionnaire. The findings support this initiative and suggest in some cases student experiences are more positive in specialist environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Primary care-based multifaceted, interdisciplinary medical educational intervention for patients with systolic heart failure: lessons learned from a cluster randomised controlled trial

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Schellberg Dieter

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic (systolic heart failure (CHF is a common and disabling condition. Adherence to evidence-based guidelines in primary care has been shown to improve health outcomes. The aim was to explore the impact of a multidisciplinary educational intervention for general practitioners (GPs (Train the trainer = TTT on patient and performance outcomes. Methods This paper presents the key findings from the trial and discusses the lessons learned during the implementation of the TTT trial. Primary care practices were randomly assigned to the TTT intervention or to the control group. 37 GPs (18 TTT, 19 control were randomised and 168 patients diagnosed with ascertained CHF (91 TTT, 77 control were enrolled. GPs in the intervention group attended four meetings addressing clinical practice guidelines and pharmacotherapy feedback. The primary outcome was patient self-reported quality of life at seven months, using the SF-36 Physical Functioning scale. Secondary outcomes included other SF-36 scales, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ, total mortality, heart failure hospital admissions, prescribing, depressive disorders (PHQ-9, behavioural change (European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale, patient-perceived quality of care (EUROPEP and improvement of heart failure using NT-proBNP-levels. Because recruitment targets were not achieved an exploratory analysis was conducted. Results There was high baseline achievement in both groups for many outcomes. At seven months, there were no significant mean difference between groups for the primary outcome measure (-3.3, 95%CI -9.7 to 3.1, p = 0.30. The only difference in secondary outcomes related to the prescribing of aldosterone antagonists by GPs in the intervention group, with significant between group differences at follow-up (42 vs. 24%, adjusted OR = 4.0, 95%CI 1.2–13; p = 0.02. Conclusion The intervention did not change the primary outcome or most secondary outcomes
Primary care-based multifaceted, interdisciplinary medical educational intervention for patients with systolic heart failure: lessons learned from a cluster randomised controlled trial.

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Peters-Klimm, Frank; Campbell, Stephen; Müller-Tasch, Thomas; Schellberg, Dieter; Gelbrich, Goetz; Herzog, Wolfgang; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2009-08-13

Chronic (systolic) heart failure (CHF) is a common and disabling condition. Adherence to evidence-based guidelines in primary care has been shown to improve health outcomes. The aim was to explore the impact of a multidisciplinary educational intervention for general practitioners (GPs) (Train the trainer = TTT) on patient and performance outcomes. This paper presents the key findings from the trial and discusses the lessons learned during the implementation of the TTT trial. Primary care practices were randomly assigned to the TTT intervention or to the control group. 37 GPs (18 TTT, 19 control) were randomised and 168 patients diagnosed with ascertained CHF (91 TTT, 77 control) were enrolled. GPs in the intervention group attended four meetings addressing clinical practice guidelines and pharmacotherapy feedback. The primary outcome was patient self-reported quality of life at seven months, using the SF-36 Physical Functioning scale. Secondary outcomes included other SF-36 scales, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), total mortality, heart failure hospital admissions, prescribing, depressive disorders (PHQ-9), behavioural change (European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale), patient-perceived quality of care (EUROPEP) and improvement of heart failure using NT-proBNP-levels. Because recruitment targets were not achieved an exploratory analysis was conducted. There was high baseline achievement in both groups for many outcomes. At seven months, there were no significant mean difference between groups for the primary outcome measure (-3.3, 95%CI -9.7 to 3.1, p = 0.30). The only difference in secondary outcomes related to the prescribing of aldosterone antagonists by GPs in the intervention group, with significant between group differences at follow-up (42 vs. 24%, adjusted OR = 4.0, 95%CI 1.2-13; p = 0.02). The intervention did not change the primary outcome or most secondary outcomes. Recruitment targets were not achieved and the under
"An adjective is a word hanging down from a noun": learning to write and students with learning disabilities.

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Harris, Karen R; Graham, Steve

2013-04-01

By the upper elementary grades, writing becomes an essential tool both for learning and for showing what you know. Students who struggle significantly with writing are at a terrible disadvantage. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that only 25% of students can be classified as competent writers; students with learning disabilities (LD) have even greater problems with writing than their normally achieving peers and frequently demonstrate a deteriorating attitude toward writing after the primary grades. In this article, we focus on composing and the writing process, and examine the knowledge base about writing development and instruction among students with LD. We address what research tells us about skilled writers and the development of writing knowledge, strategies, skill, and the will to write, and how this relates to students with LD. Next, we summarize what has been learned from research on writing development, effective instruction, and the writing abilities of students with LD in terms of effective instruction for these students. Finally, we indicate critical areas for future research.
Measuring Challenge, Fun and Sterility on a "Phunometre" Scale: Evaluating Creative Teaching and Learning with Children and Their Student Teachers in the Primary School

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Elton-Chalcraft, Sally; Mills, Kären

2015-01-01

"It was the funnest week in the whole history of funnest weeks": our case study, the second phase in a three-phase research project, evaluates the successes and limitations of creative teaching and learning during the "The Creative and Effective Curriculum" module for PGCE primary student teachers which includes a one-week…
Primary aldosteronism among newly diagnosed and untreated hypertensive patients in a Swedish primary care area.

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Westerdahl, Christina; Bergenfelz, Anders; Isaksson, Anders; Nerbrand, Christina; Valdemarsson, Stig

2011-03-01

To evaluate the prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) in newly diagnosed and untreated hypertensive patients in primary care using the aldosterone/renin ratio (ARR), and to assess clinical and biochemical characteristics in patients with high and normal ARR. Patient survey study. A total of 200 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed and untreated hypertension from six primary health care centres in Sweden were included. ARR was calculated from serum aldosterone and plasma renin concentrations. The cut-off level for ARR was 65. Patients with an increased ARR were considered for confirmatory testing with the fludrocortisone suppression test (FST), followed by adrenal computed tomographic radiology (CT) and adrenal venous sampling (AVS). Of 200 patients, 36 patients had an ARR > 65. Of these 36 patients, 11 patients had an incomplete aldosterone inhibition during FST. Three patients were diagnosed with an aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) and eight with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BHA). Except for moderately lower level of P-K in patients with an ARR > 65 and in patients with PA, there were no biochemical or clinical differences found among hypertensive patients with PA compared with patients without PA. Eleven of 200 evaluated patients (5.5%) were considered to have PA. The diagnosis of PA should therefore be considered in newly diagnosed hypertensive subjects and screening for the diagnosis is warranted.
E-Learning in Malaysia: Moving forward in Open Distance Learning

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Abas, Zoraini Wati

2009-01-01

Many higher education institutions have embarked on e-learning as a means to support their learning and teaching activities. In distance learning institutions, e-learning has enabled them to reach out to students dispersed over a wide geographical area, locally and internationally. In some countries, e-learning has also given students the…
Learning Mentors Eight Years on: Still Removing Barriers to Learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Jo

2011-01-01

The Learning Mentor role has been seen as one of the success stories of education policy introduced under New Labour, establishing itself as a key figure in the explosion of new non-teaching roles in the schools workforce. But have they stuck to their original, somewhat narrow brief of "removing barriers to learning" with the primary aim…
Usability requirements for buildings: a case study on primary schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Duca, Gabriella

2012-01-01

This paper concerns an applied research aimed at applying the concept of usability, as derived form the standard ISO 9241/11, in the filed of building design, namely primary schools. Starting from the concept that space characteristics play a very relevant role in learning performances, the study presented here developed an original methodology for the assessment of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of buildings hosting primary schools, in order to create a school environment better supporting users in their tasks. Research core is the framework of usability requirements and their related markers, indicators and technical specification that has been formulated in order to check compliance of urban area, building, rooms and architectural details with users needs. Therefore, a detailed task analysis of pupils and teacher tasks has been carried out and two questionnaires addressed to a significant users panel have been formulated for satisfaction survey. Lastly, a matrix for an overall reading of gathered data has been set-up and criteria for usability assessment based on that data has been defined. The whole study has been developed within the case study of a primary school in the Naples city centre, whose contents and results are discussed.
Initiating a different story about immigrant Somali parents’ support of their primary school children’s education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doria Daniels

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The ability of parents to nurture and support their children during their primary school years is considered to be fundamental for the child’s development and learning. Teachers and educational psychologists assign great prominence to parental involvement as a tool to advance educational success for children, especially for those who are faced with disadvantages. In the past two decades, we have seen South African schools radically shifting from being racially and ethnically homogenous to becoming culturally, ethnically and linguistically heterogeneous. It is especially the schools in the lower socioeconomic areas that find themselves under tremendous pressure to serve their growing immigrant school population. Not enough is known about the cultural capital that lies embedded in these learners’ home contexts and the roles that their parents play in their education. In this manuscript, I investigate the potential intersectionality of school and home and critique the affiliation between teachers and immigrant parents as an important dimension of learning success in the primary school. I situate the discussion in a community school with a strong Somali immigrant population.
Teachers’ Learning Design Practice for Students as Learning Designers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin Tweddell; Sørensen, Birgitte Holm

2018-01-01

This paper contributes with elements of an emerging learning design methodology. The paper takes as its starting point the theory of Students as Learning Designers, which was developed by Sørensen and Levinsen and based on more than a decade of research-and-development projects in Danish primary...... schools (first to 10th grade). The research focussed on information and communication technology (ICT) within the Scandinavian tradition of Problem Oriented Project Pedagogy (POPP), Problem Based Learning (PBL) and students’ production. In recent years, the projects that provide the grounding...... for the theory have focussed specifically on learning designs that constitute students as learning designers of digital productions (both multimodal and coded productions). This includes learning designs that contribute to students’ empowerment, involvement and autonomy within the teacher-designed frameworks...
Using Participatory Learning & Action (PLA) research techniques for inter-stakeholder dialogue in primary healthcare: an analysis of stakeholders' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

de Brún, T; O'Reilly-de Brún, M; Van Weel-Baumgarten, E; Burns, N; Dowrick, C; Lionis, C; O'Donnell, C; Mair, F S; Papadakaki, M; Saridaki, A; Spiegel, W; Van Weel, C; Van den Muijsenbergh, M; MacFarlane, A

2017-01-01

It is important for health care workers to know the needs and expectations of their patients. Therefore, service users have to be involved in research. To achieve a meaningful dialogue between service users, healthcare workers and researchers, participatory methods are needed. This paper describes how the application of a specific participatory methodology, Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) can lead to such a meaningful dialogue. In PLA all stakeholders are regarded as equal partners and collaborators in research.During 2011-2015, a European project called RESTORE used PLA in Austria, Greece, Ireland, The Netherlands and the UK to investigate how communication between primary health care workers and their migrant patients could be improved.Seventy eight migrants, interpreters, doctors, nurses and other key stakeholders (see Table 2) participated in 62 PLA sessions. These dialogues (involving discussions, activities, PLA techniques and evaluations) were generally 2-3 h long and were recorded and analysed by the researchers.Participants reported many positive experiences about their dialogues with other stakeholders. There was a positive, trusting atmosphere in which all stakeholders could express their views despite differences in social power. This made for better understanding within and across stakeholder groups. For instance a doctor changed her view on the use of interpreters after a migrant explained why this was important. Negative experiences were rare: some doctors and healthcare workers thought the PLA sessions took a lot of time; and despite the good dialogue, there was disappointment that very few migrants used the new interpreting service. Background In order to be effective, primary healthcare must understand the health needs, values and expectations of the population it serves. Recent research has shown that the involvement of service users and other stakeholders and gathering information on their perspectives can contribute positively to many
Abstract: Promotion of Primary Health Care Philosophy in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Learning experiences in community-based settings provide the students with opportunities to learn by means of being actively engaged in primary health care associated activities to under-resourced communities (Mtshali, 2009, 2005; World Health Organization ,2011a; World Health Organization, 2011b). International ...
Extraction of Built-Up Areas Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Transfer Learning from SENTINEL-2 Satellite Images

Science.gov (United States)

Bramhe, V. S.; Ghosh, S. K.; Garg, P. K.

2018-04-01

With rapid globalization, the extent of built-up areas is continuously increasing. Extraction of features for classifying built-up areas that are more robust and abstract is a leading research topic from past many years. Although, various studies have been carried out where spatial information along with spectral features has been utilized to enhance the accuracy of classification. Still, these feature extraction techniques require a large number of user-specific parameters and generally application specific. On the other hand, recently introduced Deep Learning (DL) techniques requires less number of parameters to represent more abstract aspects of the data without any manual effort. Since, it is difficult to acquire high-resolution datasets for applications that require large scale monitoring of areas. Therefore, in this study Sentinel-2 image has been used for built-up areas extraction. In this work, pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets) i.e. Inception v3 and VGGNet are employed for transfer learning. Since these networks are trained on generic images of ImageNet dataset which are having very different characteristics from satellite images. Therefore, weights of networks are fine-tuned using data derived from Sentinel-2 images. To compare the accuracies with existing shallow networks, two state of art classifiers i.e. Gaussian Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Back-Propagation Neural Network (BP-NN) are also implemented. Both SVM and BP-NN gives 84.31 % and 82.86 % overall accuracies respectively. Inception-v3 and VGGNet gives 89.43 % of overall accuracy using fine-tuned VGGNet and 92.10 % when using Inception-v3. The results indicate high accuracy of proposed fine-tuned ConvNets on a 4-channel Sentinel-2 dataset for built-up area extraction.
EXTRACTION OF BUILT-UP AREAS USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS AND TRANSFER LEARNING FROM SENTINEL-2 SATELLITE IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. S. Bramhe

2018-04-01

Full Text Available With rapid globalization, the extent of built-up areas is continuously increasing. Extraction of features for classifying built-up areas that are more robust and abstract is a leading research topic from past many years. Although, various studies have been carried out where spatial information along with spectral features has been utilized to enhance the accuracy of classification. Still, these feature extraction techniques require a large number of user-specific parameters and generally application specific. On the other hand, recently introduced Deep Learning (DL techniques requires less number of parameters to represent more abstract aspects of the data without any manual effort. Since, it is difficult to acquire high-resolution datasets for applications that require large scale monitoring of areas. Therefore, in this study Sentinel-2 image has been used for built-up areas extraction. In this work, pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets i.e. Inception v3 and VGGNet are employed for transfer learning. Since these networks are trained on generic images of ImageNet dataset which are having very different characteristics from satellite images. Therefore, weights of networks are fine-tuned using data derived from Sentinel-2 images. To compare the accuracies with existing shallow networks, two state of art classifiers i.e. Gaussian Support Vector Machine (SVM and Back-Propagation Neural Network (BP-NN are also implemented. Both SVM and BP-NN gives 84.31 % and 82.86 % overall accuracies respectively. Inception-v3 and VGGNet gives 89.43 % of overall accuracy using fine-tuned VGGNet and 92.10 % when using Inception-v3. The results indicate high accuracy of proposed fine-tuned ConvNets on a 4-channel Sentinel-2 dataset for built-up area extraction.

[Waste water management in a health area: environmental hygiene in primary care].

Science.gov (United States)

García Cuadrado, J; Contessotto Spadetto, C; Pereñiguez Barranco, J E; Fuster Quiñonero, D; Paricio Núñez, P

1992-01-01

Within the scope of the programmes to be developed by the primary health care parties, we consider it interesting to investigate the sewage management in our health area because of its impact on the population health and welfare and the main socioeconomic local activities: agriculture and tourism. We carry out an epidemiological descriptive study: we review the most important structural and functional characteristics of the sewage depuration and collection in the municipality of S. Javier (Murcia). The evaluation of the collected data made it obvious that deficiencies exist in the collection system as well as in the sewage processing; both deficiencies were shown in some places of the locality and in particular periods of the year, with a consequent risk of environmental contamination and enteric diseases transmission among population and summer holidaymakers. A positive corrective action on the installations by the organisms responsible for the local sanitation as a response to these conclusions, which we informed due time, constitutes a good stimulant to go on investigating this question of such a great sanitary and general interest, which is almost unknown in medical literature.
Identifying Twice-Exceptional Children and Three Gifted Styles in the Japanese Primary Science Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Sumida, Manabu

2010-10-01

Children with mild developmental disorders sometimes show giftedness. In this study, an original checklist was developed to identify gifted characteristics specific to science learning among twice-exceptional primary school children in Japan. The checklist consisted of 60 items on Attitudes, Thinking, Skills, and Knowledge/Understanding. A total of 86 children from eight primary schools in an urban area in Japan, 50% of whom had Learning Disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and/or High-functioning Autism (HA), were observed using the checklist. Factor analysis revealed three factors. A cluster analysis with the subscale points of each factor identified three "gifted styles" in science. These were: (1) Spontaneous Style; (2) Expert Style; and (3) Solid Style. LD/ADHD/HA children characteristically displayed a Spontaneous Style while the non- LD/ADHD/HA children were characterized by the Solid Style. In both subject groups, the number of Expert Style children was the lowest with no significant difference in their numbers. Based on the results of this research, this paper discusses the implications of the findings for teaching science to twice-exceptional children and argues the benefits of inclusive science education for children with and without mild developmental disorders.
Topographic generalization of tactile perceptual learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrar, Vanessa; Spence, Charles; Makin, Tamar R

2014-02-01

Perceptual learning can improve our sensory abilities. Understanding its underlying mechanisms, in particular, when perceptual learning generalizes, has become a focus of research and controversy. Specifically, there is little consensus regarding the extent to which tactile perceptual learning generalizes across fingers. We measured tactile orientation discrimination abilities on 4 fingers (index and middle fingers of both hands), using psychophysical measures, before and after 4 training sessions on 1 finger. Given the somatotopic organization of the hand representation in the somatosensory cortex, the topography of the cortical areas underlying tactile perceptual learning can be inferred from the pattern of generalization across fingers; only fingers sharing cortical representation with the trained finger ought to improve with it. Following training, performance improved not only for the trained finger but also for its adjacent and homologous fingers. Although these fingers were not exposed to training, they nevertheless demonstrated similar levels of learning as the trained finger. Conversely, the performance of the finger that was neither adjacent nor homologous to the trained finger was unaffected by training, despite the fact that our procedure was designed to enhance generalization, as described in recent visual perceptual learning research. This pattern of improved performance is compatible with previous reports of neuronal receptive fields (RFs) in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) spanning adjacent and homologous digits. We conclude that perceptual learning rooted in low-level cortex can still generalize, and suggest potential applications for the neurorehabilitation of syndromes associated with maladaptive plasticity in SI. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
Primary studies of trace quantities of green vegetation in Mono Lake area using 1990 AVIRIS data

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhi-Kang; Elvidge, Chris D.; Groeneveld, David P.

1992-01-01

Our primary results in Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve indicate that high spectral resolution Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data may provide a substantial advantage in vegetation, based on the chlorophyll red edge feature from 700-780 nm. The chlorophyll red edge was detected for green vegetation cover as low as 4.8 percent. The objective of our studies in Mono Lake area is to continue the experiments performed in Jasper Ridge and to examine the persistence of red edge feature of trace quantities of green vegetation for different plant communities with non-uniform soil backgrounds.
Learning about the Types of Plastic Wastes: Effectiveness of Inquiry Learning Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

So, Wing-Mui Winnie; Cheng, Nga-Yee Irene; Chow, Cheuk-Fai; Zhan, Ying

2016-01-01

This study aims to examine the impacts of the inquiry learning strategies employed in a "Plastic Education Project" on primary students' knowledge, beliefs and intended behaviour in Hong Kong. Student questionnaires and a test on plastic types were adopted for data collection. Results reveal that the inquiry learning strategies…
Semantic modelling for learning styles and learning material in an e-learning environment

OpenAIRE

Alhasan, K.; Chen, Liming; Chen, Feng

2017-01-01

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the URI link. Various learners with various requirements have led to the raise of a crucial concern in the area of e-learning. A new technology for propagating learning to learners worldwide, has led to an evolution in the e-learning industry that takes into account all the requirements of the learning process. In spite of the wide growing, the e-learning te...
Promoting Probabilistic Programming System (PPS) Development in Probabilistic Programming for Advancing Machine Learning (PPAML)

Science.gov (United States)

2018-03-01

invested in the future developments of PPSs. 3.0 METHODS , ASSUMPTIONS, AND PROCEDURES Section 3 describes the methods for each of the primary areas of...approaches for solving machine learning problems of interest to defense, science , and the economy. Within DoD, there are different needs for ...Datasets include social network data and vaccination statistics . Those data have different characteristics (e.g., percentages for CDC regional
"Absent Fathers", and Children's Social and Emotional Learning: An Exploration of the Perceptions of "Positive Male Role Models" in the Primary School Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Peter; Brownhill, Simon

2018-01-01

This paper focuses on the testimonies of three male primary school staff members who utilised social and emotional learning (SEL) in their everyday practice within their respective schools. The data, collected through individual interviews, illustrate how these three men interpreted SEL, and their role in the development of children's social,…
Inquiry-based science teasching competence of pre-service primary teachers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alake-Tuenter, E.

2014-01-01

In recent years, improving primary science education has received considerable attention. In particular, researchers and policymakers advocate the use of inquiry-based science teaching and learning, believing that pupils learn best through direct personal experience and by incorporating new
Adolescent literacy: learning and understanding content.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Susan R

2012-01-01

Learning to read--amazing as it is to small children and their parents--is one thing. Reading to learn, explains Susan Goldman of the University of Illinois at Chicago, is quite another. Are today's students able to use reading and writing to acquire knowledge, solve problems, and make decisions in academic, personal, and professional arenas? Do they have the literacy skills necessary to meet the demands of the twenty-first century? To answer these questions, Goldman describes the increasingly complex comprehension, reasoning skills, and knowledge that students need as they progress through school and surveys what researchers and educators know about how to teach those skills. Successfully reading to learn requires the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information from multiple sources, Goldman writes. Effective readers must be able to apply different knowledge, reading, and reasoning processes to different types of content, from fiction to history and science, to news accounts and user manuals. They must assess sources of information for relevance, reliability, impartiality, and completeness. And they must connect information across multiple sources. In short, successful readers must not only use general reading skills but also pay close attention to discipline-specific processes. Goldman reviews the evidence on three different instructional approaches to reading to learn: general comprehension strategies, classroom discussion, and disciplinary content instruction. She argues that building the literacy skills necessary for U.S. students to read comprehensively and critically and to learn content in a variety of disciplines should be a primary responsibility for all of the nation's teachers. But outside of English, few subject-area teachers are aware of the need to teach subject-area reading comprehension skills, nor have they had opportunities to learn them themselves. Building the capacity of all teachers to meet the literacy needs of today's students
Pre-service primary school teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching english in the first cycle of primary school

OpenAIRE

Pratnemer, Manja

2017-01-01

When speaking about the appropriate age for the beginning of L2 learning, experts' opinions slightly differ, but mostly they specify the time to start learning L2 from the age of 4 to the age of 8 (Marjanovič Umek, 2009). In the literature we can find many reasons for starting to learn a foreign language at an early age, but most popular is the critical period hypothesis that claims that there is an ideal time window to acquire language in a linguistically rich environment, after which furth...
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the primary motor cortex does not enhance the learning benefits of self-controlled feedback schedules.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Michael J; Smith, Victoria; Carlsen, Anthony N; Ste-Marie, Diane M

2018-05-01

A distinct learning advantage has been shown when participants control their knowledge of results (KR) scheduling during practice compared to when the same KR schedule is imposed on the learner without choice (i.e., yoked schedules). Although the learning advantages of self-controlled KR schedules are well-documented, the brain regions contributing to these advantages remain unknown. Identifying key brain regions would not only advance our theoretical understanding of the mechanisms underlying self-controlled learning advantages, but would also highlight regions that could be targeted in more applied settings to boost the already beneficial effects of self-controlled KR schedules. Here, we investigated whether applying anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the primary motor cortex (M1) would enhance the typically found benefits of learning a novel motor skill with a self-controlled KR schedule. Participants practiced a spatiotemporal task in one of four groups using a factorial combination of KR schedule (self-controlled vs. yoked) and tDCS (anodal vs. sham). Testing occurred on two consecutive days with spatial and temporal accuracy measured on both days and learning was assessed using 24-h retention and transfer tests without KR. All groups improved their performance in practice and a significant effect for practicing with a self-controlled KR schedule compared to a yoked schedule was found for temporal accuracy in transfer, but a similar advantage was not evident in retention. There were no significant differences as a function of KR schedule or tDCS for spatial accuracy in retention or transfer. The lack of a significant tDCS effect suggests that M1 may not strongly contribute to self-controlled KR learning advantages; however, caution is advised with this interpretation as typical self-controlled learning benefits were not strongly replicated in the present experiment.
Prevalence of head lice infestation and pediculicidal effect of permethrine shampoo in primary school girls in a low-income area in southeast of Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Soleimani-Ahmadi, Moussa; Jaberhashemi, Seyed Aghil; Zare, Mehdi; Sanei-Dehkordi, Alireza

2017-07-24

Head lice infestation is a common public health problem that is most prevalent in primary school children throughout the world, especially in developing countries including different parts of Iran. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with head lice infestation and pediculicidal effect of 1% permethrin shampoo in primary schools girls of Bashagard County, one of the low socioeconomic areas in southeast of Iran. In this interventional study six villages with similar demographical situations were selected and randomly assigned into intervention and control areas. In each area 150 girl students aged 7-12 years were selected randomly and screened for head lice infestation by visual scalp examination. In intervention area, treatment efficacy of 1% permethrin shampoo was evaluated via re-examination for infestation after one, two, and three weeks. Pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and associated factors of head lice infestation. The prevalence of head lice infestation was 67.3%. There was significant association between head lice infestation and school grade, family size, parents' literacy, bathing facilities, frequency of hair washing, and use of shared articles (p shampoo for head lice treatment was 29.2, 68.9, and 90.3% after the first, second, and third weeks, respectively. The head lice infestation is a health problem in primary school girls of Bashagard County. Improvement of socioeconomic status and providing appropriate educational programs about head lice risk factors and prevention can be effective for reduction of infestation in this area. This trial has been registered and approved by Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences ethical committee (Trial No.764). Trial registration date: March 17 2014.
Lost and Found: Music Activities Delivered by Primary Classroom Generalists

Science.gov (United States)

King, Fiona

2015-01-01

Primary classroom teachers can play a vital role in the music education of primary school students, providing a basis for lifelong learning in music and the arts. Research shows that not all Victorian primary school students have equitable access to music education and that the role of the classroom teacher becomes valuable in supplying or…
Pilot exemption of the controlled area from regulatory control at NPP A1 -lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slaninka, A.; Listjak, M.; Slavik, O.; Rau, L.

2014-01-01

The contribution includes the lessons learned within frame of the radiological characterisation of surface ground layer in the NPP A1 site of area approximately 60 m2 (9 x 7 m) that was a part of Controlled area. Aim of the characterisation was a demonstration that the area fulfils the requirements to exemption from Controlled area for purpose of decommissioning activities carry out within frame of II. stage of NPP A1 decommissioning project.The requirements on free release of materials into the environment were applied (e.g. 300 Bq/kg for single 137 Cs). Radiological characterisation was performed by two independent methods; in situ scintillation gamma spectrometry and systematic sampling in regular grid followed by gamma spectrometry analyses in accredited laboratory of VUJE, Inc. (S-219). This improved the quality of monitoring and at the same time it enabled the inter-comparison of results obtained by both mentioned independent methods.Characterised ground area was partitioned to smaller sub-areas of 4 m2. At ground layer of 20 cm it means approximately 1000 kg of ground (in compliance with requirements on reference area at even activity distribution according to government regulation No 345/2006) The results of measurements showed that under appropriate conditions (sufficiently low radiation background, on interfering external sources) also the designed in situ method is effective and reliable tool for contaminated ground layer identification. In addition the in situ method is more effective in terms of time and cost consumption on unit of monitored area. (authors)
Collaborative teacher learning in different primary school settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doppenberg, J.J.; Bakx, A.W.E.A.; Brok, den P.J.

2012-01-01

During the last two decades there has been a growing awareness of the potentially strong role teacher collaboration can play in relation to teacher and team learning. Teachers collaborate with their colleagues in different formal and informal settings. Because most studies have focused on teacher
Bringing transcranial mapping into shape: Sulcus-aligned mapping captures motor somatotopy in human primary motor hand area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raffin, Estelle; Pellegrino, Giovanni; Di Lazzaro, Vincenzo

2015-01-01

Motor representations express some degree of somatotopy in human primary motor hand area (M1HAND), but within-M1HAND corticomotor somatotopy has been difficult to study with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Here we introduce a “linear” TMS mapping approach based on the individual shape...... of the central sulcus to obtain mediolateral corticomotor excitability profiles of the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) and first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscles. In thirteen young volunteers, we used stereotactic neuronavigation to stimulate the right M1HAND with a small eight-shaped coil at 120% of FDI resting...
TEACHERS’ TRAINING FOR SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY IN CONDITIONS OF MOUNTAIN AREA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonida Pesotskaya

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the question of using of the method of coaching in preparation of the students to the managerial activity in the sphere of preschool education in mountain areas. The necessity of preparation under the modern conditions of social-economic development of mountain areas has been proved. The content of the article generalizes basic contradictions between the necessity and reality. The definition of the main points of the research has been given. The attention is accentuated on the basic principles of management and on the notion “coaching” in the process of management of preschool education in mountain area. Coaching includes partnership, potential revealing, effectiveness. Methodology of coaching is based on the principle that the person naturally is sufficiently talented and owns great potential, which isn’t realized fully. An important condition of this approach is valuable, respectful attitude of the participants of polylogue to one another. Basic theoretical regulations of the coaching approach have been determined. In the context of selection of teching technologies on the basis of coaching approach, the method “reflexive team” has been briefly revealed. It is determined that coaching is a style of management, transformed culture: if the authoritarian style is substituted into coaching, then the hierarchy changes from the support of blaming and ridiculing to the objective evaluation, all-hands activity changes to strategic planning. Coaching approach will allow optimizing the structure of economic activity of a separate preschool educational establishment. The attention is accentuated at the fact, that using coaching with the students at the lessons as a style of management of preschool education, will let future managers of preschool educational establishments to form the skills of behavior in critical situations of mountain area, to enrich their activity with the new means of performing, to develop professional
'Learning Organizations': a clinician's primer.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Nick; Kotze, Beth

2008-06-01

Most clinicians are poorly informed in relation to the key concepts of organizational learning. Yet the paradigm may offer clinicians a powerful method for using their knowledge and skills to respond to the demands of a changing environment through experimentation and learning. The concept is critically examined. Organizational learning principles are presented, including a conceptual framework for assessing health services as Learning Organizations. Barriers to organizational learning and strategies to overcome these are discussed. The seminal works of Argyris and Senge are reviewed and a framework for assessing organizational learning in health services is proposed. Current area health service actions are evaluated against the 'diagnostic' framework for a Learning Organization. Although critical examination reveals a poor empirical basis for the concept, the metaphor of the Learning Organization provides a useful conceptual framework and tools for individuals and organizations to apply in developing knowledge and effecting change. The Clinical Practice Improvement and Root Cause Analysis programs being conducted across NSW area health services meet the criteria for effective organizational learning. Key concepts from organizational learning theory provide a diagnostic framework for evaluating area health services as Learning Organizations and support two current strategies for overcoming barriers to organizational learning.
Supplementary motor area and primary auditory cortex activation in an expert break-dancer during the kinesthetic motor imagery of dance to music.

Science.gov (United States)

Olshansky, Michael P; Bar, Rachel J; Fogarty, Mary; DeSouza, Joseph F X

2015-01-01

The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural activity of an expert dancer with 35 years of break-dancing experience during the kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) of dance accompanied by highly familiar and unfamiliar music. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of musical familiarity on neural activity underlying KMI within a highly experienced dancer. In order to investigate this in both primary sensory and motor planning cortical areas, we examined the effects of music familiarity on the primary auditory cortex [Heschl's gyrus (HG)] and the supplementary motor area (SMA). Our findings reveal reduced HG activity and greater SMA activity during imagined dance to familiar music compared to unfamiliar music. We propose that one's internal representations of dance moves are influenced by auditory stimuli and may be specific to a dance style and the music accompanying it.

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF OBESITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Made Ratna Dewi

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE Obesity has become a continous increasing global health problem. Obesity can happen in adult population and also on children as well as teenagers. There are several factors that influence the occurrence of obesity. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors for obesity in primary school children in urban and rural areas. A cross sectional study was conducted with a total sample of 241 pupils in several elementary schools. Anthropometric status determine using body mass index for age and obesity stated if measurement exceed ?95th percentile based on CDC 2000. Analysis data perform with the Pearson Chi-square, Fisher's Exact Test, and logistic regression. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant. This study showed the prevalence of obesity was 15%. The prevalence of obesity in urban areas was 21% and rural areas was 5%. The result showed risk of obesity multiplied by 3.8 times in urban children as they had a habit of "snacking" had risk of suffering obesity by 3.4 times (95% CI 1.2 to 9.0. Children who had habit of having fast food more than 2 times per week had the more risk of obesity by 5 times (95% CI 1.9 to 13.5. Mothers education in urban areas as a protective factor. Conclusion of this study show that the prevalence of obesity in urban areas is 21% and 5% in rural areas. “Snacking” habit and eating fast food more than 2 times per week increase the risk of obesity in urban areas, while in rural areas no risk factors consider significant for obesity. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso
Multi-temporal Land Use Mapping of Coastal Wetlands Area using Machine Learning in Google Earth Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Farda, N. M.

2017-12-01

Coastal wetlands provide ecosystem services essential to people and the environment. Changes in coastal wetlands, especially on land use, are important to monitor by utilizing multi-temporal imagery. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) provides many machine learning algorithms (10 algorithms) that are very useful for extracting land use from imagery. The research objective is to explore machine learning in Google Earth Engine and its accuracy for multi-temporal land use mapping of coastal wetland area. Landsat 3 MSS (1978), Landsat 5 TM (1991), Landsat 7 ETM+ (2001), and Landsat 8 OLI (2014) images located in Segara Anakan lagoon are selected to represent multi temporal images. The input for machine learning are visible and near infrared bands, PCA band, invers PCA bands, bare soil index, vegetation index, wetness index, elevation from ASTER GDEM, and GLCM (Harralick) texture, and also polygon samples in 140 locations. There are 10 machine learning algorithms applied to extract coastal wetlands land use from Landsat imagery. The algorithms are Fast Naive Bayes, CART (Classification and Regression Tree), Random Forests, GMO Max Entropy, Perceptron (Multi Class Perceptron), Winnow, Voting SVM, Margin SVM, Pegasos (Primal Estimated sub-GrAdient SOlver for Svm), IKPamir (Intersection Kernel Passive Aggressive Method for Information Retrieval, SVM). Machine learning in Google Earth Engine are very helpful in multi-temporal land use mapping, the highest accuracy for land use mapping of coastal wetland is CART with 96.98 % Overall Accuracy using K-Fold Cross Validation (K = 10). GEE is particularly useful for multi-temporal land use mapping with ready used image and classification algorithms, and also very challenging for other applications.
Prevalence of dental fluorosis among primary school children in rural areas of Chidambaram taluk, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saravanan S

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Fluorosis is one of the common but major emerging areas of research in the tropics. It is considered endemic in 17 states of India. However, the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is categorised as a fluorosis non-endemic area. But clinical cases of dental fluorosis were reported in the field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Since dental fluorosis has been described as a biomarker of exposure to fluoride, we assessed the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis among primary school children in the service area. Materials and Methods: Children studying in six primary schools of six villages in the field practice area of Rural Health Centre of Faculty of Medicine, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, were surveyed. Every child was clinically examined at the school by calibrated examiners with Dean′s fluorosis index recommended by WHO (1997. Chi-square test, Chi-square trend test and Spearman′s rank correlation coefficient test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Five hundred and twenty-five 5- to 12-year-old school children (255 boys and 270 girls were surveyed. The overall dental fluorosis prevalence was found to be 31.4% in our study sample. Dental fluorosis increased with age P < 0.001, whereas gender difference was not statistically significant. Aesthetically objectionable dental fluorosis was found in 2.1% of the sample. Villages Senjicherry, Keezhaperambai and Kanagarapattu revealed a community fluorosis index (CFI score of 0.43, 0.54 and 0.54 with 5.6%, 4.8% and 1.4% of objectionable dental fluorosis, respectively. Correlation between water fluoride content and CFI values in four villages was noted to be positively significant. Conclusion: Three out of six villages studied were in ′borderline′ public health significance (CFI score 0.4-0.6. A well-designed epidemiological investigation can be undertaken to evaluate the risk factors
Teachers’ Learning Design Practice for Students as Learning Designers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin Tweddell; Sørensen, Birgitte Holm

2018-01-01

that simultaneously scaffold students’ subject-related inquiry, agency, reflection and learning. Research studies have documented that this approach constitutes arenas that support students’ deep learning and mastery of both transdisciplinary and subject matter, along with their acquisition of digital literacy and 21......This paper contributes with elements of an emerging learning design methodology. The paper takes as its starting point the theory of Students as Learning Designers, which was developed by Sørensen and Levinsen and based on more than a decade of research-and-development projects in Danish primary...... schools (first to 10th grade). The research focussed on information and communication technology (ICT) within the Scandinavian tradition of Problem Oriented Project Pedagogy (POPP), Problem Based Learning (PBL) and students’ production. In recent years, the projects that provide the grounding...
Nitrogen-controlled intra- and interspecific competition between Populus purdomii and Salix rehderiana drive primary succession in the Gongga Mountain glacier retreat area.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Mengya; Yu, Lei; Jiang, Yonglei; Lei, Yanbao; Korpelainen, Helena; Niinemets, Ülo; Li, Chunyang

2017-06-01

In this study, intra- and interspecific competition were investigated in early successional Salix rehderiana Schneider and later-appearing Populus purdomii Rehder under non-fertilized (control) and nitrogen (N)-fertilized conditions in the Hailuogou glacier retreat area. Our aim was to discover whether N is a key factor in plant-plant competition and whether N drives the primary succession process in a glacier retreat area. We analyzed differences in responses to intra- and interspecific competition and N fertilization between P. purdomii and S. rehderiana, including parameters such as biomass accumulation, nutrient absorption, non-structural carbohydrates, photosynthetic capacity, hydrolysable amino acids and leaf ultrastructure. In the control treatments, S. rehderiana individuals subjected to interspecific competition benefited from the presence of P. purdomii plants, as indicated by higher levels of biomass accumulation, photosynthetic capacity, N absorption, amino acid contents and photosynthetic N-use efficiency. However, in the N-fertilized treatments, P. purdomii individuals exposed to interspecific competition benefited from the presence of S. rehderiana plants, as shown by a higher growth rate, enhanced carbon gain capacity, greater amino acid contents, and elevated water-use efficiency, whereas the growth of S. rehderiana was significantly reduced. Our results demonstrate that N plays a pivotal role in determining the asymmetric competition pattern among Salicaceae species during primary succession. We argue that the interactive effects of plant-plant competition and N availability are key mechanisms that drive primary succession in the Gongga Mountain glacier retreat area. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Findings of Visual Arts Research in Early Childhood and Primary Education

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Marijana Županić Benić

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Arts research was introduced in the field of education during the 1990s by Barone and Eisner, but their methodology is rarely used because it is not considered to be consistent with traditional paradigms of the scientific method. This review identified only seven visual arts research studies in early childhood education and primary education. Four studies were conducted in early childhood education settings, and two of those studies used quantitative methods to investigate the effects of art on early childhood development. The three studies that were conducted in primary education used a case study approach to examine art projects in the community or the classroom. Participation in visual arts was associated with enhanced learning outcomes in other areas and the development of individual and social competences, but it was not found to facilitate the development of age-dependent abilities, such as visual or grapho-motor abilities. Visual arts also proved to be an effective method of communication for children in preschool and primary education institutions because it is easier for them to express their opinions and beliefs to adults with visual media than with words.
Higher-order Brain Areas Associated with Real-time Functional MRI Neurofeedback Training of the Somato-motor Cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Auer, Tibor; Dewiputri, Wan Ilma; Frahm, Jens; Schweizer, Renate

2018-05-15

Neurofeedback (NFB) allows subjects to learn self-regulation of neuronal brain activation based on information about the ongoing activation. The implementation of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) for NFB training now facilitates the investigation into underlying processes. Our study involved 16 control and 16 training right-handed subjects, the latter performing an extensive rt-fMRI NFB training using motor imagery. A previous analysis focused on the targeted primary somato-motor cortex (SMC). The present study extends the analysis to the supplementary motor area (SMA), the next higher brain area within the hierarchy of the motor system. We also examined transfer-related functional connectivity using a whole-volume psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis to reveal brain areas associated with learning. The ROI analysis of the pre- and post-training fMRI data for motor imagery without NFB (transfer) resulted in a significant training-specific increase in the SMA. It could also be shown that the contralateral SMA exhibited a larger increase than the ipsilateral SMA in the training and the transfer runs, and that the right-hand training elicited a larger increase in the transfer runs than the left-hand training. The PPI analysis revealed a training-specific increase in transfer-related functional connectivity between the left SMA and frontal areas as well as the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) for right- and left-hand trainings. Moreover, the transfer success was related with training-specific increase in functional connectivity between the left SMA and the target area SMC. Our study demonstrates that NFB training increases functional connectivity with non-targeted brain areas. These are associated with the training strategy (i.e., SMA) as well as with learning the NFB skill (i.e., aMCC and frontal areas). This detailed description of both the system to be trained and the areas involved in learning can provide valuable information
From primary care to public health: using Problem-based Learning and the ecological model to teach public health to first year medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoover, Cora R; Wong, Candice C; Azzam, Amin

2012-06-01

We investigated whether a public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case presented to first-year medical students conveyed 12 "Population Health Competencies for Medical Students," as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers. A public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case guided by the ecological model paradigm was developed and implemented among two groups of 8 students at the University of California, Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, in the Fall of 2010. Using directed content analysis, student-generated written reports were coded for the presence of the 12 population health content areas. Students generated a total of 29 reports, of which 20 (69%) contained information relevant to at least one of the 12 population health competencies. Each of the 12 content areas was addressed by at least one report. As physicians-in-training prepare to confront the challenges of integrating prevention and population health with clinical practice, Problem-Based Learning is a promising tool to enhance medical students' engagement with public health.
Self-learning basic life support: A randomised controlled trial on learning conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, Tina Heidi; Kasper, Nina; Roman, Hari; Egloff, Mike; Marx, David; Abegglen, Sandra; Greif, Robert

2018-05-01

To investigate whether pure self-learning without instructor support, resulted in the same BLS-competencies as facilitator-led learning, when using the same commercially available video BLS teaching kit. First-year medical students were randomised to either BLS self-learning without supervision or facilitator-led BLS-teaching. Both groups used the MiniAnne kit (Laerdal Medical, Stavanger, Norway) in the students' local language. Directly after the teaching and three months later, all participants were tested on their BLS-competencies in a simulated scenario, using the Resusci Anne SkillReporter™ (Laerdal Medical, Stavanger, Norway). The primary outcome was percentage of correct cardiac compressions three months after the teaching. Secondary outcomes were all other BLS parameters recorded by the SkillReporter and parameters from a BLS-competence rating form. 240 students were assessed at baseline and 152 students participated in the 3-month follow-up. For our primary outcome, the percentage of correct compressions, we found a median of 48% (interquartile range (IQR) 10-83) for facilitator-led learning vs. 42% (IQR 14-81) for self-learning (p = 0.770) directly after the teaching. In the 3-month follow-up, the rate of correct compressions dropped to 28% (IQR 6-59) for facilitator-led learning (p = 0.043) and did not change significantly in the self-learning group (47% (IQR 12-78), p = 0.729). Self-learning is not inferior to facilitator-led learning in the short term. Self-learning resulted in a better retention of BLS-skills three months after training compared to facilitator-led training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
M-Learning: The New Horizon of Learning at SQU

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Z. Al-Khanjari

2014-12-01

Full Text Available M-learning extends the theory and practice of learning and mobility in converging technological environments. Developing a smart course in order to improve the standard of education at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU is one of the main aims of the current authors. This proposal requires developing innovative applications for ubiquitous, mobile technologies for learning. This kind of development covers new educational and technological methods and concepts for supporting formal and informal learning. SQU is currently using Moodle as the open source e-learning management system to support and enhance traditional learning. Although elearning in SQU has proven its importance in enhancing traditional learning, it is limited to areas and locations where a personal computer exists. This constraint is a burden to many e-learning users who are staff or students, especially if they live in rural areas of Oman. To overcome this drawback, an investigative survey of the importance of m-learning was designed and distributed to SQU students. The results showed that almost all students favored and supported the idea and requested the implementation of a m-learning application. As a step forward, this paper proposes an extension for e-learning—a new m-learning tool to support learners who use mobile device technologies. Our goal in introducing m-learning at SQU is not to replace e-learning but to complement and improve it so both modalities are available, since each grants certain advantages to users.
Opinions from teachers in the Fresno area of Central California regarding the influence of mobile technology on their students’ learning

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Navaridas, Fermín

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the most relevant results of a study in which opinions of the teachers in the area of Fresno (Central California, USA about the effects of the integration of mobile devices into the teaching-learning process. Among other objectives, this study has tried to analyze the influence of mobile learning over three very important learning factors: affective-emotional (motivation, ethic-social (social skills and the cognitive one (cognitive skills. In order to carry out this study, a descriptive methodological approach was adopted, using the survey technique as the most adequate method to collect teachers´ opinions in a relatively fast and precise way. Obtained results show a widespread agreement among teachers about the pedagogical potential of mobile devices as a tool to improve learning quality. In general terms, conclusions suggest an improvement in the students’ interest on educational tasks, an increase during study activities, a better collaborative work, as well as an improvement of creativity and information acquisition.
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ABOUT CLINICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN THE PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY MEDICAL FACILITIES

OpenAIRE

Dewi, Dian Puspita; Rahayu, Gandes Retno; Kristina, Tri Nur

2018-01-01

Background: Learning environment is an important factor in learning process and can affect students' competence and work-readiness. Learning environment is not only about physical facilities but also social and psychological condition. The complexity of clinical learning environments pose challenges and problems that may affect students learning process so it is necessary to monitoring and evaluating students learning environments. This study aims to assess students' perception of their learn...
Modelling of the local chemistry in stagnant areas in the PWR primary circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, Rick; Fruzzetti, Keith; Ahluwalia, Al; Summe, Alex; Dame, Cecile; Schmitt, Kyle

2014-01-01

MRP-236 demonstrated a correlation between stagnant or low flow conditions and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of stainless steel components in the PWR primary system. Of the approximately 140 SCC events documented (affecting 15 different components), 83% involved stagnant or low flow conditions that were likely to be associated with chemical environments different from the well mixed bulk coolant. The chemistry in such locations is typically not monitored, and sampling is difficult or impossible. Actions to improve chemistry in regions of low or no coolant flow, such as flushing, cycling of components and imposition of more stringent make up water chemistry controls affect both operational costs and outage schedules. Similarly, design changes to improve flow in affected areas are costly or impracticable. Improving the understanding of the factors controlling chemistry in such areas and development of the capability to predict typical and worst case conditions will allow an informed assessment of procedural actions and/or design changes to improve local chemistry and thereby reduce SCC susceptibility. A project was undertaken to develop a model to predict local chemistry conditions in stagnant locations. The model comprises the iterative application of the EPRI MULTEQ solution chemistry equilibrium code and standard thermodynamic relationships to predict local chemistry conditions considered likely to have been present at the surfaces of components when SCC was initiated. The starting chemistry conditions are based on PWR primary system chemistry from different plant maneuvers (e.g., startup and shutdown conditions). The model was applied to three example components where SCC has occurred in the field. The selected components were: control rod drive mechanism canopy seals; valve drain lines; and reactor vessel o-ring leak-off lines. This paper provides a summary of the model and predicted local chemistry conditions that develop for the three example component as a
Teaching the pre-primary child reading and writing: a challenge for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Teaching the pre-primary child reading and writing: a challenge for pre-primary school teachers in rivers state, Nigeria. ... Global Journal of Educational Research ... of the child's interactive learning and emphasizes specific teaching methods ...
Determinants of undernutrition among primary school children residing in slum areas of a Nigerian city.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndukwu, C I; Egbuonu, I; Ulasi, T O; Ebenebe, J C

2013-01-01

Undernutrition remains the largest contributor to the global disease burden. Different factors affecting the nutritional status of children need to be studied to determine those to be targeted in a country like Nigeria, characterized by widespread poverty and inequitable distribution of wealth. This study was aimed at ascertaining the relationship between prevailing socioeconomic and environmental factors, and the nutritional status of children residing in a typical urban slum. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 788 children aged 6-12 years selected by stratified, multistage random sampling method from public primary schools in slum and non-slum areas of Onitsha was carried out. Their nutritional status was determined using anthropometric measures. The socioeconomic and environmental variables of interest were analyzed to determine their relationship with undernutrition in the children. Socioeconomic status was the major determinant of nutritional status in this study. Poor housing also affected the nutritional status of the slum children who were significantly from poorer families than those residing in non-slum areas (χ2 = 66.69, P = 0.000). This study highlights the need for an effective nutrition program targeted at school children in urban slums surrounded by factors predisposing them to undernutrition.
Blended learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dau, Susanne

2016-01-01

Blended Learning has been implemented, evaluated and researched for the last decades within different educational areas and levels. Blended learning has been coupled with different epistemological understandings and learning theories, but the fundamental character and dimensions of learning...... in blended learning are still insufficient. Moreover, blended learning is a misleading concept described as learning, despite the fact that it fundamentally is an instructional and didactic approach (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005) addressing the learning environment (Inglis, Palipoana, Trenhom & Ward, 2011......) instead of the learning processes behind. Much of the existing research within the field seems to miss this perspective. The consequence is a lack of acknowledgement of the driven forces behind the context and the instructional design limiting the knowledge foundation of learning in blended learning. Thus...
Students as Learning Designers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin; Sørensen, Birgitte Holm

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on students in the youngest classes at primary school as learning designers of ICT-integrated productions. It is based on the project Netbook 1:1 (2009-2012) funded by the municipality of Gentofte and Microsoft Denmark. The paper presents a model for designing ICT-integrated st......This paper focuses on students in the youngest classes at primary school as learning designers of ICT-integrated productions. It is based on the project Netbook 1:1 (2009-2012) funded by the municipality of Gentofte and Microsoft Denmark. The paper presents a model for designing ICT......-integrated student productions which was developed during the project in relation to different subjects. Ownership, iteration and feedforward are the central concepts in this model. Two exemplary cases are presented illustrating the students’ and teachers’ roles as learning designers in relation to the model...
Brain Research: Implications for Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Louise M.; Soares, Anthony T.

Brain research has illuminated several areas of the learning process: (1) learning as association; (2) learning as reinforcement; (3) learning as perception; (4) learning as imitation; (5) learning as organization; (6) learning as individual style; and (7) learning as brain activity. The classic conditioning model developed by Pavlov advanced…
Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning: A Study of Three Different Teacher Training Study Programmes in Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darija Skubic

2017-12-01

Full Text Available It has been determined that beliefs about language learning are significant for the learning and teaching process, and that learners may differ in their beliefs towards learning a new language. Similarly, student-teachers of different subjects may differ in their beliefs about language learning. The main aim of this study was thus to investigate pre-service preschool teachers’, primary school teachers’, and special education teachers’ beliefs about foreign language learning in Slovenia. Three different areas were researched more closely: beliefs about foreign language aptitude, beliefs about the nature of learning and beliefs about foreign language motivations and expectations. The BALLI questionnaire was used to gather data, with responses provided by170 first-year students. The results show that despite attending different teacher training study programmes, students do not differ significantly in their beliefs about language learning; however, in comparison to other studies, the results imply that learners from different cultures see language learning differently.
Cooperative learning in science: intervention in the secondary school

Science.gov (United States)

Topping, K. J.; Thurston, A.; Tolmie, A.; Christie, D.; Murray, P.; Karagiannidou, E.

2011-04-01

The use of cooperative learning in secondary school is reported - an area of considerable concern given attempts to make secondary schools more interactive and gain higher recruitment to university science courses. In this study the intervention group was 259 pupils aged 12-14 years in nine secondary schools, taught by 12 self-selected teachers. Comparison pupils came from both intervention and comparison schools (n = 385). Intervention teachers attended three continuing professional development days, in which they received information, engaged with resource packs and involved themselves in cooperative learning. Measures included both general and specific tests of science, attitudes to science, sociometry, self-esteem, attitudes to cooperative learning and transferable skills (all for pupils) and observation of implementation fidelity. There were increases during cooperative learning in pupil formulation of propositions, explanations and disagreements. Intervened pupils gained in attainment, but comparison pupils gained even more. Pupils who had experienced cooperative learning in primary school had higher pre-test scores in secondary education irrespective of being in the intervention or comparison group. On sociometry, comparison pupils showed greater affiliation to science work groups for work, but intervention pupils greater affiliation to these groups at break and out of school. Other measures were not significant. The results are discussed in relation to practice and policy implications.

E-Learning in Mongolian Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tuul, Suvdmaa; Banzragch, Otgontugs; Saizmaa, Tsogzolmaa

2016-01-01

This paper reviews the e-learning course development in selected universities of Mongolia and attempts to classify the e-learning programs that are in practice at the tertiary education level in the country. The given paper uses both secondary and primary sources. The authors determined what factors influence e-learning type classification and how…
The distribution feature of size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary productivity in Prydz Bay and its north sea area during the austral summer

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

刘子琳; 陈忠元

2003-01-01

The investigation of size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary productivity were carried out in three longitudinal sections (63°-69°12′S, 70°30′E, 73°E and 75(30′E) at December 18 -26, 1998 and January 12 -18, 1999 in Prydz Bay and its north sea area, Antarctica. The results showed that surface chlorophyll a concentration were 0.16 - 3.99 μg dm -3. The high values of chlorophyll a concentration ( more than 3.5 μg dm -3 ) were in Prydz Bay and in the west Ladies Bank. The average chlorophyll a concentration at sub-surface layer was higher than that at surface layer; its concentration at the deeper layers of 50 m decreased with increasing depth and that at 200 m depth was only 0.01 -0.95 μg dm-3. The results of size-fractionated chlorophyll a showed that the contribution of the netplanktion to total chlorophyll a was 56% , those of the nanoplankton and the picoplankton were 24% and 20% respectively in the surveyed area. The potential primary productivity at the euphotic zone in the surveyed area was 0. 11 - 11.67 mgC m-3 h -1 and average value was 2.00 ±2.80 mgC m-3h-1. The in-situ productivity in the bay and the continental shelf was higher and that in the deep-sea area was lower. The assimilation number of ted primary productivity show that the contribution of the netplanktion to total productivity was 58% , those of the nanoplankton and the picoplankton were 26% and 16% respectively. The cell abundance of phytoplankton was 1. 6 + 103 - 164. 8 + 103 cell dm-3 in the surface water.
Motivation of Students for Learning English in Rwandan Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Tomoharu

2018-01-01

Since Rwanda decided that from 2009 English will be the sole medium of instruction from upper level primary school onwards, motivation for learning English has become an especially important issue. Therefore this study investigated motivation for Rwandan primary and secondary school students to learn English. The study was carried out in Nyagatare…
High-Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt - Report of Meeting

OpenAIRE

Breivik, Patricia; Byrne, Alex; Forest Horton, Woody; Ferreiro, Soledad; Boekhorst, Albert; Hassan, Helena; Ponjuan, Gloria; Lau, Jesús; Candy, Phil

2006-01-01

Report of a Meeting Sponsored by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The report is organized according to four primary areas related to Information Literacy: Education and Learning, Health and Human Services, Business and Economic Development, and Governance and Citizenship. It highlights recommendations for empowering cit...
Second Languages in Primary Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Donoghue, Mildred R.; Kunkle, John F.

A book on second languages in primary education, designed to assist both classroom teachers and language specialists, is presented. The following topics are addressed: (1) reasons for studying a second language; (2) reasons for children to learn a second language; (3) language choices; (4) qualifications of teachers; (5) FLES, bilingual education,…
PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS OF USING A WIMMELBUCH AT ENGLISH LESSONS AT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iryna Lobachova

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problem of using a Wimmelbuch as visual teaching aids for forming foreign language communication skills at English lessons at primary school. Nowadays much attention is given to the problem of forming and improving foreign language communication skills of primary schoolchildren in scholarly works and case studies. The aim of the article is to analyze the problem of implementing visual teaching aids, in particular a Wimmelbuch while forming foreign language communication skills at English lessons at primary school. The aim involves the following tasks: to define the factors that influence forming primary schoolchildren’s communicative competence; to find out the pedagogical conditions of the problem of using visual aids (a Wimmelbuch in teaching a foreign language at primary school. Such methods as analysis, synthesis, and systematization are used to achieve the aim of the article. They help to get to the essence of the outlined problem and pass from a less general idea to more general one logically. Much attention is given to the factors that influence forming primary schoolchildren’s communicative competence. The pedagogical conditions of the problem of using a Wimmelbuch in learning a foreign language at primary school are determined. It is found out that the current labor market conditions require from the organization of the educational process at secondary school to lay the strong foundation for the formation of primary professional skills of an individual. Therefore, teaching English should have both the communicative-oriented character and professionally-directed one that promotes developing consciousness; expanding students’ outlook, their creative development, personal culture and competence; forms recognizing a multicultural world. Nowadays there are the following features of the communicative approach in learning a foreign language: a a language is examined as a means of communication, preference is
Object-Based Change Detection in Urban Areas from High Spatial Resolution Images Based on Multiple Features and Ensemble Learning

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Xin Wang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To improve the accuracy of change detection in urban areas using bi-temporal high-resolution remote sensing images, a novel object-based change detection scheme combining multiple features and ensemble learning is proposed in this paper. Image segmentation is conducted to determine the objects in bi-temporal images separately. Subsequently, three kinds of object features, i.e., spectral, shape and texture, are extracted. Using the image differencing process, a difference image is generated and used as the input for nonlinear supervised classifiers, including k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, extreme learning machine and random forest. Finally, the results of multiple classifiers are integrated using an ensemble rule called weighted voting to generate the final change detection result. Experimental results of two pairs of real high-resolution remote sensing datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the traditional methods in terms of overall accuracy and generates change detection maps with a higher number of homogeneous regions in urban areas. Moreover, the influences of segmentation scale and the feature selection strategy on the change detection performance are also analyzed and discussed.
Dyscalculia, dyslexia, and medical students' needs for learning and using statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDougall, Margaret

2009-02-07

Much has been written on the learning needs of dyslexic and dyscalculic students in primary and early secondary education. However, it is not clear that the necessary disability support staff and specialist literature are available to ensure that these needs are being adequately met within the context of learning statistics and general quantitative skills in the self-directed learning environments encountered in higher education. This commentary draws attention to dyslexia and dyscalculia as two potentially unrecognized conditions among undergraduate medical students and in turn, highlights key developments from recent literature in the diagnosis of these conditions. With a view to assisting medical educators meet the needs of dyscalculic learners and the more varied needs of dyslexic learners, a comprehensive list of suggestions is provided as to how learning resources can be designed from the outset to be more inclusive. A hitherto neglected area for future research is also identified through a call for a thorough investigation of the meaning of statistical literacy within the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum.
Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, and Medical Students’ Needs for Learning and Using Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

MacDougall, Margaret

2009-01-01

Much has been written on the learning needs of dyslexic and dyscalculic students in primary and early secondary education. However, it is not clear that the necessary disability support staff and specialist literature are available to ensure that these needs are being adequately met within the context of learning statistics and general quantitative skills in the self-directed learning environments encountered in higher education. This commentary draws attention to dyslexia and dyscalculia as two potentially unrecognized conditions among undergraduate medical students and in turn, highlights key developments from recent literature in the diagnosis of these conditions. With a view to assisting medical educators meet the needs of dyscalculic learners and the more varied needs of dyslexic learners, a comprehensive list of suggestions is provided as to how learning resources can be designed from the outset to be more inclusive. A hitherto neglected area for future research is also identified through a call for a thorough investigation of the meaning of statistical literacy within the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum. PMID:20165516
Assessment of the English literacy level of patients in primary health ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... of patients in primary health care services in Tshwane, Gauteng province: Part 2. ... levels of primary health care patients using the Learning Ability Battery (LAB) ... Data were collected by means of a self-report whereby the participants had ...
The complex scenario of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in the area of influence of primary healthcare facilities in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcalde-Rabanal, J E; Orozco-Núñez, E; Espinosa-Henao, O E; Arredondo-López, A; Alcayde-Barranco, L

2018-01-01

Among non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCD), diabetes and hypertension are the main cause of adult mortality worldwide. Among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mexico is first in prevalence of diabetes and second in obesity. To face this problematic situation of NCCDs the Ministry of Health declared a national epidemiological alert against the overweight, obesity and diabetes. The target of this study is to characterize the status of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in the adult population in the area of influence of primary health facilities located in high social marginality areas. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study and used a convenience sample. A survey was conducted on a population of 18 years old and above in four primary health facilities in four Mexican States. The survey explored sociodemographic characteristics, the presence of chronic diseases, the access to healthcare services, risk factors and life styles. We also applied a complementary questionnaire to 20% of the participants, in order to explore food consumption during the last week and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire). We based our analysis on descriptive statistics and logistic multivariate regression to analyze factors associated with diabetes and hypertension. 73% (n = 7531, CI 0.72-0.74) percent of the population reported being diabetic, hypertensive and/or overweight. The majority of them receive healthcare in public health services. People over 40 years old, are 11 times more probable of living with diabetes and 8.7 times more probable of living with hypertension. Both conditions affect mostly women, whose main activity is to be a housewife. People who have lunch and dinner out of home are more likely to develop diabetes. People who perform intense physical activity are less likely to live with hypertension. According to the self-report, more than 70% of adult population living in areas with high
Emotion, Identity and Teacher Learning: Becoming a Primary Mathematics Teacher

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgen, Jeremy; Askew, Mike

2007-01-01

Teacher change in mathematics education is recognised to be a difficult and at times painful process. This is particularly so in countries such as England where primary mathematics is taught by non-specialist teachers, who have often had negative experiences of their own school mathematics. In this paper we explore primary teachers' emotional…
Decoding Ourselves: An Inquiry into Faculty Learning about Reciprocity in Service-Learning

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Miller-Young, Janice; Dean, Yasmin; Rathburn, Melanie; Pettit, Jennifer; Underwood, Margot; Gleeson, Judy; Lexier, Roberta; Calvert, Victoria; Clayton, Patti

2015-01-01

Faculty learning about service-learning is an important area of research because understanding how faculty develop their practice is an important first step in improving student learning outcomes and relationships with community members. Enacting reciprocity in service-learning can be particularly troublesome because it requires faculty to learn…
Ambient Levels of Primary and Secondary Pollutants in a Residential Area: Population Risk and Hazard Index Calculation over a Three Years Study Period

OpenAIRE

S. Al-Salem; A. Al-Fadhlee

2007-01-01

This paper aims at presenting data collected over the period of three years (2004-2006) in a residential area in the state of Kuwait. The data collected include ambient levels of primary and secondary pollutants with a number of metrological parameters. A series of unfiltered and filtered concentration roses were plotted to determine the predominant sources as well as the prevailing winds affecting the area under investigation. Local and international air quality regulations were cross refere...
Primary motor and premotor cortex in implicit sequence learning--evidence for competition between implicit and explicit human motor memory systems.

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Kantak, Shailesh S; Mummidisetty, Chaithanya K; Stinear, James W

2012-09-01

Implicit and explicit memory systems for motor skills compete with each other during and after motor practice. Primary motor cortex (M1) is known to be engaged during implicit motor learning, while dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) is critical for explicit learning. To elucidate the neural substrates underlying the interaction between implicit and explicit memory systems, adults underwent a randomized crossover experiment of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) applied over M1, PMd or sham stimulation during implicit motor sequence (serial reaction time task, SRTT) practice. We hypothesized that M1-AtDCS during practice will enhance online performance and offline learning of the implicit motor sequence. In contrast, we also hypothesized that PMd-AtDCS will attenuate performance and retention of the implicit motor sequence. Implicit sequence performance was assessed at baseline, at the end of acquisition (EoA), and 24 h after practice (retention test, RET). M1-AtDCS during practice significantly improved practice performance and supported offline stabilization compared with Sham tDCS. Performance change from EoA to RET revealed that PMd-AtDCS during practice attenuated offline stabilization compared with M1-AtDCS and sham stimulation. The results support the role of M1 in implementing online performance gains and offline stabilization for implicit motor sequence learning. In contrast, enhancing the activity within explicit motor memory network nodes such as the PMd during practice may be detrimental to offline stabilization of the learned implicit motor sequence. These results support the notion of competition between implicit and explicit motor memory systems and identify underlying neural substrates that are engaged in this competition. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Study on Net Primary Productivity over Complicated Mountainous Area based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data

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Guan, X.; Shen, H.; Li, X.; Gan, W.

2017-12-01

Mountainous area hosts approximately a quarter of the global land surface, with complex climate and ecosystem conditions. More knowledge about mountainous ecosystem could highly advance our understanding of the global carbon cycle and climate change. Net Primary Productivity (NPP), the biomass increment of plants, is a widely used ecological indicator that can be obtained by remote sensing methods. However, limited by the defective characteristic of sensors, which cannot be long-term with enough spatial details synchronously, the mountainous NPP was far from being understood. In this study, a multi-sensor fusion framework was applied to synthesize a 1-km NPP series from 1982 to 2014 in mountainous southwest China, where elevation ranged from 76m to 6740m. The validation with field-measurements proved this framework greatly improved the accuracy of NPP (r=0.79, prun-off. What is more, it was indicated that the NPP variation showed three distinct stages at the year break-point of 1992 and 2002 over the region. The NPP in low-elevation area varied almost triple more drastic than the high-elevation area for all the three stages, due to the much greater change rate of precipitation. In summary, this study innovatively conducted a long-term and accurate NPP study on the not understood mountainous ecosystem with multi-source data, the framework and conclusions will be beneficial for the further cognition of global climate change.
Processes of Learning with Regard to Students’ Learning Difficulties in Mathematics

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Amalija Zakelj

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In the introduction, we write about the process of learning mathematics: the development of mathematical concepts, numerical and spatial imagery on reading and understanding of texts, etc. The central part of the paper is devoted to the study, in which we find that identifying the learning processes associated with learning difficulties of students in mathematics, is not statistically significantly different between primary school teachers and teachers of mathematics. Both groups expose the development of numerical concepts, logical reasoning, and reading and understanding the text as the ones with which difficulties in learning mathematics appear the most frequently. All the processes of learning that the teachers assessed as the ones that represent the greatest barriers to learning have a fairly uniform average estimates of the degree of complexity, ranging from 2.6 to 2.8, which is very close to the estimate makes learning very difficult.
Is there a role for a primary health nurse in a learning support team in a disadvantaged high school? Evaluation of a pilot study.

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Dennis, Sarah; Noon, Ted; Liaw, Siaw Teng

2016-02-01

Disadvantaged children experience more health problems and have poorer educational outcomes compared with students from advantaged backgrounds. This paper presents the quantitative and qualitative findings from a pilot study to determine the impact of the Healthy Learner model, where an experienced primary care nurse was embedded in a learning support team in a disadvantaged high school. Students entering high school with National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores in the lowest quartile for the school were assessed by the nurse and identified health issues addressed. Thirty-nine students were assessed in 2012-13 and there were up to seven health problems identified per student, ranging from serious neglect to problems such as uncorrected vision or hearing. Many of these problems were having an impact on the student and their ability to engage in learning. Families struggled to navigate the health system, they had difficulty explaining the student's problems to health professionals and costs were a barrier. Adding a nurse to the learning support team in this disadvantaged high school was feasible and identified considerable unmet health needs that affect a student's ability to learn. The families needed extensive support to access any subsequent health care they required.
Guidelines of the Development and the Supporting Learning Resources by the Community Participatory of Case Study for the Schools Under Secondary Education Service Area Office 24

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Wisan Payungwong

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This research aimed 1 to study the components of guidelines of the development and the supporting learning resources by the community participatory of case study for the schools under Secondary Education Service Area Office 24 and 2 to investigate guidelines of guidelines of the development and the supporting learning resources by the community participatory of case study for the schools under Secondary Education Service Area Office 24. This research was conducted into two phases. The first phase was investigated the components and indicators of guidelines of the development and the supporting learning resources by the community participatory of case study for the schools under Secondary Education Service Area Office 24. The samples group were five respondents to provide the information by an assessment form. The second phase was conducted to find out the guidelines of development and supporting learning resources by community participatory of case study which included four steps. The first step was the focus group of case study schools with best practice. The samples were fourteen key informants from 2 schools. There were school directors, deputy director of academic administration, head of learning, village leaders, wisdom villagers and religious leaders. The data were collected by using focus group discussion form. The second step was draft the develop management guideline of academic administration. The sample group were 7 professionals. The data were collected by using the evaluation from of propriety/feasibility/utility of the develop management guideline of academic administration. The data were analyzed in average ( and standard deviation (S.D.. The third step was group discussion for evaluated the applying of the develop management guideline of academic administration. The samples group were 14 key informants from 2 schools. There were school directors, deputy director of academic administration, head of learning, village leaders
Learning in Virtual Forest: A Forest Ecosystem in the Web-Based Learning Environment

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Jussila, Terttu; Virtanen, Viivi

2014-01-01

Virtual Forest is a web-based, open-access learning environment about forests designed for primary-school pupils between the ages of 10 and 13 years. It is pedagogically designed to develop an understanding of ecology, to enhance conceptual development and to give a holistic view of forest ecosystems. Various learning tools, such as concept maps,…

Implementing Google Apps for Education as Learning Management System in Math Education

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Widodo, S.

2017-09-01

This study aims to find the effectiveness of math education using Google Apps for Education (GAFE) as learning management system to improve mathematical communication skill primary school preservice teacher. This research used quasi-experimental approach, utilizing the control group pre-test - post-test design of two group of primary school preservice teachers at UPI Kampus Purwakarta. The result of this study showed that mathematical communication skill of primary school preservice teacher in the experiment group is better than the control group. This is because the primary school preservice teacher in the experiment group used GAFE as a tool to communicate their idea. The students can communicate their idea because they have read the learning material on the learning management system using GAFE. All in all, it can be concluded that the communication tool is very important, beside the learning material, and also the options to choose the learning model to achieve the better result.
Primary Education Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Teaching Geography Lessons

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Bent, Gert Jan; Bakx, Anouke; den Brok, Perry

2017-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate the primary education teachers' self-efficacy regarding geography education, their beliefs regarding the classroom learning environment, and how these beliefs were related to each other and to teachers' background characteristics. Questionnaire data were collected from 489 Dutch primary school teachers.…
Challenges in interdisciplinary weight management in primary care: lessons learned from the 5As Team study.

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Asselin, J; Osunlana, A M; Ogunleye, A A; Sharma, A M; Campbell-Scherer, D

2016-04-01

Increasingly, research is directed at advancing methods to address obesity management in primary care. In this paper we describe the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, or lack thereof, in patient weight management within 12 teams in a large primary care network in Alberta, Canada. Qualitative data for the present analysis were derived from the 5As Team (5AsT) trial, a mixed-method randomized control trial of a 6-month participatory, team-based educational intervention aimed at improving the quality and quantity of obesity management encounters in primary care practice. Participants (n = 29) included in this analysis are healthcare providers supporting chronic disease management in 12 family practice clinics randomized to the intervention arm of the 5AsT trial including mental healthcare workers (n = 7), registered dietitians (n = 7), registered nurses or nurse practitioners (n = 15). Participants were part of a 6-month intervention consisting of 12 biweekly learning sessions aimed at increasing provider knowledge and confidence in addressing patient weight management. Qualitative methods included interviews, structured field notes and logs. Four common themes of importance in the ability of healthcare providers to address weight with patients within an interdisciplinary care team emerged, (i) Availability; (ii) Referrals; (iii) Role perception and (iv) Messaging. However, we find that what was key to our participants was not that these issues be uniformly agreed upon by all team members, but rather that communication and clinic relationships support their continued negotiation. Our study shows that firm clinic relationships and deliberate communication strategies are the foundation of interdisciplinary care in weight management. Furthermore, there is a clear need for shared messaging concerning obesity and its treatment between members of interdisciplinary teams. © 2016 World Obesity.
Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®)—Patient Version

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Metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary (unknown primary) treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, or a combination of both. Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of these tumors in this expert-reviewed summary.
Forming Entrepreneurial Mindsets? Preliminary Evidence of Teaching Practices from Primary Schools in a Developing Area in South America

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Maria Auxiliadora N. Figueiredo-Nery

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Over the past few years there has been a renewed interest by governments, companies and academics in the role of entrepreneurship in innovation and economic growth. There has also been a proliferation of studies on education for entrepreneurship in industrialised and developing countries. However, by addressing ‘entrepreneurship’ in terms of SMEs and high-tech start-ups, they overlook: (i the blurring distinctions between entrepreneurial and managerial capitalism, (ii an erosion of the Schumpeterian dichotomy between large and small firms, and (iii the growing importance of entrepreneurial management within companies as a source for economic growth. Additionally, ‘entrepreneurship’ tends to be taught as a stand-alone topic in higher education and business/non-business courses. Empirical studies related to entrepreneurship education within primary schools, especially in least developed locations in developing countries, are largely missing in this field. Drawing on first-hand empirical evidence from primary schools in a developing area in South America, this paper examines the incidence and functioning of pedagogic practices potentially related to the initial formation of entrepreneurial mindsets. The findings show that, despite some efforts, the researched schools suffered from, not surprisingly, inadequate physical conditions and, most importantly, teachers’ unawareness and deficient qualification related to the adoption of these techniques. These problems seemed to prevent children from developing important features of their initial entrepreneurial mindsets. Thus, if companies and countries want to secure their sources of revolutionary ideas and continuous and des-continuous innovation, they need to have a long-term commitment to continuously develop and nurture the seeds for their future innovative knowledge bases. Specifically, a comprehensive, long-term, geographically and socially inclusive perspective on entrepreneurship
Teacher Practice and Pedagogical Competence Building in a Digitally Permeated Learning Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levinsen, Karin Tweddell

2017-01-01

Teachers in Danish primary schools face new professional challenges because digital learning environments are changing the professional practices regarding pedagogy, classroom management and the agency, roles and relationships between students and teachers. This paper presents the results from...... a qualitative research and development study conducted as an action research-based case study. The study aimed to explore the impact on teachers’ practice in a digitally permeated learning environment and to identify areas for their competence building. The research questions were as follows: 1) What options...... research, the researcher and the teachers collaboratively discussed the emerging challenges regarding the students' ability to take on responsibility and agence, and explored new practices and methods. The anthropological data collection methods included observation and thick description, informal...
Landslide susceptibility modeling applying machine learning methods: A case study from Longju in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China

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Zhou, Chao; Yin, Kunlong; Cao, Ying; Ahmed, Bayes; Li, Yuanyao; Catani, Filippo; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza

2018-03-01

Landslide is a common natural hazard and responsible for extensive damage and losses in mountainous areas. In this study, Longju in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China was taken as a case study for landslide susceptibility assessment in order to develop effective risk prevention and mitigation strategies. To begin, 202 landslides were identified, including 95 colluvial landslides and 107 rockfalls. Twelve landslide causal factor maps were prepared initially, and the relationship between these factors and each landslide type was analyzed using the information value model. Later, the unimportant factors were selected and eliminated using the information gain ratio technique. The landslide locations were randomly divided into two groups: 70% for training and 30% for verifying. Two machine learning models: the support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN), and a multivariate statistical model: the logistic regression (LR), were applied for landslide susceptibility modeling (LSM) for each type. The LSM index maps, obtained from combining the assessment results of the two landslide types, were classified into five levels. The performance of the LSMs was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics curve and Friedman test. Results show that the elimination of noise-generating factors and the separated modeling of each landslide type have significantly increased the prediction accuracy. The machine learning models outperformed the multivariate statistical model and SVM model was found ideal for the case study area.
Multimodal Robots As Educational Tools In Primary And Lower Secondary Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majgaard, Gunver

2015-01-01

Multimodal humanoid robots have been used as educational tools in primary and lower secondary schools. The pupils involved were between 11 and 16 years old. The learning goals included: programming, language learning, ethics, technology and mathematics, e.g. practised by 7th grade pupils who...
An Adaptive E-Learning System Based on Students' Learning Styles: An Empirical Study

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Drissi, Samia; Amirat, Abdelkrim

2016-01-01

Personalized e-learning implementation is recognized as one of the most interesting research areas in the distance web-based education. Since the learning style of each learner is different one must fit e-learning with the different needs of learners. This paper presents an approach to integrate learning styles into adaptive e-learning hypermedia.…
Teaching Cell Biology in Primary Schools

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Francele de Abreu Carlan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Basic concepts of cell biology are essential for scientific literacy. However, because many aspects of cell theory and cell functioning are quite abstract, students experience difficulties understanding them. In this study, we investigated whether diverse teaching resources such as the use of replicas of Leeuwenhoek’s microscope, visualization of cells using an optical microscope, construction of three-dimensional cell models, and reading of a comic book about cells could mitigate the difficulties encountered when teaching cell biology to 8th-grade primary school students. The results suggest that these didactic activities improve students’ ability to learn concrete concepts about cell biology, such as the composition of living beings, growth, and cicatrization. Also, the development of skills was observed, as, for example, the notion of cell size. However, no significant improvements were observed in students’ ability to learn about abstract topics, such as the structures of subcellular organelles and their functions. These results suggest that many students in this age have not yet concluded Piaget’s concrete operational stage, indicating that the concepts required for the significant learning of abstract subjects need to be explored more thoroughly in the process of designing programs that introduce primary school students to cell biology.
Applying active learning to supervised word sense disambiguation in MEDLINE.

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Chen, Yukun; Cao, Hongxin; Mei, Qiaozhu; Zheng, Kai; Xu, Hua

2013-01-01

This study was to assess whether active learning strategies can be integrated with supervised word sense disambiguation (WSD) methods, thus reducing the number of annotated samples, while keeping or improving the quality of disambiguation models. We developed support vector machine (SVM) classifiers to disambiguate 197 ambiguous terms and abbreviations in the MSH WSD collection. Three different uncertainty sampling-based active learning algorithms were implemented with the SVM classifiers and were compared with a passive learner (PL) based on random sampling. For each ambiguous term and each learning algorithm, a learning curve that plots the accuracy computed from the test set as a function of the number of annotated samples used in the model was generated. The area under the learning curve (ALC) was used as the primary metric for evaluation. Our experiments demonstrated that active learners (ALs) significantly outperformed the PL, showing better performance for 177 out of 197 (89.8%) WSD tasks. Further analysis showed that to achieve an average accuracy of 90%, the PL needed 38 annotated samples, while the ALs needed only 24, a 37% reduction in annotation effort. Moreover, we analyzed cases where active learning algorithms did not achieve superior performance and identified three causes: (1) poor models in the early learning stage; (2) easy WSD cases; and (3) difficult WSD cases, which provide useful insight for future improvements. This study demonstrated that integrating active learning strategies with supervised WSD methods could effectively reduce annotation cost and improve the disambiguation models.
Teaching and Learning: Using Experiential Learning and Reflection for Leadership Education

Science.gov (United States)

Guthrie, Kathy L.; Jones, Tamara Bertrand

2012-01-01

Leadership experiences, arguably some of the most significant developmental opportunities in college, are ripe for helping students move from mere engagement to making meaning of and learning from their leadership experience. The International Learning Association's teaching and learning area asks: "what methods are most appropriate to ensure…
On the importances of cultivating cross-cultural awareness of pre-service English teachers of primary schools

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

聂冬霞

2016-01-01

Cross-cultural communication becomes more important in English education in primary schools and one of the main tasks of English learning in primary schools is to improve students' cross-cultural awareness. For pre-service English teachers they should pay more attention on the importances of cultivating their cross-cultural awareness in English learning.
Sun-Protection Habits of Primary Students in a Coastal Area of Greece

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M. Saridi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of the present study was to record habits and attitudes of primary school students in Greece regarding sun-protection measures. Materials and Methods. 2,163 students with an average age of 9.9 (±1.1 years, studying in 14 schools of a Greek region, constituted our sample. The SPSS 17.0 software was used for the statistical analysis and significance level was set to P≤0.05. Results. Our sample had an equal gender distribution. 16% of the students belonged to the high-risk group, 70.2% of the participants lived 0–5 km away from the sea (urban area, 84.2% of the students were Greek, and 15.8% had non-Greek nationality. Half of the participants said they wear a hat when under the sun and 72% of them said they use sunscreen. 33.1% of the students said they had a sunburn last summer. Greek students as well as those who lived near the sea had better behaviour patterns regarding sun protection. Finally, children who did not use a sunscreen systematically had suffered sunburns more often than the rest. Conclusions. Health education programmes are necessary for students and parents/teachers alike, in order to raise awareness about everyday sun protection.
Sun-Protection Habits of Primary Students in a Coastal Area of Greece

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saridi, M.; Toska, A.; Rekleiti, M.; Liachopoulou, A.; Wozniak, G.; Kalokairinou, A.; Birbas, K.; Souliotis, K.

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to record habits and attitudes of primary school students in Greece regarding sun-protection measures. Materials and Methods. 2,163 students with an average age of 9.9 (±1.1) years, studying in 14 schools of a Greek region, constituted our sample. The SPSS 17.0 software was used for the statistical analysis and significance level was set toρ≤0.05. Results. Our sample had an equal gender distribution. 16% of the students belonged to the high-risk group, 70.2% of the participants lived 0-5 km away from the sea (urban area), 84.2% of the students were Greek, and 15.8% had non-Greek nationality. Half of the participants said they wear a hat when under the sun and 72% of them said they use sunscreen. 33.1% of the students said they had a sunburn last summer. Greek students as well as those who lived near the sea had better behaviour patterns regarding sun protection. Finally, children who did not use a sunscreen systematically had suffered sunburns more often than the rest. Conclusions. Health education programmes are necessary for students and parents/teachers alike, in order to raise awareness about everyday sun protection.
The Optimum Conditions of Foreign Languages in Primary Education

Science.gov (United States)

Giannikas, Christina Nicole

2014-01-01

The aim of the paper is to review the primary language learning situation in Europe and shed light on the benefits it carries. Early language learning is the biggest policy development in education and has developed in rapid speed over the past 30 years; this article considers the effects and advantages of the optimum condition of an early start,…
Foreign Language in the First Cycle of Waldorf Primary Education – Viewpoints of Parents from Three Countries

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Mithans Monika

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This paper seeks to present the viewpoints of Slovenian, Austrian, and German parents whose children attend Waldorf primary schools, about learning foreign languages at the primary level. The first section of the paper outlines the main characteristics of learning and teaching foreign languages in Waldorf primary schools and compares the syllabus for the first foreign language in Austria, Slovenia, and Germany. Further on, the paper focuses on the results of an empirical research which involved 215 parents. The results showed that parents who could directly observe the effects of learning a foreign language in childhood were more inclined to it. They were also familiar with the benefits of learning a foreign language for a child. Also, the majority of them agreed that learning second languages was easier for children, and they did not think it had any adverse impact on the mother tongue or the child’s personality.
Primary and Secondary Virtual Learning in New Zealand: Examining Barriers to Achieving Maturity

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Barbour, Michael; Davis, Niki; Wenmoth, Derek

2016-01-01

This paper describes the organisational development of virtual learning in networked rural schools in New Zealand, specifically the obstacles that e-learning clusters of rural schools face in their journey to sustainability and maturity through the lens of the Ministry's Learning Communities Online Handbook. Analysis of a nationwide purposeful…
Creating sustainable empowering learning environments through ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... as these impede optimal learning especially among rural and immigrant communities in South Africa, Canada and the world over. The primary focus of all papers herein therefore is on the creation of sustainable empowering learning environments through engaged scholarship spearheaded by the university.
Expert opinion regarding the preparation of entry-level physiotherapists for primary healthcare practice, examined using Biggs 3P's model of teaching learning.

Science.gov (United States)

McMahon, Sinead; O'Donoghue, Grainne; Doody, Catherine; O'Neill, Geraldine; Cusack, Tara

2016-05-01

The scope of contemporary physiotherapy practice is a critical factor in determining the appropriate educational preparation for physiotherapists now and into the future. The world-wide shift from secondary to primary healthcare has, and is, continuing to result in new and different ways of working. It is crucial that curricular changes reflect these developments. In this study a qualitative approach using Biggs 3P's - Pressage, Process and Product model to discuss curriculum design. The aim of the study was to explore the perspectives of both national and international physiotherapy educators/practitioners in primary healthcare, on the key elements required in physiotherapy education programmes to prepare future primary healthcare practitioners. Snowball sampling was used to identify experts in education and/or primary healthcare practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide based on the Biggs 3P's model. Twelve participants were recruited from Ireland (n = 2), the UK (n = 4), Canada (n = 3), New Zealand (n = 2) and Australia (n = 1) using snowball sampling. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Themes identified included; understanding the philosophy of physiotherapy practice, cultural competence, inter-disciplinary team working and communication skills. Contextual factors and teaching and learning strategies were discussed. There is an urgent need for physiotherapy education programmes to adopt the concept of primary healthcare as the basis for the physiotherapy curriculum and illuminate key components for consideration.

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