17.100J Political Economy I: Theories of the State and the Economy (MIT)
Political Economy I explores the major social science paradigms for analyzing relations among state, economy, and society. Through readings, lectures and discussion of original texts in political liberalism and individualism, neo-classical economics, Marxism, sociological and cultural theories, and neo-institutionalism, the seminar examines the fundamental assumptions on which our understanding of the social world and our research are based. All participants in the seminar are required to do the
Red Light, Green Light
Building upon their understanding of forces and Newton's laws of motion, students learn about the force of friction, specifically with respect to cars. They explore the friction between tires and the road to learn how it affects the movement of cars while driving. In an associated literacy activity, students explore the theme of conflict in literature, and the difference between internal and external conflict, and various types of conflicts. Stories are used to discuss methods of managing and re
Weather Watchers
Students are introduced to some essential meteorology concepts so they more fully understand the impact of meteorological activity on air pollution control and prevention. First, they develop an understanding of the magnitude and importance of air pressure. Next, they build a simple aneroid barometer to understand how air pressure information is related to weather prediction. Then, students explore the concept of relative humidity and its connection to weather prediction. Finally, students learn
Analyse et prise en compte des contraintes didactiques et informatiques dans la conception et le dé
This paper shows the didactical and computational constraints in the design of software for mathematical proof in geometry: Cabri-Euclide. The earliest constraint is to produce software for mathematical proof without has the previous solutions concerning the problem. Cabri-Euclide is a microworld, Thus, the essential is that the system have to verify a local coherence, and not to designate a global automatic deduction.
Exploring the secondary transfer of gifted and talented pupils
In my research I am endeavouring to investigate the experiences of academically gifted children transferring from primary to secondary school. This involves examining the policy context of the national, regional and local arenas, the ways in which pupils experience this provision within their classrooms, and the influence of their home environment. One cohort of children will be tracked longitudinally from Year 5 into Year 8 in two contrastive areas, Bristol and Cardiff. An ethnographic case
Improving the effectiveness of pupil group work: report on first results from the TLRP phase 2 SPRin
The main impetus for the SPRinG (Social Pedagogic Research into Grouping) project was to address the wide gap between the potential of group work to influence learning, motivation and attitudes to learning, and relationships in the classroom, on the one hand, and the limited use of group work in schools, on the other hand. Pupils rarely receive training in group working, and teachers are often unsure of its benefits and place in the curriculum. The SPRinG project was therefore set up to develop,
Combining life history and life-course approaches in researching lifelong learning: some methodologi
Learning Lives is a large-scale longitudinal study into the learning biographies of adult learners, aged 25 and over. The aim of the project is to deepen understanding of the complexities of learning in the life-course whilst identifying, implementing and evaluating strategies for sustained positive impact upon learning opportunities, dispositions and practices and upon the empowerment of adult learners. From a methodological point of view, one of the more challenging dimensions of Learning Live
Evaluating an evidence-based approach to designing and implementing a teaching sequence about plant
Although there is now a significant database of research evidence about students’ learning of biological concepts, there is general scepticism as to whether this research has had any impact on the practice of teachers. A likely reason for the low impact of research is that little is known about what is involved for teachers in drawing upon research findings about learning to improve practice. In this paper we present findings from a study that is investigating the process of transforming resea
Contour Basics
Contour Basics is an exercise designed to introduce students to contour plots. The Contour Activity is a great on-line resource that starts slowly and increases in difficulty. It teaches students basic techniques for generating contours, introduces students to the subtleties of generating contour plots with sparse data, provides many opportunities for students to assess their own progress and understanding and has complete on-line drawing capabilities. The exercise is geared toward atmospheric a
A German Way of War? Atrocities and Military Dictatorship
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ConcepTests
This site from SERC describes ConcepTests, which are conceptual multiple-choice questions that were originally designed by Eric Mazur at Harvard University for students in large physics classes. ConcepTests are generally short, and as they are multiple-choice, they are useful for immediate quantitative assessment of student understanding. It may be useful to the instructor to know how many correct responses there are to a question both before and after peer instruction to better gauge student un
Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory: Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group makes ongoing discrete measurements from land and sea surface sites and aircraft, and continuous measurements from baseline observatories and tall towers. These measurements document the spatial and temporal distributions of carbon-cycle gases and provide essential constraints to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. This website is an interactive atmospher
Training Educators to Design and Develop ODL Materials
Welcome to this facilitator’s guide. It contains exciting materials for conducting a workshop to train educators to develop Open and Distance Learning (ODL) resources. As you navigate through this document you will find materials needed for planning and conducting sessions for training educators in the development of ODL learning resources. These materials have been designed so that they can be used for professional development as well as for personal knowledge.
This facilitator’s guide is
The Earth and Beyond: Distinguishing the most important groups of materials
Learners respond confidently to their desire to learn about natural phenomena; they investigate relationships and solve problems within the context of science, technology and the environment. In this activity, learners will show an understanding of the interrelationships between science and technology, society and the environment.
Expanding Universe
This activity is designed to help students gain a deeper understanding of cosmology. Students develop authentic models and gather evidence supporting the Big Bang theory. This lesson uses observation, interactive media, and scientific models.
Who Can Live Here? Life in Extreme Environments
Astrobiology in the Classroom leads students in the exploration of the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds. In this four-part activity, students first explore the environments of several mammals and birds to better understand how living things and their environments interact and depend on each other. In the second part, students match bacterial types with their more extreme environments. Students discover that an environment's tem
Amazing Space
Amazing Space consists of web-based educational presentations for young children about space, which were developed at the Space Telescope Science and Technology Institute. Teachers teamed up with scientists and engineers from the institute and staff members from the Office of Public Outreach to develop interactive lessons. All lessons include spectacular photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and many high quality graphics, videos, and animation designed to enhance student understanding
The HPLC Doctor
This site provides HPLC troubleshooting tips. It covers common separation problems such as peak fronting or tailing and split peaks and suggests solutions. This site will be most useful for students and practitioners who already have some background knowledge of separation theory. It will be especially helpful for laboratory or research students who are developing a new separation method or are encountering problems with their chromatographic experiments.
Common Cold
This Web site provides comprehensive information, selected by medical doctors, about the common cold. The goal is to provide a framework for critical thinking which will allow informed decisions about medical care for the common cold. The section entitled Understanding Colds gives a detailed overview of how the cold virus invades the human body and how cold symptoms are caused. Information about preventing colds, and some of the complications that can occur are also included. The Special Feature
Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
Now an annual event, National Engineers Week was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951. In 1988, the National Engineers Week consortium expanded and now includes more than 100 engineering, scientific, and education societies and major corporations dedicated to enhancing the public understanding of the engineering profession and to promoting pre-college interest in math, science, and engineering as a career option. From this website, visitors can read suggestions for w
