The Global Amphibian Crisis
In this video Sir David Attenborough talks about the global amphibian crisis. The Zoological Society of London is working alongside Amphibian Ark (AArk), which was founded to carry out an Amphibian Conservation Action Plan. This is a video with a terrific and very important message, although you have to listen carefully because the background music is almost overpowering the voice of Mr. Attenborough.
Sci-tutors: Materials and their properties: Changing Materials
This Sci-tutors unit builds upon the particle ideas explored in Materials Unit 1. It explores the categorisation of change into ‘chemical' and ‘physical' as well as the conceptual barriers to an understanding of chemical change.
Teachers TV Go Green Week
To mark ‘Go Green Week', the annual student week of action on climate change, Teachers TV is showing a week of programmes (w/c 8 February) looking at some of the issues and potential solutions around global warming. In addition, to mark the 5th anniversary of the launch of the unique TV channel for everyone who works in schools on 8th February, Teachers TV will be showing 40 of its most memorable programmes between 4-6pm and 8-10pm every day this week.
The DCSF Research Conference 2010
The DCSF Research Conference 2010, The Use of Evidence in Policy Development and Delivery, took place at the QEII Conference Centre in London on 9 February. The day consisted of a series of addresses, followed by two workshop sessions, and a panel discussion in the afternoon. Carole Willis, Director of Research and Analysis at the DCSF, welcomed delegates, and spoke of the need to make decisions to use money for the best impact in terms of delivering better outcomes, based on evidence. A central
Sci-tutors: Scientific Enquiry: Ideas and Evidence
This article on the Sci-tutors website explores the conceptual barriers to understanding the nature of science or 'how science works'. In general many scientists and science educators do not have a clearly articulated view on the subject and it remains a disputed field. It seems clear that 'doing science' is an activity that all humans engage in to some extent and that it requires curiosity, intellectual honesty and a search for understanding, explanation and application in the contexts of obser
A Phenomenographic Investigation of Teacher Conceptions of Student Engagement in Learning
This journal article explores the meaning of the term ‘student engagement’ in learning. The article draws attention to disagreements about what counts as student engagement and contends that it means different things to different people. It highlights the fact that certain conceptions of engagement (for example, students physically participating in class activities) may not be educationally fruitful. This is because mere participation is not a guarantee that students are cognitively engaged
National Survey of Parents and Children: Family Life, Aspirations and Engagement with Learning 2008
This research report presents the findings of a national survey of a representative sample of 2572 parents with resident children aged 0-19 and 1154 children aged 10-19 in relation to providing “insights into family attitudes and dynamics...so that the relationships within the family could be explored in depth”. The report aims to aid understanding of the complex relationships between parents and their children in relation to many different views which they hold on family, education, identit
Out-of-Classroom Learning: Practical information and guidance for schools and teachers
The booklet exemplifies opportunities presented by a consortium of organisations to support young people’s experience of out-of-classroom learning. It is the basis for developing an understanding of Real World Learning where Every Child Matters (ECM) is at the heart of learning, which is fun, motivational, inclusive and achievable. There is also invaluable guidance to support teachers and organisers of these learning and teaching experiences.
Distributed web systems : past exam questions : level 3
This resource (B359 Distributed Web Systems Level 3) contains past examination questions from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Portsmouth.
From mobile phones to the Internet, our lives depend increasingly on distributed systems linking computers and other devices together in a seamless and transparent way. This unit will provide the students with the basic knowledge of the principles and practice of distributed systems necessary to develop distributed
riverOcean
The riverOcean Foundation is a largely voluntary, non-profit environmental organisation dedicated to "increasing awareness and encouraging care for our water environments". The main aims of the organisation are to "increase awareness of all aspects of the water environment", "promote a holistic understanding of water systems" and to "make links between, and build partnerships with, other organisations and individuals working for positive environmental (including social) change". The site contain
Fair Health: Health Inequities Within and Between Countries - A Global Challenge
The 20th century has seen impressive gains in health and life expectancy in many parts of the world – but these improvements are unequally distributed. In every country, poor people and those from socially disadvantaged groups get sicker and die sooner than people in more privileged social positions. Not only is there a gap in health between the best-off and the worst-off in society, there is a gradient in health running between them. This gradient can be linked clearly to social and economic
The New Biology of Ageing - Audio
Research into ageing has been rejuvenated by the discovery that genetic alterations extend the lifespan of laboratory animals. These mutations keep animals healthy for longer and protect them from many of the diseases of ageing. Professor Partridge will look at how this and other discoveries have led to a new wave of research directed at understanding how these changes can increase healthy lifespan in humans.
The Future of Brazil
The old joke about Brazil is that it is the country of the future, and always will be. There are signs, however, that the Brazilian economy is finally achieving the stability necessary for it to fulfil its potential. What is particularly intriguing is that this has happened under the leadership of Lula, the former print-worker, union leader and founder of the innovative Workers’ Party, who is now in his second term as elected president of Brazil. To what extent is it possible for a radical
Climate change in northwest China over the past millennium
Around half of the world’s population lives under the influence of the Asian monsoons. The sustainability of water resources, which is intimately tied up with future monsoon variability, is a critically-important issue in northwest China where development is taking place at the margins of agricultural productivity and towards the fringe of the landward penetration of summer monsoon rainfall. Understanding the likely future behaviour of the Asian monsoons is therefore critical for the people of
Modernism in China: Architectural Visions and Revolutions
China’s development and speculation about its future impact on the world are stimulating considerable attention in design-related disciplines internationally. This process has already encouraged various forms of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary dialogue that will inevitably enrich our understanding of design and improve our responses to future design-related problems. However, much of this discourse tends to focus on either pre-twentieth century themes (e.g. China’s ancient sites and cu
Sustainable Urban Systems to Transfer Achievable Implementation Network (SUSTAIN)
The main aim of SUSTAIN is to develop collaborative research proposals to investigate how to improve the development of sustainable cities. This will be achieved by convening a series of 4 workshops; water, energy, synergy and transport, each consisting of two meetings and each pair developing one (or more) collaborative proposals.
In August 2005, Arup- one of the world’s most respected global design consultatncies - was contracted to design and masterplan the world’s first sustainable city
Climate change in northwest China over the past millennium
Around half of the world’s population lives under the influence of the Asian monsoons. The sustainability of water resources, which is intimately tied up with future monsoon variability, is a critically-important issue in northwest China where development is taking place at the margins of agricultural productivity and towards the fringe of the landward penetration of summer monsoon rainfall. Understanding the likely future behaviour of the Asian monsoons is therefore critical for the people of
Modernism in China: Architectural Visions and Revolutions
China’s development and speculation about its future impact on the world are stimulating considerable attention in design-related disciplines internationally. This process has already encouraged various forms of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary dialogue that will inevitably enrich our understanding of design and improve our responses to future design-related problems. However, much of this discourse tends to focus on either pre-twentieth century themes (e.g. China’s ancient sites and cu
Sustainable Urban Systems to Transfer Achievable Implementation Network (SUSTAIN)
The main aim of SUSTAIN is to develop collaborative research proposals to investigate how to improve the development of sustainable cities. This will be achieved by convening a series of 4 workshops; water, energy, synergy and transport, each consisting of two meetings and each pair developing one (or more) collaborative proposals.
In August 2005, Arup- one of the world’s most respected global design consultatncies - was contracted to design and masterplan the world’s first sustainable city
Guangming Smart-city: A New Chinese City
By 2010 it is anticipated that half of China’s population will have moved from the countryside to the cities. The Chinese Government has recently presented Dongtan, near Shanghai, as their ecological showcase to the United Nations World Urban Forum, but what will tomorrow’s new Chinese city be?
Our key research concern was to design a more sustainable social and economic community and strike a balance between modernization and environmental preservation. The “ecological life-style” is a
