Viewpoints of elementary principals and their teachers concerning teachers' meetings as they are conducted within schools in five Massachusetts towns

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Boys and girls come out to play: Gender differences in children\u27s play patterns

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Study; a national, cross-border research project which recorded children’s play patterns in Ireland during 2012. The study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. This study recorded the play patterns of children in Ireland aged birth-14 years. The findings of the study are discussed here in the context of gendered patterns. Particular emphasis is placed on the skill differences developed through various play choices. These differences are explored within the context of established literature on the learning strengths of boys and girls. Established bodies of literature on children’s learning across gender lines has long been engaged in the debate about whether these differences are biological or socially constructed. This paper offers a parallel question; Are gender differences within learning, constructed through play choices within childhood? ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Pure quantum freezing of the 5th^{th} dimension

It is shown that superthin and superlong gravitational flux tube solutions in the 5D Kaluza-Klein gravity have the region $(\approx l_{Pl})$ where the metric signature changes from $\{+,-,-,-,- \}$ to $\{-,-,-,-,+ \}$. Such change is too quickly from one of the paradigms of quantum gravity which tells that the Planck length is the minimal length in the nature and consequently the physical quantities can not change very quickly in the course of this length. For avoiding such dynamic it is supposed that a pure quantum freezing of the dynamic of the $5^{th}$ dimension takes place. As the continuation of the flux tube metric in the longitudinal direction the Reissner-Nordstr\"om metric is proposed. In the consequence of such construction one can avoid the appearance of a point-like singularity in the extremal Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution.Comment: grammar errors are correcte

Let\u27s get real: are today\u27s children playing with nature? Do the educational aspirations of the nature play movement emerge within children\u27s neighbourhood play?

The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project was a large scale research project which included almost 1700 participant families and 240 communities throughout Ireland. It used parental surveys and naturalistic observation to secure data on how children in modern Ireland aged 0-15 are spending their free time. An all-island approach was taken incorporating cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings. Interesting findings arose from the data relating to the choices that children are making within their free time. This paper focuses on the choices they are making within their engagement with nature and natural materials. Data on the children’s nature choices will be presented and discussed through a child development lens. The positive and negative implications for both learning and development are raised. This leads us to interesting questions about the role of nature within child development and learning. As an international nature play movement gains ground in raising awareness about the importance of nature based learning and its linkages with educational structure and pedagogy, this research into children’s nature choices is timely ©IATED (2016). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Is it time for the risky classroom? Dealing with risk and uncertainty is a natural part of adult life. Yet modern children are shielded from risk at every opportunity. A pedagogical shift is required

Risk within learning environments is a much debated topic within early childhood education. The sector sees and understands the benefits of risk but often remain risk adverse. No –one wishes for children to experience injury and as such safety measures are essential. However, risk has also been shown to be essential for holistic development and learning in the early years (Lights, 2014). It is very important in the formation of many important skills and contributes greatly to children’s holistic health (Brussoni, Olsen, Pike & Sleet, 2012). Contemporary research and the most up-to-date wisdom requires educators to embrace risk and risky play in order to maximise children’s learning opportunities (Brussoni et al, 2015). It is a type of play that supports the child to encounter and overcome challenge. It includes the development of self-belief in the face of adversity, resilience building and problem solving confidence as well as physical competence and survival skills. Taking risks also transfers into skills such as judgement and risk measurement as well as tenacity and the ability to try again after failure. But is risk endangered in modern childhood? This paper presents data from the Irish Neighbourhood Play Study. This study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. One of the things under investigation was the engagement with risk within neighbourhood play. The results indicate that the children were engaging in very low levels of risk. If the benefits of risk are to be experienced by this generation of children, educators may need to overcome their fears and reservations and learn to embrace and incorporate risk provision into Early Childhood pedagogies. ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Epitaxial silicon growth for solar cells

Growth and fabrication procedures for the baseline solar cells are described along with measured cell parameters, and the results. Reproducibility of these results was established and the direction to be taken for higher efficiency is identified