Education – Page 29 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Yale’s New Microscope Brings Atoms’ Identities into Focus

By Guest PostJanuary 15, 2012Education, Scienceatom scale materials, atomic level resolution, atomic resolution, atoms and molecules, carbon nanotubes, chemical composition, crystals, electron beams, electron energy, energy, gayatri keskar, lisa pfefferle, microscope, nanometers, nanoscience and quantum engineering, osirus chemistem model, paul fleury, quantum computing, semiconductors, state of the art microscope, steve girvin, sustainability research, tem, transmission electron microscope, width of a human hair, x ray detector, yinqe, yinqe laboratory

Yale’s acquisition of a powerful new transmission electron microscope (TEM) is expected to transform researchers’ ability to examine and manipulate atom-scale materials and devices on campus.

The approximately $2 million, state-of-the-art microscope offers atomic resolution for both physical structure and chemical composition, as well as significantly faster processing times than other devices on campus. It is the first unit of this specific TEM model acquired for university laboratory use. (more…)

The Wondrous World of Insects

By Guest PostJanuary 8, 2012Education, Natureann minnich, beetles, blenman elementary school, bob, butterflies, cockroach, discovery, education, entomology, favorite animals, goggy davidowitz, insect anatomy, insect discovery, iPhone, jaika ohja, kathleen walker, kindergarteners, la monica everett haynes, lives of insects, Madagascar, moths, plastic container, scientific exploration, stem fields, tucson area, university of alaska fairbanks, university of arizona, wondrous world of insects

*UA Insect Discovery program facilitators have spent years teaching Tucson area youth about the lives of insects while also encouraging them to pursue higher education and studies in science. The program is getting even more financial backing and other support.*

Holding a square, plastic container, Kathleen Walker turned toward the captivated group of dozens of elementary school students seated before her.

She asked: “Do you think there’s a cow in here?” The kindergarteners respond in unison: “No!” Walker smiled a bit. “No, that would be silly, right?” (more…)

An Abandoned Home Becomes a Shining Star

By Guest PostDecember 22, 2011Educationbilingual education, educational community, mexican community, psychoeducational test, school experience

Todd Fletcher, an associate professor in the UA College of Education, puts his heart and soul into a life-changing community center that provides the perfect training ground for teachers.

Devoted to helping teachers improve the school experience for students, particularly special education English learners, Todd Fletcher is a man on a mission. (more…)

Are High-Stakes Tests Worth It?

By Guest PostDecember 17, 2011Educationchaldean, elpa, english, english language proficiency test, english language programs, hispanic, kindergarten, michigan state university, no child left behind, paula winke, second language, test administrators, test centric society

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The nationally mandated English language proficiency test, given to students whose second language is English, is causing unintended psychological stress for students who can least afford it, according to a Michigan State University researcher.

In research published in the December edition of the journal TESOL Quarterly, MSU’s Paula Winke said teachers and test administrators should assist in the reform of the English Language Proficiency Assessment. Otherwise, the test could negatively impact the academic success of the country’s more than 5 million English Language Learners (defined as those who speak another language). (more…)

Focus on Testing Hurts Students in High School Health Classes

By Guest PostNovember 21, 2011Educationann o connell, appalachia, deleon gray, derek lane, eric m anderman, extrinsic focus, george mason university, health education, healthy behavior, high school health classes, knowledge, low pressure, mastery focus, navigate sexual situations, ohio state, pamela cupp, pregnancy prevention, rick zimmerman, rural communities, safe sex habits, sex related topics, sexual advances, studying hiv, teacher, university of kentucky

COLUMBUS, Ohio – High school health classes fail to help students refuse sexual advances or endorse safe sex habits when teachers focus primarily on testing knowledge, a new study reveals.

But when teachers emphasized learning the material for its own sake, and to improve health, students had much better responses. In these kinds of classrooms, students had lower intentions of having sex and felt better able to navigate sexual situations.

“A focus on tests doesn’t help students in health classes make healthier choices,” said Eric M. Anderman, lead author of the study and professor of educational psychology at Ohio State University. (more…)

Scientists, Public Team Up to Discover Biodiversity

By Guest PostOctober 30, 2011Education, Science2011 bioblitz, arizona, arizona sonora desert museum, bioblitz, bobcat, cecil schwalbe, creosote, disease, diversity, don falk, don swann, dustin sandberg, ecology and biodiversity, elizabeth betsy arnold, facebook for students, fungi, globe, gps device, jaguar, jeff eble, jojoba, kim franklin, mountain lion, natalie luna rose, nick massimo, ocelot, palo verde, pharmaceutical drug discovery, Phoenix, photosynthesis, plant pathogens, saguaro national park, sonoran desert, team endophyte, tropics, tucson, tundra, university of arizona, ziploc bags

*During the 2011 BioBlitz at Saguaro National Park Oct. 21-22, school children and volunteers teamed up with experts to embark on a 24-hour race to discover and tally as many of the park’s living creatures as possible in an effort to better understand the ecology and biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert.*

Under an afternoon sun that is beating down much too relentlessly for this time of year, our group of eleven is scrambling up a hillside in Saguaro National Park just west of Tucson.

What has brought us together is the 2011 BioBlitz, a two-day celebration of biodiversity organized by the National Park Service, National Geographic, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Friends of Saguaro National Park. For two and a half hours, we get to be field biologists on a real science mission. (more…)

Suzanne Alonzo: A Voice That Says ‘I Think You Can’

By Guest PostOctober 30, 2011Educationcrisis of confidence, family career balance, good mentor, productive academic career, suzanne alonzo, voice of encouragement

At one time or another, however briefly, many of the budding scientists Suzanne Alonzo works with in her laboratory or classroom have experienced a crisis of confidence — or, at the least, a bit of doubt about their academic path. (more…)

UA Study: Financial Education Creates Positive ‘Snowball Effect’

By Guest PostSeptember 4, 2011Educationaplus, arizona pathways for life success in university students, citi foundation, cumulative education, financial education, financial management, hannah gomez, joyce serido, pamela flaherty, positive financial attitudes and behaviors, positive financial behaviors, snowball effect, soyeon shim, university of arizona, value of parental communication

*According to a UA study, cumulative education leads to more financial knowledge and more positive financial behaviors.*

New research from the University of Arizona shows that high school and college students who are exposed to cumulative financial education show an increase in financial knowledge, which in turn drives increasingly responsible financial behavior as they become young adults.

In fact, researchers at the UA Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences documented a “snowball effect” that these early efforts exponentially increase the likelihood that students will pursue more financial education as time goes on, including informal learning through books, magazines and seminars. (more…)

Category Archives: Education

Todd Fletcher, an associate professor in the UA College of Education, puts his heart and soul into a life-changing community center that provides the perfect training ground for teachers.