A Lesson in Mindful Collaboration

Texas GROW! EAT! GO! Preliminary Findings of Garden, Nutrition and Physical Activity Interventions on Child Behaviors and Obesity

The objectives of this study were to determine 1) the relative degrees to which students' notions of physiological functions are teleologic or mechanistic in nature, 2) whether these notions differ between students in elementary and advanced-level physiology courses, and 3) whether the degree of teleologic vs. mechanistic thinking can be modified by direct discussion of this topic. A questionnaire that determined whether students thought about body functions in a teleologic (why) or mechanistic (how) manner was administered to the following categories of students: 1) a class of high school biology students, 2) classes of students taking elementary college-level physiology courses, and 3) college students in advanced physiology courses. Overall, there was an average 61% teleologic response among the various classes, and differences between the classes were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). To address objective 3, one of the classes was presented the questionnaire after being given a lecture on teleology vs. mechanistic approaches to body function. The average teleological response of this class was only 12%, a value significantly lower in comparison, by a one-way analysis of variance, to any of the other groups (P less than 0.0001). These results indicate that the students have a strong tendency to think of body functions in teleological terms and that this tendency can be modified on a short-term basis by a direct discussion (by an instructor) of teleologic vs. mechanistic thinking.

<p style="text-align: justify;">The actions, processes, objects, and schemas (APOS) theory is a constructivist learning theory created by Dubinsky based on Piaget's epistemology and used to teach math worldwide. Especially the application of APOS theory to the curriculum of a mathematics class helps students better understand the concepts being taught, which in turn contributes to the formation and development of mathematical competencies. With the aid of the APOS theory and the activity, classroom discussion, and exercise (ACE) learning cycle, this study sought to ascertain the effect of teaching derivatives in Vietnamese high schools. In this quasi-experimental study at a high school in Vietnam, there were 78 grade 11 students (40 in the experimental and 38 in the control classes). As opposed to the control class, which received traditional instruction, the experimental class's students were taught using the ACE learning cycle based on the APOS theory. The data was collected based on the pre-test, the post-test results and a survey of students' opinions. Also, the data that was gathered, both qualitatively and quantitatively, was examined using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) predictive analytics software. The results showed that students in the experimental class who participated in learning activities based on the APOS theory improved their academic performance and attitudes. Additionally, it promoted the students' abilities to find solutions to problems about derivatives.</p>

Ninth grade students who attend Boundary High School (BHS) encounter a host of academic, social and emotional challenges commonly associated with the transition from middle school to high school. To the extent BHS ninth grade students navigate these challenges during this vulnerable time in their educational journey determines their overall success in high school. The purpose of this Action Research Study was to identify the challenges ninth grade students encountered during and after their transition from middle school to BHS and to study the effectiveness of implementing a 9th Grade Advisory class as a strategy for supporting ninth grade students. Goals for implementing the daily 9th Grade Advisory class included helping ninth grade students (1) feel socially connected at BHS, (2) become sufficiently oriented to the procedures at BHS and (3) achieve academic success by passing and earning credit in all core and elective classes. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups and student self-efficacy surveys were used to gather and analyze data with questioning procedures that allowed the participants to answer in their own terms. Based on student perception survey results, the initial first quarter grade data, and the qualitative data from the semi-structed interviews and focus groups, the effectiveness of the 9th Grade Advisory class appears to have increased the likelihood ninth grade students can (1) safely build social connections with peers, (2) confidently navigate BHS more efficiently than without the 9th Grade Advisory class, and (3) receive enhanced support toward academic success. Continuation of the 9th Grade Advisory class at BHS in subsequent school years, along with intentional development of the 9th Grade Advisory class curriculum as part of a comprehensive middle to high school transition program at BHS would provide the necessary support future incoming ninth grade students need to finish their first year in high school on track to graduate.--Author's abstract

Anthony's story was the same as that of many dropouts: he was bored in school, he had no support or encouragement from his family or his teachers, and he lacked motivation. But it was after he quit high school that his story took a different turn. Ms. Finnan and Mr. Chasin explain how Anthony has been able to succeed against all odds. ********** ANTHONY, a stocky, muscular, young African American man with a smile that exudes warmth and enthusiasm, chose a path taken by far too many of his peers: he became a high school dropout. He started down this path long before he entered his urban high school in Wisconsin in 1997. Throughout his years in school, he had never been pushed to excel, and no one had taken the time to build on his potential. Anthony quickly adopted the attitude that school was a boring waste of time. He saw himself as an academic failure, and his middle school, judging by the academic record that he had created, agreed. By the time Anthony entered high school, he was completely disengaged from classroom learning. He attended classes but did the minimum possible to pass to the next grade. His high school didn't seem to expect any more from him. And so Anthony and his school entered into an unwritten pact: we won't push you too hard, and you won't have to work; if you show up and stay out of trouble, you will pass. Anthony's primary reasons for attending school were to hang out with friends and play basketball. Eventually, he began to break the pact he had made with his high school. Rather than attending class, he began coming to campus only at lunchtime, when he could socialize and play basketball. By 1999, Anthony had officially dropped out of school. Few adults at the school noticed. As Anthony put it, saw myself as an unsuccessful student who did not belong in school. This was a view shared by my mother. I belonged on the basketball courts and with my friends. After years of going to school but not learning and being viewed as a failure, I gave up. Unfortunately, Anthony's experience is not unique. National high school graduation rates hover between 68% and 71%, indicating that about one-third of all high school students drop out. (1) When these figures are disaggregated and we look at African American students, the odds of dropping out increase to 50%, and males are more likely than females to leave school. (2) From a purely statistical standpoint, then, Anthony's decision to drop out is not surprising. But surprising or not, it still represents a terrible choice because the future for high school dropouts is indisputably bleak. (3) Anthony's story embodies several common reasons for dropping out. The school experience was boring and disconnected from Anthony's life. His family did not encourage him to do well in school. In fact, his mother actively discouraged his attendance or engagement. It appears that none of Anthony's past teachers or principals saw his potential. He felt like a failure, and no one tried to change his mind. A recent report, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, tells very similar stories. (4) Based on focus groups or interviews with a total of 467 ethnically and racially diverse 16- to 24-year-olds from 25 different locations across the country, this study found that most students do not drop out because of poor achievement. Seventy percent of the dropouts interviewed said that they were confident they could have graduated if they tried. Nearly half of the sample cited boredom as their reason for dropping out. This is not to say that all of these young people were star students prior to leaving school. Forty-five percent felt poorly prepared by their previous school, and 32% had already repeated a grade. Like Anthony, the young people in these interviews reported that the process of becoming a dropout was a gradual one. They started by disengaging from specific classes; then they missed a lot of school; eventually, they simply stopped attending altogether. …

Introduction. The relevance of the article is determined by the need to solve one of the main tasks of the Federal Educational Program of Basic General Education in Literature in 2022, related to introducing students to the heritage of world art culture. The research was conducted as part of a scientific qualification work - a dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences – on the topic “Mastering the potential of “eternal images” by students of grades 7-8th in literature lessons.” The aim of the work is to identify the level of understanding of the “eternal image” of Don Quixote by 7th grade students and to find methodological ways to promote its disclosure and understanding at further stages of school education. Literature Review. The novel “Don Quixote”, since 1991, has been presented in the literature course of the basic school and studied in fragments in lessons. This book, as one of the best works of world literature, is a source of moral and aesthetic education. At the same time, the complexity of understanding the image of Don Quixote, the limited number of hours allocated for familiarization with Cervantes’ book in thematic planning, is the basis for posing the problem of ways of studying the novel about Don Quixote in literature lessons. Materials and Methods. Analysis of literature programs aiming to study methodological interpretations of the image of Don Quixote; survey of students in 7th grades aiming to determine the level of knowledge about the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance. Results. An analysis of programs and teaching aids on literature allows us to conclude that the novel “Don Quixote” as one of the best works of world literature, a source of moral and aesthetic education has been a program work of secondary schools for more than 30 years. At the same time, the complexity of understanding the image of Don Quixote, the limited number of hours allocated for familiarization with Cervantes’ book in thematic planning, and the lack of modern methodological developments give us grounds for posing the problem of actualizing the study of the novel about Don Quixote in literature lessons. A survey of 7th grade students revealed that the students had not read the novel before studying it and did not know the hero. Meanwhile, the image of Don Quixote helps to better understand not only the works of Russian classical literature, but also the literature of the 20th–21st centuries. The relevance of the novel is also emphasized by the fact that the image of a knight created by Cervantes is close to the worldview of a Russian person. Therefore, in 7th grade, it is necessary to create an initial understanding of this hero in order to further develop an understanding of the “eternal image” of Don Quixote in high school. In the Federal Educational Program of Basic General Education for 2022, two hours are allocated for familiarization with Cervantes’ novel “Don Quixote”. Based on the objectives, the results of the survey, the characteristics of a modern schoolchild-reader, and the analysis of literary studies, a plan for working with the novel in the classroom should be determined. In the first lesson, we recommend introducing students to the era in which Cervantes lived and his biography, so the most striking pages of the Spanish writer’s life should be selected. For a deeper understanding of the historical era and the content of the novel, it is important to understand who the knight is and discuss the chapters of the first volume (1-4, 6, 7) read at home. In the second lesson, you should turn to the chapters of the second volume: 17, 27-29, 33-35, 42, 44, 45. Their analysis will expand the students’ understanding of Don Quixote and help them understand how the hero has changed. The homework will be a creative work: “How do I imagine Don Quixote?” Discussion and conclusion. The analysis of students’ works demonstrates the manifestation of understanding of the value potential of the “eternal image” of Don Quixote. The study shows that in the 8th grade it is required to actualize the meaning of the image when studying classical and modern works. The teacher in the 9th grade should again turn to the image of Don Quixote when studying the comedy “Woe from Wit”, and in the 10th grade - the article by I.S. Turgenev “Hamlet and Don Quixote”. The idea of the image of Don Quixote will accumulate in students gradually thanks to reading experience, comparative analysis of classical and modern works of art. Targeted work in literature lessons, extracurricular activities will create continuity in the development of the image of the literary hero, which will contribute to the inclusion of his value potential in the cultural and ideological fi eld of students.

Degree of students' comprehension in the class lesson is based on a variety of disciplines. In modern life and animation, characters and examples of animations can be employed as class facilities to boost the students' interest and perception. A survey of students' preferences and opinions is a simple guideline in preparing suitable learning materials which perfectly meet students' interests. Starting from what they are used to can make it easy to expand the scope of the study to more difficult areas. The students will discuss and use the knowledge they share in the classroom. Characters and animation play an active role as a tool to introduce a wide range of disciplines and enhances a broader understanding of education. At the end of this semester, students showed a high level in academic performance. Additionally, in academic performance evaluation, the students stated that the subject was in the highest level as 97.92 percentile in usage of teaching media to help the students understand the lessons. It can be concluded that animated characters are effective medium to stimulate comprehension and positive attitudes of students in a class in higher education in different dimensions. Animation characters can be potentially used as a tool for instructors to bring students into the world of animation industry including the process of its production and to learn in which extent the students are familiar with the characters, their background of the discipline. Moreover, when the students are from a variety of interests' especially academic backgrounds, the samples can be adapted to suit each of them. The good point of this is when they have a group discussion; their wide ranges of experiences are shown. This helps blur the border of each discipline and form new broader knowledge, which is an important feature of information in the 21st Century.

In the past decade, increasing numbers of students are taking college credit courses while still in high school, through programs such as Advanced Placement or through agreements with the local community colleges. Recognizing this trend, an Iowa State University task force researched the impact that this early college credit (ECC) was having on both the student experience and the university. The study methodology included both quantitative and qualitative analyses, using student academic records, student surveys and focus groups, faculty focus groups, and review of institutional materials. This paper disaggregates institutional findings to compare the experiences of engineering and non-engineering students. Similar to nonengineering students, engineering students with ECC had higher one-year retention rates, took fewer credits their first semester of enrollment, graduated after eight semesters of enrollment and graduated in fewer semesters overall than did engineering students without ECC. However, there were differences in the experiences between engineering students and non-engineering students. Engineering students did not see an increase in GPA or graduation rates; and, they were more likely to repeat courses taken as ECC and to have their ECC courses not count toward their degree programs. Strategies to increase the effectiveness of ECC for engineering students could include offering of key entry-level engineering courses to students in high school, a review of the engineering curriculum for sequencing and flexibility, increased attention on issues of mathematics curriculum alignment with feeder institutions, and improved communication with high school students, parents and counselors.

English Language Learners (ELLs) represent the fastest growing population of K-12 students in the United States (National Education Association, 2020). This study sought to examine and improve the teaching practices used with newcomer ELLs at a high school in New England, USA, and respond to the question: How can newcomer ELL Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) be provided with an equitable, accessible, and culturally responsive education? Two cycles of action research were conducted based on Stringer's (2014) approach to the action research process. Cycle 1 consisted of interviews and focus groups with administrators, teachers, and ELL students; a survey of high school teachers; and the analysis of documents related to ELL programming. The evaluation of Cycle 1 data led to the implementation of the Cycle 2 action step which utilized the structure of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to deliver targeted professional development and build the capacity of teachers to teach newcomer ELLs in their mainstream classrooms. Participants in Cycle 2 worked with the researcher to direct the action step and engage in new learning focused on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), English language proficiency standards, and the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model. Student surveys and a focus group with PLC participants were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the action step. Findings suggest that the PLC format is an effective way to deliver professional development and increase teacher capacity to teach ELLs if the content of the professional development is readily transferable to classroom practices. Additionally, the findings suggest that existing resources can be adapted to provide ELLs with an effective education. These findings have implications for small school districts with limited resources that seek to improve ELL education in their contexts.--Author's abstract

The World Health Organization describes menstruation management as “using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary.” The menstrual equity policy landscape in the United States, specifically pertaining to the needs of students in public schools, has gained considerable traction within the past decade. Since 2017, 16 states in the United States have signed legislation mandating the provision of menstrual products to public school students. This study explored the experiences of students from a public high school in Massachusetts where there is currently no state policy. The research is driven by the following questions: (1) How do students at the high school manage menstruation while at school? (2) How do students describe the impact of menstruation upon their physical and mental health and their participation in school-related activities? To address these questions, this study utilizes qualitative data, including student focus groups and interviews. Both focus groups and interviews were audio recorded with permission and analyzed using AtlasTI software. The researcher noted and incorporated themes and questions in an iterative and emergent manner. In total, three focus groups were conducted; one consisted of a group of five seniors and the following two included 10th-grade students. The researcher also conducted a total of 11 student interviews. This study ultimately finds that a lack of menstrual management support for high school students may be creating and perpetuating a condition in which students experience social, even academic, exclusion.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the main findings of a nation‐wide survey of Danish high school students and their use of libraries and digital resources. The presentation of the main findings includes different organisations of the data in clusters and user types. This organisation and analysis gives indications of the factors that influence the high school students' use of libraries and digital resources and it also explains the preferences and expectations the students have.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted as a nation‐wide online survey to a sample of high schools in Denmark. The data collection was conducted in several steps. A sample of high schools was selected and asked if they would accept the opportunity to participate in the study. If they agreed, the director or a person appointed by the director selected two to three classes of students. The students received a link to the online questionnaire and completed it during a class hour. The result was 998 usable and valid responses. There was no way to secure a true random sample, but the sample is very much like the student population as it is registered in statistical yearbooks in relation to characteristics such as type of high school, gender and geographical distribution.FindingsThe findings indicate that traditional demographic factors alone cannot explain all of the variability in the students' information behaviour. Type of high school, gender and study year influence the use of libraries and digital resources but it also becomes clear that perceptions of the study and study preferences influence the information behaviour. It is also indicated that a correlation exists between the amount of use of libraries and digital resources. Further, it is indicated that high school students possess a rather traditional view of the importance of the different services and facilities offered by libraries.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the research are inherent in the methodology. First of all, one only gets answers in relation to the stated questions and statements. This implies that the students' use of other information grounds, horizons, social technologies are omitted from the study. It is probably valid to argue that the data collection methods bias the results in a “conservative” way.Originality/valueThe research is the first nationwide investigation into different aspects of high school students' use of libraries and information resources in Denmark.

BackgroundSecondary school teachers have low levels of wellbeing and high levels of depression compared with the general population. Teachers are in a key position to support students, but poor mental health may be a barrier to doing so effectively. The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) project is a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers through delivery of the training package Mental Health First Aid and a staff peer support service. We will conduct a process evaluation as part of the WISE trial to support the interpretation of trial outcomes and refine intervention theory. The domains assessed will be: the extent to which the hypothesised mechanisms of change are activated; system level influences on these mechanisms; programme differentiation and usual practice; intervention implementation, including any adaptations; intervention acceptability; and intervention sustainability.MethodsResearch questions will be addressed via quantitative and qualitative methods. All study schools (n = 25) will provide process evaluation data, with more detailed focus group, interview and observation data being collected from a subsample of case study schools (4 intervention and 4 control). Mechanisms of change, as outlined in a logic model, will be measured via teacher and student surveys and focus groups. School context will be explored via audits of school practice that relate to mental health and wellbeing, combined with stakeholder interviews and focus groups. Implementation of the training and peer support service will be assessed via training observations, training participant evaluation forms, focus groups with participants, interviews with trainers and peer support service users, and peer supporter logs recording help provided. Acceptability and sustainability will be examined via interviews with funders, head teachers, trainers and peer support services users, and focus groups with training participants.DiscussionThe process evaluation embedded within the WISE cluster RCT will illuminate how and why the intervention was effective, ineffective or conferred iatrogenic effects. It will contribute to the refinement of the theory underpinning the intervention, and will help to inform any future implementation.Trial registrationInternational Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN95909211 registered on 24 March 2016.

This study aims to provide an understanding of the influence of social media on the development of peaceful behavior among high school youth in Gorontalo Regency. This research was conducted in ten high schools in Gorontalo Regency, consisting of seven public high schools and three private high schools. Using qualitative research and phenomenological approaches. Respondents in this study were high school students in class XI taken from ten public and private high schools as a representation of the population of high school students in class XI in Gorontalo District High School. The data was obtained by using a questionnaire method which was distributed to 100 respondents regarding the influence of social media on the development of peaceful behavior for high school youth in Gorontalo Regency. The data is then analyzed using the Content Analysis technique to determine the effect of social media on the behavior development of high school youth throughout Gorontalo Regency. The results of this study indicate that adolescents have various concepts of peaceful behavior and one of them is influenced by the media. The concept developed starts from the aspect of how to interact with each other, seen from the effects caused by their behavior, and in terms of the conditions they have. Peaceful behavior among adolescents includes self-directed behavior and behavior directed at others, both protective and promotive. Included in peaceful behavior are all behaviors that individuals themselves feel comfortable with, do not cause problems in society, and behaviors that foster friendship among adolescents.

"… Students are creative and they love to solve tough problems. We need to support them as they learn, and give them opportunities to recognize their own potential. Allowing students to innovate is a winning formula … Read more in the Guest Editorial by Neil K. Garg.

In September, 1972, a survey was undertaken of all students at Pahlavi University who had a grade point average of 3.00 or more as well as those who had a grade point average of less than 2.00. The survey of students' files in the Office of the Registrar, covered 3872 students, of whom 324 were in the first group (successful) and 730 were in the second group (unsuccessful). The third group was comprised of 355 students selected randomly from the rest of the 2818 average students whose grade point average was 2.00 to 2.99. Analysis showed the over-all mean of the high school point average of the successful group was significantly higher than that of the unsuccessful group. Girls in general scored higher than boys both in the high school and the university. The change of major fields of study was less frequent among the successful group than among the unsuccessful students. The “fresh” high school graduates were more successful students in the college. Students of middle socio-economic status performed better than those of high and low socio-economic status.