Development Of Learning Ability Research Articles

“Building Learning Power” (BLP) to Senior High School Students Towards Enhanced Learning Program

"Lifelong learning" is a global education theme. For a long time, the all-round development of students has been the focus of the global education system. How to enable students to achieve all-round development is the key to school talent training. It not only focuses on students' test scores, but also pays more attention to Students' ability to self-study and enjoy learning has become a theme of educational discussion in various countries. Based on Guy Claxton's "Building Learning Power" (BLP) theoretical basis, this article explores the correlation between teachers' teaching ability construction and students' learning ability development. It takes middle school teachers as the research object and selects all teachers from Guidian Middle School to use a questionnaire. Survey and data analysis are the main methods to study how teachers cultivate the four “R”s of BLP, resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness, and reciprocity in their students. First, the relevant literature, concepts and structural dimensions were reviewed, and teachers' classroom teaching variables were explained, including Lessons' content, "Soft creativity", Enhancing skills and Attitude development, and a theoretical analysis was conducted on students' practical abilities, namely the "4 R's". Secondly, based on literature research, relevant scales were proposed and revised to collect the data needed for this study. The tool used for the main research content is a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of three parts. The first part contains the personal information of the interviewed teachers, such as gender, age, teaching experience, etc. The second part is the correlation between teachers’ classroom teaching practices and building learning abilities. Assessment, the third part is the assessment of the interviewed teachers’ understanding of building learning abilities. This study used SPSS22.0 to develop the questionnaire, and adopted reliability and validity analysis, correlation analysis, independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U /Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman’s rho Correlation Analysis and Decision Criteria. Finally, based on the "Building Learning Power" (BLP) theory, the influencing factors of teachers' classroom teaching practices on the development of students' learning abilities are discussed and summarized, and corresponding development strategies are proposed.

Melanopsin retinal ganglion cells mediate light-promoted brain development

During development, melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) become light sensitive much earlier than rods and cones. IpRGCs project to many subcortical areas, whereas physiological functions of these projections are yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we found that ipRGC-mediated light sensation promotes synaptogenesis of pyramidal neurons in various cortices and the hippocampus. This phenomenon depends on activation of ipRGCs and is mediated by the release of oxytocin from the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) into cerebral-spinal fluid. We further characterized a direct connection between ipRGCs and oxytocin neurons in the SON and mutual projections between oxytocin neurons in the SON and PVN. Moreover, we showed that the lack of ipRGC-mediated, light-promoted early cortical synaptogenesis compromised learning ability in adult mice. Our results highlight the importance of light sensation early in life on the development of learning ability and therefore call attention to suitable light environment for infant care.

Developing an Instrument of Performance Assessment to Measure Problem-Solving Skills of Senior High School Students in Physics Inquiry-Based Learning

The assessment of students’ learning results has not been fully implemented. Whereas, the importance of assessing students is to find out the development of learning abilities in solving problems, but many obstacles are still faced by educators at SMAN (high school) 5, SMAN (high school)15, and SMAN (high school) 16 Bandar Lampung. This study aims to produce a valid product and determine the feasibility of construction, substance, and language. Sugiyono's research design development model was divided into (1) potential and problem, (2) data collection, (3) product design, (4) design validation, (5) design revision. The product is valid because the expert validator accepts the instrument in terms of both content and format, including instrument outline, learning scenario, rubric, and scoring guideline. The construction aspect score was 3.59 while the substance aspect score was 3.56, and the language aspect score was 3.58. The validation test result meets very sufficient quality criteria. Therefore, the product performance assessment instrument to measure problem-solving skills in physics inquiry-based learning of senior high school students can be used.

Spatial learning in captive and wild-born lizards: heritability and environmental effects

Animals raised in captivity go through drastically different life experiences compared with those raised in the wild. The captive environment is usually characterised by highly stable conditions and limited social interactions. Such early developmental environment, alone and interacting with genes, can have long-lasting effects on cognitive performance. By testing pairs of mothers and offspring delicate skinks, Lampropholis delicata, we investigated how being raised in a captive environment shapes spatial learning. Additionally, with this design, we were able to evaluate the additive genetic component and strength of genetic effects in this lizard species. Using a Y-maze task, we compared the spatial learning abilities of wild-caught adult female (mothers) delicate skinks, to their captive-born and raised sexually mature offspring. We found that more mothers completed the task and showed shorter latencies compared with offspring who took longer to complete the maze. The offspring performance did not appear to correlate with their mothers’ performance, indicating little narrow-sense heritability. Furthermore, offspring performance was neither affected nor predicted by their mothers’ performance, indicating a limited overall genetic effect. Our results suggest that early life experiences in a captive environment may have a hindering effect on cognitive performance. How important are environmental effects compared with genetics on the development of learning abilities in non-human animals? Studying mother-offspring skink pairs, we show that wild-born mothers outperformed their captive-born offspring in a spatial learning task. We further show that offspring performance in the task was neither explained nor predicted by their mothers’ performance. We suggest that conditions during early-life stages shape spatial learning more than genetics, and stable captive conditions may have a negative effect on the development of spatial learning.

‘Once upon a time ago’: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Archaeology, Museology and Pedagogy

A partnership between the Museum of Copenhagen and the University College Copenhagen has investigated the potential of incorporating archaeology into pedagogical student practices in kindergartens. Through an interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology, museology and pedagogy, the project has provided new knowledge as to how encounters between young children and archaeology can contribute to the development of learning abilities and the general formation of the children. Archaeological finds have an instant fascination and a great strength in that they are physically available due to their materiality. The project “Once upon a time ago” has shown new ways of addressing the access to cultural heritage and history to young children aged 2 to 5, and it has exposed the great potential of not only learning about archaeology, but learning through archaeology.

Social makes smart: rearing conditions affect learning and social behaviour in jumping spiders.

There is a long-standing debate as to whether social or physical environmental aspects drive the evolution and development of cognitive abilities. Surprisingly few studies make use of developmental plasticity to compare the effects of these two domains during development on behaviour later in life. Here, we present rearing effects on the development of learning abilities and social behaviour in the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa. These spiders are ideally suited for this purpose because they possess the ability to learn and can be reared in groups but also in isolation without added stress. This is a critical but rarely met requirement for experimentally varying the social environment to test its impact on cognition. We split broods of spiders and reared them either in a physically or in a socially enriched environment. A third group kept under completely deprived conditions served as a 'no-enrichment' control. We tested the spiders' learning abilities by using a modified T-maze. Social behaviour was investigated by confronting spiders with their own mirror image. Results show that spiders reared in groups outperform their conspecifics from the control, i.e. 'no-enrichment', group in both tasks. Physical enrichment did not lead to such an increased performance. We therefore tentatively suggest that growing up in contact with conspecifics induces the development of cognitive abilities in this species.

Epistemological Predictors of Prospective Biology Teachers’ Nature of Science Understandings

The purpose of this study was to investigate epistemological predictors of nature of science understandings of 281 prospective biology teachers surveyed using the Epistemological Beliefs Scale Regarding Science and the Nature of Science Scale. The findings on multiple linear regression showed that understandings of definition of science and objectivity in science were negatively predicted by beliefs in inborn learning ability (ILA) and requirement for time in learning (RTL), while tentativeness was positively predicted by the same belief factors. Also, understandings of characteristics of scientific knowledge were positively predicted by beliefs in ILA and RTL, and hierarchy between laws and theories were negatively predicted by beliefs in ILA, RTL and development of learning ability with opportunity and support.

Stimulus-specific development of learning ability during habitat shift in pre to post-recruitment stage jack mackerel

Marine fishes often experience major habitat shifts during their life history, and previous studies have shown that the learning capability of fish change ontogenetically and in accordance with such habitat shifts. However, because all of these studies used a single type of conditioned stimuli (CS), they failed to detect qualitative changes in learning capability. Here we tested the hypothesis that preparedness for learning changes ontogenetically in jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus, which undergo a drastic change in habitat preference during their life history as they move from offshore pelagic waters to coastal and demersal rocky reefs. Groups of juveniles measuring 40 mm standard length (SL) (pelagic stage) and 60 mm SL (demersal stage) were conditioned to food rewards in response to three different CS; the presence of a surface structure, mid-water structure, and aeration. The results showed that small juveniles tended to become conditioned to the surface stimulus faster than they did to the mid-water stimulus. Conversely, large juveniles responded to the mid-water stimulus significantly more quickly than they did to the surface stimulus. These results suggest that stimulus-specific learning capability in T. japonicus changes ontogenetically, facilitating adaptation to their life-history strategy.

A Preliminary Exploration of Children's Physiological Arousal Levels in Regular Preschool Settings

LEARNING NEW THINGS IS challenging. In these moments, children are functioning in the upper limits of their acquired capability: in Vygotskian terms, children are functioning in their zone of proximal development (ZPD). Acting in the ZPD is cognitively loading and stress-provoking, thus the ability to function optimally in this state of increased stress has fundamental effects on the development of learning abilities. Physiological measures of arousal have become more common and pave the way to understanding not only how children develop regulation but also the role of the environment (social and physical) in supporting that development. While cortisol has become a popular measure of arousal, it is only one component of the physiobiology of arousal. It is important to develop a more holistic understanding of arousal. Our study aimed to evaluate both cortisol and alpha-amylase responses in preschool-aged children in response to both an unusually challenging task as well as to normal early childhood activities. We have used these to develop a model linking activation of the HPA and SAM systems to children's cognitive performance, including the mediating impact of daily activities.

Reduced expression ofmajor royal jelly protein 1gene in the mushroom bodies of worker honeybees with reduced learning ability

The learning ability of European honeybees, Apis mellifera, develops with age. However, when worker bees are isolated from their colony and are fed only sucrose solution, their learning development is hindered. This rearing method has allowed us to compare worker bees of the same age but with different learning abilities. In this study, we examined the influence of this rearing condition on gene expression in the mushroom body, which is the insect brain center involved in learning and memory. A differential display experiment comparing worker bees maintained in a hive with those reared in isolation showed that the expression of the major royal jelly protein (mrjp) 1 gene was reduced in the isolated worker bees. MRJP1 is synthesized in the hypopharyngeal gland and serves a nutritional function in larval and queen food. Our results suggest that mrjp1 is also important in brain function, possibly involved in the development of learning ability.

Spontaneous Activity and Rhythm Assimilation Reactions in Baby Rabbit Hippocampal Neurons During Learning: Age-Related Characteristics

The neural mechanisms of the age-related characteristics of memory formation were studied in experiments based on a model providing an analog of a conditioned reflex to time: trace assimilation of the rhythm with which neurons in hippocampal field CA1 were stimulated, in rabbits aged 1-4 weeks and 5-6 months. Stages of changes in neuron spike activity characteristic for developing animals were described. In animals studied one week after birth, there was a predominance of silent cells and cells with low spontaneous activity. At 2-3 weeks of life, the level of spontaneous neuron activity increased, reaching adult levels by 25-30 days. The dynamics of the ontogenetic development of learning ability showed a number of stages: from virtually complete inability to form and assimilate traces of the rhythm (at age 6-7 days) to the stage of good formation and rapid forgetting (8-14 days), and, finally, the development of complete memory (25-30 days). The synchronous development of plastic rearrangements and the level of spontaneous neuron activity provided evidence of the direct involvement of the mechanisms underlying the formation of spontaneous spike activity in the organization of neural processes supporting adaptive reactions in the developing animal.

Psychophysiological development of learning abilities and purposeful behavior

Psychophysiological development of learning abilities and purposeful behavior

Reversibility versus irreversibility in the psychophysiological development of learning abilities and disabilities

Reversibility versus irreversibility in the psychophysiological development of learning abilities and disabilities

An appropriate model for congenital hypothyroidism in the rat induced by neonatal treatment with propylthiouracil and surgical thyroidectomy: studies on learning ability and biochemical parameters.

Hypothyroidism was induced in rats by treatment with propylthiouracil through the mother's milk throughout the suckling period followed by surgical thyroidectomy without use of radioiodine. The growth of these animals was considerably retarded and their light-dark discriminative operant learning ability was also significantly decreased. Replacement therapy with thyroxine to maintain its normal serum concentration was effective for continuing normal growth and development of learning ability. Therefore, these hypothyroid rats are a useful model of congenital hypothyroidism. Biochemical studies showed that the inhibition of cerebral Na,K-ATPase and succinic dehydrogenase activities detected in early postnatal life in these hypothyroid rats was transient and that normal activities of these enzymes were later regained in adult rats. However, the activity of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase and the brain myelin remained low throughout life unless thyroxine was administered. Though a critical correlation between biochemical parameters and learning ability is still uncertain, these results suggest that the formation of myelin in the neonatal period is at least dependent on thyroid hormone and would play an important role in mental development.

Agenesis of the corpus callosum in ddN strain mouse associated with unusual facial appearance (flat-face)

In the course of an experiment involving brother-sister matings between ddN strain mice, mice occurred with an unusual facial appearance (flat-face). Subsequently, 4 mice with flat-face were bred from the litters of the second birth (ca. 10% frequency). This flat-face was assumed to be the result of a malformed short nose, hypoplastic maxilla and mandible, and hypertelorism. These 4 flat-face mice exhibited no significant delays in growth, motor ability or the development of learning ability. Histologically, they were all characterized by an almost total absence of callosal fibers and the presence of abnormal longitudinal neuromatous bundles. Therefore, the flat-face mice may be useful as experimental animals for brain research, as one can easily judge that they lack the corpus callosum from the facial appearance.