Expressing the Student's Concepts versus Exploring the Teacher's: Issues in the Design of Microworlds for Teaching

1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey G. Mellar ◽  
Joan Bliss
Keyword(s):  
Design Strategy ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Alternative Design ◽  
Specific Learning

This article discusses the concept of a microworld and the role it might play in education. Three questions are asked of previous descriptions of microworlds: what does the microworld look and feel like, what are its design features, and what sort of learning happens? It is argued that most microworld designers begin from a desire to teach particular ideas, and design for an “exploratory” mode of learning in which the student explores the microworld to find hidden nuggets of knowledge. An alternative design strategy is described in an account of a microworld intended to help improve understanding of proportion. The design of this microworld, which arose from a commitment to helping with a specific learning difficulty, was based on research about the nature of that learning difficulty, and was designed for an “expressive” mode of learning in which the student is provided with tools to express his/her own ideas.

Mechanics of Materials in Lunar Base Design

1993 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 268-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Space Environment ◽  
Fatigue Properties ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Alternative Design ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
Mechanics Of Materials ◽  
Actual Design ◽  
Base Design

The construction of a lunar base has been thought about for almost five decades. The earliest concepts dealt with size and shape concepts rather than actual design of structures and equipment. As the exploration of space has received emphasis in more recent times, the need to consider the factors of design and design approaches have received more attention. It still is not possible to completely rationalize the design of a habitat, for example, but we are now very aware of the need to include the fracture and fatigue properties of the materials of which the hardware of a lunar infrastructure is constructed. It is reasonably certain that the same techniques used for terrestrial designs can be used for lunar bases provided the space environment is taken into account. The extensive amount of research on fracture and fatigue that has been and is being conducted, along with the ease and speed of computation of their effects on alternative design features will be invaluable in providing a highly reliable, safe lunar base.

Designing multi-actor implementation: A mechanism-based approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Busetti ◽  
Bruno Dente
Keyword(s):  
Design Strategy ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Focusing Events ◽  
Design Procedures ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Policy Fields ◽  
Causal Theories ◽  
Analytical Tools

The article offers analytical tools for designing multi-actor implementation processes. It does so by proposing a design approach centred on causal mechanisms. Such design strategy requires designers to focus primarily on causal theories explaining why implementers commit overtime to implementing policies. The central proposal is that design procedures should be reversed, i.e. start by reasoning on the causal mechanisms explaining implementers’ behaviour and then go looking for design features. Several advantages of this approach related to designing, reforming, or transferring successful practices are discussed throughout the article. Finally, the article provides six extended examples of such mechanisms in different policy fields: actor’s certification, blame avoidance, earning brownie points, repeated interactions, focusing events and attribution of opportunity or threat.

Visual Perception in Specific Learning Difficulties

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Neriman Aral
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
The Family ◽  
Mental Problems ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Specific Learning

From the moment the child is born, learning becomes meaningful and it is interpreted as a result of the experiences first in the family and then in school. However, it is sometimes not possible to talk about the fact that learning takes place in all children although the process has taken place in this direction. Sometimes the individual differences that exist in children and the inability to get the necessary support in structuring their learning experiences can be effective in the failure of learning, while sometimes the type of congenital difficulty can be effective. One of these types of difficulty is a specific learning difficulty. It is not always possible for children with specific learning difficulties to learn, even if they do not have any mental problems. In this case, many factors can be effective, especially the problems that children experience in their visual perception can become effective. Since visual perception is the processing of symbols received from the environment in the brain, the problem that may be experienced in this process can also make it difficult to learn this situation. In line with these considerations, it is aimed to focus on the importance of visual perception in specific learning difficulties.

Adulthood

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Selikowitz
Keyword(s):  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
Musical Piece ◽  
Auguste Rodin ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hans Christian Andersen ◽  
Critical Scrutiny ◽  
Children's Stories ◽  
Specific Learning ◽  
Experience Difficulty

All children with specific learning difficulties improve as they grow. In some, the difficulties resolve completely, while others continue to have some degree of difficulty in the specific areas of learning affected. We still have no way of determining which children will continue to experience difficulty and which will not. Nor do we have reliable figures on the relative proportions of those where the difficulties resolve completely and those where they persist. This chapter provides information and advice for adults with persisting specific learning difficulties. Many people are designed to be better adults than children. A child has little opportunity of selecting those things that he enjoys or finds easier, and to avoid those he dislikes or finds difficult. He is required to be an all-rounder, performing a wide range of activities, many under the critical scrutiny of his teachers and peers. It is daunting to think of what many children are required to do regularly at school: reading aloud, writing something that will be marked (for content, neatness, and spelling), doing arithmetical computations that will be checked, playing competitive sport, performing in a play in public, and playing a musical piece to a critical audience. An adult, on the other hand, can have a successful career and avoid any, or all, of these activities. Many famous people are said to have had a specific learning difficulty as children, but it is very difficult to know for certain if this is true. Nevertheless, many of their stories are highly suggestive of the condition. What they all show, whether they had a specific learning difficulty or not, is that problems with learning in childhood need not be a bar to outstanding achievements in adulthood. There follow some examples. . . . Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) . Famous as an author of children’s stories such as ‘The Little Match-girl’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’, his handwriting shows characteristics of specific learning difficulty. . . . . . . Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). Now famous for his sculptures, such as ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Burghers of Calais’, he was regarded as ‘an idiot’, and ‘ineducable’ as a child. . . .

scholarly journals Timing is key to providing modified assessments for students with specific learning difficulties

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Christian P Gray ◽  
Steven A Burr
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Choice Question ◽  
Knowledge Assessment ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
Medical Program ◽  
Assessment Performance ◽  
Specific Learning

Abstract Introduction Medical students who are diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) will typically receive a reasonable adjustment within examinations in the form of modified assessment provision (MAP). This study investigated whether the timing of SpLD diagnosis and subsequent implementation of MAP has an impact on performance in applied medical knowledge multiple choice question (MCQ) assessments. Method The MCQ performance of 108 students diagnosed with SpLD who received a MAP was monitored and compared with 1960 students who received an unmodified assessment, over 5 years of a medical program. Students who received a SpLD diagnosis in the latter years of the program were identified as not receiving a MAP in assessments prior to diagnosis. Results Differences were found between declaration and diagnosis, with 44.4% of students who declared and 48.1% who did not declare subsequently receiving a diagnosis. Students with SpLD who receive a MAP increase their applied medical knowledge assessment performance, although there is a delay of up to a year for this impact to reach significance. Conclusion Early diagnosis of SpLD is necessary to ensure the intended benefit is received from MAP.

Haptic Wrists: An Alternative Design Strategy Based on User Perception

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Martín ◽  
Joan Savall ◽  
Iñaki Díaz ◽  
Josune Hernantes ◽  
Diego Borro
Keyword(s):  
Collision Detection ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
User Perception ◽  
Satisfactory Solution ◽  
Alternative Design ◽  
Three Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Mechanical Design Problem

A new three degree-of-freedom (3DOF) torque feedback wrist is being developed to be added to an existing 3DOF force feedback haptic device. It is difficult to find a satisfactory solution to the mechanical design problem, mainly because of the required large rotational workspace and severe weight constraints. This work proposes an alternative design strategy based on user perception, which allows simplification of the mechanics. The proposed approach consists of substituting the last rotational DOF of the wrist with a pseudohaptic DOF. Thanks to specially designed visuotactile cues, the pseudohaptic DOF is integrated with the active DOF into the same device, being able to generate free motion and collision detection perception to the user. This approach provides for simpler kinematics, lightweight designs, lower inertias, and less friction, which are key advantages for the inclusion of torque feedback into force feedback devices.

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