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The Effects of Inquiry-Based Learning and Student Achievement in the Science Classroom
Get PDFResearch has demonstrated inquiry-based learning (IBL) engages students in the processes of scientific discovery and can make science relevant toward their real-world concerns. However, in most science classrooms, teachers still use traditional learning, or direct methods of instruction for scientific terminology and other types of discrete knowledge students need to master for standardized testing. Existing research and studies have identified the various impacts of inquiry-based learning in the science classroom and its relationship between student achievement, student motivation and long-term knowledge retention.
Research has shown implementation of inquiry-based learning has a positive and direct relationship to student achievement. Planning and developing inquiry-based learning lessons can be time consuming and resources can be limited. However, students can make direct connections and experience deeper learning through hands-on and experiential learning which has an overall positive benefit for student achievement, knowledge recall and retention. This research study examined existing studies and research to understand the relationship between inquiry-based learning and student achievement and success in the science classroom and the varying benefits and methods to implement inquiry-based learning in the classroom
On the Verge of Liberty : The Impact of Advocacy and Federal Policy at the Point Lookout Contraband Camp
Get PDFIn 1862, the United States government established Hammond General Hospital at Point Lookout in St. Mary’s County, Maryland for the treatment of Union soldiers. In response, enslaved people in Maryland and Virginia began escaping to Point Lookout, and a contraband camp was soon formed. Even though official policies that governed the treatment of “contrabands” drastically changed between 1861 and 1865, many of these policies did not apply to the state of Maryland. As a result, these individuals faced repeated threats to their safety and well-being. Yet, the level of protection that these refugees received improved over time due to the actions of a small group of people who advocated for them. This clear change in how refugees were treated at Point Lookout’s contraband camp between 1862 and 1865 can be attributed to the actions of those on the ground who provided refugees with a way to speak out against unfair treatment. Once the U.S. Army left Point Lookout in 1865, conditions declined for newly-freed people in St. Mary’s County, who had to contend with government policies that failed to fully support them for a second time
An Extended View of the Temporal Dynamics of Caspase Activity During the Extrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis in Jurkat T-Lymphocytes
Get PDFApoptosis, a process in which a cell systematically triggers its own death in response to DNA damage or external stimuli, is widely utilized in the body to maintain a homeostatic quantity of cells. Malfunctions in this process can result in numerous consequences, particularly tumor development. For a cell to undergo apoptosis, there are two major pathways, dependent upon the method of induction: the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. The goal of this research is to elucidate the temporal dynamics of apoptosis in Jurkat T-lymphocytes with respect to caspase activity in the extrinsically-activated pathway, using fluorescence microscopy. Microfluidic devices were fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and contained an antibody-coated channel. The devices were used for cellular capture of the lymphocytes to trap and observe cells in a controlled, sustainable- environment for a given duration. The antibody coated in the channel, anti-CD95, induces apoptosis through Fas receptor binding. The result of the antibody binding is the activation of a caspase enzyme, creating a destructive caspase cascade. General caspase activation was visualized over a 9-hour period with the fluorogenic caspase probe L-bisaspartic acid Rhodamine 110 (D2R). Derivatives of the fluorogenic probe containing sequences to specific caspases were used to monitor the first and last caspases to be activated in the apoptotic pathway. The derivative (IETD)2R was used to monitor the primary initiator caspase activation (caspase-8) and the (DEVD)2R for executioner caspase activation (caspase-3). The overall average caspase activity began 2.4 ± 0.6 hours post-induction and lasted 360 ± 60 minutes, caspase-8 activity was shown to start 1.8 ± 0.8 hours after induction and remain active for 120 ± 40 minutes, and caspase-3 activity started 5.2 ± 1.0 hours after induction, lasting 130 ± 60 minutes. Timing of caspase activation is an important field of study as it could be helpful in designing apoptosis-targeted therapies
EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE COACHING ON TEACHER EFFICACY
Get PDFEducators in the American school system have been under pressure to increase academic achievement among all students especially within the past decade. Government initiatives and high-stakes testing have ushered in a new era of accountability. Many attempts at school reform have been made with little success. Current research has found that the variable with the greatest impact on student achievement is the quality of the instructor. Attempts at improving teacher effectiveness have included merit pay, professional development, utilizing a scripted curriculum, and coaching. Studies have shown that professional development embedded within the classroom is most beneficial in terms of improving instruction and increasing student achievement. Continuing the professional development after the initial delivery can prove to be difficult. Both Professional Learning Communities and peer coaching are techniques used to support instructors in implementing new concepts. However, Cognitive Coachingsm on a one-on-one basis has greatly influenced change in teacher behaviors, increasing teacher efficacy, and elevating student achievement scores
Zu viel Zukunft!
Get PDFPunk rock developed in the 1970s and local scenes developed throughout Europe and the United States. East Germany was no exception. Despite — and because of — the brutal state-sponsored violence against and repression of anyone who did not conform to the government’s ideals, punk flourished in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. Although the initial exposure to punk came via English punk bands on West German radio, the Eastern punks had little interest in the West and were largely anti-capitalist. Instead, they focused their attention on their own country and on the vast social reform needed there. The punks channeled their frustrations into social activism and fought against rampant corruption, government censorship and restrictions, and the resurgence of fascism, all while using punk music as an outlet for their rage and a vessel for their message. By the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the punks had shifted the narrative. Progressive political causes were more visible as a result of their activism and confrontational attitudes, and that energy followed the reunited country into the next decade and beyond. The spirit of the original East German punk scene lives on today in the politics and creative culture of Germany, especially in Berlin, and the face of the country has been forever changed because some teenagers decided in 1977 that they were ready to shape their own futures
She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms, Agnes
No full textThis senior capstone is the documentation of the acting process for the role of Agnes from She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms by Qui Nguyen. The show was rehearsed and performed entirely online over Zoom and StreamYard
Identifying Music Interventions to Support Students with ADHD in the Classroom
Get PDFEducators across the country are struggling to effectively manage disruptive behaviors associated with students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) while creating a productive learning environment. When classroom and music teachers work with special education teachers to understand the behaviors associated with ADHD and incorporate facets of music education and therapy proven beneficial to students with ADHD into their lesson plans, they should see a decrease in undesired behaviors as well as an increase in student engagement. The goal of this research is to determine how ADHD affects students’ learning and the classroom environment, examine studies which demonstrate the benefits of music in its various forms for those who experience symptoms of ADHD and/or related to the comorbidities associated with AHDH , and to provide music and classroom teachers tools they can use in their classrooms to support students with ADHD while effectively managing the classroom environment. A meta-analysis of recent research and data will be conducted in order to identify challenges existing for students with ADHD, their peers and their teachers, and the benefits of music in a variety of forms on ADHD and its comorbidities. Through careful examination of research on these topics, both needs and possible solutions will be identified which will provide the foundation for further research
The Presence, Distribution, and Concentration of Microplastics In the Lower Basin of the Chesapeake Bay, USA Near Wastewater Treatment Plants
Get PDFThe Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located along the east coast of the United States, with numerous wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) located throughout its basin. This area supports a vast diversity of aquatic biota and provides for numerous communities throughout the eastern United States. While effluent from WWTPs has been identified as a major contributor to microplastic pollution, little research has been conducted to examine microplastic contamination in the Chesapeake Bay watershed areas surrounding these effluent streams. Microplastics are unique in that their size (\u3c5mm) enables ease of ingestion by aquatic organisms, causing adverse health effects such as energy depletion and digestive tract obstructions. MPs may also biomagnify throughout trophic levels, ultimately posing a threat to human health due to unintended consumption. In this study, the presence of microplastics in major rivers in the lower basin of the Chesapeake Bay, USA was examined. Water samples and sediment samples were collected in the Potomac and Rappahannock river upstream, midstream, and downstream of WWTP outfall sites via dip sampling and grab sampling, respectively. Sediment samples were treated with a wet peroxide oxidation using Fenton’s reagent to digest natural organic matter and sodium chloride to separate MPs from the sample. Surface water samples were filtered by vacuum filtration to separate suspended particles from water. Presence, type, and quantity of MPs were assessed using light microscopy. While this project is currently ongoing, we expect to find that MPs are more abundant in samples collected at WWTP outfall locations rather than locations upstream or downstream from those sites. The results of this study will provide novel information regarding the presence, distribution, and concentrations of MPs in water and sediment samples from several areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed due to inputs from WWTP effluent
Assessing the presence and concentrations of microplastics in the gizzards of Virginia waterfowl
Get PDFMicroplastics are defined as plastic fragments that are smaller than 5mm. These particles have become a ubiquitous water pollutant in recent years. While a substantial amount of research on their impacts on marine ecosystems has been conducted, the effect of microplastics on freshwater food webs remains poorly understood. In this study, we assessed the presence and concentrations of microplastic particles in the gizzards of the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Bufflehead Duck (Bucephala albeola), and Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) hunted in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia. Gizzards were bisected and had their contents removed for analysis. Collected gizzard contents underwent density separation in order to separate plastics from the sediment within gizzards. Isolated particles were then visually inspected under a dissecting microscope. Preliminary results show that with contamination taken into account, 90% of birds sampled contain microplastic fibers in their gizzards. These range in concentration from about 0.08-11.49 fibers/gram of gizzard material. All plastics were secondary fibers, meaning they originated from larger plastics that broke down over time. This provides further evidence that waterfowl not only ingest microplastics, but retain them in their digestive systems. Infrared spectroscopy was done on one fiber; it was determined to be polyethylene. As we move forward, we plan to incorporate chemical digestion and a more efficient chemical analysis in our methods. Further studies will also examine microplastic spatial distributions, as well as microplastics in the intestinal lining and lumen of these birds. This work will be able to help us understand the threat microplastics pose to organisms and ecosystems, as well as help us understand their geographic distributions
The Imitation Game | VR Concept
Get PDFVirtual reality is recognized as an immersive technology that separates its user from their current, fixed reality. VR is still very young. The shoes that it is expected to fill are waiting patiently in the future, knowing its potential has yet to be reached. The VR concept that I introduce with my project, fills these metaphorical shoes. The user is not aware of a heavy headset weighing down on their face. Instead, they are projected into darkness, and expected to quickly adapt. I present, through photographs that I have taken and edited, a void, much like the black dreamscape in Stranger Things. Through this digital project, I want to introduce a concept that would remove bias of artificial intelligence in an unanticipated manner. The user believes that they will be playing an advanced version of the Turing test in a virtual environment, but come to face a deeper truth inside of themselves. In other words, the game starts simply, and ends with a lesson. As Turing suggests, aren’t we also machines of a similar nature? Flesh and bone rather than wires and circuitry? Instead of holding a pessimistic viewpoint that is spiteful towards the presence of AI in our future, we should attempt to open our eyes to the coexistence of man and machine as well as the bond that we could share. It is okay to acknowledge with some fear, and an even greater hope, that we are different from one another, yet so entirely the same