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Student Version

Obviously, it is vitally important in the war of attrition that individuals should give no inkling of when they are going to give up. Anybody who betrayed, by the merest flicker of a whisker, that he was beginning to think of throwing in the sponge, would be at an instant disadvantage.

References:
Dawkins, R. (1989). The selfish gene (3rd ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

In the game of survival between individuals in nature, indicating in any way that tossing in the towel is being seriously considered can be exploited by an adversary (Dawkins, 1989).

Original Source Material

Student Version

We considered a number of methods for measuring similarity between countries with respect to their mathematics attainment. A simple comparison of scale scores over time was rejected as this would limit the investigation to asking how much respondents from a country know on a given topic. Instead, we chose an item-level analysis that allows for a closer examination of what respondents in a given country know and how this compares to other countries.

References:
Rutkowski, L., & Rutkowski, D. (2009). Trends in TIMSS responses over time: Evidence of global forces in education? Educational Research and Evaluation, 15(2), 137-152.

We came up with several methods for assessing how closely related two classes were with regards to their reading ability. A straightforward contrasting of test scores was deemed unacceptable since this would make it challenging to determine what reading strengths students from a specific class had. We decided, instead, to focus on answers to specific test questions to be able to see how students in a particular class stacked up against other classes with respect to the particular test question.

Original Source Material

Student Version

The study of learning derives from essentially two sources. Because learning involves the acquisition of knowledge, the first concerns the nature of knowledge and how we come to know things.... The second source in which modern learning theory is rooted concerns the nature and representation of mental life.

References:
Driscoll, M. P. (2000). Psychology of learning for instruction (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

The depiction and essence of mental life, the essential qualities of knowledge, and explanations for how knowledge is created provide for the origins of modern learning theory. Disagreement between theories of learning can often be traced to differences in one or more of these areas.

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Student Version

In a complex task such as creating a website for learning, instructors may want to support the generation of multiple solutions in learners' peer feedback. Anonymity may create a social context where learners feel freer to express varied ideas, and make the task of giving feedback less inhibited. However, teachers need to know just how anonymity impacts the learning dynamic in order to make informed choices about when anonymous configurations are appropriate in peer feedback.

References:
Howard, C. D., Barrett, A. F., & Frick, T. W. (2010). Anonymity to promote peer feedback: Pre-service teachers' comments in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 43(1), 89-112.

Increased availability of technology in my classroom makes it easier for peer feedback activities to be conducted anonymously which "may create a social context where learners feel freer to express varied ideas, and make the task of giving feedback less inhibited" (Howard, Barrett, & Frick, 2010, p. 90). However, I worry that my students may be overly harsh if they don't have to stand by their comments.

References:
Howard, C. D., Barrett, A. F., & Frick, T. W. (2010). Anonymity to promote peer feedback: Pre-service teachers' comments in asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 43(1), 89-112.

Original Source Material

Student Version

Merck, in fact, epitomizes the ideological nature--the pragmatic idealism--of highly visionary companies. Our research showed that a fundamental element in the "ticking clock" of a visionary company is a core ideology--core values and a sense of purpose beyond just making money--that guides and inspires people throughout the organization and remains relatively fixed for long periods of time.

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Research conducted by Collins and Porras (2002) highlights the importance of establishing and committing to an ideology comprised of two parts: (1) core values; (2) a core purpose. In my personal experience it seems easier to define a core ideology than to live it consistently.

References:
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (2002). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Original Source Material

Student Version

The philosophical position known as constructivism views knowledge as a human construction. The various perspectives within constructivism are based on the premise that knowledge is not part of an objective, external reality that is separate from the individual. Instead, human knowledge, whether the bodies of content in public disciplines (such as mathematics or sociology) or knowledge of the individual learner, is a human construction.

References:
Gredler, M. E. (2001). Learning and instruction: Theory into practice (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Does knowledge exist outside of, or separate from, the individual who knows? Constructivists argue that human knowledge, such as what is known in the fields of mathematics or sociology, as well as knowledge about learning itself, is a human construction (Gredler, 2001).

References:
Gredler, M. E. (2001). Learning and instruction: Theory into practice (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Original Source Material

Student Version

There is a design methodology called rapid prototyping, which has been used successfully in software engineering. Given similarities between software design and instructional design, we argue that rapid prototyping is a viable method for instructional design, especially for computer-based instruction.

References:
Tripp, S. D., & Bichelmeyer, B. A. (1990). Rapid prototyping: An alternative instructional design strategy. Educational Technology Research and Development, 38(1), 31-44.

Rapid prototyping could be an advantageous methodology for developing innovative computer-based instruction. Software engineers have been successful in designing applications by using rapid prototyping. So it also could be an efficient way to do instructional design.

References:
Tripp, S. D., & Bichelmeyer, B. A. (1990). Rapid prototyping: An alternative instructional design strategy. Educational Technology Research and Development, 38(1), 31-44.

Original Source Material

Student Version

A teacher is one who guides or leads. To guide does not necessarily mean to instruct directly. We often think of teaching as direct instruction (presenting information, asking questions, giving feedback, demonstrating some procedure, evaluating student progress, and so on). But a teacher can guide without instructing directly. A good example is the Montessori system of education. In a Montessori school, most of what a child learns is through interacting with a variety of curriculum materials in a particular context. A Montessori teacher does much less direct instruction than do teachers in traditional schools.

References:
Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

Teachers should be guides or leaders. In the role of a guide, a teacher does less presenting of information, demonstrating and providing feedback. For example, in a Montessori school, most student learning occurs through interaction with a variety of class materials, rather than interaction with a teacher.