Search results for: flexible classroom management

Authors: Thomas A. Fuller

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Over the past fifteen years, virtual schooling has been introduced and implemented in varying degrees throughout the public education system in the United States. It is possible in some states for students to voluntarily take all of their course load online, without ever having to step in a classroom. Experts foresee a dramatic rise in the number of courses taken online by public school students in the United States, with some predicting that by 2019 as many as 50% of public high school courses will be delivered online. This electronic delivery of public education offers tremendous potential to the scientific community because it calls for innovation and is funded by public school revenue. Public accountability provides a ready supply of statistical data for measuring the progress of virtual schools as they are implemented into the public school arena. This allows for a survey of the current use of virtual schooling through examination of past statistical data, as well as forecasting forward for future years based upon this past data. Virtual schooling is on the rise in the United States, but its growth has been tempered by practical problems of implementation. The greatest and best use of virtual schooling thus far has been to supplement the courses offered by public schools (e.g., offering unique language courses, elective courses, and games-based math and science courses). The weaknesses of virtual schooling lay in the problematic accountability in allowing students to take courses online at home and the lack of supportive infrastructure in the public school arena. Virtual schooling holds great promise for the public school education system in the United States, as well as the scientific community. Online courses allow students access to a much greater catalog of courses than is offered through classroom instruction in their local public school. This promising sector needs assistance from the scientific community in implementing new pedagogical methodologies.

Keywords: virtual schools, online classroom, electronic delivery, technological innovation

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Authors: Mamiko Orii

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This study reports on primary school second language teachers’ sources of language insecurity. Furthermore, it aims to develop an in-service training course to reduce anxiety and build sufficient English communication skills. Language/Linguistic insecurity refers to a lack of confidence experienced by language speakers. In particular, second language/non-native learners often experience insecurity, influencing their learning efficacy. While language learner insecurity has been well-documented, research on the insecurity of language teaching professionals is limited. Teachers’ language insecurity or anxiety in target language use may adversely affect language instruction. For example, they may avoid classroom activities requiring intensive language use. Therefore, understanding teachers’ language insecurity and providing continuing education to help teachers to improve their proficiency is vital to improve teaching quality. This study investigated Japanese primary school teachers’ language insecurity. In Japan, teachers are responsible for teaching most subjects, including English, which was recently added as compulsory. Most teachers have never been professionally trained in second language instruction during college teacher certificate preparation, leading to low confidence in English teaching. Primary source of language insecurity is a lack of confidence regarding English communication skills. Their actual use of English in classrooms remains unclear. Teachers’ classroom speech remains a neglected area requiring improvement. A more refined programme for second language teachers could be constructed if we can identify areas of need. Two questionnaires were administered to primary school teachers in Tokyo: (1) Questionnaire A: 396 teachers answered questions (using a 5-point scale) concerning classroom teaching anxiety and general English use and needs for in-service training (Summer 2021); (2) Questionnaire B: 20 teachers answered detailed questions concerning their English use (Autumn 2022). Questionnaire A’s responses showed that over 80% of teachers have significant language insecurity and anxiety, mainly when speaking English in class or teaching independently. Most teachers relied on a team-teaching partner (e.g., ALT) and avoided speaking English. Over 70% of the teachers said they would like to participate in training courses in classroom English. Questionnaire B’s results showed that teachers could use simple classroom English, such as greetings and basic instructions (e.g., stand up, repeat after me), and initiate conversation (e.g., asking questions). In contrast, teachers reported that conversations were mainly carried on in a simple question-answer style. They had difficulty continuing conversations. Responding to learners’ ‘on-the-spot’ utterances was particularly difficult. Instruction in turn-taking patterns suitable in the classroom communication context is needed. Most teachers received grammar-based instruction during their entire English education. They were predominantly exposed to displayed questions and form-focused corrective feedback. Therefore, strategies such as encouraging teachers to ask genuine questions (i.e., referential questions) and responding to students with content feedback are crucial. When learners’ utterances are incorrect or unsatisfactory, teachers should rephrase or extend (recast) them instead of offering explicit corrections. These strategies support a continuous conversational flow. These results offer benefits beyond Japan’s English as a second Language context. They will be valuable in any context where primary school teachers are underprepared but must provide English-language instruction.

Keywords: english as a second/non-native language, in-service training, primary school, teachers’ language insecurity

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Authors: Sibawu Witness Siyepu

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This study explores the effects of instructional design using blended learning in the learning of radian measures among Engineering students. Blended learning is an education programme that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both lecturer and student in a mathematics computer laboratory. Blended learning provides element of class control over time, place, path or pace. The focus was on the use of Khan Academy to supplement traditional classroom interactions. Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organisation created by educator Salman Khan with a goal of creating an accessible place for students to learn through watching videos in a computer assisted computer. The researcher who is an also lecturer in mathematics support programme collected data through instructing students to watch Khan Academy videos on radian measures, and by supplying students with traditional classroom activities. Classroom activities entails radian measure activities extracted from the Internet. Students were given an opportunity to engage in class discussions, social interactions and collaborations. These activities necessitated students to write formative assessments tests. The purpose of formative assessments tests was to find out about the students’ understanding of radian measures, including errors and misconceptions they displayed in their calculations. Identification of errors and misconceptions serve as pointers of students’ weaknesses and strengths in their learning of radian measures. At the end of data collection, semi-structure interviews were administered to a purposefully sampled group to explore their perceptions and feedback regarding the use of blended learning approach in teaching and learning of radian measures. The study employed Algebraic Insight Framework to analyse data collected. Algebraic Insight Framework is a subset of symbol sense which allows a student to correctly enter expressions into a computer assisted systems efficiently. This study offers students opportunities to enter topics and subtopics on radian measures into a computer through the lens of Khan Academy. Khan academy demonstrates procedures followed to reach solutions of mathematical problems. The researcher performed the task of explaining mathematical concepts and facilitated the process of reinvention of rules and formulae in the learning of radian measures. Lastly, activities that reinforce students’ understanding of radian were distributed. Results showed that this study enthused the students in their learning of radian measures. Learning through videos prompted the students to ask questions which brought about clarity and sense making to the classroom discussions. Data revealed that sense making through reinvention of rules and formulae assisted the students in enhancing their learning of radian measures. This study recommends the use of Khan Academy in blended learning to be introduced as a socialisation programme to all first year students. This will prepare students that are computer illiterate to become conversant with the use of Khan Academy as a powerful tool in the learning of mathematics. Khan Academy is a key technological tool that is pivotal for the development of students’ autonomy in the learning of mathematics and that promotes collaboration with lecturers and peers.

Keywords: algebraic insight framework, blended learning, Khan Academy, radian measures

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Authors: Samane Maroufi, Rasoul Khayyam Nekouei, Sajjad Sefimofarah, Veena Sahajwalla

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The present work details a three-stage strategy based on selective purification of rare earth oxide (REOs) isolated from end-of-life nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries leading to high-yield fabrication of defect-rich Mn1-x-y(CeₓLaᵧ)O2-δ film. In step one, major impurities (Fe and Al) were removed from a REE-rich solution. In step two, the resulting solution with trace content of Mn was further purified through electrodeposition which resulted in the synthesis of a non-stoichiometric Mn₋₁₋ₓ₋ᵧ(CeₓLaₓᵧ)O2-δ ultra-thin film, with controllable thicknesses (5-650 nm) and transmittance (~29-100%)in which Ce4+/3+ and La3+ ions were dissolved in MnO2-x lattice. Due to percolation impacts on the optoelectronic properties of ultrathin films, a representative Mn1-x-y(CexLay)O2-δ film with 86% transmittance exhibited an outstanding areal capacitance of 3.4 mF•cm-2, mainly attributed to the intercalation/de-intercalation of anionic O2- charge carriers through the atomic tunnels of the stratified Mn1-x-y(CexLay)O2-δ crystallites. Furthermore, the Mn1-x-y(CexLay)O2-δ exhibited excellent capacitance retention of ~90% after 16,000 cycles. Such stability was shown to be associated with intervalence charge transfers occurring among interstitial Ce/La cations and Mn oxidation states within the Mn₋₁₋ₓ₋ᵧ(CexLay)O2-δ structure. The energy and power densities of the transparent flexible Mn₋₁₋ₓ₋ᵧ(CexLay)O2-δ full-cell pseudocapacitor device with a solid-state electrolyte was measured to be 0.088 µWh.cm-2 and 843 µW.cm-2, respectively. These values showed insignificant changes under vigorous twisting and bending to 45-180˚, confirming these materials are intriguing alternatives for size-sensitive energy storage devices. In step three, the remaining solution purified further, that led to the formation of REOs (La, Ce, and Nd) nanospheres with ~40-50 nm diameter.

Keywords: spent Ni-MH batteries, green energy, flexible pseudocapacitor, rare earth elements

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Authors: Paolo Di Pietro, Matteo Lelli, Kinjal Parmar

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Water hazards are consistently identified as among the highest global risks in terms of impact. Riverbank protection plays a key role in flood risk management. For erosion control and scour protection, flexible solutions like gabions & mattresses are being used since quite some time now. The efficacy of erosion control systems depends both on the ability to prevent soil loss underneath, as well as to maintain their integrity under the effects of the water flow. The paper presents the results of a research carried out at the Colorado State University on the performance of double twisted wire mesh products, known as Reno Mattresses, used as soil erosion control system. Mattresses were subjected to various flow conditions on a 10m long flume where they were placed on a 0.30 m thick soil layer. The performance against erosion was evaluated by assessing the effect of the stone motion inside the mattress combined with the condition of incipient soil erosion underneath, in relationship to the mattress thickness, the filling stone properties and under variable hydraulic flow regimes. While confirming the stability obtained using a conventional design approach (commonly referred to tractive force theories), the results of the research allowed to introduce a new performance limit based on incipient soil erosion underneath the revetment. Based on the research results, the authors propose to express the shear resistance of mattresses used as soil erosion control system as a function of the size of the filling stones, their uniformity, their unit weight, the thickness of the mattress, and the presence of vertical connecting elements between the mattress lid and bottom.

Keywords: Reno Mattress, riverbank protection, hydraulics, full scale tests

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Authors: Matthew David Marmet

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Knowing your audience is important regardless of what profession you are in. Whether this audience is comprised of customers or students, having an idea of who these people are, where they come from, and some of the challenges they may have faced allows us to build better relationships with them. This paper will recap a field study experience that has been dubbed a "reverse field trip" to a local high school. Here, going back in time produced not only a great deal of nostalgia, but also served as a reminder of who prospective university students are before they arrive. This information is invaluable as it can help inform classroom (and other) strategies that may help them succeed, and persist through the college years, which will no doubt present them with undeniable changes and challenges. Interviews with school staff and observations of student behavior, both inside and outside the classroom, yielded several lessons learned (i.e., issues to address). These include considerations of regimen, three separate yet related levels of context, and expectation-setting. Each issue will be presented in detail, along with pedagogical strategies to help address them. These strategies have both student-level and institutional benefits as they have the potential not only to increase student engagement, but also improve retention rates.

Keywords: pedagogy, Student engagement, student retention, teaching strategy

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Authors: François Chiocchio, Mahshid Gharibpour

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Regardless of the extent to which succession management is implemented in the private sector, it is still overlooked in the public sector. Traditional succession management is evolving providing a better alignment between business strategies and HR strategies. Succession management brings sustainable effectiveness for succession programs through career path development, knowledge and skill transfer, job retention, as well as high-potential candidates’ empowerment for upcoming vacancies. By way of a systematic literature review, we bring into focus strategic succession management in public organizations and discuss best ways of implementation. 

Keywords: succession management, strategic succession management, public organization, succession management model

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Authors: S. S. Rwanga, J. M. Ndambuki

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Groundwater quantification needs a method which is not only flexible but also reliable in order to accurately quantify its spatial and temporal variability. As groundwater is dynamic and interdisciplinary in nature, an integrated approach of remote sensing (RS) and GIS technique is very useful in various groundwater management studies. Thus, the GIS water balance model (WetSpass) together with remote sensing (RS) can be used to quantify groundwater recharge. This paper discusses the concept of WetSpass in combination with GIS on the quantification of recharge with a view to managing water resources in an integrated framework. The paper presents the simulation procedures and expected output after simulation. Preliminary data are presented from GIS output only.

Keywords: groundwater, recharge, GIS, WetSpass

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Authors: Nurah Saleh Alfares

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An aim of TS in EFL is to help learners to understand how they learn, which could help them in using the target language with other learners in language classrooms, and in their social life. The early researchers have criticised the system of teaching methods in EFL applied in Saudi schools, as they claim that it does not produce students who are highly proficient in English. Some of them suggested that enhancing learners’ TS would help to improve the learners’ proficiency of using the EFL. The textbook in Saudi schools is the central material for teachers to follow in the EFL classroom. Thus, this study is investigating the main issues that could promote TS in Saudi EFL: the textbook and the teachers. The purposes of the study are: to find out the extent to which the tasks in the textbook have the potential to support teachers in promoting TS; to discover insights into the nature of classroom activities that teachers use to encourage TS from the textbook and to explore the teachers’ views on the role of the textbook in promoting TS in the English language. These aims will improve understanding of the connection between the potential of the textbook content and the participants’ theoretical knowledge and their teaching practice. The investigation employed research techniques including the following: (1) analysis of the textbook; (2) questionnaire for EFL teachers; (3) observation for EFL classroom; (4) interviews with EFL teachers. Analysis of the third intermediate grade textbook has been undertaken, and six EFL teachers from five intermediate schools were involved in the study. Data analysis revealed that 36.71 % of the tasks in the textbook could have the potential to promote TS, and 63.29 % of the tasks in the textbook could not have the potential to promote TS. Therefore, the result of the textbook analysis showed that the majority of the tasks do not have the potential to help teachers to promote TS. Although not all teachers of the observed lessons displayed behaviour helpful to promote TS, teachers, who presented potential TS tasks in their lesson encouraged learners’ interaction and students’ engagement more than teachers who presented tasks that did not have the potential to promote TS. Therefore, the result of the teachers’ data showed that having a textbook that has the potential to promote TS is not enough to develop teaching TS in Saudi EFL since teachers’ behaviour could make the task more or less productive.

Keywords: English as a Foreign Language, metacognitive skills, textbook, thinking skills

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Authors: Claudia Mertens, Amanda Shufflebarger

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Step one: What we know about effective learning for pupils with SEN: results of 2 systematic reviews: Before establishing principles and practices for teaching and learning of pupils with SEN, we need a good overview of the results of empirical studies conducted in the respective field. Therefore, two systematic reviews on the use of digital tools in inclusive and non-inclusive school settings were conducted - taking into consideration studies published in German: One systematic review included studies having undergone a peer review process, and the second included studies without peer review). The results (collaboration of two German universities) will be presented during the conference. Step two: Students’ results of a research lab on “inclusive media education”: On this basis, German students worked on “inclusive media education” in small research projects (duration: 1 year). They were “education majors” enrolled in a course on inclusive media education. They conducted research projects on topics ranging from smartboards in inclusive settings, digital media in gifted math education, Tik Tok in German as a Foreign Language education and many more. As part of their course, the German students created an academic conference poster. In the conference, the results of these research projects/papers are put into the context of the results of the systematic reviews. Step three: Global Classroom: The German students’ posters were critically discussed in a global classroom in cooperation with Indiana University East (USA) and Hamburg University (Germany) in the winter/spring term of 2022/2023. 15 students in Germany collaborated with 15 students at Indiana University East. The IU East student participants were enrolled in “Writing in the Arts and Sciences,” which is specifically designed for pre-service teachers. The joint work began at the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester in January 2023 and continued until the end of the Uni Hamburg semester in February 2023. Before January, Uni Hamburg students had been working on a research project individually or in pairs. Didactic Approach: Both groups of students posted a brief video or audio introduction to a shared Canvas discussion page. In the joint long synchronous session, the students discussed key content terms such as inclusion, inclusive, diversity, etc., with the help of prompt cards, and they compared how they understood or applied these terms differently. Uni Hamburg students presented drafts of academic posters. IU East students gave them specific feedback. After that, IU East students wrote brief reflections summarizing what they learned from the poster. After the class, small groups were expected to create a voice recording reflecting on their experiences. In their recordings, they examined critical incidents, highlighting what they learned from these incidents. Major results of the student research and of the global classroom collaboration can be highlighted during the conference. Results: The aggregated results of the two systematic reviews AND of the research lab/global classroom can now be a sound basis for 1) improving accessibility for students with SEN and 2) for adjusting teaching materials and concepts to the needs of the students with SEN - in order to create successful learning.

Keywords: digitalization, inclusion, inclusive media education, global classroom, systematic review

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Authors: Mohammad Mozammel Haque

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A clause is a sentence or a part of a sentence having a subject and a principal verb; it may or may not express a complete thought. But, a sentence is a group of words arranged orderly, and it has a complete thought. Clause and sentence are interrelated with each other. It is really quite impossible to decide whether a sentence is simple, complex or compound without having an idea about clauses. Correspondingly, knowing whether a clause is main or subordinate without having an idea about sentence is equally not easy. It is even a task somewhat difficult task for a teacher to teach sentences and clauses in a classroom, unconnectedly or independently. When discussing types of sentences, the teacher must talk about clauses. Likewise, he/she must confer sentences when he teaches clauses in a classroom. This paper aims at discussing types of clauses and sentences in detail, and showing their interrelationship. It also shows that it is requisite to discuss clauses when teaching sentences in the same class, and that the students also have trouble understanding the one without having, at least, a little idea about the other. Ardent and practical paradigms from the books selected for various skill courses in the English Department of Jazan University have also been discussed in this paper.

Keywords: clause, correlation, dependent, independent, interrelationship, sentence

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Authors: Carolina S. Correia, Thalita V. Thomé, Andersen Boniolo, Dhayana I. Veiga

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Evidence-based practices (EBP) in education is a set of principles and practices used to raise educational policy, it involves the integration of professional expertise in education with the best empirical evidence in making decisions about how to deliver instruction. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and characterize studies about EBP in education in elementary classroom setting. Data here presented is part of an ongoing systematic review research. Articles were searched and selected from four academic databases: ProQuest, Scielo, Science Direct and Capes. The search terms were evidence-based practices or program effectiveness, and education or teaching or teaching practices or teaching methods. Articles were included according to the following criteria: The studies were explicitly described as evidence-based or discussed the most effective practices in education, they discussed teaching practices in classroom context in elementary school level. Document excerpts were extracted and recorded in Excel, organized by reference, descriptors, abstract, purpose, setting, participants, type of teaching practice, study design and main results. The total amount of articles selected were 1.185, 569 articles from Proquest Research Library; 216 from CAPES; 251 from ScienceDirect and 149 from Scielo Library. The potentially relevant references were 178, from which duplicates were removed. The final number of articles analyzed was 140. From 140 articles, are 47 theoretical studies and 93 empirical articles. The following research design methods were identified: longitudinal intervention study, cluster-randomized trial, meta-analysis and pretest-posttest studies. From 140 articles, 103 studies were about regular school teaching and 37 were on special education teaching practices. In several studies, used as teaching method: active learning, content acquisition podcast (CAP), precision teaching (PT), mediated reading practice, speech therapist programs and peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS). The countries of origin of the studies were United States of America, United Kingdom, Panama, Sweden, Scotland, South Korea, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Brunei. The present study in is an ongoing project, so some representative findings will be discussed, providing further acknowledgment on the best teaching practices in elementary classroom setting.

Keywords: best practices, children, evidence-based education, elementary school, teaching methods

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Authors: Scott R. Butler

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Ontario, Canada’s largest province, is in the midst of an interesting experiment in mandated asset management planning for local governments. At the beginning of 2021, Ontario’s 444 municipalities were responsible for the management of 302,864 lane kilometers of roads that have a replacement cost of $97.545 billion CDN. Roadways are by far the most complex, expensive, and extensive assets that a municipality is responsible for overseeing. Since adopting Ontario Regulation 588/47: Asset Management Planning for Municipal Infrastructure in 2017, the provincial government has established prescriptions for local road authorities regarding asset category and levels of service being provided. This provincial regulation further stipulates that asset data such as extent, condition, and life cycle costing are to be captured in manner compliant with qualitative descriptions and technical metrics. The Ontario Good Roads Association undertook an exercise to aggregate the road-related data contained within the 444 asset management plans that municipalities have filed with the provincial government. This analysis concluded that collectively Ontario municipal roadways have a $34.7 billion CDN in deferred maintenance. The ill-state of repair of Ontario municipal roads has lasting implications for province’s economic competitiveness and has garnered considerable political attention. Municipal efforts to address the maintenance backlog are stymied by the extremely limited fiscal parameters municipalities must operate within in Ontario. Further exacerbating the program are provincially designed programs that are ineffective, administratively burdensome, and not necessarily aligned with local priorities or strategies. This paper addresses how municipal asset management plans – and more specifically, the data contained in these plans – can be used to design innovative policy frameworks, flexible funding programs, and new levels of service that respond to these funding challenges, as well as emerging issues such as local economic development and climate change. To fully unlock the potential that Ontario Regulation 588/17 has imposed will require a resolute commitment to data standardization and horizontal collaboration between municipalities within regions.

Keywords: transportation, municipal asset management, subnational policy design, subnational funding program design

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Authors: Hachul Jung, Ahee Kim, Sanghoon Lee, Dahye Kwon, Songwoo Yoon, Jinhee Moon

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We fabricated a wearable patch device including novel patch type flexible dry electrode based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and silicone-based elastomer (MED 6215) for real-time ECG monitoring. There are many methods to make flexible conductive polymer by mixing metal or carbon-based nanoparticles. In this study, CNFs are selected for conductive nanoparticles because carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are difficult to disperse uniformly in elastomer compare with CNFs and silver nanowires are relatively high cost and easily oxidized in the air. Wearable patch is composed of 2 parts that dry electrode parts for recording bio signal and sticky patch parts for mounting on the skin. Dry electrode parts were made by vortexer and baking in prepared mold. To optimize electrical performance and diffusion degree of uniformity, we developed unique mixing and baking process. Secondly, sticky patch parts were made by patterning and detaching from smooth surface substrate after spin-coating soft skin adhesive. In this process, attachable and detachable strengths of sticky patch are measured and optimized for them, using a monitoring system. Assembled patch is flexible, stretchable, easily skin mountable and connectable directly with the system. To evaluate the performance of electrical characteristics and ECG (Electrocardiography) recording, wearable patch was tested by changing concentrations of CNFs and thickness of the dry electrode. In these results, the CNF concentration and thickness of dry electrodes were important variables to obtain high-quality ECG signals without incidental distractions. Cytotoxicity test is conducted to prove biocompatibility, and long-term wearing test showed no skin reactions such as itching or erythema. To minimize noises from motion artifacts and line noise, we make the customized wireless, light-weight data acquisition system. Measured ECG Signals from this system are stable and successfully monitored simultaneously. To sum up, we could fully utilize fabricated wearable patch devices for real-time ECG monitoring easily.

Keywords: carbon nanofibers, ECG monitoring, flexible dry electrode, wearable patch

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Authors: Hoi Yan Lau

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In Hong Kong, most families have working parents, and the primary caregivers of young children are helpers. This leads to a lack of interaction and language expression in children’s home environment, which affects their language development. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of parent-child reading in improving young children’s language skills. A 4-year-old girl and her mother are recruited to a 3 months’ parent-child reading program. There is a total of 26 reading sessions which target to enhance the parent’s skill of parent-child reading and to assess the child’s language ability. At the same time, the child’s use of language in normal classroom settings is analyzed by anecdotal records. It is shown that the parent is able to use more and better guiding questions during parent-child reading after this program, which in turn leads to more and longer response of the child during the reading sessions. The child also has an increase in Mean Length of Utterance and has a higher frequency of using complete sentences when interacting with other classmates in the classroom. It is worthwhile to further investigate the inclusion of promoting parent-child reading to enhance children’s language development in preschool curriculum planning.

Keywords: Hong Kong, language skills, parent-child reading, preschoolers

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Authors: Caiwei Zhu, Remke Klapwijk

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Spatial thinking, a way of thinking based on the understanding and reasoning of spatial concepts and representations, is embedded in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) learning. Aside from many studies that successfully used targeted training to improve students’ spatial thinking skills, few have closely examined how spatial thinking can be trained in classroom settings. Design and technology education, which receives increasing attention towards its integration into formal curriculums, inherently encompasses a wide range of spatial activities, such as constructing mental representations of design ideas, mentally transforming objects and materials to form designs, visually communicating design plans through annotated drawings, and creating 2D and 3D design artifacts. Among different design topics, biomimicry offers a unique avenue for students to recognize and analyze the shapes and structures in nature. By mapping the forms of plants and animals onto functions, students gain inspiration to solve human design challenges. This study is one of the first to highlight opportunities for training spatial thinking in a biomimicry design project for primary school students. Embracing methodological principles of educational design-based research, this case study is conducted along with iterations in the design of the intervention and collaboration with teachers. Data are harvested from small groups of 10- to 12-year-olds at an international school in the Netherlands. Classroom videos, semi-structured interviews with students, design drawings and artifacts, formative assessment, and the pre- and post-intervention spatial test triangulate evidence for students' spatial thinking. In addition to contributing to a theory of integrating spatial thinking in the primary curriculum, mechanisms underlying such improvement in spatial thinking are explored and discussed.

Keywords: biomimicry, design and technology education, primary education, spatial thinking

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Authors: Mami Nishida

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This paper presented a study on the development and control of a small biped soft robot using shape memory alloys (SMAs). Author proposed a flexible flat plate (FFP) actuators consisting of a thin　polyethylene plate and SMAs. This actuator has a nail like an insect. This robot moves from the front to back and from left to right using two nails. The walking robot has two degrees of freedom and is controlled by switching the ON-OFF current signals to the SMA based FFPs. The resulting small biped soft robot weighs a mere 4.7 g (with a height of 67 mm). The small robot realizes biped walking by transferring the elastic potential energy (generated by deflections of the SMA based FFPs) to kinematic energy. Experimental results demonstrated the viability and utility of the small biped soft robot with the proposed SMA-based FFPs and the control strategy to achieve walking behavior.

Keywords: biped soft robot with nails, flexible flat plate (FFP) actuators, ON-OFF control strategy, shape memory alloys (SMA)

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Authors: Makhim Artikova, Shavkat Duschanov

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So far, there have been a plethora of attempts to improve learners’ academic writing skills. However, this issue remains to be a real concern among the majority of students, especially those who are standing on their academic life threshold. The purpose of this research is improving students’ academic writing skills through 'Questions and Answer Reading' activities. Using well-prepared and well-chosen reading materials (from textbooks, scientific journals, or magazines) and applying questions and answer activities in the classroom facilitate learners to become great critical readers. Furthermore, it boosts their writing skills, which are the most crucial part of students’ personal and academic developments. In this activity, the class is divided into small groups of four. Then, the instructor will give students whether one section of the text or full text asking them to read and to find unfamiliar words within the group. After discovering the meaning of unknown words, each group has to share their findings with the class. In the next stage of the activity, students should be asked to create questions in a group based on the given reading material. Follow by each group should ask the other groups their questions which are an excellent opportunity to challenge leads to improve critical thinking skills. In the last part, the students are asked to write the text or article summary, which is the activity core that pilots to the writing skills perfection. This engaging activity highlights the effectiveness of incorporating reading materials into the classroom when it comes to improving students’ composition writings. Structural writing after every reading activity resulted in improving students’ coherence and cohesion in writing well-organized essays. Having experimented with high school 9th and 11th-grade students, implementing reading activities into the classroom is proved to be a productive tool to enhance one’s academic writing skills. In the future, this method planning to be implemented among university students.

Keywords: academic writing, coherence and cohesion, questions and answer activities, scientific reading

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Authors: Roselyn Zaman, Mobarak Hossain

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A new mathematical model is developed to study crack breathing behavior considering effect of angular position of unbalanced force at different crack locations. Crack breathing behavior has been determined using effectual bending angle by studying the transient change of the crack area. Different crack breathing behavior of the unbalanced shaft has been observed for different combination of angular position of unbalanced force with crack location except crack locations 0.3L and 0.8335L, where L is the total length of the shaft, where unbalanced shaft behave completely like the balanced shaft. Based on different combination of angular position of unbalanced force with crack location, the stiffness of unbalanced shaft can be divided into three regions. An unbalanced shaft is overall stiffer than a balanced shaft when angular position of unbalance force is between 90° to 270° and crack located between 0.3L and 0.8335L, and it is overall flexible when the crack located in outside this crack region. On the other hand, it is overall flexible when angular position of unbalanced force is between 0° to 90° or 270° to 360° and crack located in middle region and it is overall stiffer for outside this crack region.

Keywords: cracked shaft, crack location, shaft stiffness, unbalanced force, and unbalanced force orientation

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Authors: Pinar Ozdemir Ayber, Zeina Hojeij

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Blended Learning (BL) is a rapidly growing teaching and learning approach, which brings together the best of both face-to-face and online learning to expand learning opportunities for students. However, there is limited research on the practices, opportunities and quality of instruction in Blended Classrooms, and on the role of the teaching faculty as well as the learners in these types of classes. This paper will highlight the researchers’ experiences and reflections on blending their classes. It will focus on the importance of designing effective lesson plans that emphasize learner engagement and motivation in alignment with course learning outcomes. In addition, it will identify the changing roles of the teacher and the learners and suggest appropriate variations to the traditional classroom setting taking into consideration the benefits and the challenges of the Blended Classroom. It is hoped that this paper would provide sufficient input for participants to reflect on ways they can blend their own lessons to promote ubiquitous learning and student autonomy. Practical tips and ideas will be shared with the participants on various strategies and technologies that were used in the researchers’ classes.

Keywords: blended learning, learner autonomy, learner engagement, learner motivation, mobile learning tools

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Authors: Vajhollah Ghorbanizadeh, Seyed Mohsen Asadi, Mirali Seyednaghavi, Davoud Hoseynpour

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In the current era, all organizations need knowledge to be able to manage the diverse human resources. Creative, dynamic and knowledge-based Human resources are important competitive advantage and the scarcest resource in today's knowledge-based economy. In addition managers with skills of knowledge management must be aware of human resource management science. It is now generally accepted that successful implementation of knowledge management requires dynamic interaction between knowledge management and human resource management. This is emphasized at systematic approach to knowledge management as well. However human resource management can be complementary of knowledge management because human resources management with the aim of empowering human resources as the key resource organizations in the 21st century, the use of other resources, creating and growing and developing today. Thus, knowledge is the major capital of every organization which is introduced through the process of knowledge management. In this context, knowledge management is systematic approach to create, receive, organize, access, and use of knowledge and learning in the organization. This article aims to define and explain the concepts of knowledge management and human resource management and the importance of these processes and concepts. Literature related to knowledge management and human resource management as well as related topics were studied, then to design, illustrate and provide a theoretical model to explain the factors affecting the relationship between knowledge management and human resource management and knowledge management system approach, for schematic design and are drawn.

Keywords: systemic approach, human resources, knowledge, human resources management, knowledge management

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Authors: Iara Rezende, Djalma Silva, Alcino Costa Neto

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Considering the transformations of the contemporary world linked to globalization and climate changes caused by global warming, the environmental and energy issues have been increasingly present in the decisions of the world scenario. Thus, the aim of reducing the impacts caused by human activities there are the energy efficiency measures, which are also applicable in the scope of Civil Engineering. Considering that a large part of the energy demand from buildings is related to the need to adapt the internal environment to the users comfort and productivity, measures capable of reducing this need can minimize the climate changes impacts and also the energy consumption of the building. However, these important measures are currently little used by civil engineers, either because of the interdisciplinarity of the subject, the time required to apply certain methods or the difficult interpretation of the results obtained by computational programs that often have a complex and little applied approach. Thus, it was proposed the development of a Java application with a simpler and applied approach to evaluate the thermal performance of a building in order to obtain results capable of assisting the civil engineers in the decision making related to the users thermal comfort. The program was built in Java programming language and the method used for the evaluation was the Center Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB) method. The program was used to evaluate the thermal performance of a university classroom. The analysis was carried out from simulations considering the worst climatic situation of the building occupation. Thus, at the end of the process, the favorable result was obtained regarding the classroom comfort zone and the feasibility of using the program, thus achieving the proposed objectives.

Keywords: building occupation, CSTB method, energy efficiency measures, Java application, thermal comfort

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Authors: Juan Carlos Montalvo-Rodriguez, Juan Felipe Espinosa-Cristia, Pablo Islas Madariaga, Jorge Cifuentes Valenzuela

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This article presents different relationships between top management and innovative companies, based on the developments of creativity and innovation management. First of all, it contextualizes the innovative company in relation to management, creativity, and innovation. Secondly, it delves into the vision of top management of innovative companies, from the perspectives of the management of creativity and innovation. Thirdly, their commonalities are highlighted, bearing in mind the importance that both approaches attribute to aspects such as leadership, networks, strategy, culture, technology, environment, and complexity in the top management of innovative companies. Based on the above, an integration of both fields of study is proposed, as an alternative to deepen the relationship between senior management and the innovative company.

Keywords: top management, creativity, innovation, innovative firm, leadership, strategy

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Authors: Mariana Faria Brito Francisquini

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Many thermal phenomena are present and play a substantial role in our daily lives. This presence makes the study of this area at both High School and University levels a very widely explored topic in the literature. However, a lot of important concepts to a meaningful understanding of the world are neglected at the expense of a traditional approach with senseless algebraic problems. In this work, we intend to show how the introduction of new technologies in the classroom, namely thermal cameras, can work in our favor to make a clearer understanding of many of these concepts, such as thermal conductivity. The use of thermal cameras in the classroom tends to diminish the everlasting abstractness in thermal phenomena as they enable us to visualize something that happens right before our eyes, yet we cannot see it. In our study, we will provide the same amount of heat to metallic cylindrical rods of the same length, but different materials in order to study the thermal conductivity of each one. In this sense, the thermal camera allows us to visualize the increase in temperature along each rod in real time enabling us to infer how heat is being transferred from one part of the rod to another. Therefore, we intend to show how this approach can contribute to the exposure of students to more enriching, intellectually prolific, scenarios than those provided by traditional approaches.

Keywords: teaching physics, thermal cameras, thermal conductivity, thermal physics

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Authors: Sima Hajiazizi

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Tehran is a capital of Iran, with the capitals of the world to natural disasters such as earthquake and flood vulnerable has known. City has stated on three faults, Ray, Mosha, and north according to report of JICA in 2000, the most casualties and destruction was the result of active fault Ray. In 2003, the prevention and management of crisis in Tehran to conduct prevention and rehabilitation of the city, under the Ministry has active. Given the breadth and lack of appropriate access in the city, was considered decentralized management for crisis management support, in each region, in order to position the crisis management headquarters at the time of crises and implementation of programs for prevention and education of the citizens and also to position the bases given in some areas of the neighboring provinces at the time of the accident for help and a number of databases to store food and equipment needed at the time of the disaster. In this study, the bases for one, six, nine and eleven regions of Tehran in the field of management and training are evaluated. Selected areas had local accident and experience of practice for disaster management and local training has been experiencing challenges. The research approach was used qualitative research methods underlying Ground theory. At first, the information obtained through the study of documents and Semi-structured interviews by administrators, officials of training and participant observation in the classroom, line by line, and then it was coded in two stages, by comparing and questioning concepts, categories and extract according to the indicators is obtained from literature studies, subjects were been central. Main articles according to the frequency and importance of the phenomenon were called and they were drawn diagram paradigm and at the end with the intersections phenomena and their causes with indicators extracted from the texts, approach each phenomenon and the effectiveness of the bases was measured. There are two phenomenons in management; 1. The inability to manage the vast and complex crisis events and to resolve minor incidents due to the mismatch between managers. 2. Weaknesses in the implementation of preventive measures and preparedness to manage crisis is causal of situations, fields and intervening. There are five phenomenons in the field of education; 1. In the six-region participation and interest is high. 2. In eleven-region training partnerships for crisis management were to low that next by maneuver in schools and local initiatives such as advertising and use of aid groups have increased. 3. In nine-region, contributions to education in the area of crisis management at the beginning were low that initiatives like maneuver in schools and communities to stimulate and increase participation have increased sensitivity. 4. Managers have been disagreement with the same training in all areas. Finally for the issues that are causing the main issues, with the help of concepts extracted from the literature, recommendations are provided.

Keywords: crises management, crisis management support bases, vulnerability, crisis management headquarters, prevention

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Authors: Sarah Pasala, Elizabeth Zacharias

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Vital sign monitoring is crucial for both everyday health and medical diagnosis. A significant factor in assessing a human's health is their vital signs, which include heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings. Vital sign monitoring has been the focus of many system and method innovations recently. Piezoelectrics are materials that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and can be used for vital sign monitoring. Piezoelectric energy harvesters that are stretchable and flexible can detect very low frequencies like airflow, heartbeat, etc. Current advancements in piezoelectric materials and flexible sensors have made it possible to create wearable and implantable medical devices that can continuously monitor physiological signals in humans. But because of their non-biocompatible nature, they also produce a large amount of e-waste and require another surgery to remove the implant. This paper presents a biocompatible and flexible piezoelectric composite material for wearable and implantable devices that offers a high-performance platform for seamless and continuous monitoring of human physiological signals and tactile stimuli. It also addresses the issue of e-waste and secondary surgery. A Lead-free piezoelectric, SrBi4Ti4O15, is found to be suitable for this application because the properties can be tailored by suitable substitutions and also by varying the synthesis temperature protocols. In the present work, SrBi4Ti4O15 modified by rare-earth has been synthesized and studied. Coupling factors are calculated from resonant (fr) and anti-resonant frequencies (fa). It is observed that Samarium substitution in SBT has increased the Curie temperature, dielectric and piezoelectric properties. From impedance spectroscopy studies, relaxation, and non-Debye type behaviour are observed. The composite of bioresorbable poly(l-lactide) and Lead-free rare earth modified Bismuth Layered Ferroelectrics leads to a flexible piezoelectric device for non-invasive measurement of vital signs, such as heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings and also artery pulse signals in near-surface arteries. These composites are suitable to detect slight movement of the muscles and joints. This Lead-free rare earth modified Bismuth Layered Ferroelectrics – polymer composite is synthesized using a ball mill and the solid-state double sintering method. XRD studies indicated the two phases in the composite. SEM studies revealed the grain size to be uniform and in the range of 100 nm. The electromechanical coupling factor is improved. The elastic constants are calculated and the mechanical flexibility is found to be improved as compared to the single-phase rare earth modified Bismuth Latered piezoelectric. The results indicate that this composite is suitable for the non-invasive detection of multiple vital signs of humans.

Keywords: composites, flexible, non-invasive, piezoelectric

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Authors: Mekdelawit Teferi Alamirew

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As a practical tool, the Geographical information system (GIS) was used for data integration, collection, management, analysis, and output presentation in pavement mangement systems . There are many GIS techniques to improve the maintenance activities like Dynamic segmentation and weighted overlay analysis which considers Multi Criteria Decision Making process. The results indicated that the developed MPI model works sufficiently and yields adequate output for providing accurate decisions. Hence considering multi criteria to prioritize the pavement sections for maintenance, as a result of the fact that GIS maps can express position, extent, and severity of pavement distress features more effectively than manual approaches, lastly the paper also offers digitized distress maps that can help agencies in their decision-making processes.

Keywords: pavement, flexible, maintenance, index

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Authors: Tahmina Huq

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This paper presents the findings of an action research study that aimed to investigate the efficacy of a visual dialogue strategy in assisting autistic students with intellectual disabilities in managing their immediate emotions and improving their academic achievements. The research sought to explore the effectiveness of teaching self-regulation techniques as an alternative to traditional approaches involving segregation. The study identified visual dialogue as a valuable tool for promoting self-regulation in this specific student population. Action research was chosen as the methodology due to its suitability for immediate implementation of the findings in the classroom. Autistic students with intellectual disabilities often face challenges in controlling their emotions, which can disrupt their learning and academic progress. Conventional methods of intervention, such as isolation and psychologist-assisted approaches, may result in missed classes and hindered academic development. This study introduces the utilization of visual dialogue between students and teachers as an effective self-regulation strategy, addressing the limitations of traditional approaches. Action research was employed as the methodology for this study, allowing for the direct application of the findings in the classroom. The study observed two 15-year-old autistic students with intellectual disabilities who exhibited difficulties in emotional regulation and displayed aggressive behaviors. The research question focused on the effectiveness of visual dialogue in managing the emotions of these students and its impact on their learning outcomes. Data collection methods included personal observations, log sheets, personal reflections, and visual documentation. The study revealed that the implementation of visual dialogue as a self-regulation strategy enabled the students to regulate their emotions within a short timeframe (10 to 30 minutes). Through visual dialogue, they were able to express their feelings and needs in socially appropriate ways. This finding underscores the significance of visual dialogue as a tool for promoting emotional regulation and facilitating active participation in classroom activities. As a result, the students' learning outcomes and social interactions were positively impacted. The findings of this study hold significant implications for educators working with autistic students with intellectual disabilities. The use of visual dialogue as a self-regulation strategy can enhance emotional regulation skills and improve overall academic progress. The action research approach outlined in this paper provides practical guidance for educators in effectively implementing self-regulation strategies within classroom settings. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that visual dialogue is an effective strategy for enhancing emotional regulation in autistic students with intellectual disabilities. By employing visual communication, students can successfully regulate their emotions and actively engage in classroom activities, leading to improved learning outcomes and social interactions. This paper underscores the importance of implementing self-regulation strategies in educational settings to cater to the unique needs of autistic students.

Keywords: action research, self-regulation, autism, visual communication

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Authors: Mounir Tichamakdj, Khaled Sandjak, Boualem Tiliouine

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The design of flexible pavements is currently carried out using a multilayer elastic theory. However, for thin-surface pavements subject to light or medium traffic volumes, the importance of the non-linear stress-strain behavior of unbound granular materials requires the use of more sophisticated numerical models for the structural design of these pavements. The simplified analysis of the nonlinear behavior of granular materials in pavement design will be developed in this study. To achieve this objective, an equivalent linear model derived from a volumetric shear stress model is used to simulate the nonlinear elastic behavior of two unlinked local granular materials often used in pavements. This model is included here to adequately incorporate material non-linearity due to stress dependence and stiffness of the granular layers in the flexible pavement analysis. The sensitivity of the pavement design criteria to the likely variations in asphalt layer thickness and the mineralogical nature of unbound granular materials commonly used in pavement structures are also evaluated.

Keywords: granular materials, linear equivalent model, non-linear behavior, pavement design, shear volumetric strain model

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Authors: Saeed A. AlGhamdi, Nabil Habli, Vinoj Somasanran

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This paper presents an application of 230 kV Variable Shunt Reactors (VSR) used to compensate reactive power of dual 90 KM subsea cables. VSR integrates an on-load tap changer (OLTC) that adjusts reactive power compensation to maintain acceptable bus voltages under variable load profile and network configuration. An automatic voltage regulator (AVR) or a power management system (PMS) that allows VSR rating to be changed in discrete steps typically controls the OLTC. Typical regulation range start as minimum as 20% up to 100% and are available for systems up to 550kV. The regulation speed is normally in the order of seconds per step and approximately a minute from maximum to minimum rating. VSR can be bus or line connected depending on line/cable length and compensation requirements. The flexible reactive compensation ranges achieved by recent VSR technologies have enabled newer facilities design to deploy line connected VSR through either disconnect switches, which saves space and cost, or through circuit breakers. Lines with VSR are typically energized with lower taps (reduced reactive compensation) to minimize or remove the presence of delayed zero crossing.

Keywords: power management, reactive power, subsea cables, variable shunt reactors

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