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PDK International | Phi Delta Kappan: Black
Tags: no_tag on 2008-06-29 and saved by19 people -All Annotations (0) -About
more fromwww.pdkintl.org
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Indeed, the conditions under which formal tests are taken threaten validity because they are quite unlike those of everyday performance. An outstanding example here is that collaborative work is very important in everyday life but is forbidden by current norms of formal testing.21 These points open up wider arguments about assessment systems as a whole -- arguments that are beyond the scope of this article.
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several essential elements: the quality of teacher/pupil interactions, the stimulus and help for pupils to take active responsibility for their own learning, the particular help needed to move pupils out of the trap of "low achievement," and the development of the habits necessary for all students to become lifelong learners.
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ways of managing formative assessment that work with the assumptions of "untapped potential" do help all pupils to learn and can give particular help to those who have previously struggled.
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what is needed is a classroom culture of questioning and deep thinking, in which pupils learn from shared discussions with teachers and peers. What emerges very clearly here is the indivisibility of instruction and formative assessment practices.
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Feedback has been shown to improve learning when it gives each pupil specific guidance on strengths and weaknesses, preferably without any overall marks.
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There are several ways to break this particular cycle. They involve giving pupils time to respond; asking them to discuss their thinking in pairs or in small groups, so that a respondent is speaking on behalf of others; giving pupils a choice between different possible answers and asking them to vote on the options; asking all of them to write down an answer and then reading out a selected few; and so on. What is essential is that any dialogue should evoke thoughtful reflection in which all pupils can be encouraged to take part, for only then can the formative process start to work.
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The question/answer dialogue becomes a ritual, one in which thoughtful involvement suffers.
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Because they know that the answer, followed by another question, will come along in a few seconds, there is no point in trying.
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because the only questions that can produce answers in such a short time are questions of fact, these predominate.
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One common problem is that, following a question, teachers do not wait long enough to allow pupils to think out their answers.
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here are clearly recorded examples of such discussions in which teachers have, quite unconsciously, responded in ways that would inhibit the future learning of a pupil. What the examples have in common is that the teacher is looking for a particular response and lacks the flexibility or the confidence to deal with the unexpected. So the teacher tries to direct the pupil toward giving the expected answer. In manipulating the dialogue in this way, the teacher seals off any unusual, often thoughtful but unorthodox, attempts by pupils to work out their own answers. Over time the pupils get the message: they are not required to think out their own answers. The object of the exercise is to work out -- or guess -- what answer the teacher expects to see or hear.
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opportunities for pupils to express their understanding should be designed into any piece of teaching, for this will initiate the interaction through which formative assessment aids learning.
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New understandings are not simply swallowed and stored in isolation; they have to be assimilated in relation to preexisting ideas. The new and the old may be inconsistent or even in conflict, and the disparities must be resolved by thoughtful actions on the part of the learner. Realizing that there are new goals for the learning is an essential part of this process of assimilation. Thus we conclude: if formative assessment is to be productive, pupils should be trained in self-assessment so that they can understand the main purposes of their learning and thereby grasp what they need to do to achieve.
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feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other pupils.
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The giving of marks and the grading function are overemphasized, while the giving of useful advice and the learning function are underemphasized.
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The tests used by teachers encourage rote and superficial learning even when teachers say they want to develop understanding; many teachers seem unaware of the inconsistency.
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Uterine fibroids: Treatment - MayoClinic.com
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Because fibroids aren't cancerous and usually grow slowly, you have time to gather information before making a decision about if and how to proceed with treatment. The option that's right for you depends on a number of factors, including the severity of your signs and symptoms, your plans for childbearing, how close you are to menopause, and your feelings about surgery.
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Complications may occur if the blood supply to your ovaries or other organs is compromised.
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Uterine artery embolization
Small particles injected into the arteries supplying the uterus cut off blood flow to fibroids, causing them to shrink. This technique is proving effective in shrinking fibroids and relieving the symptoms they can cause. -
Focused ultrasound surgery
MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (FUS), approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2004, is a newer treatment option for women with fibroids. Unlike other fibroid treatment options, FUS is noninvasive and preserves your uterus. -
With myomectomy, as opposed to a hysterectomy, there is a risk of fibroid recurrence.
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Hysterectomy
This operation — the removal of the uterus — remains the only proven permanent solution for uterine fibroids. But hysterectomy is major surgery. It ends your ability to bear children, and if you elect to have your ovaries removed also, it brings on menopause and the question of whether you'll take hormone replacement therapy. -
Danazol, a synthetic drug similar to testosterone, has been shown to shrink fibroid tumors, reduce uterine size, stop menstruation and correct anemia. However, occasional unpleasant side effects such as weight gain, dysphoria (feeling depressed, anxious or uneasy), acne, headaches, unwanted hair growth and a deeper voice, make many women reluctant to take this drug.
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Androgens. Your ovaries and your adrenal glands, located above your kidneys, produce androgens, the so-called male hormones. Given as medical therapy, androgens can relieve fibroid symptoms.
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Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists.
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f you're like most women with uterine fibroids, you have no signs or symptoms. In your case, watchful waiting (expectant management) could be the best course. Fibroids aren't cancerous. They rarely interfere with pregnancy. They usually grow slowly and tend to shrink after menopause when levels of reproductive hormones drop. This is the best treatment option for a large majority of women with uterine fibroids.
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Uterine Fibroids
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spares the uterus and is an alternative to myomectomy, hysterectomy, watchful waiting, hormone therapy, or uterine fibroid embolization.
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ExAblate® 2000 is a medical device that uses magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound to target and destroy uterine fibroids
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The best candidates for UFE are women who:
- have fibroid tumors that are causing heavy bleeding
- have fibroid tumors that are causing pain or pressing on the bladder or rectum
- don’twant to have a hysterectomy
- don’twant to have more children
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Not all fibroids can be treated with UFE
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Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a treatment that cuts off the blood supply to the uterus and the fibroids so they shrink. UFE is proving to be an alternative to hysterectomy and myomectomy.
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an electrical needle is inserted into the uterus through a small incision in the abdomen to destroy the blood vessels feeding the fibroids
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Myolysis
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surgery is used when a woman's fibroids are large, or if she has heavy bleeding, and is either near or past menopause and does not want children
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Hysterectomy
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Myomectomy - a surgery to remove fibroids without taking out the healthy tissue of the uterus.
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mifepristone, also can stop or slow the growth of fibroids. These drugs only offer temporary relief from the symptoms of fibroids; once you stop the therapy, the fibroids often grow back.
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hot flushes, depression, not being able to sleep, decreased sex drive, and joint pain
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Other drugs used to treat fibroids are called gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa). These drugs can decrease the size of the fibroids.
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For the most part, fibroids stop growing or shrink after menopause.
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uterine leiomyomata
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Although fibroids are sometimes called tumors, they are almost always benign (
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Pew Research Center: Teen Content Creators
Tags: no_tag on 2008-01-12 and saved by7 people -All Annotations (0) -About
more frompewresearch.org
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47% of online teens have uploaded photos where others can see them, though many restrict access to the photos in some way; and 14% of online teens have posted videos online
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55% of online teens ages 12-17 have created a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace
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The percentage of those ages 12-17 who said "yes" to at least one of those five content-creation activities is 64% of online teens, or 59% of all teens.
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26% remix content they find online
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27% maintain their own personal webpage,
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28% have created their own online journal or blog
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33% create or work on webpages or blogs for others
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39% of online teens share their own artistic creations online
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many teens limit access to content that they share.
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not just about sharing creative output; it is also about participating in conversations fueled by that content.
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Girls continue to dominate most elements of content creation
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up from 57% of online teens in a similar survey at the end of 2004.
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64% of online teens ages 12-17 have participated in one or more among a wide range of content-creating
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Cool Cat Teacher Blog: A VIP (Very important post) from Alec Corous on DigitalCitizenship
Tags: no_tag on 2007-12-08 and saved by2 people -All Annotations (0) -About
more fromcoolcatteacher.blogspot.com
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Does it mean youtube is bad? NO!!!!!!
Does it mean online videos are bad? NO!!!!!!
It means that we have work to do. -
It is about safety, privacy, literacy, and my goodness, it is about keeping our society a good and civilized place to live. And some of these videos are not just deplorable, but just plain uncivilized behavior that not even a cave man would enjoy watching!
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Weblogg-ed » The Kids are All Right…
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The fact is that we have been conditioned to see the worst at the expense of the best, primarily by a media that is always on the lookout for the lewdest, awfulest, stupidist behavior of our cultural icons. A media that then inculcates a connection between crass insignificance and news. And, perhaps to that extent at least, Tom is right. If we teach ourselves and our kids to simply stop and use these “five habits of using one’s mind well,” we’ll get a long way down the citizenship road.
- How do we know what’s true or not true? How credible is our evidence?
- Is there an alternate story? Perspective? How might this look from another viewpoint?
- Is there a connection between x and y? A pattern? Have I come across this before?
- What if… supposing that…? Could it have been otherwise if x not y had intervened?
- And finally, “who cares”? Does it matter? (And, perhaps, to whom?)
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Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy » Understanding Digital Citizenship
Tags: no_tag on 2007-12-08 and saved by24 people -All Annotations (0) -About
more fromeducationaltechnology.ca
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If deception continues to be the fad, what are our roles and responsibilities?
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“Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship“. OK, this is better. These include: digital etiquette, digital communication, digital literacy, digital commerce, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness and digital security (self protection)
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