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P Prendeville

Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism: How to Survive the Culture Wars - 0 views

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    Clark turns to philosophy to assess the relationship between naturalism and supernaturalism. In a political sense, all debates must deal with the physical world, for that is all that we know. Religious doctrines are acceptable as moral implicates, but in order to extend universality in the public realm, the language cannot be theological. The issue is essentially linguistic; by using a common language grounded in empiricism, we can better tackle the issues at hand. Clark suggests that the best mode of pacifying these views is to turn toward empiricism, which is grounded in evidence rather than faith. There is no way to "prove" faith. However, it is important to guard against the threat of "totalitarian empiricism" in which uniformity replaces consciousness. We live in a pluralistic society, and so it is to remain. Extending this thinking to the evolution-creation debate can perhaps shed light on a very plausible and practical solution.
Ryan Conley

EBSCOhost: EFFECTS OF NATURAL STRESS RELIEF MEDITATION ON TRAIT ANXIETY: A PILOT STUDY - 0 views

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    This article examines Natural Stress Relief meditation, which is a mental technique which is practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, aims to reduce stress and anxiety by eliciting a specific state of physiological rest along with mental alertness. The meditation is taught in a self-administered program. This was administered to 25 participants four times over a 3 week period. The article concluded that the difference in Trait Anxiety score between pretreatment and before starting the practice was not significant, while it was significant both after the first week of practice.
Abby Purdy

"Let the Girls Do the Spelling and Dan Will Do the Shooting": Literacy, the Division of... - 0 views

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    Using an ethnography of discourse approach, this article argues that literate interactions in a rural eastern Kentucky community are strongly linked to symbolic values assigned to self through the gender-based division of reading and writing labor. Noting that literate practices are God-given attributes of women's "nature," it describes how literate interactions provide contexts in which a woman can negotiate her social, religious, and cultural identity. What constitutes acceptable literate forms is culturally constrained by a tension between maintaining "country" values while assimilating those "proper" women's literate forms which augment, rather than replace, oral forms. Men's identities are not linked to these literate practices, creating minimal or non-literate behavior. These cultural constructs of literacy affect both men's and women's behavior in classroom, workplace, or urban interfacing situations, affecting mobility problems. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)
P Prendeville

Creation Science: A Challenge in the Physics Classroom - 0 views

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    This article responds to many of the existing creationist arguments by refuting them with scientific evidence, including substantiation from reputable sources. Kessler, chair of the department of physics at Illinois Wesleyan University, discusses his personal experiences with teaching college freshmen, including an astounding case in which a student who had received a 32 on his ACT dropped out of college on the advice of his minister. At the heart of the issue was a belief system that could not be reconciled with Kessler's instruction. The article also focuses on the backgrounds of the students and the ways in which their limited (sometimes nonexistent and often misinformed) research illustrates a lack of understanding of the scientific method and the nature of experimental data. In this way, the creationist student mindset can be examined in context of his/her belief system.
T  O Hearn

Considering Alternatives for the Federal Education Policy in the United States - 0 views

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    The article discusses how the No Child Left Behind Act has failed, particularly in reading comprehension. The authors offer alternative possibilities for the Federal Education Policy in the United States. One of the main points the article tries to get across is to acknowledge and accept the complex nature of learning and literacy and steer clear of rationalizing education. The article is helpful, but very opinionated. It is beneficial in learning about possible alternatives to the No Child Left Behind Act.
P Prendeville

Creationism, Darwinism and ID: what are biology teachers supposed to do? - 0 views

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    This article gives scope to the controversy over teaching evolution, for it pertains to biology education in the United Kingdom. Reiss notes that a recent trend in science education is to teach about doing science, which helps to reinforce and illustrate its universality and practical application. He proposes furthermore that science teachers should examine the connection between science and religion with their students, as this sort of all-encompassing objectivity is in keeping with the philosophy of science. In this manner, students may be more apt to engage science without feeling threatened by it. By teaching more about the nature of science and its methods, students will also come to understand the difference between scientific knowledge and other forms of knowledge. Reiss suggestions present an interesting way of "reaching across the aisle" without compromising the integrity of either side.
P Prendeville

Science or Pseudoscience: Yes, It Matters! - 0 views

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    Kahle commentates on the opening of the $27 million Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky and its potential impact on the evolution/creationism debate. Despite the legal decisions of the past century, which have largely determined that creationism is religion and therefore has no place in the science classroom, Americans by and large uphold religious assertions over science, a tendency caused primarily by the continual endorsement of pseudoscience. The Kentucky Visitor's Bureau, a department supported by public tax dollars, lends credibility to the Creation Museum as a "walk through history . . . [that] will counter evolutionary natural history museums." Placing science and pseudoscience in the same realm, argues Kahle, is a mistake that may circumvent empirical science as a measure of truth.
Abby Purdy

Understanding Learning Disabilities - 0 views

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    A film on OhioLINK. How could a child be a top math student yet not be able to read? Why can another child read well but not be able to write a paragraph that makes sense? While watching children being taught new ways to learn, this program offers expert insight into the nature of learning disabilities, why learning disabilities may also be accompanied by ADHD or social disorders, and what can be done to help children learn to compensate and succeed. A Meridian Production. (16 minutes, color)
Abby Purdy

The Learning Process - 0 views

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    A film on OhioLINK. Eager for knowledge, a child is by nature curious about everything. Why, then, is school such an unpleasant place for some children? In this program, teachers, researchers, a psychoanalyst, a neurologist, a neurobiologist, a psychomotor specialist, and others examine the process of learning and the classroom as a learning center. Mastery of reading and writing, the key to unlocking all forms of communication and the entry point to many other exciting domains, is emphasized. In addition, the concept of multiple intelligences is explored. (52 minutes, color)
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