John F. McCullagh

Developing Reflective Practice

The authors of chapter two introduced and briefly discussed how a process of critical reflection could be applied to support student teachers in becoming reflective. Chapter three picks up that discussion and considers the idea of teacher educator reflective practice as well as strategies that teacher educators could use with student teachers to encourage the development of reflective practice.

A survey of sidedness in Northern Irish schoolchildren: The interaction of sex, age, and task

The study examined lateral preference in use of hands, feet, eyes, and ears in a group of nearly 5000 schoolchildren in Northern Ireland. Performance tests were carried out by student teachers during their school-based work in 2002 and data were submitted on-line. Six tasks were used—writing, throwing a ball, kicking a ball, hopping, listening to quiet sounds, and looking through a cardboard tube. There was right bias in every task but the extent of it differed between tasks. Males were generally less right biased than females, and younger children less than older ones; for hearing, the changes with age were markedly different in the two sexes, with females showing a strong increase in right bias but males showing none. These observational results do little to illuminate the reasons for the patterns observed.

Kissing laterality and handedness

Kissing behaviour was observed between kissing couples: about 80% turned their heads to the right to kiss. To remove the influence of one kissing partner upon the other, kissing behaviour was also observed between participants and a symmetrical dolls face: about 77% turned their heads to the right to kiss. There was no significant difference in handedness between right- and left-kissers: both groups were predominantly right-kissers. It is thought that motor bias rather than emotive bias influences kissing behaviour.

Does Irish-dance training influence lower-limb asymmetry?

Irish-dance is a dance form where asymmetry is required. This study investigated the influence of Irish-dance training on four lower-limb asymmetries by comparing 100 Irish-dancers and 100 non-dancers. All four asymmetries showed significant differences between the dancers and the non-dancers: the rigidity of the dance training influencing those asymmetries.

Who is teaching your child? The issue of unqualified subject specialists in Northern Ireland

There is a growing concern throughout the UK and beyond about the lack of suitably qualified post‐primary teachers in some subject areas, particularly mathematics, design and technology and the sciences. This paper reports on a survey of teacher qualifications in Northern Ireland which indicates that a significant percentage of teachers are unqualified in the areas of mathematics, physics, ICT, history and Irish, and that Key Stage 3 teachers tend to be less well‐qualified than those at Key Stage 4 or post‐16. Unqualified teachers are less likely to be found in the grammar sector than the non‐grammar sector.

The application of high performance liquid chromatography to analytical problems in the synthesis, substitution and linkage isomerism of cyanocobaltate(III) complexes

Ion pair reversed phase chromatography has been applied to the analysis of mixtures of [Co(CN)5(X)]n−, n = 2, 3 or 4, at ionic strengths from zero to unity using sodium sulphate or perchlorate as background electrolytes. The general principles for optimising these separations using a tertiary ammonium ion-pairing agent have been established and the limitations of the method have been identified. Anomalous competition results in experiments with [Co(CN)5Cl]3− have been explained by the presence of traces of [Co(CN)5(OH2)]2− formed in this and related cyanocomplexes during conventional synthesis. The nucleophile efficiency of the hydroxide ion has been shown to be no greater than is normal for a univalent anion in [Co(CN)5X]3− substitutions. Trace ion analysis has been used to measure the formation constants for [Co(CN)5(S(O)CH3)2]2− with dimethyl sulphoxide concentrations from 0.1–6.0 mol dm−3. Separation of the linkage isomers of SCN− and S2O32− has been used as an indication of mechanism.

The relative nucleophilic efficiency of water and the thiocyanate ion in the acid-catalysed substitution of azidopentacyanocobaltate(III)

The acid-catalysed substitution of [Co(CN)5(N3)]3– by NCS– in water yields [Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–, [Co(CN)5(SCN)]3–, and [Co(CN)5(NCS)]3–. Spectroscopic and high-performance liquid chromatographic analytical data are quantitatively consistent with an acid-catalysed dissociative mechanism [equations (1)–(5)], in which K1= 4.47 ± 0.22 dm3 mol–1, k2=(3.46 ± 0.17)× 103 s1, [Co(CN)5(N3)]3–+ H3O+ [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(N3H)]2–+ H2O (1)[Co(CN)5(N3H)]2– [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5]2–+ HN3(2)[Co(CN)5(OH2)]2– [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5]2–+ H2O (3)[Co(CN)5]2–+ H2O [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–(4)[Co(CN)5]2–+ NCS [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(SCN)]3–(5a)[Co(CN)5]2–+ NCS [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(NCS)]3–(5b)K3= 6.07 × 104 s1, (K5a+K5b)/K4[H2O]= 0.14 ± 0.02 dm3 mol–1, and K5/K5b≈ 4 at 40 °C and unit ionic strength. Equilibrium spectroscopic measurements of K1(4.67 ± 0.09 dm3 mol1) agree with the fitted kinetic result.

The relative nucleophilic efficiency of water and the azide and thiocyanate ions in the aqueous substitution of chloropentacyanocobaltate(III)

The kinetics of the substitution of Cl– in [Co(CN)5Cl]3– by solvent H2O and by X–= NCS– or N3– may be quantitatively interpreted by a stepwise mechanism, equations (i) and (ii). High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis confirms the absence of direct chloride substitution by reaction (iii). These results support the view that the substitution occurs by an Id interchange mechanism. [Co(CN)5Cl]3–+ H2O →[Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–+ Cl–(i)[Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–+ X–→[Co(CN)5X]3–+ H2O (ii)[Co(CN)5Cl]3–+ X–→[Co(CN)5X]3–+ Cl–(iii)

The relative nucleophilic efficiency of water and dimethyl sulphoxide in the aqueous substitution of aquapentacyanocobaltate(III) and chloropentacyanocobaltate(III)

The kinetics of substitution of [Co(CN)5Cl]3– by water and by dimethyl sulphoxide (dmso) may be quantitatively interpreted by the mechanism in equations (i)–(iii). High-performance liquid [CO(CN)5Cl]3–+ H2O [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–+ Cl–(i), [Co(CN)5Cl]3–+ dmso [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(dmso)]2–+ Cl–(ii), [Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–+ dmso [graphic omitted] [Co(CN)5(dmso)]2–+ H2O (iii) chromatographic analysis confirms the direct formation of a single, probably sulphur-bonded, isomer of [Co(CN)5(dmso)]2– from [Co(CN)5Cl]3– as well as via[Co(CN)5(OH2)]2–. The kinetics suggests the participation of the dissociatively formed intermediate [Co(CN)5]2–, but charged nucleophiles (NCS– or N3–) react more slowly with [Co(CN)5]2– than do the uncharged nucleophiles (dmso and water) when the leaving group is Cl– compared to the case when the leaving group is OH2. These results support the view that the substitution occurs by an Id interchange mechanism.