Analysis of water distribution system at Alang-Alang Lebar

Municipal Waterworks Tirta Musi manages and supplies clean water to Palembang city. The distribution network system of Municipal Waterworks Tirta Musi is expected to distribute water sufficiently to all customers in the 18 districts this Municipal Waterworks serves. However, it was found that in Alang-alang Lebar service unit water was not delivered sufficiently. Moreover, Alang-alang Lebar service unit plans to improve the service so that the system will serve increasing customers until the next 20 years. This study aims to analyze the water distribution system to find the cause of insufficient water in Alang-Alang Lebar; predicting the number of customers in the next 20 years, and propose some improvements in the distribution system. A computer program EPANET was used to conduct the simulations on pipe networks. Data required for hydraulic analysis using EPANET was obtained from Municipal Waterworks Tirta Musi. The result shows that head pressure was the main problem in Alang-Alang Lebar. Adding discharge of pump reservoir, enlarging pipe diameters in some parts will improve the distribution performance. The proposed design of the distribution system will be able to deliver water for the next 20 years with an increasing number of the customer.

Conceptual connections between science and engineering in elementary teachers’ unit plans

Background Around the world, efforts are underway to include engineering design as part of elementary science instruction. A common rationale for those efforts is that Engineering Design-based Science Teaching (EDST) is a productive pedagogical approach for developing students’ understanding of core science concepts. Effectively utilizing EDST requires that teachers develop design activities that are highly connected to science content so that students can apply and expand their understanding of relevant concepts. In this study, we examine how a group of elementary (grades 3–5) pre-service and in-service teachers incorporated EDST into their planned science instruction. Those teachers were participants in a professional development project aimed at supporting EDST. We examine the ways that participants used EDST, the extent to which engineering design activities were connected to science concepts, and factors associated with those connections. Results Most of the participants in the study developed science units in which an engineering design activity was placed at the end of the unit. Approximately half of those design activities lacked connections to the science concepts in the unit; they were typically related to the topic of the science unit, but did not require the use or development of key science ideas. Eleven percent of participants developed engineering activities with deep connections to science concepts, and 35% developed activities with shallow connections. No differences were found between life science, physical science, and earth/space science units in terms of the extent of conceptual connections. However, we did find that participants who utilized and adapted published engineering curriculum materials rather than make them from scratch were more likely to have unit plans with higher levels of conceptual connections. Conclusions Our findings suggest that elementary teachers need additional support in order to effectively utilize EDST in their classrooms. Even within the context of a supportive professional development project, most of the engineering activities developed by our participants lacked substantial connections to the science concepts in their unit plans. Our findings highlight the value of high-quality curriculum materials to support EDST as well as the need to further expand the curriculum resources that are available to elementary teachers.

Spatial configuration of traditional houses and apartment unit plans in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: A comparative study

The study aims to investigate the effects of the spatial configuration of traditional Vietnamese houses on the design of apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, Vietnam. To achieve the objective, the following approaches were implemented. Firstly, the transformation of the socio-economic structure in HCM City, which is a primary factor affecting the development of apartment buildings was examined. Secondly, the well-known space syntax method for analyzing the spatial structure plan was outlined. Thirdly, a survey of traditional houses and apartment buildings from 1960 to 2010 was conducted. Among the various traditional house styles, the Hue traditional garden house, which has primary effects on the modern housing design in HCM City, was selected as a representative sample to compare with apartment units. Lastly, the space syntax method was employed to analyze the spatial structure of the sample of traditional houses and apartment units. The effects of the Hue traditional house?s spatial configuration on apartment buildings were analyzed. The result shows that the spatial configuration of modern apartment buildings and traditional houses have similar characteristics, including having an adaptable natural environment, and they both reflect Vietnamese culture and society. The findings can be applied when predicting development trends for the unit plans of modern apartments in HCM City, Vietnam.

Design Elements in Apartments for Adapting to Climate: A Comparison between Korea and Singapore

Currently, almost 80% and 50% of Singapore’s and Korea’s residents, respectively, live in apartments. Despite their earlier unfamiliarity with apartments compared with traditional housing, they have accepted apartments for the convenience they offer and as a symbol of modernity. However, the climatic conditions of these countries are extremely different. Hence, this study first examined the critical regionalism that should be considered from the environmental context, such as the geography, climate, and topography, when building apartments. Reviewing the transformation process of apartments, we can determine the types of design elements and principles developed under different climatic conditions. The representative unit plans from 1960 to 2010 were collected for analysis from Singapore’s Housing and Development Board and the private sector in Korea. The analysis revealed that Singapore’s apartments have evolved to facilitate natural ventilation. Irregular unit forms, an atrium, and the location of the utility space are unique elements. The atrium-type apartment can be considered the most regionalized design. Conversely, in Korea, the focus is on heat gain and cross-ventilation, resulting in simple square-form units oriented toward the south and double enveloped by additional windows. The staircase-type apartment predominates. Thus, this study shows that apartments evolved differently in each country, resulting in unique regionalized forms primarily determined by climatic conditions.

PreK–5 Teacher Views of Professional Development Integrating Common Core Language Arts With Science and Social Studies

Three preK–6 U.S. university methods instructors-researchers (literacy, science, social studies) joined 17 Title I school teachers for collaborative lesson planning and teaching within the preK–5 school setting. Each team’s goal was to create and teach interdisciplinary curriculum units using U.S. English language arts Common Core State Standards with social studies and science. A year-long instrumental case study design was used to examine (a) how teachers perceived collaborative professional development to create interdisciplinary unit plans and (b) how teachers viewed outcomes of teaching interdisciplinary units of their own design. Practice articles regarding Common Core State Standards curricula integration are plentiful; however, this study offers researched insights.Collectively, research from various locations and school cultures benefits those needing to structure realistic professional development designs.

Inquiry Learning in the Primary Social Science Classroom

Inquiry learning is considered more effective than traditional teacher-led learning. Whilst teachers espouse ideals of inquiry learning, actual implementation and practice remains unclear, requiring further study. Inquiry learning research in primary schools is mostly contained to maths and science. Few studies have investigated how primary school teachers differentiate practice to meet the needs of students with learning difficulties. Even fewer studies have investigated primary school teachers' implementation of Humanities and Social Science (HASS) inquiry learning. This chapter investigates primary school teachers' practices of implementing HASS inquiry learning, including strategies used to support students with learning difficulties, and school based factors impacting the implementation of inquiry learning. One Queensland regional school was identified using a theory-based sampling method. Teachers were recruited using criterion sampling method. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and demographic questionnaires; and HASS unit plans of three teachers (n=3) were synthesised into three themes: (i) teachers described a sense of professional fulfilment when implementing inquiry learning; (ii) teachers implemented specific strategies including explicit instruction to differentiate learning for students with learning difficulties; and (iii) school-based factors including leadership endorsement impact on successful implementation of inquiry learning in a primary school. Data obtained from the single school and small sample limit generalisability, therefore future research regarding teachers' implementation of HASS inquiry learning is recommended. Identification of strategies that support students with learning difficulties, and the impact of HASS inquiry learning on achievement amongst students with and without learning difficulties, are also recommended.