Papers by Shampa Biswas
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 2013
Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that attemp... more Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that attempts to improve learning through better communication, collaboration, and increased access to curriculum and supplemental content. In this article, the author evaluates different prospects of Schoology-supported classroom management using selected principles of students learning and literacy development from Cummin et al (2007). Innovative approaches and tools in the Schoology website facilitate both teachers, students, parents to build a collaborative community of learners to fulfill the educational goals in the 21 st century. It can be expected that Schoology's supported instruction has the strongest potentiality of connecting and collaborating school stakeholders at the same platform. These communal relationships may help to fulfill the demand of multi-literacies. Furthermore, different values of Schoology for individuals have the credibility to raise academic achievement and educational innovation of students.
Teaching multiliteracies has been crucial for preparing students to cope with the realities of th... more Teaching multiliteracies has been crucial for preparing students to cope with the realities of the technological world. However, teacher education programs are not prepared yet to bridge the gap between traditional literacy and multiliteracies. This concept paper explores how teaching multiliteracies could shape future learning practices in schools. The integration of multiliteracies to classroom pedagogy would help raise standards and reduce literacy gaps in the classroom.
Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that attemp... more Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that attempts to improve learning through better communication, collaboration, and increased access to curriculum and supplemental content. In this article, the author evaluates different prospects of Schoology-supported classroom management using selected principles of students learning and literacy development from Cummin et al .
Biodiversity conservation is one of the important ecosystem services that has been negatively imp... more Biodiversity conservation is one of the important ecosystem services that has been negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities. Natural forests (NF) harbor some of the highest species diversity around the world. However, deforestation and degradation have resulted in reduced forest land cover and loss of diversity. Homegarden agroforestry (AF) systems have been proven to be an intermediary for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of home garden AF practices to conserve tree species diversity in Bangladesh and compare them with tree species diversity in NF. A total of nine locations were selected for this synthesis from published literature which comprised of five AF sites and four NFs. Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H) was similar for home-garden AF (3.50) and NF (2.99), with no statistical difference between them. Based on non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination analysis, the AF and NF plots showed distinct separation. However, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index ranged from 0.95 to 0.70 indicating nearly no overlap in species composition to significant overlap between AF and NF. Based on our results, we conclude that AF can serve as an important ecological tool in conserving tree species diversity, particularly on landscapes where NF fragments represent only a small fraction of the total land area. Creating and maintaining AF habitats in such human dominated landscapes should be part of the biodiversity conservation strategy.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Criteria and indicators assessment is one of the ways to evaluate management strategies for mount... more Criteria and indicators assessment is one of the ways to evaluate management strategies for mountain watersheds. One framework for this, Integrated Watershed Management (IWM), was employed at Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh using a multi-criteria analysis approach. The IWM framework, consisting of the design and application of principles, criteria, indicators, and verifiers (PCIV), facilitates active participation by diverse professionals, experts, and interest groups in watershed management, to explicitly address the demands and problems to measure the complexity of problems in a transparent and understandable way. Management alternatives are developed to fulfill every key component of IWM considering the developed PCIV set and current situation of the study area. Different management strategies, each focusing on a different approach (biodiversity conservation, flood control, soil and water quality conservation, indigenous knowledge conservation, income generation, watershed conservation, and landscape conservation) were assessed qualitatively on their potential to improve the current situation according to each verifier of the criteria and indicator set. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), including sensitivity analysis, was employed to identify an appropriate management strategy according to overall priorities (i.e., different weights of each principle) of key informants. The AHP process indicated that a strategy focused on conservation of biodiversity provided the best option to address watershed-related challenges in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.
Land degradation in Chittagong hill tracts has been taking place due to shrinkage of forest cover... more Land degradation in Chittagong hill tracts has been taking place due to shrinkage of forest cover, policy weakness, population explosion, and inappropriate hill farming system. Modern farming system in the Chittagong hill tracts like Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) is practiced to provide a new strategy for developing lands for economic productivity and bio-diversity conservation through establishment of ecological community rather than traditional shifting cultivation which is no longer sustainable according to the carrying capacity of ecosystem of Chittagong hill tracts. This study is to find out changing trends of soil chemical properties of sites under modern and traditional farming systems at Khagrachari district of Chittagong hill tracts. The result of the research shows that Sloping Agricultural Land Technology has significantly higher capacity of production due to the presence of the highest percentage of organic carbon, organic matter, compared with
Journal of Forestry Research, 2007
The physical properties of soil on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by... more The physical properties of soil on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong
Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those of bushy hill forests. Soil samples were collected from three different depths
(0-5 cm, 5-15 cm and 15-30 cm), digging three profiles in each land use for determining moisture content, organic matter content and particle
density. Maximum water holding capacity, field capacity, dry and moist bulk density and porosity were determined only for the surface
soils. Moisture content at all the soil depths was significantly higher (p≤ 0.05) in orange orchard than in forest on both the slopes. Orange
orchard contained lower mean soil organic matter than forest on 55% slope, while it contained higher values on 35% slope compared
to forest. The highest value of the above two properties was found at surface soil in both the land uses on both the slopes, decreasing with
the increase of soil depth. On both the slopes maximum water holding capacity and porosity of surface soil and particle density at all soil depths were lower in orange orchard compared to those in forest. Field capacity values of surface soil did not show consistency in trend for the differences between the two land uses on both the slopes. Bulk density value of moist and dry surface soil was higher in orange orchard
than in forest on both the hill slopes.
Journal of Forestry Research, 2007
The physical properties of soil on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by... more The physical properties of soil on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those of bushy hill forests. Soil samples were collected from three different depths (0–5 cm, 5–15 cm and 15–30 cm), digging three profiles in each land use for determining moisture content, organic matter content and particle density. Maximum water holding capacity, field capacity, dry and moist bulk density and porosity were determined only for the surface soils. Moisture content at all the soil depths was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in orange orchard than in forest on both the slopes. Orange orchard contained lower mean soil organic matter than forest on 55% slope, while it contained higher values on 35% slope compared to forest. The highest value of the above two properties was found at surface soil in both the land uses on both the slopes, decreasing with the increase of soil depth. On both the slopes maximum water holding capacity and porosity of surface soil and particle density at all soil depths were lower in orange orchard compared to those in forest. Field capacity values of surface soil did not show consistency in trend for the differences between the two land uses on both the slopes. Bulk density value of moist and dry surface soil was higher in orange orchard than in forest on both the hill slopes.
Status of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosp... more Status of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in three different depths (0−5 cm, 5−15 cm and 15−30 cm) on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those in degraded bush forests, through digging three profiles in each land use. The content of all the five nutrients was found to be higher in the soil of orange orchard than in the soil of forest. But the variation was not consistent for both the slopes. The content varied depth wise also, having the highest value in surface soil in case of both the land uses on both the slopes. A mean available K content was significantly higher in orange orchard than in forest on 55% slope, while it was lower on 35% slope. Surface soil contained the nutrients of K and Ca with the amount of 0.2905-mg·g -1 soil and 3.025-mg·g -1 soil respectively in the orchard, while 0.1934-mg·g -1 soil and 1.6083-mg·g -1 soil were respectively in the forest. Organic carbon and total nitrogen were found more or less similar in surface soil on both the land uses showing a slight difference. Available P was found only in orange orchard, and in forest it was too little in amount to detect by the spectrophotometer. The degraded forests were poor in nutrient content due to high rate of soil erosion, which would be possible to be improved by bringing it under tree cover as proved by the adaptation of orange orchard there.
The Chittagong hill Tracts (ChTs) region of bangladesh, covering a considerable portion of 'hill ... more The Chittagong hill Tracts (ChTs) region of bangladesh, covering a considerable portion of 'hill forest type' of the country, is rich in biological diversity; in terms of flora, fauna and ethnicity. a number of aboriginal and tribal communities enrich the cultural heritage of the region. Thanchi upazilla (sub-district) of bandarban district in the ChTs is the remotest forested area where some tribal groups still lead their subsistence life depending fully on natural resources. This exploratory study was conducted to document indigenous knowledge (iK) employed by the Mro tribe in their everyday activities, highlighting traditional utilization of forests and other natural resources. a total of 36 farms were assessed using different participatory appraisals through semi-structured questionnaire. The respondents were peasants who live on the hilltops in a pristine environment, inside the high ranges of hills and dense forest almost totally beyond the eye-sight of the outer civilized society. They developed iK of their own in practising shifting cultivation (Jhum) and other land use systems along with the utilization of natural resources. in most cases, such iK has become key factors in the sound management of their forest resources with sustainable utilization of biodiversity. but most of the wealth of their iK is being threatened by the settlement of the non-tribal people in the ChTs region. The life style and ethno-forestry perception regulated by iK governing the daily activities of the ethnic communities need to be explored in order to conserve them and to assess the possibilities for conserving the forest resources by utilizing such traditional indigenous concepts.
Conference Review by Shampa Biswas
Acknowledgment documents as a reviewer by Shampa Biswas
AERA wishes to extend our appreciation to all reviewers who served on expert peer-review panels a... more AERA wishes to extend our appreciation to all reviewers who served on expert peer-review panels and contributed importantly to the work of authors and the culmination of a vibrant 2016 Annual Meeting. Without the hard work, support, and dedication from each of these individuals, attendees would not be able to benefit from the quality of the papers and symposia and the richness of the interaction.
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Papers by Shampa Biswas
Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those of bushy hill forests. Soil samples were collected from three different depths
(0-5 cm, 5-15 cm and 15-30 cm), digging three profiles in each land use for determining moisture content, organic matter content and particle
density. Maximum water holding capacity, field capacity, dry and moist bulk density and porosity were determined only for the surface
soils. Moisture content at all the soil depths was significantly higher (p≤ 0.05) in orange orchard than in forest on both the slopes. Orange
orchard contained lower mean soil organic matter than forest on 55% slope, while it contained higher values on 35% slope compared
to forest. The highest value of the above two properties was found at surface soil in both the land uses on both the slopes, decreasing with
the increase of soil depth. On both the slopes maximum water holding capacity and porosity of surface soil and particle density at all soil depths were lower in orange orchard compared to those in forest. Field capacity values of surface soil did not show consistency in trend for the differences between the two land uses on both the slopes. Bulk density value of moist and dry surface soil was higher in orange orchard
than in forest on both the hill slopes.
Conference Review by Shampa Biswas
Acknowledgment documents as a reviewer by Shampa Biswas
Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those of bushy hill forests. Soil samples were collected from three different depths
(0-5 cm, 5-15 cm and 15-30 cm), digging three profiles in each land use for determining moisture content, organic matter content and particle
density. Maximum water holding capacity, field capacity, dry and moist bulk density and porosity were determined only for the surface
soils. Moisture content at all the soil depths was significantly higher (p≤ 0.05) in orange orchard than in forest on both the slopes. Orange
orchard contained lower mean soil organic matter than forest on 55% slope, while it contained higher values on 35% slope compared
to forest. The highest value of the above two properties was found at surface soil in both the land uses on both the slopes, decreasing with
the increase of soil depth. On both the slopes maximum water holding capacity and porosity of surface soil and particle density at all soil depths were lower in orange orchard compared to those in forest. Field capacity values of surface soil did not show consistency in trend for the differences between the two land uses on both the slopes. Bulk density value of moist and dry surface soil was higher in orange orchard
than in forest on both the hill slopes.