A Fresnel lens is an optical component that can be used to create systems more compact, cost-effective, and lightweight than those using conventional continuous surface optics. However, Fresnel lenses can usually cause a loss of flux efficiency and non-uniform distribution of illuminance due to secondary refraction by surface discontinuities, especially along the groove facet. We therefore proposed to modify a groove angle in the Fresnel lens and analyzed interrelation between the groove angle and multiple optical performances, such as flux efficiency and the uniformity of illuminance and color. The groove angle was optimized to maximize the uniformity and efficiency in the target viewing angle considering various weights of merit functions. Specifically, in our study, when the uniformity of illuminance had a little more weight than the flux efficiency (ratio of 0.6:0.4), final optimum groove angles of 24.7°, 29.4°, and 31.3° were obtained at target viewing angles of 20°, 30°, and 40°, respectively. We also fabricated a modified Fresnel lens with a groove angle of 29.4° using UV-imprinting. The real optical performance of the fabricated Fresnel lens was then compared to that of a spherical lens.

As teacher educators, we integrated the Family Learning Observation and Analysis (FLOA) project into elementary and early childhood literacy courses to better prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) for the diverse educational landscape of a Southern State. This initiative connects traditional monolingual teacher preparation to the multilingual realities of today's classrooms. The gap underscores the critical need to educate teachers in asset-based approaches and eradicate raciolinguistic bias in their teaching. Collaborating with local museums, the FLOA project enabled PSTs to research the language and literacy practices of multilingual children in their communities. After documenting and analyzing family learning, PSTs were asked to incorporate these insights into lesson planning. Analysis using in vivo and axial coding revealed that while PSTs improved their understanding of family learning and cultural literacy, their lesson plans continued to reflect dominant deficit perspectives and perpetuate raciolinguistic ideologies. These findings highlight the necessity of teacher preparation programs to better prepare PSTs to address ingrained raciolinguistic ideologies and promote inclusive practices. This incorporates critical reflection practices and professional development centered on asset-based and multilingual teaching methods.

The critique, central to teaching and learning in fine arts studios, allows expert teachers to apprentice novice art students into their professional community, through feedback and guidance. This article examines ways teachers’ discursive practices during desk critiques, in particular, socially construct opportunities for students to learn what fine artists see and do, and how to adopt these professional literacies themselves. Positioning intertextuality as analytical tool (Bloome, D., and A. Egan-Robertson. 1993. “The Social Construction of Intertextuality in Classroom Reading and Writing Lessons.” Reading Research Quarterly 28: 305–333), we apply micro-ethnographic discourse analysis (Bloome et al. 2005) to a six-minute desk critique between an instructor and student in a college fine arts studio, augmented with data from individual follow-up interviews. The analysis focuses on how diverse semiotic resources (e.g. words, objects, images, and gestures) can establish intertextual linkages, allowing teachers to connect disciplinary content, conceptual understandings, and practical application through intertextual dialogues with students. The desk critique offers promise as a potential successful and adaptable transdisciplinary pedagogical tool.

Asset-based teaching values students' cultural and linguistic strengths, challenging deficit perspectives that marginalize multilingual learners. This study examines how curriculum revisions in a literacy methods course supported preservice teachers (PTs) in adopting asset-based approaches. In Spring 2024, PTs completed a Family Learning Observation and Analysis (FLOA) project, gaining insights into multilingual literacy practices but struggling to integrate them into lesson planning. In Fall 2024, curriculum revisions included multiple FLOA cycles, literacy autobiographies, and mentor text lesson plans, deepening PTs' engagement. Data from reflections and lesson plans showed PTs growing in critical awareness and designing more inclusive instruction. However, standardized curricula and limited mentor support remained barriers. Findings highlight the need for sustained discussions on linguistic justice and stronger university-practicum partnerships to foster culturally and linguistically responsive teaching.