Defining the family: towards a critical framework for families of children with disabilities

ABSTRACT

Family‐centred approaches are widely recognized internationally as the most ecologically appropriate way of working with families of children with disabilities. Pivotal in this approach is its focus upon the needs of the whole family, rather than only the needs of the child (with a disability). It places a significant emphasis on flexible and responsive transdisciplinary service delivery and upon parent choice and decision‐making. For the family‐centred approach to become truly effective, then, we must define what constitutes a family. Or rather ask families how they define themselves. Alongside an exploration of traditional and non‐traditional family roles, this paper challenges stereotypical notions of the family, and seeks to establish the family as the core element in any service team.     

Management,Entrepreneurship and Private Service Orientation: A Framework for Undergraduate Veterinary Education

Abstract

The changing nature of livestock outreach service delivery, manpower requirements and opportunities in the private sector provide both push and pull dynamics for veterinary graduates to engage in managerial, entrepreneurial, public and private service activities. The veterinary schools should support this transition by integrating Managerial, Entrepreneurship and Service (MES) orientation in the curriculum. This transition is a quite challenging task, as the core content of the Veterinary Council of India curriculum consists of basic, productive, para-clinical and clinical subjects with little emphasis on MES aspects. Merely introducing a one-off intervention such as a semester course may not be sufficient. What is proposed with 730 class hours is a two- pronged integrative approach: i) introduce the functional management disciplines into the veterinary undergraduate curriculum; and ii) integrate the entrepreneurial, public and private service philosophy into each of the production, para-clinical and clinical courses with a curriculum for public and private service as electives. This integrative approach is expected to produce graduates as job givers rather than job seekers by mastering both the science of veterinary and animal husbandry and the art of management and entrepreneurship.     

“购Home”双向互助平台系统设计与开发

网络和电商的迅速发展,赋予了中国物流产业巨大的动能,但近年来以快递企业为代表的传统物流行业发展却面临诸多困境。通过调查研究传统物流行业和主流跑腿产品,创新地提出一种新型物流模式：将共享经济理念与便于用户参与的顺路捎带模式相融合。基于此创想,构建一个基于微信小程序的双向互助服务平台,同时融入“众包”思想,开发设计顺路代、物品租赁和上门服务三大功能,实现闲置人力资源最大化,达到提速度、降成本的目的。互联网技术和创新的商业模式,为传统物流和跑腿服务中存在的问题给出了现实性的解决方案。     

Démarche Systémes et Transdisciplinarité dans la Formation des Ingénieurs

Future engineers will be pluridisciplinary and will have to show proof of adaptability. This paper describes three aspects of the ESIEA approach: training engineers for computer science and its application areas. (1) Creation of a ‘systemic discipline’ by regrouping subjects traditionally differentiated, but using the same mathematical model which includes, among others: electrokinetics, mechanic systems, hydraulics, thermal circuits, etc. (Kirchoff networks). (2) Organisation of programmes by combining a systemic categorisation with a traditional and professional categorisation of disciplines. (3) Extraction of principles, transdisciplinary general models (abstract technicoscientific thematic structures(. As a conclusion, the pros and cons of a systemic approach are dealt with. It saves time and contributes to learning adaptability, but as it is somewhat abstract and global, it must be balanced and illustrated by quite concrete applications.     

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and practice: Balancing expectations of the ‘old’ academy with the future model of universities as ‘problem solvers’

Academics are increasingly required to balance the expectations of the ‘old’ academy with a future model of universities as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ‘problem solvers’. This paper highlights changing expectations of academics in producing alternative research outcomes in collaborative, practice‐based research. Through a series of workshops with 20 researchers, preferred research outcomes and tensions in achieving these outcomes were identified. The tensions identified are presented as three dichotomies comprising the tension between: (a) ‘I versus We’ ‐ individual versus team expectations & outcomes. (b) Disciplinary outcomes versus inter‐/transdisciplinary outcomes. (c) Learning versus research objectives for the students and academics involved. These tensions reflect the authors' experiences of working in three international sustainability projects, drawing on lessons learned from these projects, with recommendations for universities seeking to implement interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. Recommendations include the need for formal and informal leadership models, strong communication skills, empathy and willingness to learn from each other. A need for more systemic changes within university administration to better reward and value the breadth and depth of collaborative work, while facilitating open learning cultures and practice‐oriented learning opportunities and curricula across faculties was also identified.     

Evaluation of special service delivery systems: An organizational domain-referenced approach

An organizational, domain-referenced approach to evaluation of public school special service delivery systems is offered. Derived from organizational and systems theory, related research in these areas, and the author's experience in special service delivery system evaluation, the framework focuses on the process of service delivery and is seen as useful to the improvement of service delivery within the context of Public Law 94–142. The paper delineates an organizational conception of a “School-Based Special Service Delivery System,” identifies several “Systemic Domains” in which evaluation can occur, outlines evaluation questions, methods, and procedures relative to each domain, and specifies evaluation information derived from evaluation in each domain. The paper is presented for consideration by school professionals with the hope that it can be adapted by them to their local circumstances.     

An examination of two coteaching classrooms

The present study presents data on two classrooms that used a coteaching approach to provide services to students who were deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing. The author conducted extensive observations, as well as interviews with teachers, students, administrators, and parents. The resulting qualitative data supported coteaching's effectiveness as a service delivery model. However, the research also identified important and specific challenges. Seven subthemes about coteaching are presented, and quotes from various stakeholders are provided to support and illustrate the information reported. Suggestions for future research are provided. The author makes recommendations on how to establish coteaching teams and describes issues surrounding communication, staff development, and family involvement.     

教师教学的教育重建模式

PCK是学科教学知识(Pedagogical Content Know ledge)的简称,是教师知识范畴中使教学最有效的知识。为了研究PCK产生了一种新的研究模式。这种模式被称为"教师教学的教育重建"(ERTE)模式,它代表了研究科学教师PCK的结构框架,它是一个庞大但是之前又未涉及的研究领域。基于此,从PCK的定义到ERTE模式作介绍,以期进一步促进教师教学的有效性,提高教学质量。     

Case Study on the Implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in an Alternative Educational Setting

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SW-PBIS) can effectively reduce problem behaviors and simultaneously increase pro-social behaviors in general education settings. SW-PBIS is not a “packaged” intervention, but a framework through which schools create systemic changes for promoting expected behaviors, while also monitoring and intervening with students who have behavior concerns through a tiered model of service delivery. A case study documenting the SW-PBIS implementation process in an alternative educational setting is presented. Alternative schools typically serve students who qualify to receive special education services, have a lower staff-to-student ratio, and often warrant more intensive student interventions as compared to general education settings. These differences from traditional environments pose unique challenges to the SW-PBIS implementation process. Suggestions for neutralizing these challenges such as providing enhanced Tier 1 supports and extensive staff training are explained in depth in this case study.     

Using SERVQUAL to Measure the Quality of the Classroom Experience

Over the last three decades, higher education institutions have found themselves using vernacular that was once chiefly found in business disciplines, such as value‐added and competitive advantage. With the rising costs of tuition, newer‐generation students are seeing themselves more and more as customers and universities are beginning to adopt customer‐centric strategies and missions. However, even with this paradigm shift, little research has been done to extend traditional service management concepts to educational settings. This research attempts to bridge this gap by applying the SERVQUAL scale, a well‐validated and widely used service operations construct, to the classroom environment. The findings show that the SERVQUAL scale exhibits both reliability and convergent and divergent validity; in fact, in these regards, it outperforms traditional student assessment scales. Moreover, the scale can explain significant amounts of variances in student‐related outcome variables such as satisfaction and learning. This innovative approach to measuring classroom service quality does indeed show that students can be viewed as customers and has far‐reaching implications to all stakeholders in the delivery of higher education.     

Pathways to educational change revisited– controversies and advances in the German teacher education system

This article contributes to the discourse of innovation and transfer strategies in German teacher education by (1) providing a conceptual analysis of prevalent approaches and (2) introducing a transdisciplinary perspective. The conceptual analysis indicates that top-down and bottom-up approaches lack either transformative momentum or scientific rigor. Collaborative approaches aim to mitigate this dilemma, but remain biased towards unidirectional innovation and transfer processes. In contrast, transdisciplinary approaches advocate for integrative and systemic pathways for educational change, which interlinks research and practice in teaching and teacher education. Illustrating examples from a boundary-crossing research and development project support this perspective.     

The evolution of reading in the age of digitisation: an integrative framework for reading research

In the course of digitisation, the range of substrates for textual reading is being expanded to include a number of screen‐based technologies and reading devices, such as e‐readers (e.g. Kindle) and tablets (e.g. iPad). These technologies have distinctly different affordances than paper has. Given that textual reading is at the same time likely to remain important as a cultural practice, and is undergoing massive change as digital screens are supplementing paper – with the potential to replace it as the dominant substrate – there is an urgent need to investigate what effects such change might have on the reading of different kinds of texts, for different purposes. This article proposes the need for an integrative, transdisciplinary model of embodied, textual reading accounting for its psychological, ergonomic, technological, social, cultural and evolutionary aspects. The envisaged model aims to be partly explanatory, in the sense that it aligns and integrates existing knowledge, and partly exploratory, in the sense that it points to blank spots in our knowledge where further research is needed. The model will thus serve to guide the planning of such further research, and to make research more compatible and research outcomes more widely useable.     

Mind,Brain, and Education: A Transdisciplinary Field

The emerging field of mind, brain, and education (MBE) is grappling with core issues associated with its identity, scope, and method. This article examines some of the most pressing issues that structure the development of MBE as a transdisciplinary effort. Rather than representing the ongoing debates in MBE as superficial squabbles to eventually be “overcome,” this article argues that the politics of MBE language, discourse, and validity suggest profound epistemological differences that transcend a traditional interdisciplinary approach. Instead, MBE would benefit from a transdisciplinary approach that contextually accords equal and differential weight to a range of knowledge inputs from education studies, neuroscience, and other academic and practitioner spheres beneath the broad umbrella of MBE. Specifically, this article suggests that some of the key tasks for those involved in MBE studies require a transdisciplinary approach to knowledge translation and knowledge development.     

Integrative ethical education: Narvaez’s project and Xunzi’s insight

In the early 2000s, some scholars suggested integrative ethical education as an approach to reconcile the gap between cognitive-development education, based on rule ethics, and traditional character-ethics education, inspired by character ethics in Western ethical education. Darcia Narvaez also tried to establish a comprehensive and systematic model. Nonetheless, she has indicated four questions that need further research. This paper aims to respond to Narvaez’s project and its questions from the angle of Xunzi’s ritual education. It argues that Xunzi’s thought may provide some insights for Narvaez’s approach. To present this, it begins its discussion with an introduction of the main ideas of Xunzi’s thought. Later, it tries to show the insights from certain notions and elements, such as Junzi, reasoned judgment, of Xunzi’s ritual education for Narvaez’s project of integrative ethical education. Some relevant questions are also discussed.     

基于XML的综合日志预处理模型设计

根据XML树形结构的特点,提出了XML结构相似度计算方法以及XML树结构融合算法。针对综合日志数量大和格式多样性特点,提出了一个基于XML的综合日志预处理模型,通过对日志进行过滤、格式化、归并、映射以及结构融合等相关处理,可以实现融合来自不同平台和系统的日志信息,并以统一的XML格式来表示,对日志审计系统的研究与实现起到至关重要的作用。     

The educational psychologist as instructional designer

Educational psychology, as an academic discipline, needs a model or paradigm for conceptualizing and solving educational problems. The systems approach to instructional design is proposed as a unifying process which was developed primarily by educational psychologists and has wide applicability in education. The use of the systems approach is advocated because (1) it provides a method for delivering effective service, (2) it incorporates many concepts presently familiar to educational psychologists and suggests other topics which should be of concern, (3) it suggests a wide array of research and evaluation problems, and (4) it provides an integrative framework for the design of graduate training programs. These four factors are discussed in detail.     

浅谈新时期高校图书馆借阅一体化服务

图书馆借阅一体化服务是图书馆一体化管理模式在藏、借、阅部门的具体体现,是建立在现代技术条件基础上的一种新型开放式服务模式。借阅一体化服务不仅能够充分提高图书馆图书的利用率,而且能更好地提高图书馆的服务质量,开展多层次有针对性的人性化服务,更大限度地满足读者需求。     

Service Provision for Disturbed Children

Service provision for children classified as emotionally disturbed, behaviourally disordered or maladjusted involves a variety of service agencies including health, education and welfare. Recently a collaborative approach to service delivery, which recognises the multi‐disciplinary nature of the problem area and the necessity to avoid wastage of resources through duplication has been adopted. To determine priorities for service delivery the present study involved a multi‐disciplinary sample of experienced professionals working in the area of emotional disturbance. Using the Delphi technique, goals for service delivery in terms of system, instructional, adjustment and social objectives were assembled, clarified, rated in terms of their importance, and rank‐ordered to more clearly determine priorities. Results indicate that a collaborative multi‐disciplinary approach to service provision for disturbed children is feasible and that, despite diverse theoretical and professional backgrounds, competent workers in the field are able to arrive at substantial consensus in setting objectives.     

Development of Training Materials for Community Based Rehabilitation Workers in Guyana

Parents of children with disabilities are not getting enough help for their education, care and training. The prevailing model of rehabilitation based on institutional care, would absorb more than the total health and education budgets of most developing countries if serious attempts were made to meet the needs of all disabled persons through this approach. Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) has therefore been suggested as an alternative approach to service delivery. For CBR to be a viable service provision a new concept needs to be developed of staff and training. This paper presents an outline of materials that have been developed in Guyana to meet the training needs of a new cadre of worker in the rehabilitation field.