Parents' mainstreaming modification preferences for children with educable mental handicaps,behavior disorders,and learning disabilities

Parents of children with educable mental handicaps, behavior disorders, and learning disabilities completed a questionnaire on the types and numbers of program modifications needed to persuade them to accept full-time mainstreaming for their exceptional children. Results suggest that successful full-time mainstreaming requires parent involvement. Contingent upon recognition and implementation of their recommendations for mainstreaming, most parents are supportive of full-time integration of their mildly handicapped children in regular classrooms. Parents' specific mainstreaming recommendations are discussed along with educational reform implications.     

魔术师

你在梦中哭醒“为什么我们的孩子死了?”我说“,你在做梦。我们哪有孩子?”“有的,我们有一个。可是它死了。”你依旧在啜泣,汗水涟涟。“瞧,亲爱的,你叫‘它’这证明我们从未有过孩子。如果真的有,你就会喊‘她’或‘他’。”我轻拂着你的头发。我亲吻着你的面颊。你的体温开始下降。你再次昏昏欲睡它本该有个名字。“男孩儿的名字或女孩儿的名字,可这名字却总在我醒来前消失得无影无踪。”是的,在你入睡之前一切本未发生。■You woke up crying"Why did our baby die?"I said,"You're dreaming.We don't have a baby."Yes,we do.But i…     

Physical attractiveness and children's expectations of potential teachers

Sixty-four Grade 1 and 46 Grade 6 children responded to social attribution and social preference measures for photographs of attractive and unattractive potential female teachers. Results indicated a strong tendency for these children to choose attractive photographs as depicting the nicest, happiest, and prettiest teachers, the teachers they felt they would learn the most from, and the ones they would prefer for a teacher. On the other hand, they chose the unattractive photographs as representing teachers who would punish their students more when they misbehaved. Virtually no differences appeared between the Grade 1 and Grade 6 children, nor between males and females with respect to these choices. Overall, these findings confirmed the existence of a strong “beauty is good” stereotype at an early age in an educational setting.     

Cultural practices of the Zulu ethnic group on the body and their influence on body donation

Cultural practices in the African continent have been thought to impact negatively on body donation. Thus, most African countries continue to rely on unclaimed bodies for dissection programs, or bequests from the white population. The latter situation is dominant in South African medical schools. Since South Africa is multi-cultural with nine main ethnic groups of the Black African population, it is important to seek the reasons behind lack of participation in body donation. This report represents a move in this direction with its qualitative study of the cultural practices of the Zulu ethnic group in the province of KwaZulu-Natal from the perspective of a variety of participants, with emphasis on their treatment of the human body after death. Four themes emerged from interviews: (1) Death is not the end; (2) Effect of belief in ancestors; (3) Significance of rituals and customs carried out on human tissue; and (4) Burial as the only method of body disposal. Each of these themes is discussed in relation to the likelihood of body donation being seen by Zulus as an acceptable practice. It is concluded that this is unlikely, on account of the need to preserve the linkage between the physical human body and the spirit of the deceased person, and the perceived ongoing relationship between the spirit of the dead and the living. In view of these conclusions, a number of options are canvassed about the manner in which anatomists in KwaZulu-Natal might obtain bodies for dissection. These possibilities have implications for anatomists working in comparable cultural contexts.     

Constructivism in Classroom: Theory into Practice

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Electronic Communication Training: Reconciling Gaps Created by the Virtual Office

The virtual organization is one result of the rapid advances of technology. These advances, however, bring about setbacks when communicating electronically—primarily a loss of face‐to‐face interaction. Yet interpersonal skills are still deemed one of the most desirable communication skills in today's workplace. A gap analysis of the traditional versus the virtual office reveals that voids exist when communicating solely electronically. Electronic communication training is essential in order to eliminate these voids and lessen the chance for unclear messages, enhance “faceless” interactions, and avoid communication overload. Therefore, it is incumbent upon educators and trainers to augment development programs with electronic communication training in order for employees to be prepared for the challenges of the virtual office.     

Implementing digital archives: issues of trust

In recent years, much of the focus in archival literature and endeavour has been directed towards the management of digital records. The need to work closely with information and communication technology (ICT) professionals is essential if digital preservation aspirations are to be realised. However, consideration has not been given to the challenges inherent in being respected or trusted by this occupational group. As a preliminary step to identifying possible cultural differences, a survey was developed to investigate the perceptions of ICT professionals as regards digital archives and the role of recordkeepers. Findings from this survey show differences in the perception of trustworthiness in terms of abilities to manage paper versus digital records. In addition, responses also highlight risks inherent in developing digital archives which do not take access requirements sufficiently into account. We suggest that attention must be paid to this dimension of custody if digital archives initiatives are to succeed.