Personal oral narratives in a special school curriculum: an analysis of key documents

Oral narrative is a critical skill for school achievement, for personal relationships and for social participation. However, it is downgraded in current and proposed National Curriculum frameworks, which fail to recognise its significance in development. Schools have flexibility to address the issue, which is of particular importance to pupils with special educational needs. This article explores the place of narrative in the policies, curriculum and assessment scheme of a special school catering for pupils across the range of ability. It is concluded that, while schools are free to prioritise according to pupils' needs, it is difficult to target oral narrative effectively in the absence of appropriate frameworks for setting goals and monitoring progress.     

Attitudes Toward Overweight Individuals Among Fitness Center Employees

Our study assessed implicit and explicit evaluations of overweight individuals among a sample of fitness center employees (N = 70). Participants completed a general demographics questionnaire and an explicit, self-report Antifat Attitudes Test (AFAT). Participants also completed two Implicit Association Tests (IATs) to measure implicit attitudes toward overweight individuals. In one IAT, participants responded to pictures of overweight and thin individuals in a neutral context. A second IAT required participants to respond to pictures of the same individuals exercising on a treadmill. Consistent with hypotheses, average scores fell below the midpoint on the AFAT subscales, suggesting an absence of a significant explicit bias. The sample exhibited moderately strong implicit weight biases, however, in both the neutral (IAT D = .39) and exercise contexts (IAT D = .39). The findings do not support the premise that implicit biases against overweight individuals vary according to the context in which the judgments are made.     

Effects of Posture and Muscular Exercise on the Electrocardiogram

Abstract

The present study was designed to assess the influence of athletics on educational attainment. It tested Spady's (1970) contention that high school athletes were deficit in the academic skills necessary for later success in college because athletics were their only form of extracurricular involvement. A 1975 Maryland sample (N = 239) and a 1977 Pennsylvania sample (N = 403) of male and female high school students were categorized into athlete-only and athlete-service groups and then compared on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores. Comparisons were also made to the national average for males and females. Results from both samples supported Spady's contention for males, but not for females. Athlete-only males were significantly lower (p ≤ .01) than the 1975 and 1977 male national averages. By contrast, athlete-service males were significantly higher than the 1975 male national average. The findings are discussed in terms of the influence exerted by significant others (e.g., parents, coaches) to encourage athletic participation exclusively, often at the expense of other extracurricular activities that may foster positive academic attitudes and expectations.     

Research Experiences for Teachers (RET): Motivation, Expectations, and Changes to Teaching Practices due to Professional Program Involvement

This study investigated teachers’ motivation, expectations, and changes to teaching practices due to a 6 week summer professional development program involvement. Participants (n = 67) attended the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program within a major university in southeast. Surveys and interviews were used to collect data to answer the following research questions: (1) Who attends the RET program? (2) In what ways do elementary teachers differ from middle/secondary teachers with respect to their motivation for attending the RET program and their expectations about the program? (3) In what ways do elementary teachers differ from middle/secondary teachers with respect to implementing changes to their teaching practices due to RET program attendance? Survey results indicated significant differences between elementary teachers and secondary education teachers with respect to their expectations about the program, and changes to their teaching practices. Interview results provided support to survey findings. Implications for professional development and science teacher education are discussed in relationship with the current study findings.     

DEGREE OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN BEGINNING TEACHERS' PRACTICES AND BELIEFS ABOUT EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Six beginning teachers were compared to an exemplary, experienced teacher. Teacher beliefs, classroom practices, and student engagement data were coded from theory-driven and data-driven perspectives. The strongest teachers demonstrated alignment between promotive/positive practices, beliefs, and students' engagement. The weakest teachers, whose students were less consistently engaged, demonstrated alignment between undermining practices and beliefs. For beginning teachers, with misaligned practices and beliefs, there may be potential for improving practices with experience. A testable model emerged depicting a metacognitive feedback loop for teachers who are aware of their shortcomings and place responsibility for students' behaviors and learning on themselves.     

Project EXCEL-lence

This study examined the relationships between first semester participation in a community college developmental writing course and persistence and goal attainment. The study examined whether developmental writing course participants completed more of their credits, enrolled for more semesters, and completed degree/certificates and/or transferred at higher rates when compared to nonparticipants. Analysis of the data revealed that initial participants completed more of the credit hours they attempted than did nonparticipants; later participants enrolled for more semesters than did nonparticipants, on average; and at the end of the 3-year period, no significant difference was found between degree/certificate completion and initial participation.     

The Influence of the Core Practices Movement on the Teaching and Perspectives of Novice Teacher Educators

This collaborative self-study examines the influence of engagement in the core practices movement on the course designs, instruction, and perspectives of three novice teacher educators at a large mid-Atlantic research university. Through core practices work, we integrated repeated cycles of analysis, practice, and reflection into our courses, ultimately becoming more deliberate and responsive in our planning. We engaged in more in-depth inquiry into our teaching as we inquired into the core practices with our teacher candidates and also noticed an enhanced use of shared language. Core practices work influenced our perspectives on the work of teacher educators by reaffirming our belief in the complexity of teaching and teacher education, raising important questions about the relationship between commitments and core practices and underscoring the value of learner-centered practices in teacher education. The finding of this self-study suggest that core practices present an opportunity to engage novice teacher educators in reflection, collaboration, and inquiry central to teacher education.     

GCAT-SEEKquence: genome consortium for active teaching of undergraduates through increased faculty access to next-generation sequencing data

To transform undergraduate biology education, faculty need to provide opportunities for students to engage in the process of science. The rise of research approaches using next-generation (NextGen) sequencing has been impressive, but incorporation of such approaches into the undergraduate curriculum remains a major challenge. In this paper, we report proceedings of a National Science Foundation-funded workshop held July 11-14, 2011, at Juniata College. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a regional research coordination network for undergraduate biology education (RCN/UBE). The network is collaborating with a genome-sequencing core facility located at Pennsylvania State University (University Park) to enable undergraduate students and faculty at small colleges to access state-of-the-art sequencing technology. We aim to create a database of references, protocols, and raw data related to NextGen sequencing, and to find innovative ways to reduce costs related to sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. It was agreed that our regional network for NextGen sequencing could operate more effectively if it were partnered with the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT) as a new arm of that consortium, entitled GCAT-SEEK(quence). This step would also permit the approach to be replicated elsewhere.