Unterricht mit digitalen Medien — zwischen Innovation und Tradition?

Konzepte zum Einsatz von digitalen Medien verdeutlichen deren Potenziale hinsichtlich einer Unterstützung des problemorientierten, selbstbestimmten und kooperativen Lehrens und Lernens. Offen ist aber, ob Lehrerinnen und Lehrer dieses Potenzial auch wirklich nutzen. M?glicherweise werden die neuen Medien lediglich in überlieferte Handlungsmuster integriert. Ziel des Forschungsprojekts, über das hier berichtet wird, ist es, einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung einer Theorie zum Lehrerhandeln im Medienzusammenhang zu leisten. Dabei wurden (1) Handlungsmuster von Lehrpersonen beim Einsatz neuer Medien im Unterricht identifiziert und (2) Hypothesen über m?gliche Zusammenh?nge von Handlungsmuster, Medien-Expertisegrad und Fachzugeh?rigkeit generiert. — Es wurden Videoaufnahmen von 20 Unterrichtsstunden mithilfe eines niedrig-inferenten Kategoriensystems analysiert und hinsichtlich zugrundeliegender Grundmuster clusteranalytisch ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass auf einer zugrunde gelegten Skala mit den Polen „instruktional“ und „konstruktivistisch“ unterschiedliche Muster von Lehrerhandeln beim Einsatz digitaler Medien im Unterricht identifiziert werden k?nnen, die sich als traditionell-lehrerzentriert bzw. als innovativ-schülerorientiert beschreiben lassen.     

Public perception of child abuse and the need for intervention: Are professionals seen as abusers?

Professionals who make decisions in child abuse cases often deny that their decision-making has a moral basis, claiming that they have a “non-judgmental” attitude, and that they only make decisions in the “interests” of their clients, reaching their conclusions on an assessment of the circumstances. This paper considers the implications of this for practice, and particularly for the ways in which cases are reported to the authorities. The study suggests that the general public are reluctant to report cases to the authorities, or even to suggest that professionals should intervene in an authoritarian way. This may arise from suspicion, often in effect justified, that the child will be removed and placed in an institution. Normally the decision to remove a child from home is taken in two stages: first professionals decide whether a child has been abused or whether he is in acute danger of being so; only if this is so can the second decision be taken, namely whether to remove the child or offer some less drastic form of help. This paper is primarily concerned with the first issue and with forms of abuse which are not in themselves life-threatening. Five types of criteria are considered for determining whether child abuse has taken place and the implications for each for public perception of professionals and for practice. The types are: legal, social norms, professional expertise, client subjectivity and no criteria. All present difficulties and may sometimes be in conflict with one another. The paper argues for standards to be clearer, criteria more available and for a shift of resources from therapy to education.     

Emergency caesarian section: A research study of the mother/child relationship of a group of women admitted expecting a normal vaginal delivery

This study follows a group of women who had their first babies by emergency caesarian section under a general anaesthetic and compares them with a control group who had a normal vaginal delivery. The emergency caesarian sections were not done for a clear cut medical emergency but for reasons such as foetal distress, prolonged labour, suspected cephalopelvic disproportion—all criteria open to different clinical judgment. The mothers and babies were seen one month, one year and three years after delivery. Significant differences were found between the attitude and behaviour of the caesarian group of mothers and that of the control group of mothers. There must be serious doubts about the need for an emergency caesarian delivery in this sample. They were a problem group of women as difficult to follow up as to deliver. In their histories there was a trend toward more difficulties in their past and present relationships. Did they need more sensitive handling during delivery to avoid an emergency caesarian section? Professionals frequently find anxiety hard to bear and need to act rather than attempt to understand the origin of the pain. It is easy to overlook the subtle long term effects of the action when it appears to solve the immediate problem.     

Social inclusion: The case of travellers' children

In this article, we explore distinctions between creative practice and a practice which fosters creativity, drawing on case study data from an English nursery and a first school. We suggest that, in practice, these distinctions are very blurred.