The nature and limits of slave insolence in the American south

A special mode of resistance, insolence, forced the Southern gentry to acknowledge a unique power among slaves: their speech. This essay (1) explains the lasting significance of the gentry's efforts to suppress slave speech, (2) recounts the elements of insolence according to ancient and modern authorities on rhetoric, and (3) illustrates how slaves suffered for using this discursive tactic effectively. The nature and limits of slave insolence illuminate several troubled dimensions of plantation society.     

Small Robot Projects: Before You Start

Working with robots is an attractive possibility for educators at many levels. The price and availability of robotic hardware are favorable, there are often examples in the media of school groups doing robotic projects, and the projects support group design and co-operative activity. Still, these projects cannot be organized without considerable effort. In this article, we look at some of the opportunities and pitfalls that are encountered when working with robots in an educational setting, illustrating them with anecdotes from our experience with eight small robot-building projects, with participants ranging in age from nine to adult, and duration ranging from a single day to a full semester. We suggest some of the benefits of these projects and outline the problems organizers and participants will be likely to face.     

Building a Successful Adult Life: Findings From Youth-Directed Research

Abstract

Although transition outcomes for youth with disabilities have shown some improvement and transition support practices have been identified, many young people continue to face transition barriers that preclude their full participation in key adult life activities. While research efforts have largely been professionally driven, there is emerging literature suggesting that the use of participatory, empowerment methodologies may bolster the identification of appropriate research methods and useful solutions to problems, as well as promoting the application of findings to accomplishing practice and policy improvements. The purpose of this study was to use a youth-directed, participatory action methodology to investigate youths' perceptions of the value of transition promotion experiences identified as effective by professionals, and to examine the level at which youth with disabilities participate in those experiences. A survey was developed and administered to 202 young people with disabilities by leaders from the National Youth Leadership Network. Findings indicated that youth generally endorse the importance of validated transition promotion practices; however, they reported having limited opportunity to participate in them. Implications related to the use of participatory action methodologies and needed practice and policy improvements are discussed.     

Conflicting issues in the Design of Safety Courses in Technology Partnership Schemes

The very short time now available in higher education institutions for the coverage of subject‐specific content in PGCE courses gives problems in ensuring adequate time for effective workshop safety training, especially for those students who will be responsible for the management of pupils in resistant materials workshops. The schedule prescribed by the National Association of Advisers and Inspectors in Design and Technology (NAAIDT) provides a recognised base for the content of such courses. This paper examines the theoretical issues involved, weighs conflicting demands and describes one solution found workable under the current NAAIDT scheme.     

Grading as a Reform Effort: Do Standards‐Based Grades Converge With Test Scores?

Standards‐based progress reports (SBPRs) require teachers to grade students using the performance levels reported by state tests and are an increasingly popular report card format. They may help to increase teacher familiarity with state standards, encourage teachers to exclude nonacademic factors from grades, and/or improve communication with parents. The current study examines the SBPR grade–state test score correspondence observed across 2 years in 125 third and fifth grade classrooms located in one school district to examine the degree of consistency between grades and state test results. It also examines the grading practices of a subset of 37 teachers to determine whether there is an association between teacher appraisal style and convergence rates. A moderate degree of grade–test score convergence was observed using three agreement estimates (coefficient kappa, tau‐b correlations, and classroom‐level mean differences between grades and test scores). In addition, only small amounts of grade–test score convergence were observed between teachers; a much greater proportion of variance lay within classrooms and subjects. Appraisal style correlated weakly with convergence rates, but was most strongly related to assigning students to the same performance level as the test. Therefore using recommended grading practices may improve the quality of SBPR grades to some extent.     

Lifelong learning to reduce domestic violence

The purpose of this paper is to identify domestic violence as a social problem, provide background information concerning domestic violence, identify strategies related to adult education currently being used to address the problem of domestic violence and examine the philosophical underpinnings of the programmes. Domestic violence is not only a legal problem, but represents a substantial public health issue and is one of the most overlooked social problems of today. As a result of increased public awareness concerning domestic violence in the late 1980s, there have been many changes in laws and training. Educational programmes have been established for both offenders and public officials who may come in contact with the victims. These programmes range from those based on behaviourist philosophy to those on humanist philosophy and are offered by the courts, community agencies, health care providers and in the workplace. Programmes to reduce domestic violence and efforts of multiple social institutions illustrate the use of adult education as a catalyst for social change.