Organisation in the nursery

The importance of continuing professional development (CPD) is increasingly recognised as an important contributor to school improvement. Successful CPD involves gaining the commitment of teachers to the process, and to sustaining and supporting their involvement in activities that are beneficial to both their professional growth and the development of their school and the children. This article describes a whole school improvement initiative that sought to do just that: a partnership, in which Hampshire inspection and advisory service; University College, Winchester; and the teachers at Lee-on-the Solent Junior School, worked together to enable practitioner research to become both a reality, and a powerful contributor to both personal development and school improvement.     

Contemporary approaches to learning science: technologically-mediated practical work

This paper describes the current state of science education in Arab states and anticipates some of the challenges faced by those states as they reform their science education. After discussing problems of illiteracy, access and quality we provide contextual information about the structure of the educational systems and describe recent efforts to reform them. We focus on issues pertaining to science curriculum and textbooks, language, religion, student learning in science, science teacher education and science education research and summarise the challenges and opportunities for research faced in each area. We conclude the paper by proposing a set of policy and research recommendations that could aid in the development of lasting solutions for recurring problems.     

In defence of a pedagogy of the heart: theory and practice in the use of imaginal knowledge

This article outlines one of the theoretical approaches to pedagogy of the heart, drawing specifically on the work of Hillman and his concept of imaginal knowledge. Imaginal knowledge, as opposed to evidence-based and critical pedagogy, illuminates the imagination and moves the heart towards humanistic action. In this paper, we argue that this is an area neglected in the education of professionals. The paper provides a number of methodological strategies for integrating education of the heart with critical and evidence-based knowledge. These strategies deal with how to evoke the imagination and move the heart and then progress to issues of classroom communication and the management of emotions. The context is the teaching of supporting sciences to health professionals in the university sector.     

Environmental Education as a Model for Constructivist Teaching

Abstract

Current literature related to science instruction often includes a discussion of the philosophy of constructivism. The authors describe four main components of a constructivist science lesson or unit. A review of commonly used environmental education materials was conducted to look for these components. Parallels between teaching strategies used in environmental education and constructivist methods are discussed.     

Three Randomized Controlled Trials of Early Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Means-End Problem Solving in 9-Month-Olds

This study examines whether feeding infants formula supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) improves cognitive function of 9-month-olds. Participants included 229 infants from 3 randomized controlled trials. Children received either formula supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid, or a control formula beginning at 1–5 days (12-month feeding study), or following 6 weeks (6-week-weaning study) or 4–6 months of breastfeeding (4-to 6-month weaning study). Infants were assessed with a 2-step problem solving task. In the 12-month feeding and 6-week weaning studies, supplemented children had more intentional solutions (successful task completions) and higher intention scores (goal-directed behaviors) than controls. These results suggest that LCPUFA supplementation improves means-end problem solving.     

Mary Monroe Atwater: A transformative force in science education

This article highlights the transformative contributions of Mary Monroe Atwater to the field of science education. Influenced by worldviews shaped by a segregated macro-society and the privileges of a micro-society, Mary stood against oppression in the early years of her academic career by desegregating academic settings and being the first and only African American in varied arenas for many years. As an aspiring academic, Mary challenged dominant paradigms and as an activist academic, she changed the landscape of science education. She broadened the knowledge base through scholarship and praxis and diversified the science education community through personal and professional efforts that were pioneering in nature.

Gender-fair psychotherapy in the United States: A possible dream?

Since Freud's era, women have been counseling and psychotherapy's largest consumers. White Freud talked and wrote almost exclusively about men, his patients were primarily women. This practice of treating women as patients, while perceiving men as the prevailing standard for percept and practice has resulted in the largely androcentric or mate-determined psychology of human behavior which we have today (Denmark, 1980; Hare-Mustin, 1983).A number of studies commencing with the Broverman's work in the 1970(s) has demonstrated that psychotherapists, for the most part, share the same sex role biases toward women as the rest of society (Broverman et al., 1970; Fabrikant, 1973, 1974; Nickerson, 1978; Orlinsky & Howard, 1980). Most disconcerting, however, is a recent extensive replication of the Brovermans' study (O'Malley & Richardson, 1985), using 249 counselors, which found that they still described males and females in stereotypic ways, though they did attribute some female designated traits to healthy adults.The evidence regarding the measured effects of therapists' attitudes, whether reportedly biased or gender-fair, however, is mixed in nature and replete with methodological problems (Maffeo, 1979; Marachek & Johnson, 1980; Orlinsky & Howard, 1980; Smith, 1980; Whiteley, 1979); as is the evidence for effectiveness of therapy generally (Garfield, 1981). Some have argued that a counselor's values and expectations do not matter, as long as she or he is aware and does not impose them (Smith, 1980; Whiteley, 1979). It would seem equally probable, based on other evidence that choice of therapeutic goals and processes can be influenced by the therapist's expectations (Brovermans et al., 1970; Nickerson, 1978; O'Malley & Richardson, 1985).The crucial point is that in a sexist society (Such as the United States), it is improbable that anyone without special non-sexist, gender-fair training can adequately aid women in exercising their independence and selecting their goals. Hence, a format is presented for insuring the dream of gender-fair counseling through the inclusion of appropriate training experiences and materials.     

The use of ‘Circle of Friends’ strategy to improve social interactions and social acceptance: a case study of a child with Asperger's Syndrome and other associated needs

The study outlined here was an attempt to examine the use of ‘Circle of Friends’ as a single intervention approach in addressing the issue of inappropriate social interactions in a child with Asperger Syndrome. The child selected was in a mainstream setting, as the main feature of a circle of friends is peers supporting peers. The child was involved in the selection of peers for the development of the circle of friends and it was hoped the approach would challenge children's attitudes in relation to the child with Asperger Syndrome and also improve social understanding for the focus child. The results clearly indicated that the intervention had been successful in reducing the stigma around ‘difference’ for the focus child and it was clearly evident that the ‘circle of friends’ approach had provided a much needed network of social support in a mainstream school. The conclusion highlighted that the focus child was able to understand far more easily the ‘hidden curriculum’ that neuro‐typical children find so easy to decipher.