What were the processes and outcomes of involving secondary school pupils transitioning from primary to secondary school in pre-arrival shared-reading? A case study

ABSTRACT

Coombe Boys’ School in New Malden worked with Kingston University to establish a ‘Big Read’, a scheme of pre-arrival shared-reading for boys transitioning from local primary schools into year 7 of the Coombe Boys’ secondary school. A novel was chosen for shared-reading, and all arriving pupils were given a copy at their Induction Day (at the end of the summer term). Copies were also made available to all staff. The book was the basis of group-based activities during the school’s Summer School (three weeks before of the start of the autumn term) and of cross-curricular individual and group-based activities during the early teaching weeks of the new school year. Outcomes were monitored using online surveys of pupils, staff and parents/guardians, and through face to face interviews with individuals from representative groups. Here outcomes are reported, both direct and indirect, comparisons made with similar schemes within higher education, and recommendations are made for how the scheme might be adapted for greater effectiveness in future.     

Focus on dementia care: Continuing education preferences,challenges, and catalysts among rural home care providers

ABSTRACT

Home care staff who provide housekeeping and personal care to individuals with dementia generally have lower levels of dementia care training compared with other health care providers. The study's purposes were to determine whether the professional role of home care staff in a predominantly rural region was associated with preferences for delivery formats of dementia-specific continuing education (CE) programs, and challenges and catalysts to attending CE on any topic. From January through March, 2014, 82 of 111 eligible home care staff in one Saskatchewan health region completed a cross-sectional postal survey (73.9% response rate). The survey included 41 nurses/case managers (client care coordinators, assessors, and team managers) and 41 continuing care aides (home health aides). Nurses/case managers and aides were equally likely to report moderate to high interest in locally delivered CE and low interest in Internet-based and computer-based CE. Compared with nurses/case managers, aides were more likely to report challenges to CE attendance due to CE not being a requirement of their position or relevant to their work. Low staffing levels were the top challenge regardless of professional role. Nurses/case managers and aides were equally likely to identify locally offered programs and paid time off as the top two catalysts of CE attendance. Given the growing number of individuals with dementia receiving home care services, the current study suggests that continuing education should be offered locally and included in rural staff’s paid time in order to encourage attendance.     

Gerontological Education in Undergraduate Nursing Programs: An Australian Perspective

Literature reveals difficulties in preparing nurses to care for older people. This article reports a study that aimed to facilitate positive changes in gerontological education in an undergraduate nursing program by identifying barriers and effective actions. A critical research approach was applied to the study. Data were mainly collected through focus groups. A total of five barriers were identified in gerontological education in an undergraduate nursing program. Actions which may address these barriers were explored. Critical reflection on educational practice based on partnerships between education and service sectors has the potential of leading an educational reform in gerontological nursing.     

Are Graduating Students Ready for Financial Aspects of Social Work Practice?

ABSTRACT

Graduating students must be prepared with knowledge and skills for the financial aspects of social work practice. This study examines graduating students’ attitudes and perceptions about client finances, as well as their financial knowledge. Internet survey results (n = 116) of BSW and MSW graduating students indicate that respondents (a) perceive a limited function for discussing client financial circumstances in practice, (b) understand the relevance, however, of client finances, (c) are unprepared to address this aspect, and (d) are supportive of integrating this content into required policy and practice courses. Teaching and curricular implications, along with programmatic recommendations, are included.     

Critical Thought within the Social Welfare Policy Course

Critical thought is a necessary element for proficient practice in social work at both the micro and macro levels. For this reason, social work educators must seek to integrate critical thought in BSW and MSW curricula. This article provides a method for achieving this integration in the social welfare policy course. The method includes the four following phases: instruction regarding logical errors, presentation of logical errors in contemporary political debate, demonstration of critical thought in policy position analysis, and self-assessment of one's own logic. The implications of this method for practice in a values-based context are discussed.     

Educational Psychologists' Orientation to Inclusion and Assumptions about Children's Learning

Despite their important role in the assessment and decision-making process, there has been very little research on the attitudes of educational psychologists (EPs) to inclusion. In this article, we report a recent study in which 144 EPs from 37 English local education authorities responded to a postal questionnaire. This examined their hypothetical and ideal placement of a range of children with different special educational needs, and their orientation to inclusion and beliefs about the nature and process of children's learning. Results reveal that the majority were supportive of inclusion and adopt a social constructionist philosophy toward the nature and process of children's learning.     

“The Galigir Room”: a resourced provision for young people with social,emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH) in their first years at secondary school

This paper examines the values, vision and practice originally outlined in a proposal for a secondary phase resourced provision for young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) challenges. The provision was based on a well-established model (the ‘Jarjums Room’) which had been implemented in Cherbourg Primary School in Eastleigh, England. The article offers a first-hand narrative account of the way that this initiative, the ‘Galigir Room’, was conceptualised, successfully embraced and implemented, thanks to the commitment of a senior leadership team, a group of staff and governors and the foresight and support of the local secondary school.