Improving sexual health for young people: making sexuality education a priority

How well do young people understand their developing sexuality and what this means? This paper reports on findings from the Our Lives: Culture, Context and Risk project, which investigated sexual behaviour and decision-making in the context of the everyday life experience and aspirations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people (16–25 years) in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and in South Australia. Using qualitative data, this paper focuses on what participating young people thought was necessary to improve the quality of sexuality education. Participants suggest that current forms of sexuality education are too clinical, didactic and unengaging, and are missing in relevant content. Young people requested more information on relationships, first sexual experiences and negotiating condom use. These requests indicate that young people realise that they need more knowledge in order to have healthy relationships, which conflicts with the popular belief that providing young people with open, honest information around sex will encourage them to have sex or increase sexual risk taking. Making sexuality education more of a priority and listening to the needs of young people could be a positive step towards improving sexual health and well-being.     

Understanding Variability in Reading Comprehension in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Interactions With Language Status and Decoding Skill

Although it is well recognized that reading skills vary in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), reasons for this variability are not well understood. We used the simple view of reading model to investigate both word decoding and text comprehension processes in two well-established subtypes within the autism spectrum, those with age-appropriate structural language skills and those structural language impairments. Generally, participants with language impairments performed less well than those with age-appropriate language skills. Word-level reading was a relative strength for both groups, although it showed declines with age. Comprehension weaknesses were especially marked among those with poor structural language skills. Reading outcomes in ASD are related to variations both in decoding and comprehension and in the oral language skills that support the development of these processes.     

Indigenous knowledge and the knowledge commons

This paper studies the frameworks used to understand the commons, the knowledge commons, and indigenous knowledge. Discussion of enclosure, participation, rivalrous and non-rivalrous commons reveals that information and knowledge are resources that increase in value through use. The author examines current IK practices, focusing on documentation strategies and the role of the librarian. Studying IK practices in relation to the commons allows shared language to emerge. Challenging the frameworks, discourse and practices of both IK and the commons exposes and strengthens their connections to one another. This provides a platform for stronger advocacy for IK projects and the commons in general.     

Textbook access and affordability through academic library services: A department develops strategies to meet the needs of students

In the spring of 2015, the University of Minnesota Libraries formed the Content Services department, which is comprised of Interlibrary Loan, Publishing Services, and the Copyright Permissions Service. These three service points, as well as additional Library units, work together with campus partners to save students money on their course materials through a variety of programs and pilot projects. By employing multiple avenues to help faculty and students put affordable content into their existing workflows for providing and accessing required readings, the University of Minnesota Libraries are ensuring that there are many options available that support coursework and ultimately student success.     

乐极生悲

马拉德夫人患有心脏病。对她丈夫的死讯,个个都小心翼翼, 生怕她受到刺激。她妹妹约瑟芬嗫嗫嚅儒、半遮半掩地告诉了她这一噩耗。她丈夫的朋友理查德斯当时也在她身旁。铁路上发生惨案的消息传来时,理查德斯恰好在报社,看到布伦特利·马拉德的名字在“罹难者”中位居首位。他还发去一封电报确认情况属实,便匆忙赶了过来,防止哪个朋友考虑不周,冒冒失失就把噩耗告诉她。     

Beacons of light,rays, or sun catchers? A case study of the positioning of literacy teachers and their knowledge in neoliberal times

This paper reports on a case study of a “lead literacy teacher” initiative in one Canadian province. This initiative is related to a “minority world” trend in teacher in-service that seeks to develop “experts” in a field with the intent that such experts can help other teachers to raise student achievement for the betterment of the economy. Using a post-colonial theoretical framework that advocates for professional development premised on teacher knowledge production, the study finds that the initiative instead forwards a “train-the-trainer” model of information transmission that negates teachers' prior knowledge, experience, and practices. The study argues that for teachers to become critically reflective in their practice, they need material supports (e.g., time) to share with one another and knowledge must be allowed to flow in all directions within the educational hierarchy.