Making the grade: teacher training for inclusive education: A systematic review

The role of teacher training, as it pertains to the adoption of inclusive education (IE) (European Journal of Special, 22, 2007, 367), is critical in realizing and achieving truly IE environments. Literature often reports poor or inadequate training with regard to IE practices (Preparing Teachers of the Deaf for a Complex, Jacksonville, FL). The purpose of this review was to examine North American and Australian research regarding teacher training for students with disabilities (SWD) with the goal of informing best practice. Of the 27 reviewed studies, teacher training interventions reported positive outcomes and showed improvements in the areas of teachers’ attitudes/perceptions, knowledge, and strategies/skill development (Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 32, 2009, 166) regarding IE SWD. The researchers cautiously recommend the employment of workshop style approaches as they appear to have the capacity to tackle all three outcome variables concurrently and within the shortest timeframe. Our restrained recommendations for best practice are born out of the quality of evidence presented within the reviewed studies.     

Sex differences in lower extremity kinematics and patellofemoral kinetics during running

The incidence of patellofemoral pain (PFP) is 2 times greater in females compared with males of similar activity levels; however, the exact reason for this discrepancy remains unclear. Abnormal mechanics of the hip and knee in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes have been associated with an increased risk of PFP. The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanics of the lower extremity in males and females during running in order to better understand the reason(s) behind the sex discrepancy in PFP. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were collected as male and female participants completed overground running trials at a speed of 4.0 m · s^?1 (±5%). Patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS) was estimated using a sagittal plane knee model. The kinematics of the hip and knee in the frontal and transverse planes were also analysed. Male participants demonstrated significantly greater sagittal plane peak PFJS in comparison with the female participants (P < .001, ES = 1.9). However, the female participants demonstrated 3.5° greater peak hip adduction and 3.4° greater peak hip internal rotation (IR). As a result, it appears that the sex discrepancy in PFP is more likely to be related to differences in the kinematics of the hip in the frontal and transverse planes than differences in sagittal plane PFJS.     

Learning From Others: The Effects of Agency on Event Memory in Young Children

Little is known about the influence of social context on children's event memory. Across four studies, we examined whether learning that could occur in the absence of a person was more robust when a person was present. Three-year-old children (N = 125) viewed sequential events that either included or excluded an acting agent. In Experiment 1, children who viewed an agent recalled more than children who did not. Experiments 2a and 2b utilized an eye tracker to demonstrate this effect was not due to differences in attention. Experiment 3 used a combined behavioral and event-related potential paradigm to show that condition effects were present in memory-related components. These converging results indicate a particular role for social knowledge in supporting memory for events.     

The impact of automatically activated motivation on exercise-related outcomes

This study examined the effect of motivational primes on participants (N = 171) during a cycling task. Relative to participants primed with a controlled motivational orientation, it was hypothesized that participants primed for autonomous motivation would report greater feelings of enjoyment, effort, and choice in relation to the cycling activity and report greater exercise intentions. Members of the autonomous prime group were expected to exercise for longer, at a greater percentage of their heart rate maximum, and report lower levels of perceived exertion than those in the controlled prime condition. It was found that, relative to participants in the controlled prime group, those who received the autonomous prime enjoyed the exercise more, exercised at a greater percentage of heart rate maximum, and reported a lower rating of perceived exertion. Furthermore, participants experiencing the controlled prime exercised for less time and had lower intentions to exercise than did other participants. Results highlight the importance of automatic processes in activating motivation for exercise.     

SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN FOSTER CARE

Students living in foster care are at risk for experiencing many challenges in school, spanning domains of social–emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. They are twice as likely to be absent from school and to have received and out‐of‐school suspension and up to three and a half times more likely to receive special education services. Therefore, it is important for schools to recognize and respond to the unique needs of students in foster care to provide the necessary resources for school success. When working with students in foster care, school psychologists should be equipped to support the success of these students by determining what the needs of students in foster care are, and how to meet identified needs. The current paper will discuss the education‐related vulnerabilities and presenting problems for children in foster care and outline social–emotional, behavioral, and academic supports that school psychologists can offer.     

“Applying anatomy to something I care about”: Authentic inquiry learning and student experiences of an inquiry project

Despite advances to move anatomy education away from its didactic history, there is a continued need for students to contextualize their studies to make learning more meaningful. This article investigates authentic learning in the context of an inquiry‐based approach to learning human gross anatomy. Utilizing a case‐study design with three groups of students (n = 18) and their facilitators (n = 3), methods of classroom observations, interviews, and artifact collection were utilized to investigate students' experiences of learning through an inquiry project. Qualitative data analysis through open and selective coding produced common meaningful themes of group and student experiences. Overall results demonstrate how the project served as a unique learning experience where learners engaged in the opportunity to make sense of anatomy in context of their interests and wider interdisciplinary considerations through collaborative, group‐based investigation. Results were further considered in context of theoretical frameworks of inquiry‐based and authentic learning. Results from this study demonstrate how students can engage anatomical understandings to inquire and apply disciplinary considerations to their personal lives and the world around them. Anat Sci Educ 10: 538–548. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Creating class-B: using a key symbol to become literate in educational discourse

This article addresses teacher training as a process of becoming literate in educational discourse. Through ethnographic research of a project for training science and math lecturers in educational practice, I follow how participants created a concept they called ‘Class-B’ to symbolise progressive educational discourse. Bringing the concept of key symbol and a New Literacy Studies approach to the analysis, I show how literacy in educational discourse is worked out and elaborated around the symbol of Class-B. The ethnography teaches us that key symbols can be keys to literacy, and perhaps be considered as a useful tool for teacher trainers.