Seeing Beyond Sameness: Using The Giver to Challenge Colorblind Ideology

The secondary worlds created in fantasy encourage the reader to compare and contrast the real world with the imaginary. In this way, fantasy as a genre can be transformative. In this article, the dystopia created in The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry is examined as a metaphor for racism. After exploring the young adult novel as mystical fantasy in the context of reader response theory, the author evaluates the monochromatic world of The Giver as a portrayal of the consequences of a colorblind stance. Pedagogical considerations and implications for practice are also discussed. Susan G. Lea received her M.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. She also serves as Chair, Board of Trustees, The Agnes Irwin School, an independent girls day school in Rosemont, PA. Her areas of research include how aesthetic response and co-constructed meaning are enhanced through well-known visual art presented in intertextual sets of picturebook art parody, local public mural art parody, and original artwork. Zelnick, “The battle for color-blind public policy.” Lowry, The Giver.     

Home atmosphere and adolescent future orientation

Adolescent future orientation was studied from the point of view of orienting expectations about the future, consisting of three aspects: cognitive (clarity of plans for the use of future time), affective (optimistic vs pessimistic attitudes toward the future), and motivational (realistic vs unrealistic wishes for the future). The study was part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Social Development, the original sample for which consisted of 8-year-old subjects. Follow-up studies were made using a semistructured interview covering several aspects of home atmosphere (child-rearing and external home conditions) and youthful life orientation at ages 14 and 20 with 115 subjects. Results obtained with LISREL confirmed the hypothesis that optimism toward the future at age 20 was related to positive memories of child-rearing, and to a degree the hypothesis that the clarity of plans was related to parental occupational status and working conditions. Memory of the parents’ time for the child explained all aspects of adolescent future orientation.     

An Interview Protocol and Scoring Rubric for Evaluating Teacher Performance

This paper introduces an interview protocol, administration procedures, and scoring rubric for evaluating teacher performance. Procedures used to develop and adminis ter the protocol and scoring rubric and subsequent validity and reliability studies are reported. All evidence suggests that the protocol and scoring rubric are aligned with professional standards and focus on a teacher's assessment of and ability to modify instruction to improve student learning. These findings support the viability of the interview protocol as an effective method of evaluating teacher performance.     

The role of inter-professional collaboration in developing inclusive education: experiences of teachers and occupational therapists in Slovenia

This was the first qualitative study of the inclusion of children with special needs into regular schools in Slovenia that focused on inter-professional collaboration and its contributions to the inclusion process. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with primary school teachers (N?=?36) and occupational therapists (N?=?9) to explore their personal experiences. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis (Strauss, A., and J. Corbin. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage). Two categories pertaining to inter-professional collaboration emerged from the analysis. They described different barriers and strategies that either inhibited or facilitated the cooperation process. The experiences of teachers and occupational therapists differed; however, both professional groups expressed frustration with organisational and systemic factors that often prevented better exchange of knowledge and information. Due to the organisation of work and financial issues, occupational therapists had limited access to the school environment; therefore, they generally showed more eagerness to increase the level of collaboration and their presence at the school. The study also pointed out how the roles of certain professionals are not recognised, suggesting the need for more promotional work. If inclusion in Slovenia is to be fully implemented, collaboration between different professionals working with children with special needs must strengthen. This will require some significant organisational, cultural and also personal transformations.     

Father Absence in Pregnancy or During Childhood and Pubertal Development in Girls and Boys: A Population-Based Cohort Study

This cohort study, including 15,810 children born 2000–2003 in Denmark, aimed to investigate the association between father absence in pregnancy or during childhood and pubertal development in girls and boys. The children were followed from 11 years of age and throughout pubertal development. Mean age differences according to exposure groups were estimated for each pubertal marker separately and for a combined pubertal marker. The results suggested that father absence in pregnancy and during childhood was associated with earlier pubertal development in girls, and father absence from late childhood was associated with earlier pubertal development in boys. The paternal investment theory, the psychosocial acceleration theory and the energetics theory were explored, and did not seem to explain the observed associations.     

Enhancing subjective well‐being in individuals with asthma

Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, is caused by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental variables. The intent of this article is to propose a theory that provides an explanation for the reduction of emotionally triggered asthma through treatments derived from positive psychology. The basic tenet of the theory is that physical health issues, such as asthma, can be promoted through systematic interventions that are designed to enhance the individual's sense of independence, intimacies or friendships, and/or feelings of competence. This theoretical approach is based largely on Bertrand Russell's definition of happiness and is consistent with positive psychology in that it focuses on variables that promote subjective well‐being, or a satisfying daily life. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 95–100, 2004.     

An Institutional Code of Ethics.- A Response to Attitude of Israeli Teachers＇ Education College Students Towards Academic Plagiarism

Academic plagiarism becomes very easy due to new opportunities provided by the Internet era （Scrinber, 2003; Underwood ＆ Sazabo, 2003; Ross, 2005）. We believe that academic dishonesty is a major issue, because it strikes at the heart of the academic and social values： honesty, trust and integrity. When dealing with education students, the future educators of children, academic dishonesty takes on added significance with much graver consequences for our society. This paper is aimed to reveal the opinions of 200 Israeli teacher education students towards different aspects of plagiarism. These responses, which were collected using likert scale questionnaire, led us to define some principles for a plan to reduce academic dishonesty, especially internet based plagiarism （Mc Murtry, 2001; Foster, 2002; Landau, Druen, ＆ Arcuri, 2002; Murray, 2002）. We suggest focusing on a plan for an institutional ethic code to reduce plagiarism and unconscious academic dishonesty.