Knowledge of Traumatic Brain Injury among Educators

The purpose of this study is to determine knowledge of traumatic brain injury among educators. Few studies have examined knowledge of traumatic brain injury in this population and fewer still have included a substantial proportion of general education teachers. Examining knowledge of traumatic brain injury in educators is important as the vast majority of children with traumatic brain injury will return to school and many are likely to require support in the short term and some will require special education services in the long term. The Common Misconceptions of Traumatic Brain Injury questionnaire was completed by 94 educators. Participants demonstrated accurate knowledge on a number of questionnaire items associated with the identification of individuals with traumatic brain injury, common socio-emotional effects, and recovery from traumatic brain injury; however, a considerable degree of uncertainly was indicated on several items relevant to the school setting. In addition, substantial misconception rates were noted on only four items including one pertaining to recovery and another concerning the likelihood of additional brain injuries. Knowing someone with traumatic brain injury, participating in training and having taught a student with traumatic brain injury resulted in greater knowledge. Implications of these findings for educators are discussed.     

The Contribution of Ernst Mach to Embodied Cognition and Mathematics Education

A study of the interactions between mathematics and cognitive science, carried out within a historical perspective, is important for a better understanding of mathematics education in the present. This is evident when analysing the contribution made by the epistemological theories of Ernst Mach. On the basis of such theories, a didactic method was developed, which was used in the teaching of mathematics in Austria at the beginning of the twentieth century and applied to different subjects ranging from simple operations in arithmetic to calculus. Besides the relevance of this method—also named the “Jacob method” after Josef Jacob who proposed it—to teaching practice, it could also be considered interesting in a wider context with reference to the mind-body problem. In particular, the importance that Jacob gives to “muscular activity” in the process of forming and elaborating mathematical concepts, derived from Mach, resounds in the current debate on embodied cognition, where cognitive processes are understood not as expressions of an abstract and merely computational mind but as based on our physicality as human beings, equipped not just with a brain but also a (whole) body. This model has been applied to mathematics in the “theory of embodied mathematics”, the objective of which is to study, with the methods and apparatus of embodied cognitive science, the cognitive mechanisms used in the human creation and conceptualisation of mathematics. The present article shows that the “Jacob method” may be considered a historical example of didactical application of analogous ideas.     

Crafting the virtual prototype: how firms integrate knowledge and capabilities across organisational boundaries

This paper examines the introduction of Integrated Software Technologies in Product Development focusing on their influence on organisational Experimentation and Prototyping practices. In particular, it explores the role of ‘virtual prototyping’ techniques, concepts and models in facilitating multi-functional processes coordination and multi-disciplinary knowledge integration. It argues that the role of software in supporting inter-functional cooperation and the coordination of knowledge and activities depends on the organisation’s ability to nurture integrating routines which support two-directional translation flows between ‘local’ (function-based) and ‘global’ (computer-embedded) knowledge and activity levels. These mechanisms also lie at the heart of dynamic capabilities’ creation and maintenance.     

University and the Entrance Examinations in a Greek Provincial Town: a bottom‐up perspective

The study, carried out in a Greek provincial town, focuses on the cultural meaning of university education and of participation in the extremely competitive entrance examinations to university. In spite of graduate unemployment, in relation to the labour market a university degree is seen as giving more possibilities. Also, the transition to university and the degree that follows are rewarded by the community with prestige and status. Moreover, gaining admission is also important in itself in relation to the individual's wish to achieve something with herlhis own strength. Finally, taking part in the examinations is seen as being of the utmost importance in relation to the local values. Regardless of the outcome, it allows the participants to realize a particular set of values among which the ‘duty to struggle’ seems to occupy, for historical reasons, a central place.     

Empowering teachers to implement innovative content in physical education through continuous professional development

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions regarding their experiences in a research-informed continuous professional development (CPD) initiative and its influence on their professional readiness to implement innovative content in physical education (PE). Participants included four PE teachers who engaged in a series of hands-on workshops and collaborative activities related to the design and implementation of a mountain biking unit in two middle schools. Qualitative data were collected through post-workshop surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis, and results revealed four themes: (a) igniting change, (b) transferring to the classroom, (c) student response, and (d) sustaining beyond a single unit. Findings from this study reinforce the need for research-informed CPD efforts in PE and highlight its role in generating a sense of teacher empowerment and promoting systemic change within school-based PE.