The Young Child's Pictorial Representation of the Human Figure

This study investigated reasons for the omission of the torso typical in most young children's drawings of the human figure. Do they have an incomplete mental image of the human figure; if so will the torso be omitted from a manikin task too? As the head is normally drawn first, is the torso simply forgotten; if so will children include it if they are asked to draw the torso first? Eighty tadpole‐drawers (aged between 2 years 7 months and 5 years) were randomly allocated to a drawing or a manikin condition; they were further subdivided into a head‐first or torso‐first condition. Significantly more children produced a conventional figure when they constructed a manikin compared with those who were asked to draw; the order of body parts (head‐first vs torso‐first) had no significant effect. These results suggest that young children omit the torso from their human figures because they have yet to devise a way of drawing it, perhaps because it is a relatively unimportant item; there is little evidence that they have simply forgotten it or that their mental model for the human figure is incomplete.     

The Effect of Information Framing on Academic Task Completion

Information framing was investigated as a classroom management technique for academic task completion. Framing effect refers to the finding that people's choices are affected by how pre‐decisional information is framed (Tversky & Kahneman, 1984). In five 3rd and 4th Grade classrooms, teachers observed task completion rates of their students under five different framing conditions: unframed instruction; positively framed instruction with (a) group and (b) individual consequence; negatively framed instruction with (a) group and (b) individual consequence. Task completion rates were significantly greater under all framed instruction conditions than unframed, with effect sizes ranging from 0.21 to 0.32 and much greater at the class level. Improvement rates corresponding to effect sizes ranged from 20% to 70% at the class level, showing the usefulness of framing instructional directives.     

THE LINDA CRANE MEMORIAL LECTURE: Striving for Excellence: Thursday February 18, 2010: APTA's CSM San Diego,CA

Historically, invited lecturers have often challenged us to define excel lence in physical therapy practice, or in our academic programs. While some have addressed different char acteristics of excellence, our profession has not really come together to address 2 very important questions: what does “quality” mean in physical therapist education? And how do we measure it? Using 3 elements of Friendship, Leadership, and Mentoring, and Defining Excellence and juxtaposing these with Linda Crane and her life, a vision of excellence in physical therapy educational programs was explored in this invited lecture. The text of that lecture ensues.Open in a separate windowGood afternoon everyone. I would first like to thank Dr. Frese, and the Awards Committee of the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section for selecting me for this great honor. I would also like to thank Drs. Meryl Cohen and Carol Davis (both previous Linda Crane Lecturers) for nominating me, making me the third person from the University of Miami, on the 10th anniversary of this Lecture.I would also like to assure the cardiopulmonary physical therapists in the audience that while I teach neuroanatomy, I am really an acute care person at heart. I learned a lot from two very notable cardiopulmonary people—(1) The first person was while at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City as a new graduate in 1970. We could work overtime on weekends doing chest physical therapy, but we all had to be trained first by the superb pulmonary physical therapist, Micah Rie; and (2) later at Hartford Hospital (in CT) in 1977, where I first met Linda Crane. Thus, I feel I have probably learned from two of the very best.I also have something to share with this audience. We are all familiar with the bumper stickers that say “I Love NY,” or something similar, with the red heart in the middle. The University of Miami is often called simply “the U.” Well, one of my students came to class with this t-shirt (see Figure ​Figure1).1). Linda would have loved it!Open in a separate windowFigure 1“I Heart U(M).”When trying to decide what to speak about today, I tossed around many ideas. But I realized that I knew Linda most as a teacher. I found this poem that really captured so much of Linda as a teacher:

Teaching is a Lifelong Journey – Donna Bulgur¹To teach is to touch the lives of manyand to help us learn life''s lessons.But to teach well is to make a differencein all the lives you touch.

To teach is to be a parent, nurse, friend, and confidant;

to be a supporter, a leader, and a motivator.But to teach well is to be all of these things,yet not lose sight of who you are.You share a part of yourselfwith all whose livesyou have touched.

To teach is to be tender,loving, strong, and giving,to all who rely upon you;to encourage and praise.But to teach wellis to believe in whatand whom you teach.

A teacher comes to masterthese many jobs throughout the years.But those who teach wellrecognize that therewill always be moreto learn in life''s journey,and they never hesitateto strive to learn it.

“Friend, Supporter, Leader, Motivator; Believe in what and whom you teach; Always more to learn.” Linda was all of these things. She was one of those inspiring teachers who always strived for excellence. I was Linda''s Chair for 11 years. We''ve all heard of Linda''s good qualities, especially in this forum. Somehow, however, this quote seemed perfect:

“Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their personalities, but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes their faults seem insignificant.” (Charles A. Cerami)

As her Chair, I can tell you that Linda had a few faults. She was stubborn, impatient, demanding, and a perfectionist; but she was also dedicated, extremely loyal, caring, and fun-loving. She was a good friend. She was my friend. I felt that if Linda were here today, there are a few things she would expect me to say. I am going to focus on excellence; specifically, leadership and excellence in physical therapy education.I have chosen 3 main themes: (1) educators love to use stories, so I have a little story about friendship and my history with Linda to share with you; (2) the importance of leadership (and mentoring) in our profession; and (3) excellence in physical therapist professional programs –where we are now, and where we need to be. For me, all 3 are intertwined and inseparable, as you will soon see.In short, my goal is to enlighten and entertain, as well as to challenge you.     

The relative effects of university success courses and individualized interventions for students with learning disabilities

Little is known about the relative effects of post‐secondary learning services for students with learning disabilities. We compared outcomes for students with learning disabilities who selected to: (1) take an academic learning success course (course‐intervention), (2) have regular individual interventions (high‐intervention) or (3) use services only as needed (low‐intervention). Pre‐ and post‐test comparisons revealed improvements in academic self‐efficacy and academic resourcefulness for students in the course‐ and high‐intervention groups. The course‐intervention group also showed decreases in their failure attributions to bad luck and increases in their general repertoire of learned resourcefulness skills in comparison to the high‐intervention group and had significantly higher year‐end GPAs in comparison to the low‐intervention group. Here we find positive outcomes for students with learning disabilities taking a course that teaches post‐secondary learning and academic skills.     

The development of knowledge for teaching physical education in secondary schools over the course of a PGCE year

There has been a considerable amount of work on what knowledge student teachers need to develop to become effective teachers. The purpose of this study was to look at the development of knowledge of student physical education teachers in England. Six secondary student physical education teachers completed a journal on a monthly basis throughout their one‐year course. The student teachers and their mentors were interviewed in school towards the end of their course in June. Responses were analysed inductively. Results showed that knowledge important to develop, knowledge developed and knowledge which still needs to be developed at the end of the course was all related to content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge which they could apply in the immediate practical teaching situation. The results are discussed in relation to the development of student physical education teachers knowledge for teaching.     

Steps toward innovative childbirth education: selected strategies from the blueprint for action

To mark the 50th anniversary of Lamaze International, Childbirth Connection celebrates landmark accomplishments in education for childbearing women and families, and takes stock of the changing educational needs and preferences of current childbearing families in looking toward the future. Childbirth Connection's multi-year, multi-stakeholder Transforming Maternity Care initiative resulted in two landmark reports: 2020 Vision for a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System and Blueprint for Action: Steps Toward a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System. Selected recommendations of greatest relevance to the field of childbirth education are discussed, and the new Transforming Maternity Care Partnership is introduced.     

Retirement and learning: A longitudinal qualitative approach

This paper discusses retirement as a learning process, where learning, be it formal or informal, enables retirees to adjust to the transition from work to retirement. Such discussion is important given the fact that the world population is aging and that more people are retiring in the next few decades. Moreover, people are experiencing an increased length of retirement due to longer lifespan. Promoting the retirement experience as a productive learning process will bring huge social benefits to impact all involved, including the individual retirees themselves. Much early retirement research considered retirement as a monolithic event, which affects all retirees in similar ways, thereby justifying a cross-sectional approach to take a snapshot of the adjustment process. Such approach falls short of capturing the dynamic process that is characteristic of the retirement transition; and masks individual differences as retirees conceptualize, experience, and negotiate their own ways through the process of adaptation as it unfolds during the transition from work to retirement. This paper argues that in order to obtain in-depth understanding of the individual experiences in the retirement transition and to gain insight into the role of learning in the process, we need to use a qualitative, longitudinal approach to track and reflect the different patterns of change for retirees at different points in time. By examining the process of change and the retirement experiences of retirees using a longitudinal qualitative approach, we should be able to illustrate, how an individual learn to experience and adapt to retirement, so as to support the claim that the retirement process is unique and that learning is an integral part of that process.     

The Metabolic Cost of Two Ranges of Arm Position Height with and without Hand Weights during Low Impact Aerobic Dance

Abstract

To determine the energy cost of low impact aerobic dance while varying arm movement height and the use of hand weights, 10 adults volunteered to participate in four choreographed trials. All trials consisted of identical leg movements. Arm movements, however, were performed above shoulder level both with and without 0.9-kg hand weights and below shoulder level both with and without 0.9-kg hand weights. Open circuit spirometry was employed throughout the 10-min videotape guided trials, and heart rate was measured by telemetry. Neither the use of hand weights nor the change in arm position height significantly altered the energy cost of low impact aerobic dance. However, heart rate responses were significantly different. Caution should be observed by aerobics instructors and participants as to the use of heart rate as an indicator of intensity for low impact aerobic dance.