La semantique politique du jeu de couleurs merinide: pureté et clarté, blancheur et verdeur (xiiie–xve siècles)

This article highlights the establishment of political legitimacy of Marīnid Sultan authority (1265–1465) using their symbolic colours, white and green. In order to examine the significance of these colours, we use the available historical material so that we are able to interpret colour in the context of this legitimacy. We consider literature as presented in ?genres such as historiography, poetry and political and religious texts and demonstrated in the symbolic aspects of the new sultan's power within a ceremonial space. Marīnid scholars have studied such symbolic politics and have composed a ‘poetics of royalty’ – a metaphorical arrangement linking colours and emblems of royalty that are purified and regenerated. These are embodied in certain emblems: norias, water-clocks, white flags (or lanterns) indicating the hour of prayer and the sword of the caliphate as a shining light on the summit of the mosque in al-Qarawiyyīn. The arrangement of the colours has a political dimension developed by sultans and their scholars that demonstrates the legitimacy of a dynasty emerging from nowhere, heir to a missing imām, that of Idrissid, the founder of regenerated monarchy. Finally, the white colour of the Marīnids is a symbolic re-appropriation of the Almohad white. Tīnmal, ‘the one who belongs to the Whites, to the Pure’, also known as the White City (al-madīna al-bay?ā') – founded by the Marīnid sultans on what became the city of Fes.     

Skill-dependent proximal-to-distal sequence in team-handball throwing

The importance of proximal-to-distal sequencing in human performance throwing has been reported previously. However, a comprehensive comparison of the proximal-to-distal sequence in team-handball throwing in athletes with different training experience and competition is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the ball velocity and proximal-to-distal sequence in the team-handball standing throw with run-up of players of different skill (less experienced, experienced, and elite). Twenty-four male team-handball players (n = 8 for each group) performed five standing throws with run-up with maximal ball velocity and accuracy. Kinematics and ball trajectories were recorded with a Vicon motion capture system and joint movements were calculated. A specific proximal-to-distal sequence, where elbow flexion occurred before shoulder internal rotation, was found in all three groups. These results are in line with previous studies in team-handball. Furthermore, the results of the present study suggest that in the team-handball standing throw with run-up, increased playing experience is associated with an increase in ball velocity as well as a delayed start to trunk flexion.     

A Model for Using Triadic Supervision in Counselor Preparation Programs

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2001) has approved the use of triadic supervision as an alternative to individual supervision in clinical instruction. However, literature describing this mode of supervision is very limited. A model for triadic supervision is described, including presession planning, in‐session strategies, and administrative considerations and supervisee evaluation. An evaluation of the model from 2 recent studies is also discussed, and recommendations are provided for using triadic supervision in counselor preparation.     

A Quest for the Holy Grail in the New Millennium: In Search of a Unified Theory of Cognitive Development

Our reply emphasizes the benefits of cooperation between researchers in developing a comprehensive model of cognitive development that considers the constraints of human brain structures and the interplay of general laws of development and individual differences in developmental pathways within the context of social and cultural environments.     

Special education in France

ABSTRACT

The French special education system has been formed around two educational groups, according to the perception of the possibilities of schooling for disabled children and adolescents. One has been organized around learning difficulties, and concerns children and adolescents whose abnormality is produced by the school institution. The other was developed around re‐education, and the re‐education of disabled children refused admission by the schools. The 1970s witnessed the appearance of an indisputable official policy in favour of integration into schools, implemented through diverse and numerous private and public initiatives. This policy and these initiatives are being translated more and more clearly, in many respects, into reality, yet they come up against the prevailing ways of thinking on institutionalization of care and education of children said to be disabled. In particular, the persisting dichotomy between an educational approach which is focused on the management of learning difficulties in schools, and the education of children with disabilities rooted within a medical orientation, stressing ‘re‐education’ (the teaching of social skills to children) or ‘re‐adaptation’ (training of various sorts with the intention of improving employment prospects) continues to exert a strong influence on possible reforms.     

Setting Passing Scores on Passage-Based Tests: A Comparison of Traditional and Single-Passage Bookmark Methods

In this study, a variation of the bookmark standard setting procedure for passage-based tests is proposed in which separate ordered item booklets are created for the items associated with each passage. This variation is compared to the traditional bookmark procedure for a fifth-grade reading test. The results showed that the single-passage bookmark method produced greater consistency among the participants' cutscores, and most participants' bookmark placements did not change after the first round. In addition, participants reported greater understanding of the bookmarking task and greater confidence in their recommended cutscores. Both procedures required approximately the same amount of time to complete, but it is likely that the single-passage bookmark method could be carried out in two, or possibly even one, round of bookmarking rather than the three rounds used in traditional bookmarking. On the other hand, there are several concerns about the single-passage bookmark method that warrant further research. These include floor and ceiling effects, training issues, optimal booklet length, and multiple standards.