The effectiveness and retention of teachers with prior career experience

As schools and districts seek to recruit teachers, individuals in non-teaching professions are an appealing possible pool. These potential teachers come with work experience and may have expertise that would serve them well in the classroom. While there has been substantial rhetoric assailing the virtues of teachers with prior professional experience, no research that we know of has assessed the effectiveness of these teachers in terms of student learning. This study uses data from New York City to assess the relative effectiveness and retention of career-switchers. It provides some evidence that these teachers are no more effective than other new teachers, and, in fact, they appear to be less effective at raising math scores of elementary and middle school students. There is little difference in overall transfer or leave rates between teachers with prior experience and other teachers, although career-switchers from college recommended programs do appear more likely to transfer schools.     

Cardiac vagal regulation and early peer status

A sample of 341 5 (1/2) -year-old children participating in an ongoing longitudinal study was the focus of a study on the relation between cardiac vagal regulation and peer status. To assess cardiac vagal regulation, resting measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA change (suppression) to 3 cognitively and emotionally challenging tasks were derived. Results indicated that vagal regulation was positively associated with peer status. In addition, mediational analyses revealed that the relation between vagal regulation and peer status was mediated through better social skills for girls and better social skills and fewer behavior problems for boys. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of vagal regulation in the facilitation of children's positive social behavior.     

Improving Museum Docents' Communication Skills

This article presents the results of a study evaluating a program to help museum docents improve accessibility for visitors with communication challenges (such as hearing, language and/or speech disorders). This was done by adapting docent presentations. The docents' speech patterns were evaluated before and after a training program, and showed significant improvements in the rate, duration, and use of pauses in their speech. There also was significant improvement in ensuring that view of their faces remained unobstructed—important for people with communication disorders—in order to facilitate the consistent visibility of their facial expressions and visual cues. The training was found to be effective in adjusting the docents' presentations so that the museum experience would be improved for visitors with communication challenges.     

South African Deaf education and the Deaf community

In a special section of the american Annals of the Deaf, Deaf education and the Deaf community in South Africa are discussed. The special section is organized into 7 segments: a historical overview to establish context, the educational context, educators and learners, postgraduate education and employment, perspectives of Deaf children and their parents, sport and the arts, and spiritual lives and mental health. Throughout the entire section, however, the central focus is on the overall foundation (or lack thereof) of education for Deaf learners in South Africa.     

Acute passive stretching in a previously fatigued muscle: Electrical and mechanical response during tetanic stimulation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of acute passive stretching on the electrical and mechanical response of a previously fatigued muscle. Eleven participants underwent maximal tetanic stimulations (50 Hz) of the medial gastrocnemius, before and after a fatiguing protocol and after a bout of passive stretching of the fatigued muscle. During contraction, surface electromyography (EMG), mechanomyography (MMG), and force were recorded. The following parameters were calculated: (1) the EMG root mean square (RMS), mean frequency, and fibre conduction velocity; (2) MMG peak-to-peak and RMS; (3) the peak force, contraction time, half-relaxation time, peak rate of force development (dF/dt) and its acceleration (d² F/dt ²). Fatigue reduced peak force by 18% (P < 0.05) and affected the other force, EMG, and MMG parameters. After stretching: (1) all EMG parameters recovered to pre-fatigue values; (2) MMG peak-to-peak remained depressed, while RMS recovered to pre-fatigue values; (3) the peak force, peak rate of force development and its acceleration were further reduced by 22, 18, and 51%, respectively, and half-relaxation time by 40% (P < 0.05). In conclusion, acute passive stretching, when applied to a previously fatigued muscle, further depresses the maximum force-generating capacity. Although stretching does not alter the electrical parameters of the fatigued muscle, it does affect the mechanical behaviour of the muscle–tendon unit.