Towards a more systematic approach to continuing professional development in vocational education and training

Vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers have a key role in ensuring that workers in business and industry are upskilled and up-to-date in a rapidly changing industrial, economic and technological environment. It follows that the VET practitioners should themselves keep up to date, not only with industry developments but also with the pedagogical skills needed to embrace technology and adapt to new sites for learning. However, in Australia and other Western nations, continuing professional development for VET practitioners has been spasmodic and not always well supported, in contrast to the ways it has been established and accepted in other professions. This paper examines the professional development approaches of some of those other professions and identifies the key features that might be adopted in any genuine attempt to develop a more purposeful and systematic provision of ongoing learning for teachers and trainers in VET. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations aimed at Australian VET practitioners in particular, but which might be applicable to VET in any developed country.     

Centering Marginalized Voices

Abstract

“Centering Marginalized Voices” is the second of nine Christian life rhythms explored in the upcoming book tentatively titled Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers (Chalice Press). Author Rev. Tyler Sit explains how his multiethnic, Millennial church plant in South Minneapolis (New City Church, https://GrowNewCity.church), follows Jesus in opposing racism and constructing a diverse community. Staying Awake is written to be lay-accessible and models how pastors can communicate core theological themes in the Gospel.     

信息安全的经济学(之一)

信息安全的经济学近来已经成为一门蓬勃发展的学科。由于分布式系统通常是由那些属于不同利益主体的计算机构成,我们发现在实现可靠性的过程中,激励机制变得和纯技术设计一样重要。这一学科领域不仅为那些传统的安全课题提供了参照,还为更广泛领域中的研究难题拓展了思路,诸如:P2P系统设计,程序员和测试员的最优比例,隐私为何不断被侵犯,以及数字版权管理中的相关问题等。本期和下期推荐剑桥大学计算机实验室的Ross Anderson和Tyler Moore在2006年10月27日《科学》杂志上刊发的《信息安全的经济学(The Economics of Information Security)》一文,介绍这一学科的研究和发展,以资借鉴。     

Young children's beliefs about the stability of traits: protective optimism?

Prior research has demonstrated individual differences in children's beliefs about the stability of traits, but this focus on individuals may have masked important developmental differences. In a series of four studies, younger children (5-6 years old, Ns = 53, 32, 16, and 16, respectively) were more optimistic in their beliefs about traits than were older children (7-10 years old, Ns = 60, 32, 16, and 16, respectively) and adults (Ns = 130, 100, 48, and 48, respectively). Younger children were more likely to believe that negative traits would change in an extreme positive direction over time (Study 1) and that they could control the expression of a trait (Study 3). This was true not only for psychological traits, but also for biological traits such as missing a finger and having poor eyesight. Young children also optimistically believed that extreme positive traits would be retained over development (Study 2). Study 4 extended these findings to groups, and showed that young children believed that a majority of people can have above average future outcomes. All age groups made clear distinctions between the malleability of biological and psychological traits, believing negative biological traits to be less malleable than negative psychological traits and less subject to a person's control. Hybrid traits (such as intelligence and body weight) fell midway between these two with respect to malleability. The sources of young children's optimism and implications of this optimism for age differences in the incidence of depression are discussed.     

Effect of Mouthguard Use on Metabolic and Cardiorespiratory Responses to Aerobic Exercise in Males

Purpose: This study investigated the physiological effects of wearing a mouthguard during submaximal treadmill exercise. Method: Twenty-four recreationally active males (M_age = 21.3 ± 2.4 years, M_height = 1.78 ± 0.06 m, M_weight = 81.9 ± 10.6 kg, M_{body mass index} = 25.8 ± 3.4 kg·m^?2) performed incremental, continuous exercise at 2, 4, 6, and 8 mph (3.2, 6.4, 9.7, 12.9 kph) for 5 min at each speed on a motor-driven treadmill on 2 separate occasions in a randomized, crossover, counterbalanced design while wearing or not wearing a self-adaptable “boil and bite” mouthguard. Respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (V_T), ventilation (V_E), oxygen consumption (VO₂), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and heart rate (HR) data were averaged during the last 60 s of each exercise stage; blood lactate (LA) was measured before exercise and 3 min and 10 min following exercise. Results: Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that mouthguard use failed to alter the response of RR, V_T, V_E, VO₂, RER, and HR to treadmill exercise (p > .05), although each variable did increase in magnitude as a result of increasing treadmill speed (p < .001). Although increasing to above resting values at both 3 min and 10 min (p < .001) after cessation of exercise, LA levels also displayed no differences with mouthguard use (p > .05). Conclusion: Despite predictable increases in respiratory, metabolic, and cardiovascular variables in response to incremental exercise, the presence of a mouthguard failed to affect the magnitude or nature of these physiological responses.     

Child pornography: perpetuating the sexual victimization of children

Children have been sexually exploited throughout recorded history. The invention of the camera and subsequent related technological advances (slides, movies, instant picture cameras and videotape) have provided new avenues for the exploitation of children by facilitating the distribution of pictorial representations of these children on a world-wide basis. A major use of commercial child pornography is to convince a potential child victim that the sexual acts desired by the adult offender are fun, exciting, can satisfy the child's curiosity and are a societally acceptable means of expressing affection. Commercial child pornography publications contain numerous pictures of children viewing child pornography, in some cases replicating the pose(s) depicted in the viewed material. Although many jurisdictions have now prohibited child pornography, the need for a world-wide ban continues, as the remaining producers distribute their material throughout the world.     

Do High-Quality Kindergarten and First-Grade Classrooms Mitigate Preschool Fadeout?

Prior research shows that short-term effects from preschool may disappear, but little research has considered which environmental conditions might sustain academic advantages from preschool into elementary school. Using secondary data from two preschool experiments, we investigate whether features of elementary schools, particularly advanced content and high-quality instruction in kindergarten and first grade, as well as professional supports to coordinate curricular instruction, reduce fadeout. Across both studies, our measures of instruction did not moderate fadeout. However, results indicated that targeted teacher professional supports substantially mitigated fadeout between kindergarten and first grade but that this was not mediated through classroom quality. Future research should investigate the specific mechanisms through which aligned preschool-elementary school curricular approaches can sustain the benefits of preschool programs for low-income children.     

NAEB research seminar for educational television and radio

To review the status of research in educational broadcasting, assess its adequacy in the light of contemporary requirements and propose a program of urgently needed research, 23 research specialists from organizations and institutions engaged in educational broadcasting participated in a five-day Seminar on Research in Educational Broadcasting. The Seminar was sponsored by the National Association of Educational Broadcasters with funds provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Management responsibility was handled by The Ohio State University, which also generously contributed the services of many members of its staff. The Seminar was held December 9–13, 1957, on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus. For the past few years, Dr. Tyler has been director of the annual Institute for Education by Radio and Television.