#6: no separation of mother and baby with unlimited opportunity for breastfeeding

In this position paper-one of six care practice papers published by Lamaze International and reprinted here with permission-the value of keeping mothers and their babies together from the moment of birth is discussed and presented as an evidenced-based practice that helps promote, protect, and support normal birth. The paper is written for childbearing women and their families. Babies held skin-to-skin with their mothers cry less often, breathe easier, and stay warmer than babies who are separated from their mothers. They also instinctively attach to the breast and begin breastfeeding, usually within one hour of birth. The advantages of rooming-in for mother and baby are also discussed. The accompanying commentary-written by two leading professionals in the field of maternity care and pediatrics-provides further evidence to support the practice of keeping mothers and their babies together after birth. Lamaze International encourages women to give birth in settings that do not separate mothers and babies after birth.     

Die Notwendigkeit Einer Anthropologisch-Ökologischen Dimension In Der Curriculum-Entwicklung

Zusammenfassung In pluralistischen Demokratien üben konkurrierende Wertsysteme, kurze Wahlperioden und wirtschaftliche Erfordernisse erheblichen Einfluss auf die Bildungspolitik und Forschungsstrategien im Bildungsbereich aus. Langfristige und Nebenwirkungen machen sich vor allem auf dem Gebiet der Kosten, wirtschaftlicher Input/output Verhältnisse und organisatorischer Probleme bemerkbar. Daher befindet sich das Bildungswesen meistens in einer ganz ähnlichen Gesamtsituation wie die Ökologie mit all den Folgen kurzfristiger ökonomischer und technischer Strategien auf die Umwelt. Ökologische Forschung und Politik konzentrieren sich fast ausschliesslich auf die technologischen Nebenwirkungen; weder die Ökologie noch die Pädagogik schenken der zunehmenden Schrumpfung der psycho-physischen Ressourcen des Menschen viel Beachtung. Folglich wird der Tatsache noch wenig Rechnung getragen, dass der Mensch sowohl Erzeuger als auch Produkt dieser gestörten Umwelt ist; dass die Krise der menschlichen Aussenwelt und die seiner Innenwelt miteinander verknüpft sind; und dass diese anthropologisch-ökologische Dimension ein Minimum an gemeinsamen erzieherischen Interessen in verschiedenen Wertsystemen gewährleisten könnte. Es muss eine pädagogische Überlebensethik entwickelt werden, die der Curriculum-Entwicklung eine neue Dimension hinzufügt, und neue Strategien müssen bereits bei der Früherziehung des Kindes eingesetzt werden.

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In pluralistic democracies competing value systems, short term election periods and economic demands influence educational policy and research strategies quite strongly. Long term effects and side effects are primarily perceived in terms of financial cost, economical input-output relations and organisational problems. The overall situation in education therefore tends to be similar to the environmental situation with all its ecological consequences because of short term economic and technical strategies. Ecological research and policy concentrate almost completely on technological side effects and neither ecology nor education really care for the growing limitation of psycho-biological resources of the human being. Consequently there is still little recognition of the fact that man is the producer of the obstructed ecology as well as a product of that environment; that the crisis of the outer and inner world of man are interrelated; that an anthropo-ecological dimension could guarantee a minimum of common educational concern in different value systems. An educational ethic for survival has to be developed, it has to add a new dimension to curriculum development, and such concern has to begin with new strategies in early childhood education.

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Résumé Dans les démocraties pluralistes, les systèmes de valeur en compétition, les périodes d'élections à court intervalle et les exigences économiques influencent assez fortement la politique de l'éducation et les stratégies de recherche. Les effets à long terme et les effets secondaires sont perçus essentiellement du point de vue des coûts financiers, des rapports économiques investissement-rendement et des problèmes d'organisation. La situation générale de l'éducation a, par conséquent, tendance à être similaire à la situation du milieu avec toutes ses conséquences écologiques, à cause de ses stratégies économiques et techniques à court terme. La recherche et la politique écologiques se concentrent presque complètement sur les effets secondaires technologiques et, ni l'écologie ni l'éducation se préoccupent vraiment de la limitation des ressources psycho-physiques croissante de l'être humain. Par conséquent, on reconnaît encore très peu le fait que l'homme est le producteur de l'écologie obstruée ainsi qu'un produit de ce milieu; que la crise du monde intérieur et extérieur de l'homme soient étroitement reliées; qu'une dimension anthropo-écologique puisse garantir un minimum de préoccupation commune en éducation dans les différents systèmes de valeur. Une éthique pédagogique afin de survivire doit être développée, elle doit ajouter une nouvelle dimension au développement du curriculum et, une telle préoccupation doit commencer avec les nouvelles stratégies dans l'éducation de l'enfance.

     

Developmental relationship between declarative metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension during secondary school

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Knowledge about one’s own cognitive processes is the basis for the monitoring and regulation of learning processes for effective reading...     

Beyond environmental education: The need for ecological awareness

Environmental education is frequently both inadequate and inefficient, as too little attention is paid to the outside influences of its cultural, scientific and political context. Since ecological problems cannot be solved only by scientific measurement, administrative action and technological compensation, ecological education is necessary to deal with the polluter in his ecological environment. It is inevitable that this type of education will combine natural and human dimensions, that is, that it will make people aware of interrelationships between biotopes and sociotopes, so that conflicts of goals between human and natural environmental demands become apparent and an evaluation of risks becomes possible.The discussion of these problems starts with references to these demands and to the interrelationship of environmental policy, public environmental awareness and environmental education. Against this background a preventive ecological education is postulated and compared with the existing curricula and teaching practice. From the differences didactic conclusions are drawn as to how the predispositions of the public, institutions and young people can be integrated into the establishment of the educational concept of ecological education. There is also a discussion of how the norms of such education will change with the actual interaction of the human and natural dimensions.

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Zusammenfassung Umwelterziehung ist vielfach unzulänglich und ineffektiv, weil sie die äußeren Einflüsse ihres kulturellen, wissenschaftlichen und politischen Kontextes zu wenig beachtet. Da ökologische Probleme aber nicht bewältigt werden können, wenn sie nur naturwissenschaftlich vermessen, administrativ geregelt und technologisch kompensiert werden, muß sich eine ökologische Erziehung auch mit dem Verursacher in seinem ökologischen Umfeld befassen. Zwangsläufig muß diese Erziehung natürliche und humane Dimensionen verbinden, d.h. Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Biotopen und Soziotopen bewußt machen, damit Zielkonflikte zwischen humanen und natürlichen Umweltansprüchen sichtbar und Risikoabschätzungen möglich werden.Die Diskussion dieser Problemlage beginnt mit Hinweisen auf diese Forderungen und die Verschränkung von Umweltpolitik, öffentlichem Umweltbewußtsein und Umwelterziehung. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird eine präventive ökologische Erziehung gefordert und mit der gegenwärtigen curicularen und unterrichtlichen Praxis verglichen. Aus den Divergenzen werden didaktische Folgerungen gezogen, wie das öffentliche, institutionelle und jugendliche Vorbewußtsein bei der Erstellung eines erziehungswissenschaftlichen Konzepts für eine ökologische Erziehung berücksichtigt werden kann. Weiterhin wird diskutiert, inwieweit die Normen einer solchen Erziehung sich durch das tatsächliche Wechselspiel der humanen und natürlichen Dimensionen verändern.

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Résumé L'éducation relative à l'environnement s'avère souvent inadéquate et inefficace, du fait que l'on prête trop peu d'attention aux influences extérieures de son contexte culturel, scientifique et politique. Puisque les problèmes écologiques ne peuvent être résolus uniquement par des mesures scientifiques, des actions administratives et des adaptations technologiques, une éducation écologique apparaît nécessaire pour traiter le problème du pollueur dans son environnement écologique. Ce type d'éducation réunira inévitablement des dimensions naturelles et humaines, c'est-à-dire, qu'il fera prendre conscience aux populations des relations mutuelles qui existent entre biotopes et sociotopes, de sorte que les différences majeures d'objectifs entre les exigences humaines et naturelles en matière d'environnement deviennent visibles et afin qu'une évaluation des risques soit possible.Le débat sur ces questions se réfère tout d'abord à ces exigences et à la relation mutuelle qui existe entre la politique écologique, la prise de conscience publique de l'environnement et l'éducation relative à l'environnement. En prévision de ce contexte, on pose le postulat d'une éducation écologique préventive que l'on compare aux curricula et à l'enseignement actuels. Les différences établies permettent de tirer des conclusions didactiques quant à la manière d'intégrer les prédispositions du public, des institutions et des jeunes gens dans la définition du concept éducatif d'éducation écologique. On s'interroge également sur la façon dont les normes d'une éducation de ce type vont évoluer sous l'effet de l'interaction même des dimensions humaines et naturelles.

     

Cross-Cultural Analysis of Social Competence and Behavior Problems in Preschoolers

A multi-national study using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Inventory (SCBE-30) was conducted to investigate preschool children's social and emotional development across cultures. A total of 4,640 children from eight participating countries, including Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States were evaluated by their preschool teachers. The main objective of the study was to validate the SCBE-30 in each country and build a cross-cultural data set for the investigation of universals, as well as cultural differences, in the development of preschool children's social competence and the frequency and type of their behavioral problems. Results provide a clear case for the structural equivalence of the SCBE-30 across all samples, for universals in the structure of early social behavior, and possibly some differences that may be attributed to culture. The pattern of gender differences found in North American samples was found to generalize across cultural contexts as preschool boys were universally reported to be significantly more aggressive and viewed as less socially competent than girls. Age differences were also found in all eight samples reflecting increasing competence in older children, however age trends in the prevalence of behavior problems were culture specific.     

Novel dissection of the central nervous system to bridge gross anatomy and neuroscience for an integrated medical curriculum

Medical schools in the United States continue to undergo curricular change, reorganization, and reformation as more schools transition to an integrated curriculum. Anatomy educators must find novel approaches to teach in a way that will bridge multiple disciplines. The cadaveric extraction of the central nervous system (CNS) provides an opportunity to bridge gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, and clinical neurology. In this dissection, the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, cauda equina, optic nerve/tract, and eyes are removed in one piece so that the entire CNS and its gateway to the periphery through the spinal roots can be appreciated. However, this dissection is rarely, if ever, performed likely due to time constraints, perceived difficulty, and lack of instructions. The goals of this project were (i) to provide a comprehensive, step‐by‐step guide for an en bloc CNS extraction and (ii) to determine effective strategies to implement this dissection/prosection within modern curricula. Optimal dissection methods were determined after comparison of various approaches/tools, which reduced dissection time from approximately 10 to 4 hours. The CNS prosections were piloted in small group sessions with two types of learners in two different settings: graduate students studied wet CNS prosections within the dissection laboratory and medical students used plastinated CNS prosections to review clinical neuroanatomy and solve lesion localization cases during their neurology clerkship. In both cases, the CNS was highly rated as a teaching tool and 98% recommended it for future students. Notably, 90% of medical students surveyed suggested that the CNS prosection be introduced prior to clinical rotations. Anat Sci Educ 11: 185–195. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Supporters of low literate adults

ABSTRACT

According to the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), a large proportion of adults in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have low literacy proficiency levels. There exist widespread stereotypes about adults who have difficulties with reading and writing, stereotypes which portray them as a socially isolated group with severe problems getting by in everyday situations that require reading and writing. Yet many people know adults who have difficulties with reading and writing (e.g. from their families, workplaces, or circles of friends or acquaintances) and support them in dealing with literacy-related tasks. To offer an additional perspective, this paper focuses on these literacy supporters. It draws on on qualitative and quantitative data gathered in 2013 and 2014 in Germany. The findings indicate that there are various types of support, from taking over tasks in informal learning settings or participation in reading and writing classes. This article discusses the results of this study in the wider context of literacy mediation, which is well established in international research but far less prominent in Germany.     

Developing the Curriculum for Pupils Experiencing Difficulties in Learning in Ordinary Schools: a systematic,comparative analysis

Abstract A comparative analysis of the process of curriculum development in a sample of 10 primary and 10 secondary schools is presented. Interview reports and school documentation were analysed through the construction and application of a set of grounded data categories. These categories were grouped into a model in order to represent the process of curriculum development. The analysis revealed differences between schools which were associated with the organisation of provision for children experiencing difficulties in learning. The interplay between the organisation of provision and the process of curriculum development is discussed.     

An Analogy‐Based Computer Tutor for Remediating Physics Misconceptions

We describe a computer tutor designed to help students understand physics concepts. The tutor uses a teaching strategy called “bridging analogies” that previous research has demonstrated to be successful in one‐on‐one tutoring. The strategy is designed to remedy misconceptions by appealing to existing correct intuitions, and extending these intuitions by encouraging analogical thinking. Students were videotaped while using the program and were encouraged to think aloud. The strategy was successful in changing beliefs for some students. We outline suggestions for improving the tutor using artificial intelligence technology.     

Science Teachers' Inspiration for Teaching Socio‐scientific Issues: Disconnection with reform efforts

The need for the inclusion of socio‐scientific issues (SSI) into science curricula has been generally accepted, but relatively few science teachers have incorporated SSI into their courses. Most science teachers feel that their most important task by far is to teach the principles of science, and any substantive pedagogical changes represent a burden. Reformers and researchers often point out science teachers' lukewarm reactions to the reforms as a major barrier for educational changes but pay little attention to teachers' deeper values and inspirations. However, there are some teachers who address SSI out of their own personal initiative. Detailed case studies of four such teachers showed that although the teachers were aware of Science, Technology, Society or other reform efforts, they developed their own thrust and materials for SSI based on their own values, ideals, philosophies and personal concerns. This suggests that the current curriculum reforms (Science, Technology, Society, SSI, and Nature of Science) tend to suggest theoretical ideals, but do not effectively connect with teachers' deeper values and ideals.