What is really causing the obesity epidemic? A review of reviews in children and adults

Obesity prevention is a public health priority and intervention strategies have focused primarily on healthy eating and physical activity in children and adults. To date, no review has systematically compiled and synthesised the scientific evidence from published review articles to determine whether there is clear consensus on the causes of obesity. A systematic review of the literature was conducted searching PubMed/Medline for narrative and systematic review articles published between January 1990 and October 2014 that examined the causes of obesity. In total, 12 of 65 articles met the inclusion criteria; 7 reviews focused on adults (1 systematic, 6 narrative) and 5 reviews on children (2 systematic, 3 narrative). The most popular cause of obesity identified in reviews of adult studies was “combined physical activity and diet” (3 of 7 studies), whereas the most popular cause specified in reviews of child studies was deemed “inconclusive” (2 of 5 studies). While a number of reviews have examined the causes of obesity, the methodology and conclusions varied widely, and few were conducted systematically. Currently, no consensus exists across published literature reviews regarding the primary cause of the obesity epidemic, and more research, particularly prospective studies using state-of-the-art measures, is warranted.     

Early Childhood Education and Care for Children with Disabilities: Facilitating Inclusive Practice*

In this case study, a co-operative inquiry process was used to facilitate the expansion of inclusive early childhood education and care practices in a rural community in the Midwest. A university and a community researcher first engaged in interviews and site visits, during which they learned how a three-member inclusion team of early care and education professionals initiated changes in practice from self-contained to inclusive special education and therapy. Key practices included responding to families’ priorities, changing roles, and providing integrated services and support for children’s successful transitions into Kindergarten. The second part of the research consisted of action planning during focus groups and community meetings, which resulted in social recognition from the school district, technical assistance through state improvement grant funding, and better preschool options for young children with disabilities. *We gratefully acknowledge partial funding of this research by the Dean's Office at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and State Improvement Grant funding by the Department of Public Instruction.     

The effect of facilitative communication training on teacher response quality

Training designed to enhance facilitative communication between teachers and students is becoming an increasingly important element of teacher training programs. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of facilitative communication training on the quality of teacher response to various student problems and to the accompanying emotional states of anger, joy, or depression. The subjects consisted of 64 undergraduate teacher education majors who responded in writing to 15 audiotaped stimulus vignettes. A 5×3×2 repeated measures analysis of variance was used to measure the effects of problem situation, emotional state, and training on empathic understanding. The results indicated significant differences between trained and untrained groups, as well as differences in quality of response due to emotion, with joy eliciting greater empathy than depression or anger. Significant interactions among the variables also were obtained. Implications are discussed in terms of human relations training for teachers.     

“Drawing” your Own Conclusions: Sketchnoting as a Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Ecology

Innovative Higher Education - Sketchnoting is a design methodology that involves communicating concepts visually. This active learning tool has shown potential for influencing student learning but...     

Editorials

A Handbook of Public Speaking (Revised Edition). By John Dolman, Jr. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1934; pp. vii, 165; $1.

Legal Reasoning and Briefing. By Jesse Franklin Brumbaugh. Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill Co., 1917; pp. xvi, 775; $5.

Legal and Public Speaking. By Jesse Franklin Brumbaugh. Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill Co., 1932; pp. xiii, 1049; $5.

Winning Orations of the Interstate Oratorical Association, 1933 Edited by I. M. Cochran. New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 66; $1.

Modern Short Stories for Oral Interpretation. Edited by M. Pearl Lloyd and John Tryon Marshman. Boston: The Expression Company, 1933; pp. viii, 306.

Some Exercises in the Sounds of Speech. By C. C. Bell. Cambridge: at The University Press; New York: The Macmillan Company; 1933; pp. viii + 94; $1.25.

The Theatre on the Frontier. By William G. B. Carson. Chicago: the University of Chicago Press, 1932; pp. 361; $5.

The Year Book of College Oratory. Vol. V, 1933. Edited by Evan E. Anderson, New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 364; $2.

Poet's Gold. By David Ross. New York: The Macaulay Co., 1933; pp. 288; $2.

Intercollegiate Debates, Vol. XIV, Edited by Egbert Ray Nichols. New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 529; $2.

Habits: Their Making and Unmaking. By Knight Dunlap. New York: Liveright, Inc.; 1932; pp. 326.

Psychology Applied. By George W. Crane. Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 1932; pp. 586; $4.     

The Good,the Bad,and the Ugly of Pedagogy in Harry Potter: An Inquiry Into the Personal Practical Knowledge of Remus Lupin,Rubeus Hagrid,and Severus Snape

On the 20th anniversary of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, we examine the narratives of pedagogical practice of three teachers at “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”. By drawing on these characters’ stories of teaching as presented in Rowling’s novels, we foreground their personal practical knowledge and the relationship of this knowledge to their curriculum-making. We do this in order to highlight the importance of narrative perspective and context in the assessment and evaluation of teachers’ pedagogical practice.