In Search of the Expert Teacher: an analysis of the literature in relation to expertise in adult teaching,with reference to a similar work undertaken by nursing

Abstract

This paper, written from the perspective of a new teacher in nurse education, investigates and evaluates literature of androgogy, in general and with particular reference to nursing. The focus is on classroom teaching since one objective of the paper was to gain personal insight into enhancing teaching in this environment     

Do Provenance-Based Classification Schemes Have a Role in Libraries and Information Centres? The Case of Classifying Government Publications

Libraries and information centres use often multiple classification schemes for organizing their collections. In Canadian full depository libraries government publications can be organized in collections using a government publishing office's own notation, knowledge organization notation, or other notational scheme designed especially for government publications. Provenance-based schemes such as CODOC are attractive for their universality and for work-related purposes that may be influenced by financial challenges. However, libraries that use multiple notations for government publications may open the potential for intellectual disruption to information retrieval practices in either physical or virtual browsing.     

Citizenship through the Humanities

In this article David Lambert argues in support of the humanities in the secondary school curriculum and underlines the contribution that they can make to citizenship education. He emphasizes but does not restrict his arguments to geography and offers a wide view encompassing the humanities as a whole. He explores the links between the humanities, moral education and citizenship and argues against the citizenship-as-subject approach.     

In sickness and in need: the how and why of special consideration for students

This article reviews the practice of special consideration for students who have been unable to complete examinations or assignments due to temporary incapacity such as illness or bereavement. A literature review revealed no meaningful academic discussion on the place of such special consideration in higher education. A broad overview of the international situation is presented and the courses of action used in various institutions are identified. While it is a widely accepted practice that some form of special consideration is offered to students, there is no generally argued justification for it. The key argument offered in this article is that special consideration can be offered while still being fair and while maintaining academic rigour. The broad social values that can be used to justify special academic consideration are presented, as are the general conditions which must exist for special consideration to be justified and verified. The paper closes with a brief review of potential further research in this area.     

Prevalence and determinants of symptoms of common mental disorders in retired professional Rugby Union players

The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) (distress, anxiety/depression, sleeping disturbance, adverse nutrition behaviour, adverse alcohol behaviour and smoking) among retired professional Rugby Union players. The secondary aim was to explore the associations between stressors (life events, Rugby Union career dissatisfaction) and the health conditions under study. Therefore, cross-sectional analyses were conducted on baseline questionnaires from an ongoing prospective cohort study of retired professional Rugby Union players. An electronic questionnaire was established using validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of CMD and stressors. The electronic questionnaire was subsequently distributed to retired players by the national Rugby Union players’ associations in France, Ireland and South Africa. Among 295 retired professional Rugby Union players (mean age of 38 years), prevalence rates were 25% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 29% for sleeping disturbance, 62% for adverse nutrition behaviour, 15% for smoking and 24% for adverse alcohol behaviour. A higher number of life events were associated with distress (OR?=?1.2; 95% CI 1.1–1.4), anxiety/depression (OR?=?1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1), sleeping disturbance (OR?=?1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1) and adverse nutrition behaviour (OR?=?1.8; 95% CI 1.3–2.5). A higher level of dissatisfaction of the player's Rugby Union career was associated with distress (OR?=?0.9; 95% CI 0.8–1.0), sleeping disturbance (OR?=?0.9; 95% CI 0.9–1.0), smoking (OR?=?0.9; 95% CI 0.9–1.0) and adverse nutrition behaviour (OR?=?0.9; 95% CI 0.8–0.9). In conclusion, our study suggests that prevalence of symptoms of CMD is high among retired professional Rugby Union players, being associated with both a higher number of life events and a higher level of Rugby Union career dissatisfaction.     

Longitudinal associations of student–teacher relationships and behavioural and emotional strengths on academic achievement

Positive student–teacher relationships are related to students’ academic achievement and behavioural and emotional adjustment. How a student’s behavioural and emotional strengths are associated with these relationships and how the relationships influence students’ academic performance remains unknown. We examined this framework using a cross-lagged panel model with a group of Finnish students and their parents from Grade 5 to Grade 7. The results revealed that the parents rated behavioural and emotional strengths are stable over a 1-year (r = .78) and 2-year (r = .71) period and that students’ perceptions of student–teacher relationships demonstrated greater change over time (r’s = .54, .35). Behavioural and emotional strengths demonstrated a positive relationship with student–teacher relationships as well as academic achievement (β = .39, p < .01). Strengths were also indirectly associated with academic achievement via student–teacher relationships. Study limitations, implications and future research are discussed.     

Embodiment and becoming in secondary drama classrooms: the effects of neoliberal education cultures on performances of self and of drama texts

This article explores the effects of neoliberalism and performative educational cultures on secondary school drama classrooms. We consider the ways Deleuze and Guattari’s schizoanalysis and Butler’s concept of gender performance enable us to chart the embodied, relational, spatial and affective energies that inhabit the often neoliberal and heterosexually striated space of the drama classroom. These post-humanist analyses are useful methodological tools for mapping the complexities of student becomings in the space context of the secondary school. We also show how Foucault’s governmentality and Ball’s theory of competitive performativity are particularly salient in the context of immanent capitalism that shapes the desires of its subjects. These frameworks, when combined, can be useful in critiquing neoliberal educational assemblages and in indicating emerging deterritorializations and lines of flight in teachers and students.     

Supporting Kindergarten Teachers’ Mathematics Instruction and Student Achievement Through a Curriculum-Based Professional Development Program

This study investigates the impacts of a year-long professional development program on Kindergarten teachers’ beliefs and practices and the association of these changes with student achievement in mathematics measured by curriculum-based instruments. Although teacher content knowledge was not statistically significantly different before and after participation in the program, changes in teachers’ beliefs and practices were both noticed: a trend towards discovery/connectionist orientation and student-centered practices. Teachers’ gain scores on a measure of mathematics content knowledge was positively related to the linear growth rate of student achievement.     

The effect of the number of syllables on handwriting production

Four experiments examined whether motor programming in handwriting production can be modulated by the syllable structure of the word to be written. This study manipulated the number of syllables. The items, words and pseudo-words, had 2, 3 or 4 syllables. French adults copied them three times. We measured the latencies between the visual presentation and the first production (L1), the first and second production (L2), and the second and third production (L3). The results show an effect of the number of syllables in L1 for pseudo-words but not for words and on L2 and L3 for all the items (Experiments 1 and 2). Experiment 3 ruled out an interpretation of the latencies for pseudo-words in terms of reading time with a delayed copying task. Experiment 4 replicated the previous results and assessed the effect of varying the temporal interval between the second and third trials. The results of the four experiments confirm the role of the syllable in word writing. The number of syllables of a word modulates the time course of handwriting production.