The RIX Wiki: the use of multimedia advocacy to support person-centred planning in a special needs secondary school – implications for current policy and practice

The article documents findings from a pilot study undertaken in 2012–2013 in a special needs secondary school in the England, that trialled the use of a multimedia advocacy tool, “The RIX Wiki”. The trial was part of the pathfinder programme, which aimed to reform existing Special Education Needs provision, from the system of statementing to one of developing education health care plans. The reforms became enshrined in the Children and Families Act (2014). The findings were overall positive and helped with person-centred planning processes. The discussion is framed within current and future policy directives. We argue that multimedia advocacy approaches and software tools, like the “RIX Wiki” will have a continued role to play in ensuring the needs, aspirations and choices of children and young people with learning disabilities remain central.     

RESEARCH SECTION: Examining the nature and perceived causes of indiscipline in Zimbabwean secondary schools

The problem of student indiscipline is an issue of concern for teachers and parents around the world. Teachers need to maintain student discipline and for them to do so it is important that they also understand the nature of discipline problems. This study, by Lawrence Kofi Ametepee, who is studying for a PhD in special education, Morgan Chitiyo, board certified behaviour analyst and Assistant Professor of Special Education, both at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA, and Susan Abu, who is currently a graduate student in the Department of Women's Studies at Texas Women's University, was designed to examine the nature and perceived causes of student indiscipline in Zimbabwean secondary schools. The authors anticipate that such an examination will promote teachers’, parents’ and policy makers’ understanding of student indiscipline, which will, in turn, enhance disciplinary policies and practices, making schools safer for all students and more effective in their role as educational and socialising agents.     

Metadata for STM journal publishers: a review of the current scene

This article provides an overview of those metadata schemes that are of most relevance to STM journal publishers. The current status of each scheme is discussed, and references given for detailed specifications.     

Instructor Use of Educational Streaming Video Resources

Although a substantial majority of academic libraries now provide streaming video, the literature contains few studies which focus on how such resources are used. This article presents the results of a qualitative research study consisting of in-depth interviews with 18 instructors who use of one category of streaming video resources, educational videos, which are important because they are sold a higher price than most individuals can afford, and thus are typically only available to instructors through the library. The study's main findings are that instructors think educational streaming video resources compare favorably to commercial and non-streaming alternatives in most respects and use them whenever possible, that the primary benefit of these resources is to facilitate better use of limited class time by enabling instructors to assign videos as outside-of-class viewing, and that the library is not the primary means instructors use to discover new educational streaming video resources. Additional insights are provided into factors that academic libraries should consider when deciding which resources to invest in, which acquisition models to pursue, and what marketing strategies to employ to ensure maximum usage.     

Update: The Invisible Farmer: securing Australian farm women’s history

This article reviews the Invisible Farmer project – the largest study of Australian women on the land – a third of the way through its three year funding period. It introduces the aims of this collaborative and multidisciplinary project, focusing on the role of records and oral histories in the creation of new narratives, and the task of raising public awareness of the important historical and contemporary contributions made by Australian women farmers. We examine the way digital platforms work to curate records and promote research, and outline the important role that the Australian Women’s Register, a core project of the Australian Women’s Archives Project, will play in achieving outcomes.