Data Handling in Primary Mathematics Schemes

The authors of this article are members of a subcommittee of the Mathematical Association's Teaching Committee. The subcommittee's brief is to prepare a pack of materials for primary school teachers to help them to teach Data Handling in the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2. This report is based on a review of existing mathematics schemes undertaken as part of the subcommittee's work.     

Direct and indirect measures of writing for nonlearning disabled and learning disabled college students

Direct and indirect measures were used to compare the written language abilities of three groups of college students: two with learning disabilities and one without learning disabilities. Main effects were found for group, but not gender. Differences between nonlearning disabled students (NLD) and those with learning disabilities (LD) in writing were evident on both types of measures. Performance by LD students with disabilities in an area other than writing differed depending on the type of measure and often was no different from either of the other two groups. The combined use of direct and indirect measures appeared most effective for examining the complexities of writing produced by all groups.     

Health information for patients: The hospital library's role

Libraries today, including most hospital-based patients' libraries, are involved only peripherally in providing patient health science information. Hospital libraries should collaborate with health professionals in getting health information to patients--along with the library's more traditional roles of providing recreational reading for patients and serving the informational needs of the physician and medical staff. The library should act as the center for educational materials and programs within the hospital. Many health agencies, health educators, physicians, and librarians have been discussing the need for patient health education, but there are few effectively organized or established education centers. This paper discusses an overview of patient health education and intellectural freedom, proposes a new role for the existing hospital library in patient health education, and suggests guidelines for establishing a patient education center.     

Paving Consensus: Enacting, Challenging, and Revising the Consensus Process in a Cohousing Community

This study focused on a cohousing community's use of consensus to make a decision about surfacing a parking area. It revealed that the community's use of consensus decision making allowed the residents to balance three goals: making an appropriate decision, meeting members' needs, and maintaining the community's well-being. Reaching agreement, however, was complicated by members' value differences and discontinuity in their participation. The analysis of this case reveals three qualities characteristic of the enactment of consensus: the role of structured communication within and between group meetings, a tension between maintaining process openness and reaching decision closure, and the expectation that group members will work within the consensus process. The analysis also highlights the importance of timing in the interpretation of conflict in a consensus-oriented group and the role of process change when a group reaches the limits of members' commitment to consensus.