Theory in Practice: Creating a Space for the Creation of Self-knowledge as Developing Reflective Practitioners through Visual Representation and Narrative

The research aims to develop an understanding of the role of visual representations and narrative in enabling students’ critical reflection. The research builds on the following published works with a specific focus on how these and other factors informed the learning process:Appleby, K. (2010) Reflective Thinking, Reflective Practice. In: Reed M., & Canning N., eds. Reflective Practice in the Early Years. London, Sage Publications, pp. 7-23.; Appleby, K. and Hanson, K. (2015) Reflective Practice. In: Reed, M. and Walker, R. (eds); Bolton, G. (2010); Hanson, K. (2011;) Hanson, K. (2012). The presentation is underpinned by reflective practice theory specifically ‘Reflective Activism’ (Appleby, K and Hanson, K., 2014) and how this is realised within pedagogical approaches. The paradigm for this research is interpretative/ constructivist. The research uses a range of qualitative methods including a reflective pedagogical conversation with students and content analysis of student work, which includes expressive and exploratory writing,visual representations,storytelling. The data is analysed using triangulation within and between methods to identify themes. The data are drawn from the researchers’ own personal experience as reflective practitioners. Student representations used within the presentation have been granted appropriate consent. Exploring alternative forms of representation enhance students‘ ability to engage with the reflective process and engage in meaning making designed to improve practice. Workforce development within the wider Children and Families Workforce enables the development of reflective practitioners, curriculum development including learning and teaching content and approaches

A Proposition for Cultural Praxis in Disability Research: Seeking Socially-Just Agendas for Inclusive Physical Activity

Introduction: There have been increasing calls within the field of critical disability studies to move beyond an ethnocentric, Global North lens, especially when doing inclusive work in countries that have historically been oppressed by such cultures (e.g. Goodley, 2017; Meekosha, 2011). Global South and Postcolonial Disability Studies have advanced conversations and understandings of disability and how to do emancipatory research, but we argue these lenses are far too wide to do meaningful, socially-just research in specific countries. Instead, an approach focusing on more local, country specific cultures is required to truly anchor agendas of social justice within the unique contexts they are lived. We developed such an approach to craft a socially-just research agenda for inclusive PE in Japan Methods: We adopted a cultural praxis paradigm, did a scoping review of all English and Japanese language documents on inclusive PE in Japan, conducted a reflexive thematic analysis on the data set and applied analytical lenses of cultural and critical disability studies to create this socially-just agenda. Results: We learnt much from this process and will share our reflections, processes and lessons learned from developing this novel, pluralistic approach. Discussion: We hope this approach can be applied in countries across the world to create meaningful, inclusive change in culturally specific and sensitive ways to achieve cultural praxis and social justice. Conclusion: While we present our process in the context of Japan, we believe that such an approach can be used as a guide to support researchers seeking to do culturally specific and sensitive, socially just work in inclusive P

Differential Expression of Putative Floral Genes in Pharbitis nil Shoot Apices Cultured on Glucose Compared with Sucrose

If, following an inductive treatment of 2 d of continuous darkness, shoot apices of Pharbitis nil are cultured 1 d later on White’s medium supplemented with2%sucrose, they cannot form carpels, but they can if they are cultured on 2% glucose. It was hypothesized that the differential effect of these sugars was because of differential expression of carpel-specific genes. Partial cDNA homologues to the Arabidopsis genes, LEAFY (PnLFY), AGAMOUS (PnAG1/2), and CRABS CLAWS (PnCRC1/2)were cloned. PnLFY was expressed in the shoot apex 1 d following the start of induction and remained higher than in non-induced apices for a further 6 d before exhibiting a major peak of expressionon day 7. Peaks of expression of PnAG1 and PnAG2 spanned days 7–11, coinciding with the appearance of stamens and then carpels. The Pharbitis ‘PnCRC2’ showed greatest homology to Arabidopsis YABBY2 (PnYABBY). Its expression peaked on day 8 when the carpels first appeared. ‘PnCRC1’ showed greatest homology to Arabidopsis FILAMENTOUS (PnFIL). Its expression was approximately the same in inductive and non-inductive treatments. Apart from PnFIL these partial cDNAs could be used as markers to test the hypothesis concerning differential effects of sucrose and glucose. Cultured shoot apices from induced plants were sampled at weekly intervals. All four genes were expressed more strongly in the glucose compared with the sucrose treatment, most notably at day 17. A more intensive sampling (days 15–19) indicated that PnLFY and PnYABBY exhibited much higher expression on glucose compared with sucrose, most notably on days 15–16 and days 18–19

To What Extent do the Tactics Employed to Circumvent Rationing Compromise the Myth of the ‘People’s War’?

In popular mythology and much historical writing, until comparatively recently most accounts of rationing and consumption in the Second World War suggest that life on the British Home Front was one of equal sacrifice and the sharing of limited resources in what is often referred to as the ‘People’s War’. This thesis follows more recent historiography in challenging this orthodoxy and argues that in an ever-changing Home Front landscape, the idea of the Second World War as being a ‘People’s War’ is misconstrued. By drawing upon multiple and disparate sources including autobiography, memoirs, diaries, media, mass observation archives, memories and oral histories, it interrogates the impact of rationing on the everyday lives of different social classes and groups. By focussing on the shortages around clothes, fuel and household goods, it demonstrates that the lived experience of people and households during wartime differed significantly according to their social class. It suggests contrary to the messages in government propaganda and popular media, social divisions did not slip away, but for some became more entrenched. Those with financial and time resources coped with these areas of rationing by employing a variety of tactics to circumvent the worst of its privations, whilst still endeavouring to keep a semblance of class and self-identity. Alternatively, for those at the bottom of society, the ‘submerged tenth’, war meant very little change in their austere and precarious social circumstances

A Profile of Shots in the IBSA World Blind Football Championship 2010: Implications for Coaching

Association Football is one of the world’s most popular sports (Macbeth and Magee, 2006: Sport in Society, 9, 444-462), and the primary aim at the elite level is to win as many games as possible. Performance analysis is suggested to be a key tool in improving performance and many studies have been conducted in football in attempts to determine the most effective methods of goal scoring (Grant et al., 1999: Journal of Sports Sciences, 17, 826-827; Hughes and Franks, 2005: Journal of Sports Sciences, 23, 509-514). However, little, if any, similar research has been conducted in Disability Football, especially Blind Football. The purpose of the study was to analyse all shots attempted in the International Blind Sports Federations (IBSA) World Blind Football Championship 2010 in order to make recommendations for enhancing the coaching of shooting at individual and at international team levels. Media accreditation was obtained to film all twenty seven games of the tournament which were then analysed using SportsCode Elite Review software. Ethical approval was granted through Institute ethics procedures. Coding was informed by research supporting the segmentation of the pitch and goal into identifiable zones (Pollard and Reep, 1997: The Statistician, 46, 541- 550) so that shots could be categorised by outcome, location at the point of crossing the goalline, and location of the shot’s origin. Further analysis considered technique used in the shot’s execution, opposition location at the time of the shot, location of the striker’s guide behind the goal and the angle of approach prior to the shot. Nine hundred and sixty three shots were attempted during the twenty seven games with fifty one goals scored giving a conversion rate of only 5%. Preliminary data analysis would suggest that the majority of shots for each team (70-90%) were taken by an individual player. Final analyses should identify if there are any identifiable trends at the level of the individual, team and sport in relation to the most common shot characteristics. The data will be interpreted in order to make recommendations for coaching in Blind Football

Trade and Commerce in Cleobury Mortimer.

Report by Centre for Rural Research. Commissioned by Cleobury Mortimer Chamber of Trade

Experimental Collage - An Exhibition by Illustration & Animation 1st Year Students from the University of Worcester

In the spring of 2017 Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum very kindly loaned a number of their taxidermied animals to Worcester University’s Illustration and Animation Degree courses. The exhibits were used as inspiring subject matter during a series of 1st year drawing module sessions. Using paper they’d altered with paint, ink, graphite and charcoal the students explored collage and form with excellent results. The exhibition was curated by Stephen Fowler & Jaime Pard

Under-represented Groups and Use of Rights of Way in Worcestershire: Strategic Data for the Rights of Way Improvement Plan

Report by Centre for Rural Research. Commissioned by Worcestershire County Counci