Plazabilities for Art Education: Community as Participant, Collaborator & Curator

In the following article, a plaza metaphor and theories of plazability are applied to the recent work of three Other art educators to acknowledge, examine and articulate a refreshed vision for an art education based in community pedagogy which expands possibilities, builds community, and uses art to work for social change. Examples suggesting such achievements in creating plazability include work from a community artist backed by a visionary community arts foundation, a progressive cultural museum director and staff, and a contemporary artist each actively engaging the community in diverse ways. The innovative and community grounded practice and philosophies of these Other art educators suggest new possibilities for art teaching and learning through making a transfer to collective authority in the art classroom and call for the creation of new discursive spaces within art education practice

Primary and secondary teachers shaping the science curriculum : the influence of teacher knowledge

This thesis reports on how primary and secondary teachers' knowledge influenced the implementation of a Year 1-10 science syllabus which was introduced into Queensland in 1999. The study investigated how the teachers' knowledge of the primary and secondary teachers differed and how teachers' knowledge impacted on the implementation of the science curriculum. Teacher knowledge otherwise referred to as teacher beliefs and practices has been acknowledged as an influence in the implementation of curriculum. Yet, a considerable portion of curriculum evaluation has focused on measuring the successful implementation of the intended curriculum and not the enactment. As a result, few studies have investigated how the curriculum has been influenced by teacher knowledge or have compared primary and secondary teacher knowledge. Furthermore, in order to provide a seamless grade one to ten science syllabus it is necessary to compare primary and secondary teacher beliefs and practices to determine whether or not the beliefs and practices held by these two groups of teachers is similar or dissimilar and how these beliefs and practices in turn, impact on the implementation of a curriculum. The research adopted Eisner's (1991) methodology of educational criticism and used a comparative case study approach to investigate the teacher knowledge of four primary and three secondary teachers. Data were presented as a dialogue between three composite characters, a lower primary, a middle/upper primary and a secondary teacher. The results revealed that teachers utilised three sets of beliefs to shape the implementation of the science curriculum. These were categorised as expressed, entrenched and manifested beliefs. The primary and secondary teachers did possess similar sets of beliefs and knowledge bases but their strategies for implementation in some instances were different. Furthermore, these sets of beliefs and knowledge bases served as motivator or an inhibitor to teach science in the manner that they did. A theoretical model was developed to explain how these sets of beliefs influenced the curriculum. This study provides professional developers with a framework to observe teacher beliefs in action and thereby to assist in the facilitation of curriculum change

Behaviors That Eliminate Health Disparities for Racial and Ethnic Minorities: A Narrative Systematic Review

Within the health care provider-health care recipient relationship the communication must be culturally competent to eliminate barriers to equitable health care for all Americans. This assertion has conceptual grounding in Public Law 106-129 (the Health Care Research and Quality Act of 1999) and Public Law 106-525 (the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000). This narrative systematic review examines this assertion by using selection and exclusion criteria to gather interventions, assessments, and testimonies conducted from 2000-2007. Reports that were not eliminated via these criteria were analyzed to determine the effect of specific practices that were undertaken in interventions, assessments, and testimonies. Which practices does research propose as indispensable to efforts to eliminate health disparities for racial and ethnic minority health care recipients? Findings indicate that culturally competent behaviors by providers and recipients promote effective intercultural communication that eliminates health care disparities, and removes obstacles to care

The Neuroptera - Suborder Planipennia of Wisconsin Part III - Mantispidae, Ascalaphidae, Myrmeleontidae and Coniopterygidae

This part concludes the Neuroptera-Suborder Planipennia of Wisconsin. In Parts I and I1 (Throne 1971a, b) no keys to the species were included because satisfactory keys were readily available. However, keys are included in Part 111 either because satisfactory keys are not available or because simpler keys than those available prove adequate for the few Wisconsin species. Whenever possible I have used macroscopic structural characters. In order to separate two species of Coniopterygidae I found it necessary to use male genitalic characters. I have made free use of the keys of Dr. Martin Meinander (1972) in constructing the key for the genera and species of Wisconsin dustywings. With the exception of the Coniopterygidae which have been ably documented by Dr. Meinander, I am able to find but few recent distribution records for the species of the families here considered