A State of the Art of Self Help Groups in India

This paper considers the strategies of self help group for micro-enterprise development in rural areas. It seeks to answer the question of whether and under which conditions self help groups are an effective vehicle for organizing and representing local people in the development of community based micro-enterprises. Focusing particularly on examples from India in the context of food as a local resource, special attention is paid to success and failure factors of self help groups. While self help group strategies have been applied in the past as a blind replication of success models without considering the intricacies involved in group formation, success of self help groups is based on a thorough understanding of local conditions and possibilities to intervene

The 2008 Newsletter of the International Association of Labour Inspection

: The IALI newsletter reflects on the organization’s activities in 2008, which included involvement in a number of conferences and reports addressing workplace monitoring, forced labor and human trafficking, workplace stress, migrant workers, and health and safety issues. The newsletter gives a summary plan for the organizations 2009 goals

Evaluation of pre-service teachers' classroom management skills during teaching practice in rural communities

This study investigated the classroom management skills which are implemented by B.Ed. pre-service teachers to create and maintain an appropriate environment that is favourable for teaching and learning. It used a qualitative methodology. One of the universities in KwaZulu-Natal was used as a case study. Sixteen third-year B.Ed. pre-service teachers who were placed in uMkhanyakude District schools were purposively selected and observed during their teaching practice, and five subject mentors were interviewed to find out how they view student teachers’ capabilities of classroom management. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers were less confident about classroom management skills because they were struggling to manage their classrooms while the efforts by subject mentors had little impact on how classes are managed. For instance, they were not exposed to the established basic rules to reinforce the consequences of misbehaviour. This suggests that subject mentors have to step up the effort to close the gap as they are given the responsibility of mentoring pre-service teachers. They have to accompany pre-service teachers to classrooms and spend as much time as is necessary with them as part of confidence-building measures. Furthermore, the institutions in question have to upscale their classroom management programmes to ensure that pre-service teachers can cope with practical realities and dynamic conditions in the classroom to manage better during teaching practice

The Autism Toolbox : An Autism Resource for Scottish Schools

The Autism Toolbox will draw upon a range of practice experience, literature and research to offer guidance for authorities and schools providing for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Teaching Health Literacy in Conjunction with ESL

In the United States, many English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers who have limited English proficiency also have low levels of health literacy. The purpose of this project is to create a curriculum that ESL teachers can implement to improve the English language proficiency and the health literacy skills of adult ESL speakers with limited English proficiency residing in the United States. The curriculum is designed for teachers who work with ESL speakers who may be having trouble obtaining, processing, communicating, or managing health information due to language barriers

The Gambia\u27s Training Manual on Multi-Grade Teaching

This training guide—and its companion; The Gambia’s Handbook on Multi-Grade Teaching—went through a process of development that was uniquely participatory and highly interactive. It was developed under the leadership of project LIRE and the Technical Working Group in The Gambia (TWG). This manual was further enriched with inputs and contributions from education officials and teachers involved in the LIRE multi-grade program. TWG members were drawn from key stakeholders from within and outside the Ministry of Education. Members are seasoned curriculum developers and planners with years of experience in curriculum and materials development

Social Desire Paths: A New Theoretical Concept to Increase the Usability of Social Science Research in Society

Social scientists are well-trained to observe and chart social trends, but less experienced at presenting scientific findings in formats that can inform social change work. In this article, I propose a new theoretical concept that provides a mechanism by which social science research can be more effectively applied for proactive policy, organizational, and program development. The approach is to use the metaphor of “desire paths” from landscape architecture to show how social scientists can identify and analyze social desire paths that appear on the social structural landscape. Social desire paths usually emerge because existing formal structures do not meet individual or group needs. Such paths are generally started at the individual level, followed by others through individual actions, and ultimately leave an (usually informal) imprint on the social structure, even though the motivations behind those actions are not usually social change. Using what we know about the sociology of interests and what we have learned from trying to apply social science findings to policy, I propose seven criteria for phenomena to be defined as social desire paths. I then apply the criteria to two case studies related to housing, and discuss social desire paths usefulness to social scientists involved in any research that captures interests, deviance, or innovation; and that also has the potential to inform formal structures such as policy, organizations, program development, and participatory democracy

Effective Classroom Management on Overall Learning Outcomes

Education is a lifelong learning process and is constantly changing. Therefore, classroom management is a process as well. Due to the constant changes, educators must adapt to achieve successful academic outcomes. This research offers a better understanding of how classroom management impacts overall learning outcomes. Knowing what strategies prevent poor behavior and how to act on it when a situation arises is explored as well as how to keep student’s best interests in mind and meet students on their level through effective classroom management. When that happens, positive learning outcomes are achieved through the implementation of effective classroom management processes