The teaching profession in Europe : historical and sociological analysis

A possible effect of direct CP violation in D -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) decay on the gamma measurement from B-+/- -> DK +/-, D -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) Dalitz plot analysis is considered. Systematic uncertainty of gamma coming from the current limits on direct CP violation in D -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) is estimated, and a modified model-independent procedure of B-+/- -> DK +/-, D -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) Dalitz plot analysis is proposed that gives an unbiased gamma measurement even in presence of direct CP violation in charm decays. The technique is applicable to other threebody D decays such as D-0 -> (KSK+K-)-K-0, D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)pi(0), etc

The Promise at Hand

Based on a former RWJF vice president's seminar, gives an overview of the history and role of foundations in U.S. society, their uncertain status as social institutions, and their regulatory history. Urges foundations to see themselves as a public trust

Teaching Sociology within the Speech and Language Therapy Curriculum

In the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists suggests that sociology should be included within the speech and language therapy curriculum. However, in spite of this, sociology is seldom given priority. Although the role of sociology with the curricula of other professions has been discussed, the role of sociology within speech and language therapy has not. Given the contemporary climate of competence-based training, the position of subjects such as sociology is being compromised. This paper sets out three reasons in support of including sociology within speech and language therapy by drawing on the distinction between a ""personal education"" and a ""semantic conjunction"" model of the relationship between theory and professional practice. First, it is argued that sociology makes a valid contribution to an holistic approach to care–which is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of speech and language therapy practice. Second, this paper suggests that the inherent reflexivity within the discipline provides health professionals with an invaluable tool with which to engage in reflexive practice. Finally, it is argued that given the global emphasis on evidence-based practice, the study of sociology and sociological research methods equips therapists to interpret and conduct empirical research. This paper concludes by arguing that sociology should be viewed as an essential component of the speech and language therapy curriculum

Public sector performance auditing: Emergence, purpose and meaning

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extant Anglo-American literature on 'performance auditing for the public sector', in order to identify the socio-economic and political themes that influenced the emergence of public sector performance auditing. The paper also seeks to develop an understanding of the role and practice of performance auditing in the public sector. Common catalysts for change appear to rest in the influence of the local governmental senior auditor (e.g. Auditor General), the existence of public sector reform and changes in standardisation generally. The traditional role of the public sector auditor has undergone significant change over time. In particular, the scope of the public sector audit now exceeds the expectation that the auditor only check for regulatory and procedural compliance. It is now expected that the auditor enhance accountability in the management of public sector resources. The perceived objectives of performance auditing (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) emerge as a strong theme, one which seems to comply with these more modern expectations of performance

Ways of Saying, Ways of Seeing. Public Images of Teachers (19th-20th Centuries)

The article is organized into three main sections: In the first section, inspired by the work of Martin Jay, I try to show the denigration of vision in historical thinking, suggesting that images are demanding new theoretical and methodological approaches susceptible of elucidation in their own terms. In the second section, I attempt an analytical interpretation of a collection of public images of teachers, dating from the second half of the nineteenth century, in order to show the heuristic potential of this material in the historical treatment of educational matters. Finally in the third section, I outline some trends of historiographical renewal, giving attention to the way images can help to reshape the remembering-imagining and the space-time relationships in the History of Education field

Developing a poverty-aware pedagogy : from paradigm to reflexive practice in post-academic social work education

Social work scholars haveargued that poverty reminds us of the necessary commitmentto educate professional social workers in the development of poverty-aware practices. Being inspired by a conceptual framework thatcaptureshow poverty-awareness can be the subject of teaching in social work programs, this article offers a qualitative analysis of the reflections being made by a cohort of students about their learning process in a post-academiccourse. Five common themesare discussed: (1) from recognizing micro-aggressions to tackling macro-aggressions, (2) poverty is an instance of social injustice and requires collective indignation, (3) notions of commitment and solidarityare ambiguous, (4) poverty is an instance of social inequality rather than merely social exclusion, and (5) from being heroic agents tosocial change ‘from within’. Based on these findings, we raise thelessons learned for social work educators

The wicked and complex in education: developing a transdisciplinary perspective for policy formulation, implementation and professional practice

The concept of 'wicked issues', originally developed in the field of urban planning, has been taken up by design educators, architects and public health academics where the means for handling 'wicked issues' has been developed through 'reflective practice'. In the education of teachers, whilst reflective practice has been a significant feature of professional education, the problems to which this has been applied are principally 'tame' ones. In this paper, the authors argue that there has been a lack of crossover between two parallel literatures. The literature on 'wicked issues' does not fully recognise the difficulties with reflective practice and that in education which extols reflective practice, is not aware of the 'wicked' nature of the problems which confront teachers and schools. The paper argues for a fresh understanding of the underlying nature of problems in education so that more appropriate approaches can be devised for their resolution. This is particularly important at a time when the government in England is planning to make teaching a masters level profession, briefly defined by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) benchmark statement as 'Decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations'. The paper begins by locating the argument and analysis of 'wicked problems' within the nature of social complexity and chaos. The second part of the paper explores implications for those involved in policy formation, implementation and service provision. Given the range of stakeholders in education, the paper argues for a trans-disciplinary approach recognising the multiple perspectives and methodologies leading to the acquisition of reticulist skills and knowledge necessary to boundary cross. © 2009 Taylor & Francis