The Crescent Student Newspaper, February 6, 2008

Student newspaper of George Fox University.https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/the_crescent/2310/thumbnail.jp

Wildlife all around us: A second grade guide to city wildlife education

This thesis provides opportunities for second grade students to explore, study, and apply critical thinking skills in reference to the local wildlife and current environmental issues

Who's Feeding the Kids Online? Digital food marketing to children in Ireland: Advertisers’ tactics, children’s exposure and parents’ awareness

Obesity in children and young people is a global health challenge. The widespread marketing of unhealthy foods (food and non-alcoholic drinks high in fat, sugar and salt, or HFSS) plays a causal role in unhealthy eating and obesity. Food and eating is typically presented as an issue of ‘choice’. However, this disregards the fact that current obesogenic environments use many tactics to promote unhealthy foods, interfering with people’s ability to make good choices. This study examined: 1. Content appealing to children and young people on websites of top food and drink retail brands in Ireland 2. Marketing techniques on Facebook: Pages of food brands that have the highest reach among young teens, the first such study of which we are aware 3. Parents’ awareness of digital food marketing to their children in an online, two-stage survey with digital marketing examples and open-ended response options

Wayfarersʼ tales : reflecting on the doctoral journey

This paper provides a temporal snapshot of two midterm PhD candidates as they both grapple with paradigms and methodology, research questions, external challenges within the research field, locating their voices as doctoral students, and maintaining energy and focus to continue their doctoral journey. These two candidates, one of whom is interstate, share the same supervisor and have come to know each other through telephone reading groups, email communications, and face-to-face meetings with their supervisor, and attending conferences and other collegial opportunities. The catalyst for this paper was a reading group discussion of a paper by Pirrie and Macleod (2010, p. 367) applying the descriptors of ʻjourneyman, wayfarer, fellow traveller or craftsmanʼ to the conceptualisation of the identities of researchers at temporal moments in the research process. We were also inspired by Kamler and Thomsonʼs (2001) paper where they respond to each otherʼs emails in a conversation formulating ideas and perspectives about ʻwriting upʼ research. Additionally, we have considered the work of Ryan, Amorim and Kusch (2010) and Lindsay, Kell, Ouellette and Westall (2010). We have linked their work on reflective learning to our experience of reflecting ʻaloudʼ in a supportive learning community and our subsequent individual reflexive learning. At the heart of our reflections is a relationship between supervisor (Jennifer) and doctoral candidates (Christine and Cheryl); the relationship is a fluid community of practice (Wenger, 1998). A community of practice that depends not so much on direction from the supervisor, but rather as a space where concepts and ideas can be spoken aloud in a safe, critical and supportive environment. Members are able to listen, both to themselves and to each other, before reflecting and finding their own way. At other times each juggles their own professional and personal identities as they become teacher, journeyman, fellow traveller and recalcitrant

Inclusive Research: Is the Road More or Less Well Travelled?

The purpose of this Special Issue on inclusive research is to capture internationally, “How far have we come?” and “Where do we need to go?” Such questions are relevant now that it has been close to two decades since Walmsley and Johnson (2003) first introduced the inclusive research paradigm in their text, Inclusive research with people with learning disabilities: past, present, and futures. Within this Special Issue we have reprinted 18 articles that promote inclusive research as a paradigm that has succeeded in transferring power to people with intellectual disabilities who were once the "researched" to now being and becoming the "researchers". The articles draw upon the work of co-researchers both with and without the lived experience of disability who have adopted inclusive research as a paradigm to redress the exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities as researchers. All the 18 articles have an eye on the future and are sequenced across the following themes: the individual impact of being and becoming an inclusive researcher; building inclusive research relationships as a duo; being part of an inclusive research network; and using inclusive research to push boundaries and facilitate issues of importance identified by people with disabilities. The reprint concludes with two articles where inclusive researchers of long standing reflect on how to continue to walk forward on the road that aided by this reprint will become more well-travelled

Professional consultation with pupils through teaching about learning :educational psychologists working with pupils to explore their understanding of themselves as learners as they move from primary to secondary school

DEd Psych ThesisAccessing and presenting the views of children and young people is considered one of the key roles of educational psychologists, however professional experience and a wide range of research has suggested the general absence of the pupil voice within education (Fielding, 2001). Critical examination of the way in which pupils and learning are constructed within education highlighted how current preferred constructions place pupils in a passive role and how this inhibits active pupil participation and therefore genuine professional consultation. This research set out to examine whether the use of teaching might be an effective way for educational psychologists to genuinely consult with pupils about their understanding of their own learning and their experience of school. Building on previous work which explored a number of different models of pupil participation, I selected teaching as a different way of consulting with pupils as teaching is a way of both drawing on and embedding professional consultation within everyday classroom practice. The process, based on an action research method, was to consult with pupils about their understanding of learning in their last year at primary school and at the time of the transition between primary and secondary school. I worked with three year 6 classes in three primary schools and followed them through to their secondary school during their first term in year 7. As a way of undertaking a dialogue about learning in school, I offered the pupils psychological information about a range of learning strategies, which they could consider and develop for themselves over a series of four sessions within the spring and summer term at primary school. I revisited the pupils' understandings of these learning strategies,their own learning and their experience of moving from primary to secondary school through three focus group sessions with the pupils in their first term at secondary school. The analysis of the research material arising from the work with pupils focused on the pupils' own words or records as a way of making their voice more audible. This analysis, using grounded theory, led to a number of emerging theories about pupils' understanding of their learning within school and their experience of transition between primary and secondary school. These theories suggested that the pupils were unused to any active consideration of learning and that their overriding view of school was one of resignation to `schoolwork'. The most important feature of school for the pupils was that of relationships and networks of support. I examined whether teaching was a useful process for professional consultation with pupils in relation to previously considered models of pupil participation. In so doing I suggested there is a mismatch between models of pupil participation and the reality of pupils' everyday experience of learning in school. I suggested, from the research, that pupils were afforded little opportunity to actively participate within school. I drew on activity theory (Engestrom, 1999) as a useful framework for analysing these mismatches. This framework suggested that the predominant construction was of pupils as passive recipients of learning and that the focus on learning outcomes actively inhibited the development of pupil participation. As educational psychologists, we were caught in these constructions. I went on to suggest that much of the psychological theory and models of practice, both professionally and research based, upon which educational psychologists draw or are expected to draw, could be seen as similarly limiting pupil participation. In conclusion I considered the implications of this research for the professional practice of educational psychologists in developing effective ways of genuinely consulting with children and young people. I suggested that educational psychologists needed to bring their own constructions of pupils and learning to the forefront of their practice. I proposed a model for professional consultation with pupils. This model of pupil participation and pupil empowerment is based on `activity theory' and suggests that genuine professional consultation with pupils requires an examination of how pupils and learning are constructed within the educational setting alongside consideration of appropriate tools and techniques of consultation. These tools and techniques might usefully include teaching, providing this was coupled with a careful consideration of the subsystems influencing pupil participation

Silent and Accessible Theatre

Silent and Deaf accessible theatre challenges the stereotypes many people have of theatre and introduces audiences to new perceptions of the artform. When it comes to theatre, one often thinks of long, multi-act plays with lots of spoken dialogue. While this is the most common style of theatrical performance, there is more to theatre than staged language. When deciding my project’s concept this past year, I brainstormed many different ways to include all areas of my studies here at BGSU including theatre, dance, and American Sign Language (ASL). I am very passionate about these aspects and wanted my project to reflect that. After doing some broad research and conversing with honors theatre alumni, I came up with the idea to direct a silent play. I define silent plays as plays without spoken or unspoken (i.e. signed) dialogue, music, or any sound at all. By directing a completely silent play, my project would be theatrical and movement based (reflecting elements of dance) while also being accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. I took this idea of silent theatre and let that propel my research