Reflections of scientific literacy team members related to use of reading strategies

The efficacy of reflection in improving teaching practices has long been recognized. Deconstructing reflective conversations provides a window into thinking; tracking changes in those conversations over time can reveal the level of understanding and levels of growth and development of those involved. This qualitative study analyzes the reflection of teachers participating in a six-week project, the goal of which was to improve reading instruction. It analyses the breadth, depth, and content of their weekly sessions and relates this to observed classroom practice. The sample for this pilot project was eleven teachers in two preparatory schools, one for boys and one for girls. Each team consisted of teachers in science, English, or scientific English from either the seventh or eighth grade level. Each week the groups were given a professional development session focused on some aspect of reading instruction, then collaboratively planned a lesson that one member of the team would teach the following week and that all members would observe. The focus of this study, however, is the collaborative reflection conducted at the first of the next week's session, in which the team members evaluated and critiqued the lesson. These conversations, paired with the classroom observations of the lesson they were critiquing, revealed what they did and did not understand from the professional development and what was and was not incorporated into practice. The sessions were recorded, transcribed, coded, and entered into frequency charts. This presentation, however, will focus on the qualitative analysis of the sessions - the meaning making - of the interactions of the participants and what these interactions revealed about their learning and teaching of the targeted outcomes. A better understanding of the nature of collaborative reflection can help teachers and teacher educators use reflection to improve the effectiveness of professional development.qscienc

The Iowa Homemaker vol.30, no.7

Thoughts for 1951, Nancy Voss, page 3 Rugs, Carol McCready, page 4 Stop That Cold, Pat Pumphrey, page 5 Use Your Sense When Choosing Scents, Harriet LaRue, page 6 What’s New, Jane Ann Steele, page 7 Family Relationships, Barbara Allen, page 8 “How To Lay a Nest Egg”, Janet Sutherland, page 10 Here’s An Idea, Carol Dee Legg, page 12 Magazines on the Shelf, Joyce Roos, page 14 Trends, Margaret Schaeffer, page 1

The Iowa Homemaker vol.30, no.2

Picnic Food, Marjorie Miller, page 3 This Is Iowa State, Margaret Schaeffer, page 4 Vicky Turns Tom-boy, Nancy Butler, page 6 She Lives Her Art, Gretchen Hall, page 7 What’s New, Jane Steele, page 8 Make It Your Home, Arline Hartel, page 10 Commencement Cues, Janet Sutherland, page 12 Cook’s Favorite at Kappa Sigma, Barbara Allen, page 14 Here’s An Idea, Carol Dee Legg, page 16 Information, Please, Doris Ann Cook, page 18 Extra Dollars For You, Janet Vana, page 2

A life in progress: motion and emotion in the autobiography of Robert M. La Follette

This article is a study of a La Follette’s Autobiography, the autobiography of the leading Wisconsin progressive Robert M. La Follette, which was published serially in 1911 and, in book form, in 1913. Rather than focusing, as have other historians, on which parts of La Follette’s account are accurate and can therefore be trusted, it explains instead why and how this major autobiography was conceived and written. The article shows that the autobiography was the product of a sustained, complex, and often fraught series of collaborations among La Follette’s family, friends, and political allies, and in the process illuminates the importance of affective ties as well as political ambition and commitment in bringing the project to fruition. In the world of progressive reform, it argues, personal and political experiences were inseparable

Speech Communication

Contains table of contents for Part IV, table of contents for Section 1 and reports on five research projects.Apple Computer, Inc.C.J. Lebel FellowshipNational Institutes of Health (Grant T32-NS07040)National Institutes of Health (Grant R01-NS04332)National Institutes of Health (Grant R01-NS21183)National Institutes of Health (Grant P01-NS23734)U.S. Navy / Naval Electronic Systems Command (Contract N00039-85-C-0254)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-82-K-0727

The potential to expand antiretroviral therapy by improving health facility efficiency: evidence from Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.

BACKGROUND: Since 2000, international funding for HIV has supported scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. However, such funding has stagnated for years, threatening the sustainability and reach of ART programs amid efforts to achieve universal treatment. Improving health system efficiencies, particularly at the facility level, is an increasingly critical avenue for extending limited resources for ART; nevertheless, the potential impact of increased facility efficiency on ART capacity remains largely unknown. Through the present study, we sought to quantify facility-level technical efficiency across countries, assess potential determinants of efficiency, and predict the potential for additional ART expansion. METHODS: Using nationally-representative facility datasets from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, and measures adjusting for structural quality, we estimated facility-level technical efficiency using an ensemble approach that combined restricted versions of Data Envelopment Analysis and Stochastic Distance Function. We then conducted a series of bivariate and multivariate regression analyses to evaluate possible determinants of higher or lower technical efficiency. Finally, we predicted the potential for ART expansion across efficiency improvement scenarios, estimating how many additional ART visits could be accommodated if facilities with low efficiency thresholds reached those levels of efficiency. RESULTS: In each country, national averages of efficiency fell below 50 % and facility-level efficiency markedly varied. Among facilities providing ART, average efficiency scores spanned from 50 % (95 % uncertainty interval (UI), 48-62 %) in Uganda to 59 % (95 % UI, 53-67 %) in Zambia. Of the facility determinants analyzed, few were consistently associated with higher or lower technical efficiency scores, suggesting that other factors may be more strongly related to facility-level efficiency. Based on observed facility resources and an efficiency improvement scenario where all facilities providing ART reached 80 % efficiency, we predicted a 33 % potential increase in ART visits in Kenya, 62 % in Uganda, and 33 % in Zambia. Given observed resources in facilities offering ART, we estimated that 459,000 new ART patients could be seen if facilities in these countries reached 80 % efficiency, equating to a 40 % increase in new patients. CONCLUSIONS: Health facilities in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia could notably expand ART services if the efficiency with which they operate increased. Improving how facility resources are used, and not simply increasing their quantity, has the potential to substantially elevate the impact of global health investments and reduce treatment gaps for people living with HIV

Speech Communication

Contains reports on five research projects.C.J. Lebel FellowshipNational Institutes of Health (Grant 5 T32 NSO7040)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS04332)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS21183)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 PO1-NS23734)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS 8418733)U.S. Navy - Naval Electronic Systems Command (Contract N00039-85-C-0254)U.S. Navy - Naval Electronic Systems Command (Contract N00039-85-C-0341)U.S. Navy - Naval Electronic Systems Command (Contract N00039-85-C-0290)National Institutes of Health (Grant RO1-NS21183), subcontract with Boston UniversityNational Institutes of Health (Grant 1 PO1-NS23734), subcontract with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmar

Physiological Correlates of Volunteering

We review research on physiological correlates of volunteering, a neglected but promising research field. Some of these correlates seem to be causal factors influencing volunteering. Volunteers tend to have better physical health, both self-reported and expert-assessed, better mental health, and perform better on cognitive tasks. Research thus far has rarely examined neurological, neurochemical, hormonal, and genetic correlates of volunteering to any significant extent, especially controlling for other factors as potential confounds. Evolutionary theory and behavioral genetic research suggest the importance of such physiological factors in humans. Basically, many aspects of social relationships and social activities have effects on health (e.g., Newman and Roberts 2013; Uchino 2004), as the widely used biopsychosocial (BPS) model suggests (Institute of Medicine 2001). Studies of formal volunteering (FV), charitable giving, and altruistic behavior suggest that physiological characteristics are related to volunteering, including specific genes (such as oxytocin receptor [OXTR] genes, Arginine vasopressin receptor [AVPR] genes, dopamine D4 receptor [DRD4] genes, and 5-HTTLPR). We recommend that future research on physiological factors be extended to non-Western populations, focusing specifically on volunteering, and differentiating between different forms and types of volunteering and civic participation