Professional learning communities: An analysis of teacher participation in a PLC and the relationship with student academic achievement

This study sought to compare teacher participation in a Professional Learning Community with the performance of their students. Student achievement data from multiple subject-alike groups were compared in a pre- and post-PLC format, using an independent, two-sample t-test. Overall, 10 PLCs from one high school in a suburban, Iowa setting were compared. Mean scores from the 3 research questions that guided this study found that (1) 7 of the 10 PLCs improved student learning after functioning as a PLC, (2) no consistent relationship existed between teacher participation in a PLC and student failure rates, and (3) no consistent correlation existed between the student learning results from effective PLCs (as measured by the Aylsworth PLC Survey) and those that did not meet the criteria of an effective PLC. Based on the findings of this study, implications for educational practice and suggestions for future research include (1) collaboratively setting the vision for PLCs, (2) researching and understanding the implementation and structures of PLCs, (3) providing appropriate resources and ongoing support for PLCs, and (4) developing supportive leadership for PLCs

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of Nager acrofacial dysostosis with unilateral upper limb involvement

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61218/1/2074_ftp.pd

Kantian Ethics and the Attention Economy

In this open access book, Timothy Aylsworth and Clinton Castro draw on the deep well of Kantian ethics to argue that we have moral duties, both to ourselves and to others, to protect our autonomy from the threat posed by the problematic use of technology. The problematic use of technologies like smartphones threatens our autonomy in a variety of ways, and critics have only begun to appreciate the vast scope of this problem. In the last decade, we have seen a flurry of books making “self-help” arguments about how we could live happier, more fulfilling lives if we were less addicted to our phones. But none of these authors see this issue as one involving a moral duty to protect our autonomy

Is there a Duty to Be a Digital Minimalist?

The harms associated with wireless mobile devices (e.g. smartphones) are well documented. They have been linked to anxiety, depression, diminished attention span, sleep disturbance, and decreased relationship satisfaction. Perhaps what is most worrying from a moral perspective, however, is the effect these devices can have on our autonomy. In this article, we argue that there is an obligation to foster and safeguard autonomy in ourselves, and we suggest that wireless mobile devices pose a serious threat to our capacity to fulfill this obligation. We defend the existence of an imperfect duty to be a ‘digital minimalist’. That is, we have a moral obligation to be intentional about how and to what extent we use these devices. The empirical findings already justify prudential reasons in favor of digital minimalism, but the moral duty is distinct from and independent of prudential considerations