Teaching Aboriginal curriculum content in Australian high schools

Many misconceptions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stem from Australia’s period of colonisation in the 18th and 19th centuries when Indigenous people were believed to be inferior by European settlers. It is disturbing that after 200 years these negative ideas still exist and are often perpetuated through the mass media. Even though schools are well positioned to challenge these colonial values; unfortunately there are many factors which affect the depth and quality of teaching Aboriginal content, such as culture, history and contemporary issues. The government has aimed to disperse the inconsistencies associated with teaching Aboriginal perspectives by implementing a new Australian Curriculum with prescribed Aboriginal content. However, these changes will only have an impact if teachers are equipped and motivated to implement them. Therefore, understanding what influences teachers’ choice of content and approach to teaching Aboriginal Studies was a key aspect of this study. To explore these influences, non-Aboriginal teachers were interviewed at both government and independent schools. A desktop audit analysing the courses at Western Australian universities placed the participants’ responses into context of the pre-service and in-service learning available. An audit of the Australian Curriculum explored the expectations placed on teachers and the depth to which Aboriginal perspectives can be taught or avoided in secondary schools. This study identified four key issues that affected the teaching of Aboriginal curriculum content by non-Aboriginal teachers. These factors are: time management, school culture, teacher interest and preconceived ideas of both teachers and students. These issues must be addressed in order to improve the quality teaching of Aboriginal perspectives by standardising in-service learning and pre-service learning. Furthermore, improving cultural competency and acknowledging Aboriginal culture is critical at every school, regardless of the number of Aboriginal students. This study also revealed that the presence of an Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer could have a big impact in providing support, information and an Aboriginal presence at the school. Without these changes it will be difficult to disperse colonial values and challenge negative stereotype

DOES FISH DIET AFFECT CONSUMER DECISIONS? A NUTITIONAL AND SENSORY STUDY OF FARM-RAISED TROUT.

The focus of this study is twofold: 1) compare the nutritional value of farm-raised rainbow trout obtained from commercial sources, fed different diet regimens with that of wild-caught rainbow trout, and 2) conduct a sensory analysis test on both farm-raised and wild rainbow trout products with a consumer panel understanding their preferences and attitudes to fish consumption. The data from this study showed a higher PUFA content in fish raised on the Plant based diet. The sensory study results indicate a preference the fish raised on the Conventional diet. While these results are not conclusive because of the known variables, this study could be repeated with more standardization. Using a single producer with controlled rearing, handling, feeding, harvest and packaging practices would likely address the concerns noted in this study regarding fish age and production variables. Given that the results were close with the known differences it is likely that gap could be closed further demonstrating the ability to further reduce fishmeal and fish oil in conventional diets or add more algae oil to remove it completely. Being able to label a fish as more sustainably raised in the USA would increase its acceptance at market

Junior Recital, Sarah Douthwaite, violin

Junior RecitalSarah Douthwaite, violinMatthew Booth, pianoWells Hanley, pianoWednesday, April 17, 2019 at 10amRecital Hall / James W. Black Music Center1015 Grove Avenue / Richmond, Va

Comparison of respiratory health-related quality of life in patients with intractable breathlessness due to advanced cancer or advanced COPD.

OBJECTIVES: Breathlessness is common in patients with advanced cancer and almost universal in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but studies suggest their experiences of breathlessness vary. This report builds on these studies by providing quantitative evidence of differences in respiratory health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between these groups. Further, it explores the validity of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) in patients with cancer. METHODS: The CRQ-Original was completed within baseline interviews for a randomised controlled trial of a palliative intervention for intractable breathlessness due to advanced disease. Independent samples Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to identify significant differences in median scores for the four CRQ domains (mastery, dyspnoea, emotional function, fatigue) in patients with advanced COPD (n=73) or advanced cancer (n=67). The Minimally Clinically Important Difference of 0.5 was applied to determine clinical significance. RESULTS: Patients with advanced COPD scored lower across all four CRQ domains. This was statistically significant for dyspnoea, mastery and emotional function (p<0.05), and clinically significant for the latter two, suggesting poorer respiratory HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with breathlessness due to advanced COPD have worse respiratory HRQoL than those with advanced cancer. This may result from greater burden of breathlessness in COPD due to condition longevity, lesser burden of breathlessness in cancer due to its episodic nature, or variance in palliative referral thresholds by disease group. Our results suggest that greater access to palliative care is needed in advanced COPD, and that formal psychometric testing of the CRQ may be warranted in cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00678405.This paper presents independent research commissioned by the (NIHR under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0107-11134). The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. MF’s role in the Phase III RCT of CBIS was funded through a Macmillan Cancer Support post-doctoral fellowship.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the BMJ Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-00094

Association of Descriptors of Breathlessness With Diagnosis and Self-Reported Severity of Breathlessness in Patients With Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Cancer.

CONTEXT: Verbal descriptors are important in understanding patients' experience of breathlessness. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the association between selection of breathlessness descriptors, diagnosis, self-reported severity of breathlessness and self-reported distress due to breathlessness. METHODS: We studied 132 patients grouped according to their diagnosis of advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 69) or advanced cancer (n = 63), self-reported severity of breathlessness as mild breathlessness (Numerical Rating Scale [NRS] ≤ 3, n = 53), moderate breathlessness (4 ≤ NRS ≥ 6, n = 59) or severe breathlessness (NRS ≥ 7, n = 20), and distress due to breathlessness as mild distress (NRS ≤ 3, n = 31), moderate distress (4 ≤ NRS ≥ 6, n = 44), or severe distress (NRS ≥ 7, n = 57). Patients selected three breathlessness descriptors. The relationship between descriptors selected and patient groups was evaluated by cluster analysis. RESULTS: Different combinations of clusters were associated with each diagnostic group; the cluster chest tightness was associated with cancer patients. The association of clusters with patient groups differed depending on their severity of breathlessness and their distress due to breathlessness. The air hunger cluster was associated with patients with moderate or severe breathlessness, and the chest tightness cluster was associated with patients with mild breathlessness. The air hunger cluster was associated with patients with severe distress due to breathlessness. CONCLUSION: The relationship between clusters and diagnosis is not robust enough to use the descriptors to identify the primary cause of breathlessness. Further work exploring how use of breathlessness descriptors reflects the severity of breathlessness and distress due to breathlessness could enable the descriptors to evaluate patient status and target interventions.This paper presents independent research commissioned by the (NIHR under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0107-11134). The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. MF’s role in the Phase III RCT of CBIS was funded through a Macmillan Cancer Support Post-Doctoral Fellowship. The funders had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report or the decision to submit.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.01.01

Peer-mentors reflect on the benefits of mentoring: An autoethography

Many PhD candidates bring with them a wealth of knowledge and skills; however, these may not sufficiently prepare candidates to work with high autonomy on a project with often limited interaction with the wider research community. A peer-mentor program model, in which a mentor delivers dyadic and group support to higher degree by research students from different disciplines and backgrounds, has the potential to enhance candidates’ knowledge and skills. However, the mentors themselves can experience significant advantages, as peer-mentoring can also have a positive effect on the mentors’ research experience. In order to further understanding of the potential benefits of peer-mentoring for mentors, three researchers explore their experiences as peer-mentors through an autoethnographic framework. Through discussing their personal experiences as peer-mentors, the researchers identified a range of benefits for themselves. These benefits in-volved finding that peer- mentoring enhanced their own learning, fostered reflective practice, and provided current tertiary teaching and research support experience. Peer mentoring also gave them broad exposure to a breadth of disciplines, theories, and methods; provided project management insights; created opportunities for professional networking; supported their social needs; and gave them invaluable insight into other candidate/supervisor relationships. Their role in a peer-mentor model has shaped their experiences as PhD candidates and also informed their decisions after graduation

Using nvivo™ for literature reviews: The eight step pedagogy (N7+1)

While a literature review is a necessary milestone to be completed by all researchers in a timely and efficient manner, it is often one of the most difficult aspects of the research journey. Moreover, traditional approaches often leave novice researchers, to struggle with the conceptualisation of their literature review, now complicated by the overwhelming quantity of research available online. This paper presents a rationale the use of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS) programs for literature reviews. QDAS tools allow the researcher to explore large amounts of textual documents to see patterns. These programs are often overlooked by novice researchers due to their complexity and the lack of expertise provided to assist them. To combat this dilemma our paper outlines the N7+1 approach to using Nvivo11™ for literature reviews. Through this approach researchers can develop an “auditable footprint,” keep everything in one place, and go paperless

The power of role-modelling: White teacher educators normalising anti-racism and cultural reflexivity for white pre-service teachers

Every child has a right to feel culturally safe in schools, yet for countless Indigenous students this is not the case. Many White pre-service teachers in Australia enter initial teacher education with a limited understanding of racial identity, Indigenous knowledge or White anti-racism. This autoethnographic study applies Social Cognitive Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand the role of the White teacher educator in racial conscientisation of White pre-service teachers. We examine how White teacher confidence in enacting anti-racist behaviours builds when White teacher educators role-model the professional approaches which White teachers can use to teach about race and be culturally reflexive in K-12 classrooms. Such cultural reflexivity requires that White teachers acknowledge their positionality and make visible Indigenous cultural authority over course material. In doing so, this culturally reflexive approach provides an effective and authentic critical pedagogy for developing anti-racist conscience and practice amongst White educators

Fisheries catches for the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem since 1950

Marine fisheries catch data is presented on spatially allocated basis for the Exclusive Economic Zones of the member countries as well as the high seas for the period 1950-2008