Partners in Teacher Education : A Programme in Alberta

A persistent quest for improvement and change seems to be characteristic of Western education. New ways of thinking, doing and knowing occupy the time and energy of educators at all levels. Educators concerned with the pre service education of teachers plan and deliver programmes which vary from institution to institution. In Canada, some teacher education courses are school-based, some are traditional, some are developed from a school-university partnership model and some follow a discipline based degree. This article presents a descriptive account of the Teaching Partnership programme; a school based teacher education initiative implemented in September 1993 in Alberta, Canada. The rationale, intentions and origin of the project are discussed. Details of the programme format and structure including changes to the traditional roles and organisation of faculty, teachers and schools involved in the preparation of student teachers are explicated. Attention is also drawn to the place of the Teaching Partnership programme within the overall offering of the Faculty. Issues related to planning and implementation are highlighted and expectations of the programme revealed. Information for the paper was collected through interviews with the faculty participants in July 1993 and from planning documents

Building Leadership Capacity in Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers

Building leadership capacity within the early childhood profession has emerged as a key concern as the sector responds to national reforms. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion around the changes needed in tertiary training to build early childhood leadership capacity in school settings. Eight experienced early childhood teachers enrolled in a post graduate leadership unit participated in this small scale, exploratory study. Data were drawn from the participants’ research plans, reflective journals and a post unit survey. The findings indicated that the participants found it difficult to perceive themselves as leading families and community. Two key challenges emerged from the data; the importance of developing home/school partnerships and difficulties with infrastructure and support. In order to prepare teachers for the changing early childhood environment, teacher educators need to consider course renewal to acknowledge the changing landscape in early childhood school settings and make adjustments accordingly

Learning to Teach: What Do Pre-service Teachers Report.

Abstract: Taking a sociocultural approach to understanding the phenomenon of learning to teach, this study examined the extent to which seven pre-service teachers, in their final year of a Bachelor of Education course in a regional Australian university campus, identified personal, professional and contextual aspects as significant influences on learning to teach. By listening to the voices of the pre-service teachers, this study found three orientations towards learning to teach. While these orientations were specific to the pre-service teachers enrolled in one regional teacher education program, they do offer teacher educators some insight and advice into the phenomenon of learning to teach in contemporary times

Triad Role in Shaping Tanzanian Pre-service Teachers\u27 Experience of Teaching Practice

This study explores the role of the triad relationship in shaping pre-service teachers’ experience during teaching practice. The study is descriptive in nature employing a qualitative approach and data from a sample of five pre-service teachers, five college supervisors, five mentor teachers and three Heads of school. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that limited triad relationship, limited social and instructional support from mentor teachers and supervisors’ limited assessment and feedback provision, negatively impacted pre-service teachers’ learning during teaching practice. To achieve a functioning triad the paper suggests that it is important to equally engage supervisors, mentor teachers and Heads of school in formulating appropriate support practices for pre-service teachers. Such practice may include implementing a feedback process where all members of the triad come together

Association of anthropometric measures with kidney disease progression and mortality: a retrospective cohort study of pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients referred to a specialist renal service

Background: Although elevated body mass index (BMI) is a predictor of better clinical outcomes in dialysis patients, the evidence in pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) is conflicting. Clinical measures of central obesity may be better prognostic indicators, although investigation has been limited. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of anthropometric measures for kidney failure progression and mortality in stage 3-4 CKD. Methods: The study included newly referred stage 3-4 CKD patients at a single centre between 1/1/2008 and 31/12/2010. The associations between clinical measures of obesity (BMI, waist circumference [WC] and conicity index [ConI]) and time to a composite primary outcome of doubling of serum creatinine, commencement of renal replacement therapy or mortality were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox regression models. Results: Over a median follow-up period of 3.3 years, 229 (25.4 %) patients of a total population of 903 experienced the composite primary renal outcome. When compared to normal BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2, n = 174), the risk of the composite primary outcome was significantly lower in both the overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2, n = 293; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.50, 95 % CI 0.33-0.75) and obese class I/II groups (BMI 30-39.9 kg/m2, n = 288; HR 0.62, 95 % CI 0.41-0.93), but not in the obese class III group (BMI ≥40 kg/m2, n = 72; HR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.52-1.69). All-cause mortality was also lower in the overweight group (HR 0.50, 95 % CI 0.30-0.83). WC and ConI were not associated with either the composite primary outcome or mortality. Conclusion: BMI in the overweight range is associated with reduced risks of kidney disease progression and all-cause mortality in stage 3-4 CKD. WC and ConI were not independent predictors of these outcomes in this population

Estimating the prevalence of renal insufficiency in seniors requiring long-term care

Estimating the prevalence of renal insufficiency in seniors requiring long-term care.BackgroundRenal function declines with age, but little is known about the extent of renal insufficiency among the institutionalized elderly. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in a large sample of elderly adults living in long-term care facilities, and to compare two commonly used methods for estimating GFR.MethodsA total of 9931 residents aged 65years and older participated in a retrospective cross-sectional study of 87 long-term care facilities in Ontario. GFR was estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) equations. The prevalence of low GFR, using the Cockcroft-Gault equation (<30mL/min), was compared with the MDRD equation (<30mL/min/1.73m2).ResultsA total of 17.0% (95% CI 15.6 to 18.5) of men and 14.4% (95% CI 13.6 to 15.3) of women had a serum creatinine concentration above the laboratory reported upper reference limit of normal. The prevalence of both elevated serum creatinine and low GFR were observed to increase with age (P < 0.0001). The Cockcroft-Gault equation produced a consistently lower estimate of GFR than did the MDRD equation, a discrepancy most pronounced in the oldest residents. Among all men, a low GFR was more prevalent using the Cockcroft-Gault (10.3%, 95% CI 9.2 to 11.5) than MDRD (3.5%, 95% CI 2.8 to 4.2) equation, with a similar difference also seen in women (23.3%, 95% CI 22.4 to 24.3 versus 4.0%, 95% CI 3.6 to 4.5, respectively). Of all residents whose Cockcroft-Gault estimated GFR was under 30mL/min, 14.7% (95% CI 13.2 to 16.3) were found to have GFR greater than 60mL/min/1.73m2 according to the MDRD equation.ConclusionAge-associated renal impairment is common among elderly long-term care residents, but there exists a clear discrepancy between the Cockcroft-Gault and MDRD equations in predicting GFR. Consideration should be given to medication dose adjustment, based on a practical estimate of GFR. However clarification is needed about which method, if either, is most valid among the frail elderly. Complex patient and societal issues surrounding advanced care directives, treatments associated with renal insufficiency, and, if and when to initiate dialysis, require further attention

Leading at the Coal-face: The World as Experienced by Subject Coordinators in Australian Higher Education

This article is based on nationally funded research into the role, capabilities, challenges and professional development needs of subject coordinators in Australian higher education. The second of three data collection phases involved a multi-institutional survey of staff in the role of subject coordinator with the aim of understanding the role through the experiences of those who undertake it. In particular the conceptualization of this lowest level in academe as one of ‘leadership’, and as being the first rung on the academic leadership ladder, formed the underpinning logic for data collection. Results allow for a contemporary picture of leadership responsibilities to be drawn and also highlights some of the challenges which confront staff in this role. The vast majority of staff consider themselves as demonstrating leadership, although they have varying views about how others higher in the management hierarchy understand and appreciate their role. Most see themselves as performing effectively with the key challenges they face highlighted in the article. Outcomes suggest the need to undertake substantial capacity building of leadership for new and incumbent subject coordinators in response to the ever-changing nature of the higher education environment

Toll-like receptor gene variants and bacterial vaginosis among HIV-1 infected and uninfected African women.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal syndrome associated with altered microflora that increases the risk of preterm delivery and acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases. The cause of BV is unknown although toll-like receptors (TLRs), that are central to innate immune responses, may be important. We evaluated associations between TLR SNPs and BV among HIV-1 infected and uninfected African women. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between SNPs (N=99) in TLRs 2-4, 7-9 and BV (as classified by Nugent's criteria). Among HIV-1 uninfected women, TLR7 rs5743737 and TLR7 rs1634323 were associated with a decreased risk of BV, whereas TLR7 rs179012 was associated with an increased risk. TLR2 SNP rs3804099 was associated with a decreased risk of BV among HIV-1 infected women. Our findings indicate that there may be differences in TLR association with BV among HIV-1 infected and HIV-1 uninfected women

A Collaborative Digital Library for Children: A Descriptive Study of Children's Collaborative Behavior and Dialogue

Over the last three years, we have been developing a collaborative digital library interface where two children can collaborate using multiple mice on a single computer to access multimedia information concerning animals. This technology, called "SearchKids" leverages our lab's past work in co-present collaborative zoomable interfaces for young children. This paper describes the differences in children's collaborative behavior and dialogue when using two different software conditions to search for animals in the digital library. In this study, half the children had to "confirm" their collaborative activities (e.g., both children had to click on a given area to move to that area). The other half used an "independent" collaboration technique (e.g., just one mouse click allows the pair to move to that area). The participants in this study were 98 second and third grade children (ages 7-9 years old) from a suburban public elementary school in Prince George's County, Maryland. The children were randomly divided into two groups and paired with a classmate of the same gender. Each pair was asked to find as many items as possible from a list of 20 items given a limit of 20 minutes. Sessions were video taped and the first and last five minutes of each session were coded for discussion type and frequency. The results of our study showed distinct differences between groups in how children discussed their shared goals, collaborative tasks, and what outcomes they had in successfully finding multimedia information in the digital library. These findings suggest various ways educators might use and technologists might develop new collaborative technologies for learning. Keywords Children, Collaboration, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Digital Libraries, Educational Applications, Single Display Groupware (SDG), SearchKids, Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs) (UMIACS-TR-2002-46) (HCIL-TR-2002-07

An interdisciplinary knowledge translation intervention in long-term care: Study protocol for the vitamin D and osteoporosis study (ViDOS) pilot cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Knowledge translation (KT) research in long-term care (LTC) is still in its early stages. This protocol describes the evaluation of a multifaceted, interdisciplinary KT intervention aimed at integrating evidence-based osteoporosis and fracture prevention strategies into LTC care processes. METHODS AND DESIGN: The Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Study (ViDOS) is underway in 40 LTC homes (n = 19 intervention, n = 21 control) across Ontario, Canada. The primary objectives of this study are to assess the feasibility of delivering the KT intervention, and clinically, to increase the percent of LTC residents prescribed ≥800 IU of vitamin D daily. Eligibility criteria are LTC homes that are serviced by our partner pharmacy provider and have more than one prescribing physician. The target audience within each LTC home is the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), an interdisciplinary team who meets quarterly. The key elements of the intervention are three interactive educational sessions led by an expert opinion leader, action planning using a quality improvement cycle, audit and feedback reports, nominated internal champions, and reminders/point-of-care tools. Control homes do not receive any intervention, however both intervention and control homes received educational materials as part of the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy. Primary outcomes are feasibility measures (recruitment, retention, attendance at educational sessions, action plan items identified and initiated, internal champions identified, performance reports provided and reviewed), and vitamin D (≥800 IU/daily) prescribing at 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of residents prescribed calcium supplements and osteoporosis medications, and falls and fractures. Qualitative methods will examine the experience of the LTC team with the KT intervention. Homes are centrally randomized to intervention and control groups in blocks of variable size using a computer generated allocation sequence. Randomization is stratified by home size and profit/nonprofit status. Prescribing data retrieval and analysis are performed by blinded personnel. DISCUSSION: Our study will contribute to an improved understanding of the feasibility and acceptability of a multifaceted intervention aimed at translating knowledge to LTC practitioners. Lessons learned from this study will be valuable in guiding future research and understanding the complexities of translating knowledge in LTC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01398527