A Joke is a Very Serious Thing: Using Humor in Library Instruction

This interactive presentation will describe the biology behind humor; when to use humor; and the importance of it in communicating information literacy to students, faculty, and EVERYONE. As facilitators of learning, librarians can use humor as a teaching tool to reduce library anxiety and to increase creative thinking. Participants will learn techniques and share methods in order to gain an understanding that humor is a skill that must be cultivated. “Wit punctures, humor pictures.

Funeral Practices in Ghana and the United States: A Cultural Comparison

Across the life course, culture is never more evident than at the end of life. Due to the great variability of end-of-life practices and observed customs across the world, it is important to understand cultural differences from a variety of perspectives. This study provides a comparative analysis of death and funeral practices in three cultures: (1) Akan culture in Ghana, West Africa; (2) African-Americans born in the U.S.; and (3) European Americans in the United States. Two frameworks are used: (1) the biopsychosocial, spiritual, cultural framework; and (2) a framework of independent/interdependent cultural values, to compare the three cultural groups in a qualitative exploratory study with 20 participants from each group. The purpose is to explore whether African-American end-of-life traditions are more similar to the majority culture’s (European American) customs in the United States or to customs still practiced in Ghana today. This study also considers how the findings might be used to enhance culturally sensitive services in the provision of end-of-life care. Findings suggest that, although African-Americans have lived in the United States for over a century, their culture retains aspects reflective of African culture and traditions related to end-of-life activities. This study offers unique findings that address issues of cultural humility, sensitivity, and competency. An understanding of these issues is crucial for anyone working in human services and for practitioners supporting dying and bereaved families

Leadership and Spirituality: Conceptualization, Definition and Future Directions in Higher Education

This conceptual paper addresses the increased need to better conceptualize and define leadership and spirituality in higher education. Over the past decade, empirical research related to spirituality and leadership has gained momentum and has attracted interest from scholars, worldwide. With the increasing diversity of cultures and beliefs, particularly in western societies, the academia\u27s acknowledgment of spirituality and leadership\u27s importance not only present potentialities but also to reveal challenges; since some researchers support a religion-based perspective of the concept, while others indicate that the concept goes beyond religiosity. Therefore, this systematic literature attempts to reconcile diverse viewpoints into a more cohesive conceptualization and definition in the higher education context

A prospective longitudinal study of perceived infant outcomes at 18-24 months: Neural and psychological correlates of parental thoughts and actions assessed during the first month postpartum

The first postpartum months constitute a critical period for parents to establish an emotional bond with their infants. Neural responses to infant-related stimuli have been associated with parental sensitivity. However, the associations among these neural responses, parenting, and later infant outcomes for mothers and fathers are unknown. In the current longitudinal study, we investigated the relationships between parental thoughts/actions and neural activation in mothers and fathers in the neonatal period with infant outcomes at the toddler stage. At the first month postpartum, mothers (n=21) and fathers (n=19) underwent a neuroimaging session during which they listened to their own and unfamiliar baby’s cry. Parenting-related thoughts/behaviors were assessed by interview twice at the first month and 3-4 months postpartum and infants’ socioemotional outcomes were reported by mothers and fathers at 18-24 months postpartum. In mothers, higher levels of anxious thoughts/actions about parenting at the first month postpartum, but not at 3-4 months postpartum, were associated with infant’s low socioemotional competencies at 18-24 months. Anxious thoughts/actions were also associated with heightened responses in the motor cortex and reduced responses in the substantia nigra to own infant cry sounds. On the other hand, in fathers, higher levels of positive perception of being a parent at the first month postpartum, but not at 3-4 months postpartum, were associated with higher infant socioemotional competencies at 18-24 months. Positive thoughts were associated with heightened responses in the auditory cortex and caudate to own infant cry sounds. The current study provides evidence that parental thoughts are related to concurrent neural responses to their infants at the first month postpartum as well as their infant’s future socioemotional outcome at 18-24 months. Parent differences suggest that anxious thoughts in mothers and positive thoughts in fathers may be the targets for parenting-focused interventions very early postpartum

Effects of patch-size on populations of intertidal limpets, Siphonaria spp., in a linear landscape

Organisms with different life-histories and abilities to disperse often utilise habitat patches in different ways. We investigated the influence of the size of patches of rock (separated by stretches of sand) on the density of pulmonate limpets (Siphonaria spp.) along 1500 km of the linear landscape of the South African coastline. We compared the influence of patch-size on two congeneric species with different modes of development, S. serrata a direct developer, and S. concinna a planktonic developer. We tested the spatial and temporal consistency of the effects of patch-size by sampling 7 independent regions spanning the distributional range of both species of limpets, and by sampling one region at monthly intervals for 1 year. Within each region or month, 4 small patches (60 m in length) were sampled. Across the entire geographic range and throughout the year, there were more of both species of limpets in large patches than in small patches. In most regions, there was greater variability in large patches than small patches. Variability within patches in a single region was similar throughout the year, with greater variability of both species in large than in small patches. We found little influence of the mode of development on the response of limpets to patch-size. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding patterns of distribution of species with respect to habitat heterogeneity in linear landscapes, and contradict the idea that organism mobility at an early ontogenetic stage directly affects habitat use

Reducing Judicial Stress through Reflective Practice

Stress and vicarious trauma are frequently discussed as a problem for frontline workers who do trauma work. When we say frontline workers, people often think of emergency medical professionals, law enforcement, child welfare caseworkers, therapists, and residential staff for mental health facilities or prisons. Rarely do people think of the often quiet and even-tempered people who wear robes and sit behind a bench for a living: judges. Our public perceptions of the judge are as a person of ultimate neutrality who dispenses justice. But in reality judges also experience not only stress, but also vicarious trauma

Schools as learning organizations: Relationships between professional learning communities and technology-enriched learning environments.

During the last decade there has been a significant increase in the availability of technology in schools; unfortunately, research indicates the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process has been minimal (Becker, 2001). Cuban (2001) reports professional development is as crucial for technology integration as access to the equipment. Effecting change in schools as learning organizations involves developing collaborative relationships and a shared vision of the desired results. Research has identified that professional learning communities provide teachers collaborative and supportive environments for on-going learning (Hord, 1997; Kruse, Louis, & Byrk, 1995). Professionally engaged teachers are more likely to integrate constructivist computer applications (Becker & Riel, 2000) and are more likely to be supported in the learning environment of a professional learning community.The findings of this study demonstrated a medium correlation between the characteristics of professional learning communities and the factors of technology integration. All five dimensions of professional learning communities exhibited significant positive relationships with six of the nine factors of technology integration. The dimension of peer review and feedback indicated significant positive relationships with four factors that influenced incorporating technology, including teachers' instructional use of technology, sharing best technology practices, students' use of technology, and positive beliefs towards technology use. Results illustrated the effect of combining professional learning communities and integrating technology to increase teachers' peer interactions. Relationships with the greatest correlation coefficients were between the technology integration factor of support teachers received for using technology and the five dimensions of professional learning communities, demonstrating effects of staff's interconnections on supportive conditions for technology integration. This study's findings provided valuable information for preparation programs and school leaders as they address the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process to impact student achievement.This quantitative study's purpose was to investigate the empirical relationship between professional learning communities and the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process. Data sources included two pre- and post-survey instruments for 218 teachers, cross-sectional survey instruments for 23 administrators, and grant documentation. These data were analyzed using correlational analysis to describe the nature of the relationships