Technology Solutions for Developmental Math: An Overview of Current and Emerging Practices

Reviews current practices in and strategies for incorporating innovative technology into the teaching of remedial math at the college level. Outlines challenges, emerging trends, and ways to combine technology with new concepts of instructional strategy

Oral History Interview: Elaine Baker

This interview is one of a series conducted concerning the history of Marshall University. In this short interview, Dr. Elaine Baker addresses the political and social atmosphere at Marshall University. She describes the changes that she has seen occur since she began teaching at the university in 1972, and discusses her involvement in various faculty committees, including the Institutional Board of Advisors.https://mds.marshall.edu/oral_history/1261/thumbnail.jp

A Parent\u27s Guide to Assisting Learning Disabled Children at Home

Our schools are overcrowded, teachers are spread too thin, and often children with learning disabilities are left alone to get by in school (Rosner, 1993). Many of them end up falling through the cracks in the floor by middle school. Learning disabilities are not manifest in physical ways necessarily and many times go unnoticed and/or untreated (Bloom, 1996). This can be very damaging to a child both in an academic sense and in an affective sense. Self-esteem is lowered and sometimes continued failure in one scholastic area can mean failure in other areas such as reading which in tum affects how a student performs in social studies or even math (Bartoli, 1998). Sometimes a child has a learning disability in more than one academic subject. Constant failure or falling behind can result in a no care attitude as well (Finlan, 1994)

Reviews

Martin Oliver (ed.), Innovation in the Evaluation of Learning Technology, London: University of North London, 1998. ISBN: 1–85377–256–9. Softback, 242 pages, £15.00

An internship in Whitbourne Central High School to assist in reading program development : grade eight

The principal and teachers of Whitbourne Central High School had requested that two graduate students in reading do their internship in the high school. The internship was concerned with improving the reading abilities of the students. For this intern, work was specifically oriented toward the grade eight students and teachers in order to improve the reading ability of these students. -- Little was known, at first, other than these students had reading problems. Before setting specific objectives for the internship, this situation was further assessed in order to gain information about the students, their problems, and the present reading program. From using various sources of information, such as a formal reading test, interest inventory, and observation of the community and school resources, the problem was further identified. -- Most of the grade eight students were reading below the appropriate grade level, had little reading material available to them, and had a negative attitude toward reading. There was no organized reading program in the school, and the teachers had little knowledge of reading, the basic skills in reading, or the reading and study skills related to the content areas. Selected as objectives for the internship were the promotion of recreational reading, the improvement of the students' vocabulary and comprehension skills, the improvement of reading instruction in the content areas, the encouragement of the planning of an organized reading program, and the provision of inservice education in reading to the principal and teachers. -- These objectives were implemented through such means as classroom demonstrations of lessons or skill activities, formal and informal meetings, written resource materials, and the placement of reading materials in the classroom appropriate to the reading levels of the students. -- Very little planning of an organized reading program was done for the following year. However, the principal and teachers expressed their intention to begin this planning in September, as they felt that now, as a result of the internship, they knew more about reading and their students

Federal Public Health Official Role in Improving Cosmetic Safety

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reports that the Federal government has documented over 10,500 ingredients in cosmetic products (e.g., skin moisturizers, shampoos, perfumes, eye and facial makeup preparations, toothpastes, deodorants, etc.), yet only a small percentage of those chemicals have been tested for safety. Some of the tested chemicals have been identified as causes of cancer, birth defects, and damage to one's ability to reproduce (EHP, 2006, p. 5). The Environmental Work Group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and similar non-profit coalitions have campaigned for consumer protection against the dangerous chemicals found in cosmetics. These organizations conduct research and/or advocate for safe products, and inform the general public of the possible harmful effects of chemicals. They seek local, state and national support from corporations, federal regulatory agencies and the legislative bodies of government to implement changes that would require manufacturers to disclose chemicals used in cosmetic products, use safe alternative ingredients, and to reduce the overall exposure of harmful chemicals to consumers. Research studies have found harmful chemicals in the blood, urine and breast tumor tissue of study participants, but the research has not produced conclusive evidence (1) of the source of the chemicals; (2) that the bioaccumulation of the chemicals has caused or will cause short-term or long-term harmful effects; or (3) that the chemicals directly cause cancer, birth defects, and other adverse health effects. The inconclusiveness of the research has led to ongoing controversy surrounding the safety of cosmetics. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) has oversight authority for cosmetic safety, yet its current legal authority is narrow and does not provide the oversight needed to mitigate the continual uncertainty related to cosmetic safety. FDA has no pre-market authority for cosmetic products, ingredients or labeling, with the exception of color additives. They assert that authorizing additional oversight would require legislative changes as well as additional fiscal and other resources. This paper argues the need for increased oversight and enforcement authority for the FDA, through statutory and regulatory changes, to ensure that cosmetics and personal care products are safe before they reach the shelves of wholesale and retail distributors. FDA must increase research efforts to determine the extent to which the ingredients in cosmetics contribute to adverse health effects. A literature review revealed that the FDA has no authority to require manufacturers to report ingredients used in cosmetic products. This serious limitation of FDA's oversight authority adds to the current debate and controversy surrounding three particular ingredients: phthalates, parabens and polycylic musks. The concerns surrounding these three chemicals and others is so great, that two states, California and Washington have adopted legislation that provides their legislatures broader oversight authority as a means to improve safety of cosmetics and personal care products for their citizens.Master of Public Healt

Acceleration Through a Holistic Support Model: An Implementation and Outcomes Analysis of FastStart@CCD

Originally designed for students who test into at least two levels of developmental education in a particular subject area, FastStart is a compressed course program model launched in 2005 at the Community College of Denver (CCD). The program combines multiple semester-length courses into a single intensive semester, while providing case management, career exploration, and educational planning services. This report discusses the development of FastStart, its program features, and student perspectives, and it presents findings from a quantitative analysis of the FastStart math program. The authors find that participation is associated with higher rates of enrolling in and passing college-level math courses but not with increased persistence or with increased accumulation of college-level credits. The analysis suggests that FastStart makes it possible for students to complete the developmental math sequence and required gatekeeper math course more quickly than would otherwise be possible, without harming other long-term academic outcomes. The report also analyzes pedagogical features of FastStart drawn from classroom observations and interviews