Torah in Servant-form: Torah, Servant, and Disciples in the Book of Isaiah

This dissertation examines the concept of torah in final-Isaiah (FI) towards a construal of the intentio operis, understood as the model author’s aim to produce model readers who are servant-disciples (Isa 54:13, 17). It develops with attention to the contribution of Marvin A. Sweeney, and asks whether the prophetic book subserves Ezra’s reforms or has a separate program for the restoration and reform of Judah and Jerusalem. To surmise the intentio operis, linguistic, literary, and rhetorical approaches are used as appropriate to a holistic theological reading of the received text. Research focuses on passages where the term hrwt appears; its range of meaning is assessed within the broader lexical and conceptual framework of FI, and associated terms, concepts, and images are handled within properly defined units as parts within the larger whole. The investigation observes profound intra-textual connections signaling a bond between prophet and disciples, and a solidarity connecting the servant, herald, and servants, concluding that the conception and use of hrwt in FI is inextricably bound to servant-discipleship and the correlative theme of righteous-suffering. Though hrwt never has a technically precise sense in FI, it has legal, didactic, and sapiential connotations (analogous to the deuteronomic model of catechesis) and refers primarily to the words and acts of Isaiah and YHWH’s servant. Since hrwt does not refer to the giving or interpretation of a fixed (external) corpus, but corresponds to the Mosaic model, it is illegitimate to reduce/restrict FI to propaganda literature for Ezra’s Mosaic Torah-oriented reform measures. Instead, FI urges the community taught by God to accept God’s purpose and adopt God’s ways according to a distinct Isaianic ‘logic’. Independent of Ezra’s reforms and without subordination to Mosaic Torah (or wisdom torah), FI is a prophetic guide for life suitable for interpreting Israel’s traditions, fashioning its communal identity, and defining its vocation in the world. As torah in servant-form, FI summons and shapes disciples who humbly seek YHWH, abandon evil ways, and serve God in the hope of hastening the fulfillment of its programmatic vision for a day marked by international peace and cosmic order

An Investigation of Classroom Situational Dimensions of Emotional and Behavioral Adjustment and Cognitive and Social Outcomes for Head Start Children

This study employed a developmental-ecological approach to investigate the relationship across the school year between early problems in preschool classroom situations and a comprehensive set of readiness competencies for urban, low-income children. Study I identified three reliable and unique underlying classroom situational dimensions where behavior problems occurred: Structured Learning, Peer Interaction, and Teacher Interaction situations. Boys and younger children evidenced more problematic behavior across all situations. Study II investigated the relationship between early problems in the situations and readiness outcomes. Early situational difficulties uniquely and differentially predicted lower peer social and classroom learning outcomes. In combination, both the type of behavior problem (what) and the situational problem (where) explained greater variance in the prediction of readiness outcomes, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of developmental trajectories

Torah in Servant-form:\ud Torah, Servant, and Disciples in the Book of Isaiah

This dissertation examines the concept of torah in final-Isaiah (FI) towards a construal of the intentio operis, understood as the model author’s aim to produce model readers who are servant-disciples (Isa 54:13, 17). It develops with attention to the contribution of Marvin A. Sweeney, and asks whether the prophetic book subserves Ezra’s reforms or has a separate program for the restoration and reform of Judah and Jerusalem. To surmise the intentio operis, linguistic, literary, and rhetorical approaches are used as appropriate to a holistic theological reading of the received text. Research focuses on passages where the term hrwt appears; its range of meaning is assessed within the broader lexical and conceptual framework of FI, and associated terms, concepts, and images are handled within properly defined units as parts within the larger whole. The investigation observes profound intra-textual connections signaling a bond between prophet and disciples, and a solidarity connecting the servant, herald, and servants, concluding that the conception and use of hrwt in FI is inextricably bound to servant-discipleship and the correlative theme of righteous-suffering. Though hrwt never has a technically precise sense in FI, it has legal, didactic, and sapiential connotations (analogous to the deuteronomic model of catechesis) and refers primarily to the words and acts of Isaiah and YHWH’s servant. Since hrwt does not refer to the giving or interpretation of a fixed (external) corpus, but corresponds to the Mosaic model, it is illegitimate to reduce/restrict FI to propaganda literature for Ezra’s Mosaic Torah-oriented reform measures. Instead, FI urges the community taught by God to accept God’s purpose and adopt God’s ways according to a distinct Isaianic ‘logic’. Independent of Ezra’s reforms and without subordination to Mosaic Torah (or wisdom torah), FI is a prophetic guide for life suitable for interpreting Israel’s traditions, fashioning its communal identity, and defining its vocation in the world. As torah in servant-form, FI summons and shapes disciples who humbly seek YHWH, abandon evil ways, and serve God in the hope of hastening the fulfillment of its programmatic vision for a day marked by international peace and cosmic order

From Lurker to Active Participant

The original publication is available from www.springerlink.com. Sloep, P. B., & Kester, L. (2009). From Lurker to Active Participant. In R. Koper (Ed)., Learning Network Services for Professional Development (pp. 17-26). Berlin, Germany: Springer Verlag.In this chapter we will specifically go into the question of how prospective Learning Network users may be convinced of these benefits, for that is likely to be the necessary condition for their active participation in any Learning Network. Their question would be ‘Why should I participate?’, this chapter inventories an-swers to that question, which are then translated into a few guidelines for those contemplating to set up a particular, topic-bound Learning Network. Two kinds of answer are distinguished. Proximate answers, which affect the decision to partici-pate here and now; and ultimate answers, which motivate participation, but only in the long run, after the decision to participate has already been taken. Both are im-portant, the former to persuade people to participate, the latter to persuade people to keep participating. Before going into them, we’ll introduce a concrete example to add some realism to the discussion.The work on this publication has been sponsored in part by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org

Assessment and Etiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Boys and Girls

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are more common in boys than girls. In this paper, we investigated whether the prevalence differences are attributable to measurement bias. In addition, we examined sex differences in the genetic and environmental influences on variation in these behaviors. Teachers completed the Conners Teacher Rating Scale-Revised:Short version (CTRS-R:S) in a sample of 800 male and 851 female 7-year-old Dutch twins. No sex differences in the factor structure of the CTRS-R:S were found, implying the absence of measurement bias. The heritabilities for both ADHD and ODD were high and were the same in boys and girls. However, partly different genes are expressed in boys and girls

The Vital Role of Social Workers in Community Partnerships: The Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth

The account of The Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth formation offers a model for developing com- munity-based partnerships. Based in a major urban area, this university-community collaboration was spearheaded by social workers who were responsible for its original conceptualization, for generating community support, and for eventual staffing, administration, direct service provision, and program evaluation design. This article presents the strategic development and evolution of this community- based service partnership, highlighting the roles of schools of social work, academics, and social work students in concert with community funders, practitioners and youth, in responding to the needs of a vulnerable population