Improving student learning? Research evidence about teacher feedback for improvement in New Zealand schools.

The importance of giving both evaluative and descriptive feedback to improve learning and achievement has been confirmed through research. This paper draws on assessment and feedback research to interrogate the evidence about how well teachers use feedback in New Zealand classrooms. It reveals that there is very little New Zealand research that investigates NZ teachers' use of feedback. Those studies that do investigate teachers' use of assessment information show that very little of the information gained from assessment is used to inform students about how to improve. More often teachers praise students, give unspecific information about their work and use the data gathered about students' competence and skills for school-wide aggregation and evidence of meeting targets. Questions are raised about why this might be the case, how professional development might be implicated in this and how the situation might be improved through wider policy alignment at both local and national levels

No. 16: The State of Food Insecurity in Msunduzi Municipality, South Africa

There is plenty of food in Msunduzi, in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, but the urban poor regularly go hungry. This study of Msunduzi’s food security situation formed part of AFSUN’s baseline survey of eleven Southern African cities. The survey results show that the urban poor in Msunduzi are significantly worse off than their counterparts in Cape Town and Johannesburg. A third of the households reported that they sometimes or often have no food to eat of any kind. Household size did not make a great deal of difference to levels of insecurity but female-headed households are more food insecure than male-headed households. Msunduzi is a classic case study of a city whose food supply system is dominated by modern supermarket supply chains. The informal food economy is relatively small, urban agriculture is not especially significant in the city and informal rural-urban food transfers are lower than in many other cities surveyed. In this respect, Msunduzi offers the other cities a picture of their own future. Supermarket expansion is occurring at an extremely rapid rate throughout southern Africa, tying urban spaces and populations into global, regional and national supply chains. While supermarkets offer greater variety and fresher produce than many other outlets, they clearly do not meet the needs of the poor

Compassion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Eating Disorders: A Multiple Baseline across Participants Study

This study used a multiple baseline across participants design to demonstrate a functional relationship between a compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention and three participants’ eating disorder (ED) behaviors and values-consistent behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of the ACT intervention on participants’ target behaviors. The next aim of the study was to assess participants’ changes in related outcome variables of global disordered eating and general psychological distress during the course of the intervention and again at a three-month follow-up assessment. In addition, theoretically-consistent process variables of self-compassion and body image flexibility were assessed to determine if changes in process variables corresponded with changes in primary outcomes. Results suggested that systematic changes in ED behaviors and values-consistent behaviors were observed across study phases for all three participants. Consistent with hypotheses, these changes corresponded with improvements in self-compassion and body image flexibility. Changes in secondary outcomes were also observed for all three participants over the course of the study. Additional research is necessary to assess effects of a compassion-focused ACT intervention in changing ED behaviors and values-consistent behaviors using a longer follow-up time point with a more diverse sample of individuals with problematic eating

Elementary Educators\u27 Perceptions of Conscious Discipline as a Management Strategy

This study explored elementary educators’ perceptions of Conscious Discipline as it is implemented in the classroom as a management technique. To gather data, the researcher created a survey that asked about the demographics in the schools, how the teachers view Conscious Discipline, and the teachers’ opinions on the Conscious Discipline program as it relates to management in the classroom. The survey was shared via email with a link embedded. The participants consisted of twelve teachers from one Northwest Arkansas school district who taught Preschool through fifth grade in a general education classroom, as well as school counselors and administration such as principals and assistant principals. Most participants had between five and seven total hours of Conscious Discipline training and had attended training within the last five years. The participants’ schools were mostly located in suburban areas, with high populations of English Language Learners (ELLs). Their teaching experience ranged from first-year teachers to veteran teachers with thirty-two years of experience. Most participants had between one and fifteen years of experience. Once the data from the survey was collected, each question was analyzed for recurring patterns and themes among the participants’ responses. The analysis indicated most educators feel that Conscious Discipline is an effective management technique which teaches students the value of self-regulation. They also indicated the Conscious Discipline management techniques are not difficult to implement and are a vital part of the classroom interaction with students. These findings support the effectiveness of Conscious Discipline as a classroom management strategy

Addressing Obesity Prevention and Control in the Workplace

Texas Obesity Research Center Addressing Obesity Prevention and Control in the Workplace Hill MD, Lankford T Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, Georgia ABSTRACT Purpose: Over one-third of adults in the United States (U.S.), over 72 million people, are obese. There are health and economic costs associated with obesity. In 2008, obesity-related medical costs were estimated to be as high as $147 billion. Method: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend policy and environmental change strategies that address obesity in multiple settings: healthcare, schools, child care, worksites, and community. In 2011, about 111.5 million U.S. adults were full-time employees and most spend 8 to 10 hours per day at the workplace. Since an important determinant for obesity are the environments that support behaviors, work conditions may affect weight-related behaviors among employees. Results: This presentation provides examples of worksite strategies to address obesity including target behaviors such as decreasing consumption of high calorie foods, decreasing sugar drinks intake, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, increasing physical activity, and providing breastfeeding support. Specific strategies discussed will include workplace food concession and vending guidelines, providing access to portable drinking water; increasing access to fruits and vegetables through farm to institution programs and policies; creating or enhancing places for physical activity such as attractive stairwells, walking trails, and routes; and establishing and maintaining comprehensive, high-quality lactation support programs for employees. Conclusions: The worksite is a recommended setting in which to address obesity prevention and control. KEYWORDS: Obesity, Adults, Worksites, Policy, Environmen

Strategies to Support Online Student Success

Online coursework in health care professional programs was increasing prior to Covid-19 pandemic emergency online coursework, and will likely continue to expand. Numerous current strategies to improve student engagement and skill instruction are presented. Opportunities to reflect on challenges and benefits of online coursework will allow for translation from literature to curriculum development to successful instructional experiences. Incorporation of Culturally Responsive Theory will encourage online students to share their diverse knowledge and perspectives

Mary Margaret Hill Scrapbook 1923

Mary Margaret Hill went to Ward-Belmont during the 1923-1924 school year.https://repository.belmont.edu/scrapbooks/1022/thumbnail.jp