A systematic review of interactions in pedagogical approaches with reported outcomes for the academic and social inclusion of pupils with special educational needs

From the introduction/background: The growing demand for inclusive practices within mainstream schools has resulted in classroom teachers having to take direct responsibility for the individual learning needs of all pupils within the setting, and reduced the expectation that support staff should be the primary practitioners for children with special educational needs (SEN). The belief in a need for special pedagogical approaches for these children has also been widely critiqued (e.g. Norwich and Lewis, 2001; Hart, 1996) and there has been a growing focus upon the teaching practices that can be, and are, more broadly used by mainstream practitioners. Central to all these approaches are the interactions that both create the learning context and operate within it

A systematic review of pedagogical approaches that can effectively include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms with a particular focus on peer group interactive approaches

The broad background to this review is a long history of concepts of special pupils and special education, and a faith in special pedagogical approaches. The rise of inclusive schools and some important critiques of special pedagogy (e.g. Hart, 1996; Norwich and Lewis, 2001; Thomas and Loxley, 2001) have raised the profile of teaching approaches that ordinary teachers can and do use to include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms. Inclusive education itself is increasingly conceived as being about the quality of learning and participation that goes on in inclusive schools rather than simplistic matters of where children are place

A systematic review of whole class, subject based, pedagogies with reported outcomes for the academic and social inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms

Schools across the world have responded to international and national initiatives designed to further the development of inclusive education. In England, there is a statutory requirement for all schools to provide effective learning opportunities for all pupils (QCA, 2000) and children with special educational needs (SEN) are positioned as having a right to be within mainstream classrooms accessing an appropriate curriculum (SENDA, 2001). Previous reviews which have sought to identify classroom practices that support the inclusion of children with SEN have been technically non-systematic and hence a need for a systematic review within this area has been identified (Nind et al., 2004; Rix et al., 2006). This systematic literature review is the last in a series of three

A Study of the Direct-Fitting Method for Measurement of Galaxy Velocity Dispersions

We have measured the central stellar velocity dispersions of 33 nearby spiral and elliptical galaxies, using a straightforward template-fitting algorithm operating in the pixel domain. The spectra, obtained with the Double Spectrograph at Palomar Observatory, cover both the Ca triplet and the Mg b region, and we present a comparison of the velocity dispersion measurements from these two spectral regions. Model fits to the Ca triplet region generally yield good results with little sensitivity to the choice of template star. In contrast, the Mg b region is more sensitive to template mismatch and to details of the fitting procedure such as the order of a polynomial used to match the continuum shape of the template to the object. As a consequence of the correlation of the [Mg/Fe] ratio with velocity dispersion, it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory model fit to the Mg b lines and the surrounding Fe blends simultaneously, particularly for giant elliptical galaxies with large velocity dispersions. We demonstrate that if the metallicities of the galaxy and template star are not well matched, then direct template-fitting results are improved if the Mg b lines themselves are excluded from the fit and the velocity dispersion is determined from the surrounding weaker lines.Comment: 14 pages. To appear in A

Educating a syndrome? Seeking a balance between identifying a learning profile and delivering inclusive education

This article summarizes research related to pedagogical approaches to special education, and characteristics of teacher's attitudes and beliefs that supports effective inclusion practices. Additionally, the author summarizes factors that may both enable and disable children with DS's progress, and notes speech and language characteristics from research to date

The Sightline to Q2343-BX415: Clues to Galaxy Formation in a Quasar Environment

(Abridged) We have discovered a strong DLA coincident in redshift with the faint QSO Q2343-BX415 (R = 20.2, z_em = 2.57393). Follow-up observations at intermediate spectral resolution reveal that the metal lines associated with this 'proximate' DLA consist of two sets of absorption components. One set is moving towards the quasar with velocities of ~ 150-600 km/s; this gas is highly ionized and does not fully cover the continuum source, suggesting that it is physically close to the active nucleus. The other, which accounts for most of the neutral gas, is blueshifted relative to the QSO, with the strongest component at ~ -160 km/s. We consider the possibility that the PDLA arises in the outflowing interstellar medium of the host galaxy of Q2343-BX415, an interpretation supported by strong C IV and N V absorption at nearby velocities, and by the intense radiation field longward of the Lyman limit implied by the high C II*/H I ratio. If Q2343-BX415 is the main source of these UV photons, then the PDLA is located at either ~ 8 or ~ 37 kpc from the active nucleus. Alternatively, the absorber may be a foreground star-forming galaxy unrelated to the quasar and coincidentally at the same redshift, but our deep imaging and follow-up spectroscopy of the field of Q2343-BX415 has not yet produced a likely candidate. We measure the abundances of 14 elements in the PDLA, finding an overall metallicity of ~ 1/5 solar and a normal pattern of relative element abundances for this metallicity. Thus, in this PDLA there is no evidence for the super-solar metallicities that have been claimed for some proximate, high ionization, systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 27 pages, 8 tables, 21 postscript figure

Integral Field Spectroscopy of 23 Spiral Bulges

We have obtained Integral Field Spectroscopy for 23 spiral bulges using INTEGRAL on the William Herschel Telescope and SPIRAL on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This is the first 2D survey directed solely at the bulges of spiral galaxies. Eleven galaxies of the sample do not have previous measurements of the stellar velocity dispersion (sigma*). These data are designed to complement our Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph program for estimating black hole masses in the range 10^6-10^8M_sun using gas kinematics from nucleated disks. These observations will serve to derive the stellar dynamical bulge properties using the traditional Mgb and CaII triplets. We use both Cross Correlation and Maximum Penalized Likelihood to determine projected sigma* in these systems and present radial velocity fields, major axis rotation curves, curves of growth and sigma* fields. Using the Cross Correlation to extract the low order 2D stellar dynamics we generally see coherent radial rotation and irregular velocity dispersion fields suggesting that sigma* is a non-trivial parameter to estimate.Comment: 11 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Dynamical Confirmation of SDSS Weak Lensing Scaling Laws

Galaxy masses can be estimated by a variety of methods; each applicable in different circumstances, and each suffering from different systematic uncertainties. Confirmation of results obtained by one technique with analysis by another is particularly important. Recent SDSS weak lensing measurements of the projected-mass correlation function reveal a linear relation between galaxy luminosities and the depth of their dark matter halos (measured on 260 \hinv kpc scales). In this work we use an entirely independent dynamical method to confirm these results. We begin by assembling a sample of 618 relatively isolated host galaxies, surrounded by a total of 1225 substantially fainter satellites. We observe the mean dynamical effect of these hosts on the motions of their satellites by assembling velocity difference histograms. Dividing the sample by host properties, we find significant variations in satellite velocity dispersion with host luminosity. We quantify these variations using a simple dynamical model, measuring \mtsd a dynamical mass within 260 \hinv kpc. The appropriateness of this mass reconstruction is checked by conducting a similar analysis within an N-body simulation. Comparison between the dynamical and lensing mass-to-light scalings shows reasonable agreement, providing some quantitative confirmation for the lensing results.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

New Observations of the Interstellar Medium in the Lyman Break Galaxy MS 1512-cB58

We present the results of a detailed study of the interstellar medium of MS 1512-cB58, an L* Lyman break galaxy at z = 2.7276, based on new spectral observations obtained with the Echelle Spectrograph and Imager on the Keck II telescope at 58 km/s resolution. We focus in particular on the chemical abundances and kinematics of the interstellar gas and our main findings are as follows. Even at this relatively early epoch, the ISM of this galaxy is already highly enriched in elements released by Type II supernovae; the abundances of O, Mg, Si, P, and S are all about 2/5 of their solar values. In contrast, N and the Fe-peak elements Mn, Fe, and Ni are underabundant by a factor of about 3. Based on current ideas of stellar nucleosynthesis, these results can be understood if most of the metal enrichment in cB58 has taken place within the last 300 million years, the timescale for the release of N from intermediate mass stars. cB58 appears to be an example of a galaxy in the process of converting its gas into stars on a few dynamical timescales; quite possibly we are witnessing the formation of a galactic bulge or an elliptical galaxy. The energetic star formation activity has stirred the interstellar medium to high velocities of up to 1000 km/s. The net effect is a bulk outflow of the ISM at a speed of 255 km/s and at a rate which exceeds the star formation rate. It is unclear whether this gas will be lost or retained by the galaxy. We point out that the chemical and kinematic properties of cB58 are markedly different from those of most damped Lyman alpha systems at the same redshift.Comment: 38 pages, LaTeX, 9 Postscript Figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Sections 3.3 and 5.3 expanded, and two additional figures included, following referee's repor

Evolution of optically faint AGN from COMBO-17 and GEMS

We have mapped the AGN luminosity function and its evolution between z=1 and z=5 down to apparent magnitudes of $R<24$. Within the GEMS project we have analysed HST-ACS images of many AGN in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, enabling us to assess the evolution of AGN host galaxy properties with cosmic time.Comment: to appear in proceedings 'Multiwavelength AGN Surveys', Cozumel 200