Multimedia in life and education of visually impaired and blind people

The process of learning about the world is conditioned by our senses, the more senses are involved in the act of cognition, the greater our knowledge is. The limited perception of stimuli resulting from eye damage has a funda-mental impact on the cognitive, emotional, social, motor and communication spheres. It is difficult to imagine how limited the ability of visually impaired people to satisfy all their personal needs is. The use of multimedia for support and educational work can contribute greatly to the improvement of the quality of the general functioning of visually impaired people, not only in the aspect of teaching and learning.Proces poznawania świata jest warunkowany pracą naszych zmy-słów, im więcej zmysłów zostaje zaangażowanych w akt poznania, tym większa jest nasza wiedza. Wynikający z uszkodzenia wzroku ograniczony odbiór bodź-ców ma fundamentalny wpływ na sfery poznawcze, emocjonalne, społeczne, motoryczne i komunikacyjne. Trudno sobie wyobrazić, jak bardzo ograniczona zostaje możliwość zaspokojenia wszystkich potrzeb osobistych osób z dysfunk-cjami wzroku. Wykorzystanie multimediów do wsparcia i pracy edukacyjnej może przyczynić się do poprawy jakości ogólnego funkcjonowania nie tylko w aspekcie nauczania i uczenia się

Samoocena wiedzy i umiejętności diagnostyczno-terapeutycznych nauczycieli szkół ogólnodostępnych

Teachers influence the student with their individuality, hence their knowledge, skills and attitudes in the field of diagnosis and therapy are the essence of the educational and didactic activities undertaken by the teacher in the school space. Competences are not a permanent value, they can be subject to change and they constitute the developmental professional potential of the teacher in the motivational, cognitive, emotional and social areas. The article presents a selected area of research concerning the sources of teaching knowledge and skills in the fields of diagnosis and therapy and their self-assessment, taking into account the nominal variables of age and additional qualifications. The presented text is part of a larger research project devoted to the diagnostic and therapeutic competences of teachers of public, inclusive and special schools.Nauczyciel oddziałuje na wychowanka swoją osobowością, stąd jego wiedza, umiejętności, postawy w zakresie diagnozy i terapii stanowią istotę działań edukacyjno-dydaktycznych podejmowanych przez nauczyciela w szkole. Kompetencje nie są wartością stałą, ale elementem zmiany i stanowią rozwój potencjału zawodowego nauczyciela w obszarze motywacyjnym, poznawczym, emocjonalnym i społecznym. Artykuł przedstawia wybrany obszar badań dotyczący źródeł nauczycielskiej wiedzy i umiejętności w zakresie diagnozy i terapii oraz ich samoocenę, z uwzględnieniem zmiennych nominalnych: wieku i dodatkowych kwalifikacji. Przedstawiony tekst jest częścią większego projektu badawczego, poświęconego kompetencjom diagnostycznym i terapeutycznym nauczycieli szkół ogólnodostępnych, integracyjnych i specjalnych

Student Demographic Factors on Perception of The Influence of Guidance and Counselling and School Adjustment in Keiyo North Sub-County, Kenya.

The purpose of the study was to investigate student demographic factors on perception of the influence of guidance and counseling and school adjustment in Keiyo North Sub-County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to determine gender type and students’ perceptions on the influence of guidance and counselling on school adjustment, school type and students’ perceptions on the influence of guidance and counselling on school adjustment and class level and students’ perceptions on the influence of guidance and counselling services on their overall school adjustment. The study was guided by the self-perception theory. The ontology was pragmatism and the epistemology was realism. The research method was mixed method. The research design was ex post-facto, random sampling and stratified techniques were applied. A sample of 21 schools and 367 out of the 8001 students in the sub-county secondary schools were selected. A further, 16 participants were purposively selected (one from each class level of the type of school). Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. The hypotheses were tested at a significance level of 0.05. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The major finding of the study was that female students had a higher mean perception (3.6391, SD .06308) than the male students (3.4000 SD .07159). The study concluded that consistency and competence in provision of guidance and counselling services is wanting in secondary schools in the sub-county. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that since there exists’ significant differences in demographic factors on students’ perceptions on the influence of guidance and counselling on their school adjustment, there was need to address the challenges and shortcomings that exist in the provision of guidance and counselling, and encourage the male students to participate in guidance and counselling activities

Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of the Influence of Guidance and Counselling Services on Their Overall School Adjustment in Relation to School Type

Secondary school adjustment is the process of students coping in school environment in order to attain the individual and school’s set goals and aspirations.  All public secondary schools (day and boarding) are required to implement guidance and counselling services to assist students in school adjustment (emotional, social and academic). This study looks at the perceptions of students on the influence of guidance and counselling on overall school adjustment based on school type. This study used causal comparative research design. The target population involved students in single- sex boarding schools, mixed sex boarding schools and mixed day schools in Keiyo North Sub County, Kenya. Students in form one to four participated in the study. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used to select students from 7 (3 single sex, 1 mixed boarding and 3 mixed day secondary schools). Data was collected through the use of questionnaire and interview. This is because the study adopted a mixed approach research methodology. Research findings showed that there existed significant difference on students’ perceptions of the influence of guidance and counselling services on school adjustment in relation to the type of schools they came from. Students from girls’ schools had higher perception scores compared to those from mixed schools and those from boys’ schools. The study recommends that there is need for teacher counsellors in mixed and day secondary schools to devise guidance and counselling activities to meet the needs of students who need emotional, social and academic adjustments. Keywords: overall, school, adjustment, school typ

Influence of controlled masticatory muscle activity on dynamic reactive balance

Background The influence of the stomatognatic system on human posture control has been investigated under static conditions, but the effects on dynamic balance have not yet been considered. Objective Investigating the influence of different functional stomatognatic activities (jaw clenching (JAW), tongue pressing (TON) and habitual jaw position (HAB)) on postural performance during a dynamic reactive balance task. Methods Forty-eight physically active and healthy adults were assigned to three groups differing in oral-motor tasks (JAW, TON or HAB). Dynamic reactive balance was assessed by an oscillating platform which was externally perturbed in four directions. Performance was quantified by means of Lehr\u27s damping ratio. Mean speeds of the selected anatomical regions (head, trunk, pelvis, knee and foot) were analysed to determine significant performance differences. Results The groups differed significantly in balance performance in direction F (i.e., forwards acceleration of the platform). Post hoc tests revealed that the JAW group had significantly better performance compared with both the HAB and TON groups. Better performance was associated with a decreased mean speed of the analysed anatomical regions. Conclusion JAW can improve dynamic reactive balance but the occurrence of positive effects seems to be task-specific and not general. TON seems not to have any observable effects on dynamic reactive balance performance, at least when evaluating it with an oscillating platform. JAW might be a valuable strategy which could possibly reduce the risk of falls in elderly people; however, further investigations are still needed

Multimedia in life and education of visually impaired and blind people

Proces poznawania świata jest warunkowany pracą naszych zmy-słów, im więcej zmysłów zostaje zaangażowanych w akt poznania, tym większa jest nasza wiedza. Wynikający z uszkodzenia wzroku ograniczony odbiór bodź-ców ma fundamentalny wpływ na sfery poznawcze, emocjonalne, społeczne, motoryczne i komunikacyjne. Trudno sobie wyobrazić, jak bardzo ograniczona zostaje możliwość zaspokojenia wszystkich potrzeb osobistych osób z dysfunk-cjami wzroku. Wykorzystanie multimediów do wsparcia i pracy edukacyjnej może przyczynić się do poprawy jakości ogólnego funkcjonowania nie tylko w aspekcie nauczania i uczenia się.The process of learning about the world is conditioned by our senses, the more senses are involved in the act of cognition, the greater our knowledge is. The limited perception of stimuli resulting from eye damage has a funda-mental impact on the cognitive, emotional, social, motor and communication spheres. It is difficult to imagine how limited the ability of visually impaired people to satisfy all their personal needs is. The use of multimedia for support and educational work can contribute greatly to the improvement of the quality of the general functioning of visually impaired people, not only in the aspect of teaching and learning