Program Improvement and Practice: In-Service and Pre-Service Student Teaching Reflections

A qualitative study was conducted with graduates (in-service teachers) and pre-service teacher candidates from a traditional elementary education program to explore perceptions of the student teaching process and its impact on teaching philosophy and practices. The program graduates and pre-service teachers described their experience as valuable, but believed their knowledge of pedagogy and classroom management to be deficient. The value of the internship process and implications for program improvement are discussed. Theory without practice is dead, and practice without theory is blind. — Ano

A Development Evaluation Study of a Professional Development Initiative to Strengthen Organizational Conditions in Early Education Settings

High quality instruction is essential to producing developmental gains for young children and can mitigate risk factors such as family poverty and low parental education. Even in programs with highly qualified teachers, teacher-child interactions often do not provide the level of instructional support that children need to be well-prepared for success in kindergarten. In order to improve instructional quality, an emerging focus on early childhood professional development involves supporting leaders in creating a web of supports for teacher learning and child growth. The purpose of the 3-year evaluation study was to assess the effectiveness of an Early Childhood Education Professional Development Initiative (ECE PDI) in advancing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of community-based early childhood leaders and teachers in relation to creating the conditions for superior developmental outcomes for low-income students served by these community-based centers. Findings from the implementation and impact studies are reported

Festigkeitsuntersuchungen an Pins aus boviner Kompakta und biodegradablen Polymeren nach intramedullärer und intramuskulärer Implantation am Kaninchen

In der hier beschriebenen tierexperimentellen Studie am Kaninchen wurden erstmals biolo¬gisch abbaubare Polymere und Implantate aus boviner Tibia-Kompakta hinsichtlich ihrer biomechanischen Eigenschaften direkt verglichen. Als biologisch abbaubare Polymere ka¬men selbstverstärkte Pins aus Poly-L-Laktid (Bionx-Pins®) und Pins aus einem Poly-L-/Poly-D-Laktid Gemisch (Polypin 2.0®) mit einem Poly-D-Laktidanteil von 30% zum Einsatz. Als Pins aus boviner Tibia-Kompakta (Complete Biological) wurden be¬strahlte CB-Pins (Strahlendosis: 17,8 Mrad) und ethylenoxidbehandelte CB-Pins aus bovi¬ner Tibia-Kompakta verwendet. Die Behandlungszeit mit 100% Ethylenoxid betrug sechs Stunden, die Auslüftungszeit betrug mehrere Monate. Nach Implantation der Pins für ma¬ximal zweiunddreißig Wochen im Weichteillager und im knöchernen Lager am Kaninchen wurde eine biomechanische Untersuchung im Drei-Punkt-Biegeversuch und im Scherver¬such in Anlehnung an DIN 53457 durchgeführt. Zwar zeichneten sich die Bionx-Pins® durch eine hervorragende Stabilität aus, der fehlende Festigkeitsverlust bis zum Zeitpunkt von sechzehn Wochen nach der Implantation könnte jedoch beim klinischen Einsatz eine Kraftübertragung auf den heilenden Knochen in die¬sem Zeitraum verhindern. Eine fehlende Durchmesserzunahme der Bionx-Pins® durch Quellung kurz nach der Implantation und das fehlende Einwachsverhalten verhindern eine Verankerung der Implantate in ihrem Lager. Durch das hohe Maß an plastischer Verform¬barkeit kann der Bionx-Pin® nur bedingt die auf ihn wirkenden Kräfte ohne irreversible Verformung absorbieren. Die ethylenoxidbehandelten CB-Pins zeichneten sich durch eine hervorragende Abbaudy¬namik aus. Man kann davon ausgehen, dass diese Implantate zu einer schrittweisen Kraft¬übertragung auf den heilenden Knochen führen würden. Auch die Ausgangsstabilität dieser Pins war sehr hoch. Es kam allerdings in den ersten 24 Stunden nach der Implantation zu großen, nicht erklärbaren Stabilitätsverlusten. Diese Stabilitätseinbußen sind hinsichtlich der Eignung dieser Pins zur Frakturstabilisierung als nachteilig zu bewerten. Die Quellung der ethylenoxidbehandelten CB-Pins in den ersten zwei Wochen nach der Implantation und die anschließend einsetzenden Resorptionsprozesse könnten zur besseren Verankerung der Implantate beim Einsatz im Rahmen von Osteosynthesen beitragen. Die bestrahlten CB-Pins und die Polypins® schnitten aus biomechanischer Sicht nicht so gut ab, wie die ethylenoxidbehandelten CB-Pins und die Bionx-Pins®. Die bestrahlten CB-Pins waren äußerst spröde. Dies änderte sich auch nach der Implanta¬tion im Rahmen des physiologischerweise ablaufenden Rehydratationsprozesses („Flüssig¬keitseinlagerung“) nicht. Wahrscheinlich zerstört der Bestrahlungsprozeß die Binnenstruk¬tur eines CB-Pins derart, dass auch eine Rehydratation keinerlei Einfluß mehr auf die Mate¬rialeigenschaften hat. Ebenso wie bei den ethylenoxidbehandelten CB-Pins konnte auch bei den bestrahlten CB-Pins innerhalb der ersten 24 Stunden nach der Implantation ein sich nachteilig auswirkender großer Festigkeitsverlust nachgewiesen werden, der nicht durch den in dieser Zeit ablaufenden Rehydratationsprozeß erklärbar war. Bestrahlte CB-Pins er¬reichten zumeist nicht die Stabilität der ethylenoxidbehandelten CB-Pins. Der Polypin® hatte von allen verwendeten Implantatarten die geringste biomechanische Wertigkeit. Geringe Festigkeitswerte im gesamten Versuchszeitraum, eine starke Neigung zu irreversibler Verformung und eine den Bionx-Pins® vergleichbar ungünstige Abbaudy¬namik führten zum schlechten Abschneiden dieser Implantate

The Role of Critical Case Analysis in Interprofessional Education

Goals for interprofessional education include preparing students to work in collaborative practice, teaching them how to work in teams and to asses and improve the quality of patient care. (Barr, 2007, Thibault, 2013). Four core competency domains have been established to inform interprofessional education (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011). These are ethics/values, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication and teams/teamwork. Various pedagogical approaches have been used to help students meet these competencies. The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation (2013) recommends development and implementation of innovative models to link interprofessional education and practice. Thibault (2013) recommends students engage in “real work” as part of their interprofessional education experience

Focused Deterrence and the Prevention of Violent Gun Injuries: Practice, Theoretical Principles, and Scientific Evidence

Focused deterrence strategies are a relatively new addition to a growing portfolio of evidence-based violent gun injury prevention practices available to policy makers and practitioners. These strategies seek to change offender behavior by understanding the underlying violence-producing dynamics and conditions that sustain recurring violent gun injury problems and by implementing a blended strategy of law enforcement, community mobilization, and social service actions. Consistent with documented public health practice, the focused deterrence approach identifies underlying risk factors and causes of recurring violent gun injury problems, develops tailored responses to these underlying conditions, and measures the impact of implemented interventions. This article reviews the practice, theoretical principles, and evaluation evidence on focused deterrence strategies. Although more rigorous randomized studies are needed, the available empirical evidence suggests that these strategies generate noteworthy gun violence reduction impacts and should be part of a broader portfolio of violence prevention strategies available to policy makers and practitioners

How equitable is vocational rehabilitation in Sweden? A review of evidence on the implementation of a national policy framework

Purpose. Under the national framework law in Sweden, all eligible people should have equal chances of receiving vocational rehabilitation. We aimed to review the evidence on (1) whether access to vocational rehabilitation is equitable in practice and (2) whether the outcomes vary for different groups in the population. Method. Systematic review of studies in Sweden that reported diagnostic or socio-demographic characteristics of people offered or taking up rehabilitation programmes and outcomes of such programmes for different diagnostic and socio-demographic groups. Searches of 11 relevant electronic databases, 15 organisational websites, citation searching and contact with experts in the field, for the period 1990–2009. Results. A total of 11 studies were included in the final review, six of which addressed review question (1) and seven addressed review question (2). All the six observational studies of access reported biased selection into vocational rehabilitation: greater likelihood for men, younger people, those with longer-term sick leave, those with lower income, employed rather than unemployed people and those with musculoskeletal and mental disorders or alcohol abuse. Having had a rehabilitation investigation also increased the likelihood of receiving vocational rehabilitation. Differential outcome of rehabilitation was reported in seven studies: outcomes were better for men, younger people, employed individuals, those with shorter sick leave and those with higher income. Selection into vocational rehabilitation was perceived as important for successful outcomes, but success also depended on the state of the local labour market. Conclusions. There is evidence of socio-demographic differences in access to and outcomes of vocational rehabilitation in Sweden, even though the national framework law is meant to apply to everyone. Few studies have deliberately measured differential access or outcomes, and there is a need for this kind of equity analysis of population-wide policies. Studies evaluating the effects of vocational rehabilitation must consider selection into the programmes for adequate interpretation of impact results

Preceptorship: Creating an Educational Framework for Histotechnology

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/edwk22/1004/thumbnail.jp

Aspects of sustainability in the destination branding process: a bottom-up approach

The concept of sustainability is based on the premise that the inhabitants of a destination should be involved in the way that destination is managed and promoted. At the same time, the literature of place branding emphasizes the important role of local stakeholders in the creation of a true and reliable place brand. In fact, the process of developing a destination brand begins with the aim of shaping the identity of a destination; what the destination stands for. The sustainable dimensions of the destination branding process are explored, while focus groups and structured questionnaires are used to evaluate the usefulness of projection techniques in the process of building a brand identity. It seems that the use of the personification technique could work as an effective destination positioning exercise and as an alternative proposal to the outdated clichés used in tourism promotion

An Adapted Yoga Program for Adults with Neuromuscular Impairments Designed to Improve Balance, Mood, Quality of Life, and Engagement in Daily Occupations

Neuromuscular impairments such as Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affect an individual\u27s balance, mood, and ability to engage in daily occupations, ultimately impacting their quality of life. Yoga is a practice that is adaptable to any level of function and is holistic in its goal of mind-body unity. However, there has been minimal research regarding yoga\u27s efficacy as a modality for populations with neuromuscular impairments. This study aimed to improve these factors as well as proprioception and interoceptive awareness through the delivery of a 6-week community-based yoga program. The program involved 5 participants, 4 with PD and 1 with MS participating in 6 in-person group yoga sessions. In addition to these sessions, 7 individual telehealth sessions were delivered to reinforce the use of yoga in their everyday environment and to implement an individualized plan. Adaptations allowing for greater accessibility and engagement were utilized. Qualities and aspects of the study with greater impact as reported by the participants were themed and associated with different aspects of the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model with quotes from the participants. Themes highlighted the participants’ value of the use of hands-on assistance ensuring proper alignment and positioning during poses; the comradery that was fostered through which participants shared effective strategies to mitigate various barriers; and the appreciation for the atmosphere’s calming effect.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2024/1060/thumbnail.jp