Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of the Integration of Faith and Learning as Christian Vocation

The overriding purpose of Christian liberal arts colleges in the United States is to offer a comprehensive education to their students. Inherent in this goal is the deliberate integration of Christian faith with academic content; it is, after all, what differentiates Christian institutions of higher education from their secular counterparts (Muntz & Crabtree, 2006). The mission statement of Trinity International University (TIU) in Deerfield, Illinois is to “educate men and women for faithful participation in God’s redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian fidelity and lifelong learning.” The Division of Education that prepares candidates for certification to teach in K-12 schools in the state of Illinois defines its more specific mission thusly: “to develop highly qualified Christian teachers who view teaching as a mission; they nurture their students, reflect critically on their practice, and facilitate classroom experience to maximize the potential of all learners.” Implicit in this conceptual framework is that faculty members will engage in their own integration of faith and learning so that they can model what it means to be Christian teachers. In February 2009, as professors in TIU’s Division of Education, we informally surveyed a group of traditional undergraduate education majors during a department chapel session to discover their perceptions about the integration of faith and learning within our department. We were curious to find out whether or not what we believed we were doing in our classes regarding the integration of faith and learning was in fact impacting our teacher candidates. After defining the concept of the integration of faith and learning in broad terms, we asked them what has helped them become “highly qualified Christian teachers” within our education program. Their responses primarily focused on the more external aspects of demonstrating personal faith; i.e., professors’ leading in devotions at the beginning of classes and modeling Christian behaviors and attitudes. Admittedly, we were somewhat disappointed with their answers, concluding that our teacher candidates were not viewing integration as an academic endeavor that requires deep intellectual as well as spiritual analysis (Hasker, 1992). This concern led to a desire to explore their perceptions further in a more formal way, leading us to review the literature on the integration of faith and learning in Christian colleges and universities and to conduct this particular research study

Relationship between Personality Type and Preferred Teaching Methods for Undergraduate College Students

This empirical study examined the relationship between Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality types and preferred teaching methods for 507 Saint Joseph’s College of Maine undergraduate students. The students completed two instruments: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, Form M (Myers, McCaulley, Quenk, & Hammer, 1998), and a 27-item scale that measured preferred teaching methods in the classroom. Descriptive and inferential statistics indicated that the five most prominent personality types were ISFJ, ESFJ, ESFP, ENFP, and ISTJ. Sensing-Feeling (S-F) preference was the most common followed by Sensing-Judging (S-J) preference in the top five personality types. Across all MBTI dichotomies, the students indicated a preference for teaching methods that involved lecturer-student interaction, using some visual tools such as PowerPoint, and demonstrations and practice. The least preferred teaching methods involved unscheduled quizzes, lecture where the professor talks with no visuals, and library research using experiential activities. Significant differences were obtained between the MBTI dichotomies and preferred teaching methods. The results demonstrate the importance of faculty tailoring and adjusting their instruction to accommodate the needs of their students to increase student achievement, motivation, and engagement in their classroom. &nbsp

Sharing our expertise: Benefits of professional development for strategic planning

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154705/1/2015_Alexander_Reiman-Sendi.pd

AIDS And The Funeral Industry In Southeastern Africa

This paper examines the impact of AIDS on the Funeral Industry in Southeastern Africa.  It first presents an overview of AIDS in Southeastern Africa and then it delves into an examination of family funeral customs in select countries and how they have been affected by the AIDS epidemic.  These countries include:  Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda.  Next, this paper takes a look at the impact of AIDS on hospital mortuaries in Zimbabwe.  This is followed by an examination of the rise in the number of orphans along with the effect of AIDS on the classroom setting.  Finally, four suggestions for fighting the disease are presented

Clinical education of ethicists: the role of a clinical ethics fellowship

BACKGROUND: Although clinical ethicists are becoming more prevalent in healthcare settings, their required training and education have not been clearly delineated. Most agree that training and education are important, but their nature and delivery remain topics of debate. One option is through completion of a clinical ethics fellowship. METHOD: In this paper, the first four fellows to complete a newly developed fellowship program discuss their experiences. They describe the goals, structure, participants and activities of the fellowship. They identify key elements for succeeding as a clinical ethicist and sustaining a clinical ethics program. They critically reflect upon the challenges faced in the program. RESULTS: The one-year fellowship provided real-time clinical opportunities that helped them to develop the necessary knowledge and skills, gain insight into the role and scope of practice of clinical ethicists and hone valuable character traits. CONCLUSION: The fellowship enabled each of the fellows to assume confidently and competently a position as a clinical ethicist upon completion

Safety and Efficacy of Oral Physostigmine in the Treatment of Alzheimer Disease

Results of therapeutic trials with physostigmine in the treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) have been inconsistent and controversy persists concerning safety and efficacy. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, patients received 6 weeks of oral physostigmine (OP) and placebo in random order. Twenty-nine patients with AD received as much as 16 mg/day of OP and were assessed with neuropsychological and functional measures. No significant cardiac side effects were noted, though other systemic adverse effects were noted, requiring dose reduction in four patients. There was a slight but significant improvement (12%) in performance on the selective reminding test with physostigmine and the memory performance was correlated with dosage. This improvement compares favorably with the 15% decrease in scores seen in an untreated comparison cohort followed for an equivalent time period. There was a trend toward an improvement in communication and a reduction in memory complaint. These results suggest that oral physostigmine is safe and may improve memory in AD

The NAMES Quilt and the Art Educator’s Role

During October of 1989, more than 9,000 individual memorial quilt panels were collected and displayed in Washington, D.C. by the NAMES Quilt Project. The panels, covering the equivalent of nine football fields, made public the grief of thousands of individuals and families whose loved ones have died of AlDS. This quilt, the NAMES Quilt, is an international effort to create a living visual memory of the devastation that the AIDS virus has inflicted on those who have died from the disease and those who have been left behind to grieve

Repositioning Rangeland Education for a Changing World

Rangelands in North America and abroad are important ecosystems because of the vast areas they cover and the essential products and ecological services they provide. A strong workforce of well-trained professionals is needed to manage these ecosystems; however, undergraduate rangeland education faces several major challenges pertaining to curriculum content and resources, teaching approaches and faculty preparedness, and student awareness and recruitment. A collaborative project, developed in 2010 by members of the Range Science Education Council (RSEC) and funded by a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant, addresses these challenges. The initial step is a needs assessment using focus groups with rangeland stakeholders and surveys with recent range student graduates to identify current and future issues and associated knowledge and skills on which to build a forward-looking rangeland education program. Assessment outcomes will provide a starting point for modernizing Society for Range Management accreditation and Office of Personnel Management hiring standards. Next, is the development of an interstate pool of curriculum resources that embrace new technology and a variety of instructional formats. An online clearinghouse of educational materials will include a catalog of online, intensive workshop-style, and traveling field courses, and open-source instructional materials, including Virtual Exploration of Rangeland Ecosystems modules developed by RSEC members. Ecosystem modules contain written and narrative instruction, video footage, GigaPan panoramic images, and management scenarios, which include interviews with progressive land managers. During 2011-2013, professional development workshops, webinars, symposia, and a mentorship program will provide opportunities to advance faculty teaching skills. Lastly, market research will be used to identify factors that influence educational choices of students and parents from traditional, non-traditional, and underrepresented groups. Market research will be coupled with the needs assessment to develop targeted recruitment and career materials. Project activities and products will be posted online (www.rangelandswest.org) and also disseminated through professional and popular publications and newsletters of universities, agencies, agricultural associations, professional organizations and NGOs

A Case of Beare-Stevenson Syndrome with Unusual Manifestations

Case series Patient: - Final Diagnosis: Beare-Stevenson syndrome Symptoms: - Medication: - Clinical Procedure: Genetic analysis Specialty: Pediatrics and Neonatology Objective: Rare disease Background: Beare-Stevenson syndrome (BSS) is an extremely rare genetic disorder, with fewer than 25 cases reported worldwide. This autosomal dominant syndrome has been linked to two mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 gene (FGFR2), Tyr375Cys and Ser372Cys, both causing amino acid changes. Case Report: BSS is characterized by a range of morphological features, some more classically associated than others, of which craniosynostosis has been almost uniformly present. Other common features include cutis gyrata, acanthosis nigricans, ear and eye defects, skin/mucosal tissue tags, prominent umbilical stump, and anogenital anomalies. This account reports what we believe to be the 25th case of BSS, and exhibits a constellation of the characteristic features similar to those previously described, including the presence of cutis gyrata, proptosis, a bifid scrotum, and hypospadias. However, craniosynostosis was not detected prenatally by ultrasound or at birth. Prenatal ultrasound may detect some dysmorphic features of BSS. Many of these features have also been associated with other genetic disorders with overlapping phenotypes. Our case presented with the unusual features of a natal tooth and absence of craniosynostosis at birth. At birth, a diagnosis of BSS was suspected based on clinical features despite the absence of craniosynostosis. This was later confirmed with the use of molecular analysis, revealing a Tyr375Cys mutation of exon 9 of the FGFR2 gene. Conclusions: We suggest that a normal antenatal ultrasound scan and the absence of craniosynostosis at birth should not preclude further workup for BSS if this possibility is clinically suspected

The Powerful Potential of Relationships and Community Writing

The following essay is a collective reflection in which the authors revisit the themes they raise in the edited volume Unsustainable, ask new questions, and suggest, again, that long-term sustainability might not be the most appropriate goal for every university-community partnership. Still, relationships, with all their variability, remain the lifeblood of community writing work. Just as the Conference on Community Writing (CCW) was a welcome opportunity to reconnect with old friends and learn new names, our programs are built on the strength of the relationships we build in the community and on our campuses