Images and identity:Children constructing a sense of belonging to Europe

The European Framework for Key Competences (2006) promotes a shared European identity as a priority for assuring a cohesive future for the European Union (EU), yet the development of a discrete European identity remains acutely contentious, with critics claiming it is too shallow to support the bonds of solidarity needed to engender and support a shared ‘future together’. Most EU member states now have some sort of citizenship curriculum within their state education systems and most are aware that such programmes are difficult to introduce, to teach and to assess within conventional school curricula. However, much of the citizenship education literature tells us that educators are conscious of the problematic nature of exploring citizenship identities. Drawing on both philosophical perspectives and an empirical investigation undertaken by one of the authors, this paper argues that issues of belonging may prove a useful way to explore wider conceptions of citizenship. The research was designed to examine how visual art and citizenship education could be combined to explore and extend children’s notions of European identity, using data from Images & Identity, an EU-funded 2-year curriculum development project on citizenship and art education in the Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Germany, Malta and Portugal

Book Review: Ecological Ethics: An Introduction

Review of Ecological Ethics: An Introduction, by Patrick Curr

Testing citizens:models of assessment for citizenship education

The notion of some kind of civic education providing a solution to English society’s problems is nothing new and Citizenship Education is perceived as one means of addressing so-called social deficits. There are issues relating to curriculum delivery and training which have arisen from the decision to make citizenship a mandatory subject in maintained secondary schools. Citizenship presents a challenge because it is not a ‘conventional’ subject and teachers have to construct meaningful assessments which relate to discussions of beliefs and values. Philosophical and sociological literatures inform the conceptual analysis of definitions of citizenship. Insights into more recent policy and provision are provided through a discussion of curriculum development and interrogation of assessment documentation from awarding bodies and policy-making organisations. An empirical study aimed to construct a picture of delivery in schools. It employed a multiple-method approach: a questionnaire was used to survey 400 secondary schools across England; and interviews were conducted with pupils (in years 9-11) and teachers in 18 schools. The data were analysed using both quantitative (descriptive and univariate statistics) and qualitative (Successive Approximation and Ideal Type) methodologies. The findings suggest that the way in which citizenship is delivered has an effect upon the means by which it is assessed and has some impact upon the way that the subject is valued. Some teachers were reluctant to use unfamiliar modes of assessment, particularly formative methods which did not result in a grade, because pupils were sceptical of the value of any subject which does not provide a ‘final’ mark. This underlines the fact that assessment is the dominant force in contemporary education. The creation of Ideal Type teachers facilitated further investigation of relationships that teachers had with citizenship, its delivery and how they perceive pupil responses to the subject. Teachers require more resources (financial and time) to increase their assessment skills. The conclusion can be drawn that there is a significant need for more training and support for teachers in the assessment of citizenship. If citizenship is to succeed in its mission to effect a change in society, it needs to be taken seriously and a factor which militates against this aim is the lack of coherent framework of assessment.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Specimen

Ideas of human interaction and levels of physical construction touched upon in geometry and physics have saturated my practice for many years. Having come from a small town in Virginia and moving to a big city like Chicago, I was confronted with massive amounts of people, ideas, cultures, and stimuli of which I had never before conceived. I realized that how we interact as people is a similar dynamic found in molecular interaction. This same interaction takes place in celestial formation, plant growth, decomposition, and even emotion. As I came to terms with my own presence in the world, my work acted as a pathway for understanding. As I develop as a maker, the connections I draw between human experience and physical experience become more sophisticated; however, I have consistently seen myself making objects that are not capable of conveying the vastness of these ideas. There is no finite moment-- where time stood still and we were able to look at that instance critically-- in the history of our physical universe. We must always perceive reality as a construction of moments working together, as time and matter are constantly in motion. I find it frustrating to make work that does not embody that which is being communicated. My thesis body of work goes beyond these conceptual implications as a way to allow material interaction to communicate these dynamic physical events. Furthermore, in allowing process to supersede concept, I aim to prove the inherent presence of these ideas within all experience. Just as certain physical phenomenon exists in every experience, the consciousness behind the awareness of those is present, as well. By generating a material dialogue through objects, I am communicating being, movement, time, and a collection of moments. It becomes evident; then, that a man\u27s work stands out from life to such an extent that life cannot explain it..... Art, then, is an increase of life, a sort of competition of surprises that stimulates our consciousness and keeps it from becoming somnolent. (Bachelard, p.xxxiii

Rebuilding Public Confidence in Educational Assessment

Educational assessment is important. But in the twenty-first century it is easy to feel that schooling and other phases of education are shaped entirely by certain assessments, and that assessment is only about exam results. The idea that test grades can accurately describe the aims and outcomes of education is unfair and reductive. Yet it is a pervasive and persuasive discourse. This book is about such discourses - the stories we tell each other - and how they impact public trust and confidence in educational assessment. It explains the roots and nature of assessment discourses, and proposes a restructuring of the debates in order to rebuild public confidence. It aims to challenge dominant assessment discourses and demands a more nuanced, informed debate about what happens in and beyond schools, and how this influences public thinking. Questioning the status quo needs buy-in from policymakers, teachers, parents and students, and from the broader public: from journalists, you, me, our friends and our children. Using examples from international settings to explore the nature of trust in assessment discourses, Rebuilding Public Confidence in Educational Assessment shows how these discourses can be reframed so that all aspects of the assessment system - policymaking, school planning, home practice with students - can be undertaken with confidence

Notes on some cases of pleural effusion occurring in children

Classification:Class I. Pneumococcab:a. Secondary to lobar Pneumonia: General facts | Family History | Previous Health | Present Illnessb. Secondary to broncho-pneumonia: General facts, etc.Class II. Septic: General Facts, etc.Class III. Tuberculous: General Facts, etcSymptoms and Physical Signs of Effusion in all Classes:a. General Appearance | b. Respiratory System | c. Other SystemsCourse, Treatment and Complications:I. Pneumoniccal | II. Septic | III. TuberculousDiagnosis:Differential Diagnosis with Illustrative Cases:Prognosis:Pathology oft effusion:Tables: i. General History of Cases | ii. Symptoms & Physical Signs | iii. Character of effusion | iv. Analysis of Fatal CasesI. Pneumococcal | Septic | III. Tuberculous: Bacteriology; Of lung and pleura; Cases illustrating pathologyReference

The effect of wind turbines on bats in Britain

The increase in wind energy production has been relatively rapid and is expected to continue at a global scale. However, numbers of bat carcasses found at wind turbines in North America in the early 21st century raised concern about the plight of this taxon with the growth in wind-energy generation. This led to carcass searches for bats becoming commonplace at wind farms globally. However, few large scale systematic studies have assessed the effects of wind turbines on bats, especially for species considered potentially at higher risk in Europe. In this thesis the number and species of bats killed from wind farms were estimated across Britain, and the important predictors (i.e. activity, turbine characteristics and habitat) of fatality were determined. Insect abundance, biomass and bat activity was also quantified at turbine and control locations, to assess if insects and hence bats were attracted to turbines. In addition, assessments were made of the effects of increasing temporal and spatial replication of acoustic monitoring on estimates of species composition and bat activity. This was assessed for activity monitored at ground and at the centre of the rotor sweep area (the nacelle). Carcass searches were conducted using trained search dogs and concurrently bats were surveyed acoustically at three randomly selected turbines at ground and from the nacelle at 48 wind farms throughout Britain. Bats were also monitored acoustically at paired controls (with a randomly selected turbine) at 20 of the wind farms sites. In addition, nocturnal Diptera were sampled at 18 of the sites using a paired turbine and control design. Across 139 wind turbines, 188,335 bat passes were recorded and 2,973 carcass searches performed. Edge and open aerial foraging species, in particular Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus were most at risk of fatality 4 at wind farms in Britain. The number of Pipistrellus pipistrellus killed annually in Britain between mid-July and mid-October was estimated at 2,373 95% CI 513 to 4,233 and the number of P. pygmaeus at 3,082 95% CI 1,270 to 4,894. When compared to population estimates, the number of Pipistrellus pygmaeus killed was 57% higher than the number of P. pipistrellus killed (0.19% of the population versus 0.43%, respectively). This may be due to Pipistrellus pygmaeus flying more often within the rotor sweep area compared to P. pipistrellus. Activity measured at the nacelle, which is generally assumed to be a better predictor of fatalities, was not a significant predictor of the probability of a fatality for all species combined, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, or P. pygmaeus. Pipistrellus pipistrellus activity and P. pygmaeus activity, measured at ground level were not good predictors of their respective fatalities. Whilst there was some evidence that Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus activity monitored at ground level, was a significant predictor of the probability of their respective fatalities occurring, across wide ranging turbine types, fatality estimates were large. This is presumably due to the importance of turbine characterises (the wind speed that turbines become operational (cut-in speeds) turbine and the distance between the ground and blade tip at the bottom of the rotor sweep area) both being important negative predictors of fatalities for Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Predicting from models, if the cut-in speed is increased from 3.5 to 5 m s-1 the number of Pipistrellus pipistrellus fatalities would be reduced by 76% (0.23 fatalities per turbine per month to 0.06). These findings have important implications for guidance, since activity is the ubiquitous measure used to assess fatality risk for all species. Since, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus were detected at 98% and 92% of sites respectively; it could be 5 assumed that these species would be detected at the majority of wind farms within their range. Therefore, in a British context, curtailing wind turbines below 5 m s-1 could be an effective mitigation strategy without the costly requirement to monitor activity. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus activity was 46% (6.3 ± 1.3 SE mean passes per night c.f. 3.4 ± 1.3 SE) and 34% (4.0 ± 1.4 SE c.f. 2.7 ± 1.4 SE) higher at turbines compared to controls, respectively. Given that habitat and elevation were consistent between paired turbines and controls and monitoring was conducted on the same nights, higher activity at turbines compared to controls provides evidence that these two species are attracted to wind turbines. Furthermore, since the biomass of nocturnal Diptera, the main insect prey for Pipistrellus spp., was higher at controls compared to turbines, and bat foraging at turbines was not predicted by insect abundance or biomass, attraction is unlikely to be due to insects. Evidence presented here shows that bats are attracted to turbines, and therefore measuring activity at pre-construction sites for environmental impact assessments is unlikely to be effective. In conclusion, these results provide further evidence that common species are killed but generally in relatively low numbers, they also support the view that monitoring activity for assessing fatality risk at wind farms is ineffective. It is imperative that wind energy is developed using an evidence based approach. However, it also important that wind energy continues to contribute to an increasing renewable energy sector. In conclusion, results presented here, support that wind turbines are likely to be having a small impact on bat populations in Britain.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of Energy & Climate Change, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage, and RenewableU

“License, Registration, and State Funding, Please”: Overhauling Louisiana’s Traffic-Ticket Funding Scheme of Public Defenders

The article recommends a funding structure for public defenders in Louisiana that eliminates budget shortfalls by substituting the district-level user-pay system, in which all criminal defendants shoulder the cost of indigent defense through court fees and fines, for a centralized, state-funded general revenue stream

Composition and characteristics of particles in the ocean : evidence for present day resuspension

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution May 1980This study of particulate matter in the water column and the underlying surface sediments verifies the occurrence of local, present-day resuspension in the deep sea. The location of the major portion of this work was the South Iceland Rise, a region influenced by the flow of Norwegian Sea Overflow Water. Measured current velocities exceeded 20 cm/sec in the axis of the bottom current for the duration of the deployments, approximately two weeks. Particulate matter was sampled with Niskin bottles, to obtain the standing crop of suspended matter and with sediment traps, to obtain the material in flux through the water column. Box cores were taken to obtain surface sediment samples for comparison with the trap samples. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and light-scattering studies demonstrate that in the Iceland Rise area the correlation of the L-DGO nephelometer to concentration of SPM differs between clear water and the nepheloid layer. Correlations of light scattering to SPM concentration also differ regionally, but for predicting concentration from light scattering, regression lines at two locations are indistinguishable. Particle size distributions have lower variance in the nepheloid layer than those in clear water which have roughly equal volumes of material in logarithmically increasing size grades from 1-20 μm. Apparent density differences between SPM in clear water and the nepheloid layer are not distinguishable in the Iceland Rise study; apparent densities increase in the nepheloid layer in the western North Atlantic. An apparent density of 1.1 g/cm3 adequately separates clear water from nepheloid layer samples in this region. Compositional variations seen between clear water and the nepheloid layer include a decrease in small coccoliths and an increase in clays and mineral matter. These compositional variations are more dramatic in the western North Atlantic region, due to dissolution of carbonate at the seafloor, later resuspended into the nepheloid layer. Sedimentological evidence of resuspension and redistribution of material are: 1) presence of sediment drifts throughout the Iceland Basin; 2) occurrence of coarse, glacial age sediments beneath the axis of the bottom current; and 3) differences in mineralogy, carbonate and organic carbon contents between surface sediments beneath the bottom current and those in a channel. A comparison of the vertical flux of material measured by sediment traps at 500 meters above bottom (mab) with the accumulation rate in cores, shows that the present-day surface input is an order of magnitude smaller than the accumulation rate. This observation suggests transport of material into some sections of the region by bottom currents or by turbidity currents. The horizontal flux of particulate matter into and out of the region by the bottom current is 100 kg/sec. This material may contribute to the formation of Gardar sediment drift downstream. The trends in % CaC03 and % organic carbon through the water column and in the surface sediments suggest that dissolution of carbonate and decomposition and consumption of organic carbon occurs primarily at the seafloor. These data also suggest preferential preservation at channel stations and/or preferential erosion beneath the bottom current. A comparison of sediment-trap samples with box-core surface samples further supports present-day resuspension. Benthic foraminifera, iron-oxidicoated planktonic foraminifera and the glacial, subpolar planktonic foraminifera (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral)) in traps at 10,100 and a few specimens at 500 mab, provide conclusive evidence for local resuspension. The coarse fraction (>125 μm) of the sediment trap material collected at 10 mab comprises 21-34% of the samples Calculations indicate that this material is locally derived (few kilometers) resuspended material.This work was financially supported by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, ONR through contracts N00014-79-C-00-7l NR 083-004, N00014-74-C0262 NR 083-004, and N00014-75-C-029l and ERDA through contracts 13-7923 and 13-2559