Factors influencing a physical education teacher’s pedagogical games practices with pupils experiencing social, emotional and mental health issues

Recognizing the limited research examining physical education teachers’ pedagogical practices for pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural issues, this case study sought to examine how a male teacher with a high performing sports background taught games to such pupils and identify those factors that led to such practices. Occupational socialization was used to explore how childhood experiences of physical education and high performance sport, higher education and the workplace influenced his teaching and learning approaches in a special school setting. Data were collected by conducting three semi-structured interviews, eight videoed lesson observations and a self-reflective journal. Inductive data analysis identified that the twin aims of developing life skills and transferability of such skills beyond physical education were said to be achieved by developing pupils’ emotional resilience and encouraging appropriate social behaviour. The influence of the teacher’s family, his high performing sporting background, the needs of the pupils and the school’s policies impacted on developing such resilience and social behaviour. Two suggestions are offered as a result of these findings. Firstly, prior examination of childhood values should be undertaken for those wishing to teach physical education to pupils experiencing social, emotional and mental health issues. Secondly, given this study contradicts research findings that teachers with high performing sport backgrounds emphasize the development of pupils’ practical performance, research examining the impact of such sportspersons on physical education pedagogy in different educational settings appears warranted.Published onlin

Teacher candidate perceptions of the edTPA in physical and health education

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education on 21 August 2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/25742981.2020.1810583 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate physical and health education teacher candidate’s perceptions of factors influencing effective implementation of edTPA at one teacher preparation program in the Southeastern United States. The participants were six physical and health education teacher candidates who had recently completed the edTPA portfolio. In line with the principles of case study methodology data were collected through the application of a Qualtrics survey, followed by focus group and one-on-one interviews. NVivo 11 Pro software package was employed to analyse data using analytic induction and constant comparison techniques. The analysis revealed that the factors that influenced participant experiences of the edTPA fell into four themes: (a) tandem cooperating teachers and teacher candidates’ edTPA learning, (b) essential faculty support, (c) boot camp workshop support, and (d) effective mock submissions. The study reveals that there are a number of strategic interventions that can improve the effectiveness of edTPA programs. These include, but are not limited to, targeted training for cooperating teachers, involving physical and health education faculty in boot camp workshops, and assigning mock edTPA assignments during methods courses.Published onlin

Surgical Power Lift

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Winter 2008The project's main goal is to redesign a working, stable and ergonomic platform lift that has an adjustable height used to aid neurosurgeons during long surgeries. The current device is wearing out; the motor is getting louder, the lift is moving slower and it is an older model. According to our sponsors, stability, comfort, noise level and hand control are the biggest concerns in the redesign process. The project outcome will be a redesigned product, built specifically to the sponsor's requirements, with major design modifications.University of Michigan Medical Schoolhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58686/1/me450w08project16_report.pd

(Reinforcing) factors influencing a physical education teachers use of the direct instruction model teaching games

he purpose of this study was to explore how a physical education (PE) teacher employed the direct instruction model (DIM) teaching games in a United Kingdom secondary school. The research sought to identify how the teacher utilised the DIM and those factors that influenced his use of the model. Occupational socialization was used to identify the factors that encouraged his use of the DIM. Data were collected from interviews and lesson observations. Inductive data analysis showed that while the teacher presented a ‘full version’ of the DIM, his limited content knowledge impacted on the use of the model in teaching cricket. Factors influencing his use of the model were a sporting perspective, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education mentor and the ability and behaviour of the students. These factors reinforced his undergraduate learning and subsequent use of the DIM. It is suggested that the comparable backgrounds of many PE student teachers may make the DIM an apt model to learn in undergraduate and postgraduate PE courses. However, effective use of the model requires students to be taught and to possess in-depth content knowledge of the game(s)/activities being taught and learned

Learning informally to use the 'full version' of teaching games for understanding

This paper examines an experienced teacher’s employment of the teaching games for understanding (TGfU) model in a UK secondary school. The study sought to investigate how the teacher delivered TGfU and those factors that influenced his informal learning of this instructional model. Occupational socialisation was utilised to determine the factors that influenced his use of TGfU. Qualitative data were collected from interviews, lesson observations and documentary evidence. Inductive data analysis indicated the teacher delivered the ‘full version’ of the model largely congruent with the creators’ intentions. The traditional approach to games teaching seen in his childhood and partially learned in higher education were ‘washed out’ by the influence of teaching colleagues and the development of a student-centred approach to teaching games. This study indicates it is possible to overcome traditional approaches to games teaching and informally learn to use TGfU successfully given conducive circumstances and sufficient time

Physical education undergraduate students’ perceptions of their learning using the jigsaw learning method

Recognising the limited research around the use of cooperative learning in higher education, this case study sought to explore physical education students’ perceptions of learning using the jigsaw learning method. It examined the impact of two different aesthetic activities and two different groupings on students’ perceptions of their learning. A purposive sample of 36 third-year undergraduates was selected for the study. Data were collected using focus group interviews and reflective journals. Inductive analysis illustrated students’ perceptions of their own and others’ abilities, students’ empathy towards their peers, and how their perceptions of gymnastics and dance impacted on their perceptions of learning. Students felt that heterogeneous and friendship groupings have the potential to encourage high-order social and cognitive learning. However, those students with limited psychomotor abilities appear to be better served in friendship groupings to facilitate such learning. Students also favoured the ‘structured’ nature of gymnastics in comparison to dance for their own teaching and learning purposes. Irrespective of aesthetic activity or grouping utilised, students felt their psychomotor learning was limited. It is recommended that university staff consider using a mixture of groupings with a single cohort dependent on the practical ability of students and the use of more ‘structured’ activities. In doing so, students’ perceptions of their social, cognitive and psychomotor learning may improve and thereby encourage greater and more effective use of this innovative method in schools

Scalings for Submarine Melting at Tidewater Glaciers from Buoyant Plume Theory

Rapid dynamic changes at the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet, synchronous with ocean warming, have raised concern that tidewater glaciers can respond sensitively to ocean forcing. Understanding of the processes encompassing ocean forcing nevertheless remains embryonic. The authors use buoyant plume theory to study the dynamics of proglacial discharge plumes arising from the emergence of subglacial discharge into a fjord at the grounding line of a tidewater glacier, deriving scalings for the induced submarine melting. Focusing on the parameter space relevant for high discharge tidewater glaciers, the authors suggest that in an unstratified fjord the often-quoted relationship between total submarine melt volume and subglacial discharge raised to the ⅓ power is appropriate regardless of plume geometry, provided discharge lies below a critical value. In these cases it is then possible to formulate a simple equation estimating total submarine melt volume as a function of discharge, fjord temperature, and calving front height. However, once linear stratification is introduced—as may be more relevant for fjords in Greenland—the total melt rate discharge exponent may be as large as ¾ (⅔) for a point (line) source plume and display more complexity. The scalings provide a guide for more advanced numerical models, inform understanding of the processes encompassing ocean forcing, and facilitate assessment of the variability in submarine melting both in recent decades and under projected atmospheric and oceanic warming

Erratum to: Methods for evaluating medical tests and biomarkers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s41512-016-0001-y.]

Iceberg melting substantially modifies oceanic heat flux towards a major Greenlandic tidewater glacier

Fjord dynamics influence oceanic heat flux to the Greenland ice sheet. Submarine iceberg melting releases large volumes of freshwater within Greenland’s fjords, yet its impact on fjord dynamics remains unclear. We modify an ocean model to simulate submarine iceberg melting in Sermilik Fjord, east Greenland. Here we find that submarine iceberg melting cools and freshens the fjord by up to ~5 °C and 0.7 psu in the upper 100-200 m. The release of freshwater from icebergs drives an overturning circulation, resulting in a ~10% increase in net up-fjord heat flux. In addition, we find that submarine iceberg melting accounts for over 95% of heat used for ice melt in Sermilik Fjord. Our results highlight the substantial impact that icebergs have on the dynamics of a major Greenlandic fjord, demonstrating the importance of including related processes in studies that seek to quantify interactions between the ice sheet and the ocean