Down the SoTL rabbit hole: Using a phenomenological approach to parse the development of student actors

Theatre is a multi-dimensional discipline encompassing aspects of several domains in the arts and humanities. Therefore, an array of scholarly practices, pedagogies, and methods might be available to a SoTL researcher from the close reading of texts in script analysis to portfolio critiques in set, costume, and lighting design—approaches shared with the humanities and the visual arts. For those studying the learning processes involved in developing actors, however, this article argues that it is necessary to go beyond the cognitive elements of the process and turn to the very experiential nature of performance to capture kinetic and affective learning. While basic voice, movement, and acting skills can be built on repetition and evaluated with critical rubrics, in order to capture the learning processes involved in the integration of cognition, voice, body, and emotion (affect), we have to use the reflective habits of mind present in theatrical culture. One approach to gathering reflective data for such studies is phenomenology. This article describes several SoTL inquiries into the experiential nature of performance. It argues that, depending on the research question at hand, phenomenological reports on developing acting skills intersecting with demonstrations of cognitive analysis and external performance critiques not only provide a rich data stew for analysis but deeper insight into the learning processes of the developing performer

The interruption of the developmental tasks through pregnancy in the female adolescent

There is much information about the incidence of adolescent pregnancy yet little attention has been directed to how this process will interrupt the working towards or completion of the developmental tasks of adolescence. It is our belief that completion of these tasks is crucial in relation to moving into the next stage, adulthood. Public interest and concern for the contemporary needs of pregnant adolescents and school age parents as a special group is still fairly novel. Survey findings revealed that adolescent parents still have great need for infant day care services, direct financial assistance, housing arrangements, education, and parenting education. In this study, a service provider to teenage adolescents who are pregnant, Salem Teen Mother\u27s Program, was examined in depth to assess the components of their program which assist with working toward completion of the tasks. Additionally, we looked at two cohorts of girls. Those that accepted and those that rejected the offered services at the Teen Mother\u27s Program and developed a profile on each girl consisting of the following traits: age, marital status, religious preference, employment status, and race; the purpose being, to compare the two groups to see if there are reasons why they accept or reject participation in the program. Following completion of the profile, we then looked at the elements of the Teen Mother\u27s Program and how they generally address the tasks. The review of the literature examines why teens get pregnant, statistics on pregnancy, an explanation of how various programs have helped, and the medical risks associated with teenage pregnancy. A description of the Salem Teen Mother\u27s Program is presented

An Investigation of the Efficacy of One Urban Literacy Academy: Enhancing Teacher Capacity Through Professional Development

In order to systemically improve student achievement in elementary literacy, a large urban school district partnered with a local university to develop a model for high-quality professional development that hopefully would result in long-term changes in teachers’ literacy instructional/practices. Schools were selected based on their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading/language arts’ status. The resulting literacy academy provided approximately 150 hours of professional development over time through two semesters of graduate level course work; 60 hours of it job-embedded. The Literacy Academy was based on a capacity-building model to build teacher knowledge and expertise in reading instruction, specifically in the areas of classroom assessment and use of student data to inform instruction; effective teaching methods in such areas as phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary development, and writing; adapting instruction for students having special needs; and family involvement techniques. Weekly literacy coaching supported the translation of the new learning into practice. A mixed method design was used in this study and the results of this work are presented

Gastric Tube Placement in Children 1-215 Months Old

poster abstractFeeding by a nasogastric/orogastric (NG/OG) tube is preferred when the gastrointestinal system is functional and the need for assisted feeding is expected to be short-term. Preliminary studies in children show that between 21% and 44% of these tubes are placed incorrectly. When tubes are out of place, children can be seriously harmed, causing increased morbidity and occasionally death. The aims of this study were to determine the best method to predict the insertion distance for placing NG/OG tubes and to determine the best clinical methods of testing the location of NG/OG tubes once they were inserted. A randomized clinical trial was conducted. The three insertion-distance prediction methods tested were nose-ear-xiphoid (NEX); nose-ear-mid-umbilicus (NEMU); and age-related, height-based (ARHB). An abdominal radiograph was obtained immediately following tube insertion to determine the internal location of the tube tip and orifice(s). Based on data from 95 children age 1-220 months (M = 51.8, SD = 54.9, median = 33.4), both the ARHB and NEMU methods were superior to NEX in placing the tube in the stomach (p = .0064). ARHB and NEMU were not significantly different from each other. NEX was frequently too short (41.93% of tube insertions) leaving the tube tip and/or orifices in the esophagus. The three clinical methods of testing tube location were CO2 monitoring and measuring pH and bilirubin in tube aspirate. Measuring pH of tube aspirate was the superior clinical method of determining tube location. Aspirate was available for testing in 84 children (88.42%). Based on a pH cutoff of 5 (recommended by Metheny in fasting adults), the sensitivity was 26.67 (low), specificity was 80.60 (high), positive predictive value was 23.53 (low), and negative predictive value was 83.08 (high). Measuring the NEX distance is the method most commonly used by nurses in practice; therefore, based on the results of this study and studies of other researchers, a practice change to either ARHB or NEMU should improve the safety of enteral feeding in children. Because of the low sensitivity in predicting misplaced tubes using pH, the superior clinical method, obtaining an abdominal x-ray to ensure placement in the stomach at the time of tube insertion is recommended

"In a roundabout way": Evasive, Oblique and Indirect Discourse in Allen Tate, Tennessee Williams and Lewis Nordan

Allen Tate's The Fathers, Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, and Lewis Nordan's Wolf Whistle represent a few of the numerous southern texts which demonstrate an historically evasive rhetorical style, particularly when dealing with difficult or socially taboo issues. Typically, the more important the subject, the less direct the approach. Preoccupation with hospitality, etiquette, and public appearance results in oblique discursive strategies which structure social norms and narrative practices in the American South. In each case, the author's self-identification with southern culture foregrounds his familiarity with these codes and the author's biographies, interviews and critical writings support his use of such systems. In addition, each author employs a generic device which furthers the elisions and circumventions exemplified by their characters. Tate, Williams and Nordan utilize techniques such as gothicism, plastic theater, and magical realism which blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. These conventions paradoxically distance the reader from the text, at times neglecting important matters and yet, at others, offering ambiguous spaces where contemplation of otherwise unspeakable concerns may occur

Asking bigger questions: An invitation to further conversation

In this essay, the editors and contributors to this special section on SoTL in the Arts and Humanities argue that given the current climate and context, debates within SoTL about appropriate methodology both lead scholars from their disciplines to reject SoTL and also, more importantly, distract us from more significant questions and challenges. If, instead, SoTL would embrace not only its diversity but also its political potential, then we, as a scholarly community, would be in a position to do more than merely improve students’ learning in our own classrooms. We could help to transform higher education. To achieve that, we need a broader conversation and a wider range of studies. We also need to be mindful of and engaged with the political, economic, and ideological forces that are shaping our institutions, our work, and our students’ expectations

Building Future Capacity of School Psychologists to Address the Demand for Inclusive Evidence-Based Consultation: Moving Beyond K-12 to Include School Readiness Frameworks

There is high demand for future school psychologists to address the need for continuous evidence-based consultation that moves beyond K-12 settings, and includes evidence-based consultation to promote school readiness for infants and toddlers with and at risk for developmental disabilities. While there exists a demand for school psychologists in infant and toddler settings, the primary focus of training programs is preparing graduates to work in school-based settings. Currently, a gap exists in graduate training opportunities in evidence-based consultation practices that support school readiness for infants and toddlers with and at risk for disabilities served through Part C services. While school psychologists typically are trained on evidence-based consultation mechanisms that have largely been utilized in K-12 contexts, they rarely receive consultation training with families of infants and toddlers. Therefore, expansion of training is necessary to support infants and toddlers through evidence-based consultation models. To underscore the importance of continuity in application of evidence-based consultation models, the current manuscript compares an evidence-based consultation model validated in K-12 settings and a consultation model for promoting infant and toddler developmental competencies. An illustration of the application of evidence-based consultation frameworks within multi-tiered systems of support and recommendations for graduate training, to better prepare school psychologists for work in birth-to-three settings, is provided

2018 Establishing groundwater Nitrate / Nitrite levels In Hamilton, Montana & local areaMarch

We propose to collect emergent groundwater around Hamilton, using standardized collection methods that include quality and control samples with analysis performed at a certified drinking water testing laboratory (Energy Labs). Nitrate background in natural groundwater systems should contain less that\u27s 1 mg/L nitrates (U.S. Geological Survey) but in our aquifer, nitrates/nitrites should be less than 0.25 mg/L based on previous sampling. We will map the locations of the samples and use local hydrology data to help determine the source and flow direction of the groundwater. Routine testing and reporting of groundwater quality in our community will help protect our health and the economy of our river. Groundwater in sand and gravel aquifers from shallow wells supplies all the Hamilton area drinking water. The aquifers receive recharge from streams and ditches flowing in from he sides of the valley and the shallow aquifers discharge to the Bitterroot River and to ditches that flow past the West and north edge of Hamilton. we plan to collect about a dozen samples in an arc around the down gradient edge of Hamilton from these groundwater discharges. Nitrates are tasteless and odorless, and are often the first sign of deterioration of groundwater quality. Nitrates are a health threat because they can cause blue baby syndrome and may function as initiators of human carcinogenesis. Nitrates are also an environmental threat because they cause eutrophication damage to surface water aquatic environments in the Bitterroot River. High densities of private septic systems, and large acreages that receive fertilizer or that support farm animals are located up gradient to the south and eats of Hamilton. these are probable sources of pollution to shallow groundwater

Comparing Bedside Methods of Determining Placement of Gastric Tubes in Children

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy and predictive validity of pH, bilirubin, and CO2 in identifying gastric tube placement errors in children. Design and Methods After the tube was inserted into 276 children, the CO2 monitor reading was obtained. Fluid was then aspirated to test pH and bilirubin. Results Lack of ability to obtain tube aspirate was the best predictor of NG/OG placement errors with a sensitivity of 34.9% and a positive predictive value of 66.7%. Measuring pH, bilirubin, and CO2 of tube aspirate was less helpful. Practice Implications Health care providers should suspect NG/OG tube misplacement when no fluid is aspirated

Impact of Community Health Workers on Elderly Patients' Advance Care Planning and Health Care Utilization: Moving the Dial

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) is recommended for all persons to ensure that the care they receive aligns with their values and preferences. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an ACP intervention developed to better meet the needs and priorities of persons with chronic diseases, including mild cognitive impairment. RESEARCH DESIGN: A year-long, pre-post intervention using lay community health workers [care coordinator assistants (CCAs)] trained to conduct and document ACP conversations with patients during home health visits with pre-post evaluation. SUBJECTS: The 818 patients were 74.2 years old (mean); 78% women; 51% African American; 43% white. MEASURES: Documentation of ACP conversation in electronic health record fields and health care utilization outcomes. RESULTS: In this target population ACP documentation rose from 3.4% (pre-CCA training) to 47.9% (post) of patients who had at least 1 discussion about ACP in the electronic health record. In the 1-year preintervention period, there were no differences in admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and outpatient visits between patients who did and did not have ACP discussion. After adjusting for prior hospitalization and ED use histories, ACP discussions were associated with a 34% less probability of hospitalization (hazard ratios, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.97), and similar effects are apparent on ED use independent of age and prior ED use effects. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic diseases including mild cognitive impairment can engage in ACP conversations with trusted home health care providers. Having ACP conversation is associated with significant reduction in seeking urgent health care and in hospitalizations