Working the Nexus: Teaching students to think, read and problem-solve like a lawyer

Despite a clear case for thinking skills in legal education, the approach to teaching these skills often appears to be implied in law curricula rather than identified explicitly. Thinking skills could be taught as part of reading law and legal problem solving. However, learning the full suite of thinking skills requires active teaching strategies which go beyond exposing students to the text of the law, and training them in its application by solving problem scenarios. The challenge for law teachers is to articulate how to learn legal thinking skills, and to do so at each level of the degree. This article outlines how the nexus between three component skills: critical legal thinking, reading law, and legal problem solving, can be put to work to provide a cohesive and scaffolded approach to the teaching of legal thinking. Although the approach in this article arises from the Smart Casual project, producing discipline-specific professional development resources directed at sessional teachers in law, we suggest that its application is relevant to all law teachers

Critical legal reading: The elements, strategies and dispositions needed to master this essential skill

Alex Steel, Kate Galloway, Mary Heath, Natalie Skead, Mark Israel, Anne Hewit

Acacia caffra

Transcript: "Acacia caffra. Flowers November to January with occasional extensions to March. The scent differs from Accia karroo in being not so sickly -is sharper to the nose but nonetheless attractive. The fine thorns are not readily visible. The softness of the foliage can lead one into grabbing at branches only to be be well pricked. The tree is very common along the Buffalo river at King William's Town often growing at the water's edge. In the veld, Acacia karroo often grows among Acacia caffra, the two making an interesting contrast. 30.10.1959. Coming into flower at Kei Bridge on the Komga-Transkei border, At Bashee Bridge between Idutywa and Umtata, and in the Umzimkhulu valley on the Natal border of Transkei. 21.11.1959. Coming into good flower at King William's Town. July 1960. Trees mostly bare but some have straggly leaves adhering. August 1960. Bare. September 1960. Began shooting on trees along rivers early in the month. But leaves began bursting from their buds on trees in dry veld on about the 15th of the month despite lack of rain to stimulate spring growth October 27th 1960. First flowers appearing.

Running to well-being: A comparative study on the impact of exercise on the physical and mental health of law and psychology students

Research indicates that, in comparison to other university students, law students are at greater risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress. There is also a large body of literature supporting a general negative association between exercise and stress, anxiety and depression. However, we are not aware of any studies exploring the impact of exercise on the mental health of law students specifically. This article reports evidence of a negative association between exercise and psychological distress in 206 law and psychology students. Compared to psychology students, the law students not only reported greater psychological distress, but, in addition, there was a stronger association between their levels of distress and their levels of exercise. Based on the results of this study, we suggest a simple yet effective way law schools might support the mental health of their students

Forest patch on Lynedoch farm, Baviaans River Valley, Bedford

Extract: “Forest Patch on LYNEDOCH farm, Baviaans River Valley, Bedford. This small patch of what can best be described as Woodland/ Forest by virtue of its hybrid condition as influenced by man's chopping activities down the years, lies at the head of what is called Grootkloof on this farm, and is the last patch of such forest up this otherwise dry valley in which the lower slopes receive a much lower precipitation than the upper heights under which the patch of forest persists by virtue of the extra moisture it receives from passing cloud. The forest patch is 27 km NW of Bedford town, and at about 1 000 m a.s.l.

A press report study on the demographics of homicide suicide in South Africa : 2002-2009.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.Homicide suicide (HS) is rare phenomenon where an individual kills one or more people and then commits suicide, normally within a week or less. The suicide must be related to the homicide in order for it to be classified as a HS event. In South Africa, there is no national surveillance system tracking HS events which makes researching this phenomenon difficult. As a result, little research has been conducted in South Africa. This study aimed to determine, through media reports, the annual incident rates, the demographic profiles of the perpetrator and victims involved and the various features of HS in South Africa from 2002 to 2009. The findings of the present study are also compared to other international and national findings. This quantitative study analysed 328 HS events that were reported in nine national newspapers over an eight-year period. The results found that the typical South African HS perpetrator reported in the media is likely to be 37 years of age, male and black African. He would most likely be employed in the security sector and his victim would typically be a 25 year old, would be an intimate partner. Shooting was the most common method for the homicide and the suicide in HS events. The study concluded that the general demographics and patterns were similar to national and international studies

Diagnostic challenges and surgical management of co-existent osteoblastoma and aneurysmal bone cyst of the lumbar spine in a child: case report

Background: Osteoblastomas (OTB) with co-existent aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) of the spine are extremely rare and more so in the lumbar spine. To the authors’ knowledge, only one case of lumbar spine involvement has been reported in a paediatric patient.Objectives: To highlight diagnostic challenges and surgical management of co-existent lumbar OTB-ACB in a child.Methods: We present a 14-year old female with low back pain and progressive swelling of 2 months. She was evaluated by neuroimaging studies and histopathological assessment of resected tissue.Results: X-ray showed a lytic lesion in L3 with loss of the left pedicle. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a fluid-filled, heterogeneously enhanced, lobulated lesion posterior to the vertebral bodies of L3, L4 and L5, which infiltrated the quadratus lumborum muscles bilaterally, and histologically diagnosed as ABC. The L3 pedicle also revealed an expanded, heterogeneously enhanced mass lesion which appeared to be different and showed no fluid-filled levels, histologically diagnosed as OTB. Surgical intervention involved tumour excision with partial spondylectomy of L3 vertebra, posterior instrumented stabilization and fusion.Conclusion: The case highlights the diagnostic challenges of co-existent OTB-ABC and the significant role of surgical management via spinal reconstruction, stabilization and fusion after gross total tumour excision.Keywords: Osteoblastoma, aneurysmal bone cyst, lumbar vertebra, paediatric, instrumented fusion

Realizing the Educational Rights of Children with Disabilities: An Overview of Inclusive Education in Cameroon

All children deserve access to education, including those in low income countries. Educators and teachers share a desire to promote inclusive education, and can came together, such as the current group of authors did, to educate themselves about current developments. This paper examines published research relevant to inclusive education in Cameroon to contribute to understandings of inclusive education in Africa. An extensive review of published and grey scholarly literature since 2002 yielded 22 documents. Analysis, framed around a human rights perspective, focused on three areas: the legal context for inclusive education; the situation of children with disabilities in inclusive education settings; and the organizations providing inclusive education. Findings indicate that there is emerging attention to inclusive education for children with disabilities in Cameroon yet many children are still not able to realize their educational and social rights. It appears that most children with disabilities are not included in schools, and points to a need to address teacher attitudes and pedagogy. This paper initiates a discourse into the strategies to increase awareness and promote change among teachers, principals, school administrators, parents, and other stakeholders in Cameroon, and concludes with cautious optimism that inclusion in schools in Cameroon is beginning to take place

An examination of the missional ecclesiology of the 'Emerging Church Movement'

This thesis explores the missional ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement and its relationship to Evangelicalism. The rise of post-Christendom, post-modernism and the increasing marginalisation of the church in Western Culture has created a situation where it needs to ask the basic missiological questions of its own identity and structures. In contrast to many within traditional Evangelicalism, the Emerging Church Movement views these changes as a positive development and, in a social context much more akin to that of the early church, an opportunity to rediscover the essential nature of its calling as Church. It is in a narrative reading of Scripture and understanding of Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God that the ECM believes the answers are to be found. As a result, the ECM finds itself working through a gradual process of dismantling and reconstructing the faith of their Evangelical heritage as they reflect on the meaning of the gospel as they see it expressed in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and His interpretation of the Old Testament narrative. For the ECM, the gospel is much bigger than merely personal salvation and is best understood as God's great and gracious mission in the world of making new all that has been corrupted by sin and evil. Missional churches realise that they have been invited to participate with God in his redemptive mission and formulate their identity, structures and values accordingly. The ECM engages in intentional , subversive ministry from its new place at the margins of society flowing from the realisation that mission is not an activity to be carried out by members of the church in certain contexts, but rather the essential character and calling of the church community wherever it may exist.Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2010.Practical Theologyunrestricte