The big squeeze: work, home and care in 2012

The Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) survey measures how work intersects with other life activities, as seen by a randomly selected representative group of 2,887 working Australians.In recent years a number of major events have influenced Australians’ work, personal, family and community lives. The global financial crisis commenced in 2007/8 and international financial markets have experienced continuing instability. The Fair Work Act 2009 introduced a number of changes to the regulation of work. These included a new net of National Employment Standards that incorporated a formal right for some workers to request flexibility or extended unpaid parental leave from 1 January 2010. A national system of paid parental leave came into effect in January 2011. At the same time, the Australian labour force has continued to evolve, with increasing participation of women, declining rates of participation amongst men, an aging workforce and a continuing shift in the composition of employment away from manufacturing and agriculture towards the services sector

Peering in: what do you see and will we agree?

Most initial teacher education (ITE) programmes claim to develop reflective practitioners. Peer review is one means of developing reflective practice. In this study, Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Physical Education (PE) students engaged in a process of peer review to investigate how reviewees used feedback from reviewers to inform their reflections. Eleven post-lesson feedback audio recorded discussions were collected along with 11 reflection templates and 2 focus group interviews. In response to both low-quality and high-quality feedback received, students’ reflections were low-quality (pre-reflective and surface level) and/or high-quality (pedagogical). None reflected at the highest, critical, level. Students valued the peer review process, with some noting that the feedback often triggered deeper reflection, whilst for others the feedback was accepted uncritically. The process also allowed for sharing of ideas and for some reviewers, it triggered deeper thinking about their practice. Results are discussed in relation to developing students’ reflective practice

The Required Textbook Friend Or Foe? Dealing With The Dilemma

The use of a required text is an accepted practice in most college courses, but two-thirds of the students are coming to class without reading the textbook, some of them never buying the textbook at all. A review of the literature about textbook usage and student reading habits provides a comparison between how faculty and students view the pros and cons of the required textbook. The analysis suggests faculty and students share the general benefits of textbook usage (e.g., knowledge, consistent material, accessible) but that those benefits are countered by several personal costs from the student perspective. The pros and cons are explained and recommendations offered to help deal with students concerns. A brief consideration of alternative strategies is presented

Student Selected Components - a modern curriculum to complement a systems-based medical degree

The 2009 version of the GMC’s Tomorrows Doctors describes student selected components as “an integral part of the curriculum, enabling students to demonstrate mandatory competences while allowing choice in studying an area of particular interest to them”. The definition of SSCs and guidance for their delivery and assessment have been interpreted in a variety of ways by individual medical schools and by regional consortia of medical schools. To complement our systems-based MBBS modules we have developed a longitudinal Student Selected Studies (SSS) curriculum which has been reviewed and modified since 2011. Throughout the SSS curriculum, students develop academic skills and competences such as literature review or developing a clinical or research question. In years 1 to 3 these competences are acquired whilst focusing on topics from a given theme of study, for example physiology, pharmacology or ethics. In year 4 the students apply the skills acquired in the earlier years to the evaluation of a case described in their own clinical-placement log-book. In the first three years when students learn how to deliver formal presentations, using PowerPoint, conference-style posters, or anatomy demonstrations, they are given specialist tutor support, and feedback is given in formative assessments; allowing the students to make corrections and refine their skills before summative assessments take place. Our curriculum development has been shaped by the use of a competency-based teaching and assessment strategy with a focus on the student’s longitudinal development through the use of a feedforward strategy (Hattie, 2007) during and after formative assessments

Working parents home-schooling children with special educational needs during a pandemic: How best can mainstream schools help through digital technologies?

The competing demands of home-schooling and work commitments during the Covid-19 pandemic left working parents of primary school children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) exhausted, anxious about their ability to cope, and concerned for their children’s learning and their future. This case study explored how mainstream primary schools could best facilitate the numerous challenges of home education using digital technology. Using a qualitative approach, four interviews were conducted with two parents of SEN children, one each before the first lockdown and following the second lockdown. Transcription, facilitating data analysis, was done through Otter Artificial Intelligence software. Research questions focused on the nature and extent of digital communication from schools, adjustments during the second lockdown, inclusive practices, differentiated provision, and guidance to nurture the children’s emotional well-being. The results showed that online school contact with parents and children varied markedly in quality and frequency between different teachers, with more differentiated provision during the second lockdown particularly from the Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and Classroom Assistants (CAs). The value of these paraprofessionals establishing and maintaining online home-school links, namely, the SENCOs’ online engagement with parents to identify and manage new problems, and the CAs’ rapport and direct contact with the children offering practical help and coping strategies, was underlined. For future remote education, parents sought direction from mainstream schools about learning objectives, practical ways for children with special needs to understand abstract concepts, and weekly online activities with peers to work together in small groups and for social interaction. Appropriate levels of challenge were essential for SEN children linked to their developmental, physical and emotional needs, with consistent communication between parents, teachers and SENCOs, and the maintaining of records for subsequent assessment. Once schools re-opened fully, teachers needed to consider pastoral issues including coping strategies for pupils following extended periods of absence

Physical Activity in High School Classrooms: A Promising Avenue for Future Research

Adolescence represents a sensitive period whereby lifestyle factors such as physical activity can have profound, long-lasting effects on development and later life habits. However, adolescence constitutes a period of frequent sedentary behaviour. Among children, integrating physical activity into elementary school classrooms has been shown to reduce sedentary behaviour and improve academic achievement and overall physical and mental health. However, this promising area of research has not extended to adolescents and high school classrooms. In this paper, we describe the benefits of conducting research on the impact of physically active high school classrooms, and highlight the challenges and potential misconceptions associated with research in this field. Specifically, we review research on the role of physical activity in adolescent development, the benefits of classroom-based physical activity for children, and discuss the factors that may have led researchers to focus on classroom-based physical activity primarily for children, despite the potentially similar benefits for adolescents

Prospectus, December 7, 1977

BR-R-R-R-R: YES, WINTER IS HERE..; but warmth is on the way!!; Newspapers from your town at LRC; Parkland Events; Snow policy; Money to burn: Wide screen TV an \u27egregious toy\u27; Letters to the editors; Tape delay unit could be built for much less; Snow? What snow?; Winter divertissement: Party tonight, concert given Sunday; Pre-register or...; Mr. C receives early present; Kuhn\u27s \u27Sister Celebration\u27 is for women as alternative: creative religious celebration; Of trees and trim: Tell do\u27s and don\u27ts: safe Christmas; VA payment increase is part of GI Bill Improvement Act; Fun night next Friday; Corbin answeres all your questions about animals; Poet\u27s Corner: Old Wisdom , Purple Cow ; Classifieds; Liquid protein diet works, but results may be killer; Women\u27s delegates appear-Foundation; Officiating confuses coaches, players: Cobras win one, lose one in wild week; Two tie in Bouncing Bob\u27s opening Basketball Bonanzahttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1977/1001/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, October 12, 1977

TWO STUDENTS KILLED IN MISHAPS; Program for long-living begins year of courses; Early registration urged for health career applicants; Parkland Events; Staff opion: Some people are just dying to get your blood; PC posters: where do they come from?; Radio station meeting tomorrow; News in brief: Hundreds at art show; ORT program is accredited; Food service training-new course for this fall; Around the world in slides?; Reading courses offered; Music students to perform; \u27Who dances for the dancers?\u27: Dancer Beals delights large PC crowd; Female health concerns shown; Women\u27s News: Collette cancelled; Her Say News...; Gymnasium: Where\u27s that?; Disco sounds score big for big and small labels; Partial eclipse visible today...; ...and speaking of astronomy; Walt, how could you!?: PC teacher spends summer on tundra; Classifieds; God bless Horatii?; Personal Service Guide; Classic photos at U of I; McLean County seeks artists-in-residence; Cobras place 13th among 19 in golf; Women run volleyball record to 5-2 against Kankakee; Pritchett announces squad; Southern Cal upset is only Bennett miss; EI Jr. Varsity takes Parkland Invitationalhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1977/1009/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, November 22, 1977

NOVEMBER BOARD MEETING: PLATO STAYS \u27TIL AUGUST; Senate votes tomorrow: More $$$ for Parkland; Pssst!! Here\u27s a hot tip for making lettuce; Who\u27s Who in American Junior Colleges: More PC students listed in college directory; Staff editorial: Has PLATO become just a PLAy TOy???; Letters to the editors: Let\u27s try it one more time: Ax; Canteen defended; Cycle schedule is now available; Administration posture on Canteen is one of \u27Let them eat cake\u27; Decision workshop given by counseling; Bio instructors sound off on DES reply; Special to Prospectus: Calculator gives interview; Beach Boys revisited; Poet\u27s Corner; Grid great grabs freight: \u27Picnic\u27 keeps the audience laughing; News in Brief: Volunteers are needed for programs; Lems performs here November 29; LWV will cater fancy goodies; Classifieds; Thanks, but no thanks: PC students reflect on holiday season; Chris tells Spaniards, \u27Turkeys is peacocks\u27; Freddy is loser in contest finale; second year in a row: K-Action takes football crown; Win opener, 86-59: Cobras fry Lynx; Molesters stampede Bulls in IM opener; Two local teams still running for state; Cobras take on Millikin tonight in home opener; Bills vs. Oui; Pool wizard here Tues.https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1977/1003/thumbnail.jp