Forgotten Histories: The Need for a Multi-Narrative Approach in Teaching Social Studies

This paper discusses the idea of using a multi narrative approach to teaching social studies and focuses on a presentation meant to bring about change among teachers. The presentation used to present at the Ohio Council for Social Studies Annual Conference in October of 2020 brings this concept to the forefront and provides practical ways in which teachers can implement this approach when teaching history. A multi-narrative approach focuses on combining and using multiple sources from multiple perspectives with the intention of creating a more inclusive story of how events played out. The typical way in which history is taught is through the experiences of rich white men who were educated and could afford to write down what was happening. Over time, these experiences became the central narrative that is used when talking about history. This narrative is pervasive in the content standards for social studies and is frequently the focus of social studies curriculum. By presenting this, my goal was to inform individuals in the field of education of how to actually go about constructing a multi-narrative history with their students. This goal was successfully achieved based on feedback received and ultimately I plan on using this multi-narrative approach when I have my own classroom

Composition and Oxidative Potential of Fine Particulate Matter from Pascagoula, MS

Air pollution is one of the top-ranking risk factors for death and disability around the world, accounting for nearly 4.9 million deaths worldwide (State of Global Air, 2019). Specifically, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to many adverse effects on human health, yet there is very little known about what characteristics exactly cause these adverse health effects and how they cause them. Samples for this study were collected from Pascagoula, MS, a small town located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that is home to many industrial yards, from September 2013 to December 2013. Black carbon (BC) analysis was performed on the samples to collect black carbon concentrations. PM2.5 was extracted from filters in methanol via sonication. Portions of each sample were allocated to be whole particle solution (WPS) samples and soluble fraction samples. Oxidative potential was measured for both WPS and soluble fractions using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. Statistical analyses were used to measure statistical significance and find trends within the results. Significant differences were found between some sampling dates and monthly averages for PM2.5 concentrations, BC concentrations, and oxidative potential. Trends were observed between PM2.5 and BC concentrations but not between oxidative potential. Slight trends were also seen between months and seasons (fall and winter). The results of this study show that day and month, along with many other factors, should be considered when studying PM2.5, leading to a better understanding of air quality for future studies

Before Daughters and Amplifying Ambiguous Loss in Poetry: How the Line Break Functions as an Effect

The line break is almost impossible to define by itself and more tangible to define as an effect that works with all aspects of language within a poem. Through analysis of the poetic line in both the works of others and my own poetry, I show how the line break as an effect works to amplify feelings of ambiguous loss within individual poems. Looking at how the line break functions in poems having to do with ambiguous loss accomplishes two things: it educates readers on the intricacies of loss and especially non-death losses, and it brings the line break to the forefront of the discussion by highlighting how the line break adds significance to poems about loss instead of solely relying on the language in the poem to convey meaning

The Power of Inclusion: Deconstructing “Normality” in Primary Education

The goal of this thesis is to critically analyze the structures currently present within the education system that exclude individuals possessing certain brains and bodies from the socially constructed “norm.” The lens of critical disability studies is utilized to shed light on the spatial, curricular, historical, and disciplinary elements of the education system as we know it. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the primary education classroom, since students solidify many of their biases and schemas about the world and people around them at this juncture. After reviewing the ableist rhetoric that manifests itself in schools and society as a result of the social construction of “normal,” the specific mechanism of disability children’s literature is analyzed in order to shed light on an avenue for fostering greater inclusion in primary classrooms. The aim of critically analyzing the current education system is to work for a better, more inclusive future for differently-abled students that views the incredible strengths that exist outside the lines of “normal”

Investigation of Motor Programming in Childhood Apraxia of Speech

The underlying nature of the motor programming disorder in stroke-related apraxia of speech (AOS) has received extensive investigation. This is not the case for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). CAS and AOS present with many of the same perceptual characteristics (increased intersegment and segment duration ((i.e., segmentation)), equal lexical stress, and speech sound distortions), however, little work has been done to investigate whether the disorders have the same mechanism of action (McNeil, Robin, & Schmidt, 2009). Previous studies investigating motor programming in AOS have utilized a two-stage model developed by Klapp (2003). This model breaks down the motor programming process into two stages. The first is INT which involves the organization of the internal timing and spatial information for a movement. The INT process also involves the movement being loaded into a motor buffer. The second is SEQ which involves the sequencing of the motor units into accurate serial order. The present study investigates motor programming in CAS by utilizing a self-select paradigm. The self-select paradigm enables both INT and SEQ to be measured in each trial (Wright et al., 2009). The INT process is termed study time (ST) and reflects time that a participant takes to prepare their response. The SEQ process is termed reaction time (RT) and reflects the amount of time that it takes for a participant to execute their response after the presentation of a “go” signal. Maas et al. (2008) utilized this self-select paradigm in adults with stoke-induced AOS compared to typical controls and individuals with a language impairment (aphasia). They found that for participants with AOS the impairment was specific to the INT (ST) stage of motor programming. This translated to participants with AOS having overall longer ST in comparison to typical and aphasic controls. In contrast, participants with AOS had comparable SEQ (RT) with typical controls. These findings were demonstrated across nonspeech (finger-tapping) and speech movements. This indicates that AOS is due to a central, rather than modality-specific impairment (Maas et al., 2008). In this study, an experimental task was designed to investigate whether the impairment seen in CAS is that same as that observed in AOS, and whether the impairment is central or modality-specific. The experiment tested speech movements (vocalization of the syllable /bɔ/). Again, like in Maas et al. (2008) three groups of participants were included in the study: children with a diagnosis of CAS, typically developing children (TD), and children with a language-based phonological impairment (PI). There were 26 participants in total ranging from ages 5-12: CAS (n=6), PI (n=9), TD (n=11). Results from the experiment (vocalizations of the syllable /bɔ/) demonstrated a negative correlation of ST and RT with age for TD and PI participants. This was not the case for participants with CAS who did not demonstrate a decrease in ST and RT with age. This suggests that for participants with CAS, the motor programming process does not become more efficient as they get older. These findings provide insight into the underlying motor programming impairment in CAS and inform the need for theory-driven treatment approaches which specifically target the disorder. Another finding demonstrates that as the experiment progresses, children with CAS demonstrate a dramatic increase in ST while TD and PI participants do not. Conversely, TD and CAS participants demonstrate similar patterns of RT across the experiment. These findings support the hypothesis that the impairment in CAS is specific to the INT stage of the motor programming process, while the SEQ phase is intact. Given that these findings are similar to what was found in Maas et al. (2008) with adults with AOS, the results also support the hypothesis that CAS and AOS arise from the same mechanism of action

A Critical Review of Apraxia of Speech and Childhood Apraxia of Speech

The theories and neural bases of Apraxia of Speech (AOS) have long been debated. In 1861, Paul Broca identified two patients with speech/language impairments who became the basis for the theory on aphemia, now known as apraxia. Broca noted of patients with AOS that “there are cases in which the general faculty for language remains unaltered; where the auditory apparatus is intact; where all muscles—including those of speech and articulation—are under voluntary control; and where nevertheless, a cerebral lesion abolishes articulated language” (Broca, 1861/2000). The term “apraxia” was first introduced by Hugo Liepmann in 1908 and was described as “the inability to perform voluntary acts despite preserved muscle strength” (Liepmann, 1908). Darley then coined the term “apraxia of speech” in 1969 (Darley et al., 1969). The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) defines Apraxia of Speech as a “neurologic speech disorder that reflects an impaired capacity to plan or program sensorimotor commands necessary for directing movements that result in phonetically and prosodically normal speech” (Duffy, 2013). The perceptual characteristics of the disorders are described by ASHA as “(a) phoneme distortions and distorted substitutions or additions (b) reduced overall speech rate (c) syllable segregation with extended intra- and intersegmental durations and (d) equal stress across adjacent syllables” (Acquired Apraxia of Speech, n.d.). These characteristics reflect some of the initial clinical features identified by Darley (1969). These symptoms are relatively similar to the current diagnostic criteria of AOS established by (McNeil et al., 2009) except that symptoms are currently described as increased inter and intra segmentation, sound distortions, abnormal prosody, and does not reflect slower rate of speech. McNeil et al. would argue that it is distortions which are the critical diagnostic feature, rather than substitutions and additions. However, these errors do co-occur as many individuals with AOS or CAS have accompanying phonological impairments. In 2000, Ballard, Granier, and Robin conducted a critical review of acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) focusing on different theories and supportive research. The review also explored intervention models associated with AOS (Ballard et al., 2000). Since that time, extensive work in AOS has been conducted, existing models of the disorder have been refined, and new models have been proposed. In addition, new information on childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) has emerged and theories related to CAS require critical evaluation. In particular, the relationship between stroke related AOS and CAS is critical to advancing efforts in this area. The purpose of this paper is to update Ballard and colleagues (2000) and expand the information to include CAS. (Ballard et al., 2000) hypothesized that the deficits demonstrated in individuals with apraxia of speech could be due to phonological processing, motor control or both. It is now accepted that AOS is a disorder of motor control. In this paper, the most recent research regarding the theoretical understanding of AOS, as well as neural models will be presented. Treatments for AOS will be reviewed and evaluated for efficacy. This paper covers the history of AOS starting with (Darley, 1975)

Effectiveness of Fall Prevention in Individuals with Dementia

Case Betty is an 82 year old woman living with dementia. She is beginning to experience impaired balance and deviated gait. She was recently hospitalized with fall related injuries. Since her impaired balance is progressing, her occupational therapist plans to implement fall prevention into her treatment plan

Ship\u27s certificate issued to the Brig Mary Torrans of Philadelphia. Parchment, signed by James Madison and Robert Smith. 1809.

U.S. certificate for the brig Mary Torrans noting the ship\u27s weight as 176 tons, that it carries no guns, and has a crew of 10. James Madison signs as President of the U.S. and Smith as Secretary of State of Pennsylvania. 1809.https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/littlejohnmss/1177/thumbnail.jp

Building Family Strengths Through Successful Parental Involvement Strategies: A Case Study with Latino Immigrant Families and Elementary School Staff

Latino immigrant families often face significant barriers in becoming involved in their children’s education due to common cultural biases and misunderstandings and language barriers. Moreover, limited evidence suggests that the ways in which Latino immigrant families engage in their children’s education may not be recognized and valued by schools, which operate within mainstream cultural values. As a result, effective outreach and engagement practices specifically for Latino parents, particularly recent immigrants, are not presently well understood. To that end, the purpose of the present case study is to explore and evaluate the strategies used by an elementary school to involve its Latino immigrant parents into their children’s education. Focus groups with parents and interviews with key school staff revealed three ways that the school has broken through cultural and language barriers to encourage their families to get involved: building trust, clearly communicating with families in culturally sensitive ways, and empathizing with families and their needs. These findings are discussed in light of implications for social work practice