The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in the Context of Transnational Law

The development of exceptions in the Rules of Civil Procedure and federal statutes that apply only to litigants outside the US is explored. The Rules should not make exceptions on a blanket basis, as some proposals indicate

Studies of vesicle distribution patterns in Hawaiian lavas

Basaltic lava flows are generally vesicular, and the broader facts relating to vesicle distribution have long been established; few studies have yet been made with a view to determining how and when vesicles form in the cooling history of the lava, explaining vesicle shape and size distribution, and gaining enough understanding to employ vesicles as a geological tool. Various avenues of approach exist by which one may seek to gain a better understanding of these ubiquitous structures and make a start towards developing a general theory, and three such avenues have recently been explored. One avenue involves the study of pipe vesicles; these are a well known feature of lava flows and are narrow pipes which occur near the base of many pahoehoe flow units. Another avenue of approach is that presented by the distinctive spongy pahoehoe facies of lava that is common in distal locations on Hawaiian volcanoes. A third avenue of approach is that of the study of gas blisters in lava. Gas blisters are voids, which can be as much as tens of meters wide, where the lava split along a vesicle-rich layer and the roof up-arched by gas pressure. These three avenues are briefly discussed

On the pulse of change: the new beat of special education in higher education

The roles and responsibilities of special educators in both special and regular school settings are changing rapidly. More than two decades ago the move towards more inclusive practices disrupted the traditional, niche separatism of special educators to the extent that they are now an integral part of the regular school teaching staff. Today the broad agenda to facilitate access and participation for all students in education, not just students with disabilities, influences the roles and responsibilities of special educators. This article briefly identifies some of the generic pulses that are moving the special education profession from a focus on low incidence disabilities towards a more comprehensive approach to inclusion, school responsiveness and individualised learning pathways. From the foundation of inclusive practice, this paper will describe how a qualitative study was used to understand the changing roles and responsibilities of special educators. A case study analysis of 17 schools formed the basis of the investigation. Principals, lead teachers in special education and special education teachers were asked to identify trends and priorities in special education and also to identify rewards and challenges in their jobs. Further cross referencing with teacher and special educator standards, a focus group, a stakeholder group and research in the field increased the opportunity for academics and special educators to critically reflect on the emerging demands placed on special educators and the attributes that are needed to be professionally effective

Collaborative concept mapping: an education research team leveraging their collaborative efforts

Collaborative concept mapping (CCM) has been a tool deployed by educators to enhance learning in such situations as primary science classes, supported learning environments and asynchronous computer-mediated learning. Of its outcomes, CCM has produced rich group discussion about ideas and possibilities pertinent to the topic or problem at hand. The majority of research into CCM has been explicitly pointed at enhancing learning. This chapter takes a different tack by reporting on how the authors used CCM to seek understandings of its utility in enabling collaborative research by creating synergies within a research team located in the Faculty of Education at the University of Southern Queensland. The following questions were used to focus the research: • What was the research team’s experience of collaborative concept mapping? • What propositions did the team construct about teamwork and collaboration? • How did the interactions among team members facilitate meaning-making about teamwork and collaboration? The data consisted of this team’s collaborative concept map and recordings of the dialogue during the process of constructing the map. Analysis revealed the team’s emerging propositions about teamwork and collaboration and also contributed understandings of the co-constructed patterns of talk that produced this dynamic map. The chapter concludes that collaborative concept mapping is a useful tool for research and other team development, and possibly for the collaborative conceptualisation of future team research projects