Cultural competence – transforming policy, services, programs and practice

This chapter discusses some of the complex issues surrounding the notion of cultural competence—and the critical need for practitioners to develop knowledge, skills, understandings and attributes to be responsive in diverse cultural settings. The argument for culturally competent mental health practitioners and services is situated within a human rights framework which underpins the principles, standards and practice frameworks intended to facilitate/contribute to the capacity and empowerment of mental health practitioners and clients, families and communities. The National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce 2013 (the practice standards) outline core competencies (including cultural competence) regarded as essential for the mental health workforce: mental health nursing, occupational therapy, psychiatry, psychology and social work. The documented impact of these disciplines/professions on Aboriginal people requires new ways of working that are empowering, respectful and ethical. A case is made for the importance of practitioners providing more culturally inclusive and appropriate care to increase the likelihood that clients and their carers will experience a sense of cultural safety (as well as culturally appropriate services) for Aboriginal clients, their families and communities. The practice standards are complemented by professional guidelines and the National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010 (the service standards). This chapter provides a range of tools and strategies and a Critical Reflection Framework for Analysis to assist students or practitioners to adopt a critical standpoint in order to develop key competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values) to be culturally respectful and effective in their practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health. Equally important is the need for strategies for self-care and support such as mentoring, journaling, peer support, counselling and engaging in self-reflective, transformative practice.&nbsp

Individualized Instruction: A Concept of Package Art Instruction

The demand for change in education is becoming more pronounced every day. Individualized instruction has been proposed as a replacement for traditional methods of instruction. This study proposes that individualized instruction would be especially suitable in replacing traditional methods of instruction in art. The study also suggests methods of dealing with shortcomings found in the traditional methods, by adopting certain principles of packaging not previously employed in the fabrication of instructional materials like textbooks. Methods of obtaining data for this study were through experiments carried out over a two year period and researching books and articles on the subject of individualized instruction and related subjects. The experiments conducted examined the response of individual students to problems assigned on a group, and an individual basis. A comparison of product and attitude towards assignments was made to determine if individualized instruction made a difference in the art product and the learning of specific tasks. The effects of this type of instruction upon the various types of students was also examined. An experiment involving differing methods of packaging and presentation over the same period was also conducted. Data on advertising, marketing and packaging in very basic terms was reviewed and checked for compatibility with the idea of packaging art instruction. &nbsp; The findings of this study suggest the change from the traditional method of instruction to individualized instruction would benefit both student and teacher. The application of the principles and methods of individualized instruction would better serve the needs and interests of the student. The application of the principles of packaging would generate higher levels of interest, motivation and success. The combination of individualized instruction and packaging ideals will change education in a positive direction.</p

Exquisite, apart: remoteness and/as resistance.

It has become routine to characterise digital art as indicative of an assumed universal shift from ‘traditional’ practic-es towards novel forms of cultural pro-duction, interaction and consumption. Frequently, running parallel to this is the assertion that space, time and distance have been compressed, subsumed, aug-mented, eliminated or are unable to resist being replaced by relations, experiences or symbolic values. This collective paper is based on a panel presentation at ISEA 2013. It discussed five different research approaches that address theoretical, practical, philosophical and artistic possibili-ties of engaging with the realities of distance, remoteness or ‘exquisite apartness’ as locii of resistance

Exquisite, apart: remoteness and/as resistance.

It has become routine to characterise digital art as indicative of an assumed universal shift from ‘traditional’ practic-es towards novel forms of cultural pro-duction, interaction and consumption. Frequently, running parallel to this is the assertion that space, time and distance have been compressed, subsumed, aug-mented, eliminated or are unable to resist being replaced by relations, experiences or symbolic values. This collective paper is based on a panel presentation at ISEA 2013. It discussed five different research approaches that address theoretical, practical, philosophical and artistic possibili-ties of engaging with the realities of distance, remoteness or ‘exquisite apartness’ as locii of resistance

Primary Schools (A Dialogue)

Our discussions ranged widely over not only digital learning but also the other issues that concern primary languages teachers at this moment. Although the teaching of a language to pupils from ages 7 to 11 has been compulsory in the UK since 2014, implementation throughout the country has been uneven. Levels of training, funding and numbers of qualified teachers have varied widely from place to place. This is reflected in our dialogue, and the frustrations of some are clear. The lockdowns in schools exacerbated the divide between those schools that gave priority to language learning and those that did not. The support of school leaders was vital. The use of digital tools and the capacity of the languages community to support each other was a major positive outcome of the pandemic. These links and organisations have been maintained and have strengthened the sense of community, with a heavy reliance on digital tools

Suppression of ectomycorrhizae on canopy tree seedlings in Rhododendron maximum L. (Ericaceae) thickets in the southern Appalachians

Abstract Thickets of Rhododendron maximum (Ericaceae) (Rm) in the southern Appalachians severely limit regeneration of hardwood and coniferous seedlings. Experimental blocks were established in and out of Rm thickets in a mature, mixed hardwood/conifer forest in Macon County, N.C. Litter and organic layer substrates were removed, composited and redistributed among plots within the blocks (except for control plots). Seedlings of northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) were planted in the plots and harvested at the end of the first and second growing seasons. Litter manipulation had no effect on total mycorrhizal colonization, but the distribution of Cenococcum geophilum mycorrhizae was altered. After the first year, percent mycorrhizal colonization of hemlocks not in Rm thickets (62%) was at least three times higher than in Rm thickets (19%), and the ramification index (no. of mycorrhizae cm&apos; 1 ) had increased by more than a factor of four (2.83 versus 0.61). In addition, colonization of 1-year-old hemlocks by C. geophilum was significantly higher within blocks with (10.4%) than without (4.6%) Rm. Differences in mycorrhizal colonization, ramification indices and colonization by C. geophilum were absent or less pronounced on 2-year-old hemlocks and 1-and 2-year-old oak seedlings. The biomasses of first year oak roots and shoots and second year shoots were 50% less in Rm thickets. Biomasses of first year hemlock roots and second year shoots were also reduced. Mycorrhizal parameters were correlated with some growth parameters only for hemlock seedlings, but did not explain most of the variation observed

The context, influences and challenges for undergraduate nurse clinical education: Continuing the dialogue

Introduction – Approaches to clinical education are highly diverse and becoming increasingly complex to sustain in complex milieu Objective – To identify the influences and challenges of providing nurse clinical education in the undergraduate setting and to illustrate emerging solutions. Method: A discursive exploration into the broad and varied body of evidence including peer reviewed and grey literature. Discussion - Internationally, enabling undergraduate clinical learning opportunities faces a range of challenges. These can be illustrated under two broad themes: (1) Legacies from the past and the inherent features of nurse education and (2) Challenges of the present, including, population changes, workforce changes, and the disconnection between the health and education sectors. Responses to these challenges are triggering the emergence of novel approaches, such as collaborative models. Conclusion(s) – Ongoing challenges in providing accessible, effective and quality clinical learning experiences are apparent

Economic analysis of the health impacts of housing improvement studies: a systematic review

Background: Economic evaluation of public policies has been advocated but rarely performed. Studies from a systematic review of the health impacts of housing improvement included data on costs and some economic analysis. Examination of these data provides an opportunity to explore the difficulties and the potential for economic evaluation of housing. Methods: Data were extracted from all studies included in the systematic review of housing improvement which had reported costs and economic analysis (n=29/45). The reported data were assessed for their suitability to economic evaluation. Where an economic analysis was reported the analysis was described according to pre-set definitions of various types of economic analysis used in the field of health economics. Results: 25 studies reported cost data on the intervention and/or benefits to the recipients. Of these, 11 studies reported data which was considered amenable to economic evaluation. A further four studies reported conducting an economic evaluation. Three of these studies presented a hybrid ‘balance sheet’ approach and indicated a net economic benefit associated with the intervention. One cost-effectiveness evaluation was identified but the data were unclearly reported; the cost-effectiveness plane suggested that the intervention was more costly and less effective than the status quo. Conclusions: Future studies planning an economic evaluation need to (i) make best use of available data and (ii) ensure that all relevant data are collected. To facilitate this, economic evaluations should be planned alongside the intervention with input from health economists from the outset of the study. When undertaken appropriately, economic evaluation provides the potential to make significant contributions to housing policy

SEAmester – South Africa’s first class afloat

publisher versionFrom Introduction: Marine science is a highly competitive environment. The need to improve the cohort of South African postgraduates, who would be recognised both nationally and internationally for their scientific excellence, is crucial. It is possible to attract students early on in their careers to this discipline via cutting-edge science, technology and unique field experiences. Through the engagement of students with real-life experiences such as SEAmester, universities supporting marine science postgraduate degree programmes can attract a sustainable throughput of numerically proficient students. By achieving a more quantitative and experienced input into our postgraduate degree programmes, we will, as a scientific community, greatly improve our long-term capabilities to accurately measure, model and predict the impacts of current climate change scenarios. The short-term goal is to attract and establish a cohort of proficient marine and atmospheric science graduates who will contribute to filling the capacity needs of South African marine science as a whole. The SEAmester programme, by involving researchers from across all the relevant disciplines and tertiary institutions, provides an opportunity to build a network of collaborative teaching within the marine field. In doing so, these researchers will foster and strengthen new and current collaborations between historically white and black universities (Figure 1). The long-term objective of SEAmester is to build critical mass within the marine sciences to ensure sustained growth of human capacity in marine science in South Africa – aligning closely with the current DST Research and Development strategies and the Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy initiative