Malice in Wonder-How-This-Happened Land: Falling Down the Political Rabid Hole of Academia

Spiritedly inspired by the well-known, nonsensical children’s stories Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, this satirical narrative describes common academic experiences within a fictitious frame. Many children’s stories present a foundational basis for the early life lessons of justice, truth, fairness, and how power corrupts. Therefore, regression to a simpler understanding of complex social interactions potentially frees one’s thinking, which frequently becomes muddled in adult-acquired ego, hubris, and sense of status. So, when adults act illogically (or like children), sense can be made of unreasonable juvenile actions by re-storying irrational episodes through the logical lens of adolescent literature and satire; thereby, establishing a safe distance for examining emotional issues and tapping into imagination for making meaning of taxing experiences. This deliberately playful narrative explores how in academia, the projection of privilege and power often generates troublesome challenges that lead down a political rabid hole of unsolvable riddles

Use of Dietary and Herbal Supplements in Older Adults with Osteoarthritis

Over the past several decades, older adults with Osteoarthritis (OA) have increasingly used more natural products in an effort to manage chronic pain. The theoretical framework for this study was the Lazarus and Folkman transactional theory of stress and coping. This framework was chosen based on the belief that older adults with OA are taking natural products as an active problem solving coping strategy to manage the pain, disability, and alterations they experience in their health related quality life including functional status, physical symptoms, emotional health, and social functioning. Older adults also take prescription medications for Osteoarthritis and a variety of other medical conditions and may not report them to their health care provider, which puts them at a significant risk for drug interactions. The sample of 204 participants diagnosed with OA resided in Southern Mississippi and had visited one of three rheumatology clinics or had participated in local community activities. The participants completed the questionnaire and returned it by mail. The questionnaire was a consolidation of demographic questions and questions related to the types of natural products and prescription medications taken, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 Short Form (AIMS2 - SF). Data analysis revealed the majority of participants were females aged 61 to 80 who were White, Non-Hispanic, married and had a High School or GED level of education, and rated their health as being good. Forty-nine per cent of the participants reported taking natural products and prescription medications concurrently to relieve pain. Thirty-five per cent of the participants reported only taking natural products. Findings indicate participants with higher levels of pain, pain disability, and lower HRQOL are continuing to seek treatments to manage their chronic pain, pain disability, and HRQOL. The majority of the participants (65.7%) did not report use to health care providers underscoring the need for health care providers to question their patients about use of natural products and to educate them on potential adverse side effects with prescription medications

So, You Think You Can Teach? - Reflection Processes that Support Pre-Service Teachers’ Readiness for Field Experiences

This paper discusses and examines the effectiveness of course assignments designed to promote reflection processes and critical thinking of pre-service teachers. Specifically, the study explores and identifies the range of students’ level of reflectivity and critical examination of their own developing pedagogy, with foci on content knowledge, dispositions and teaching skills. In general, initial findings indicate students’ levels of reflectivity ranged from “self” to “outside of self” to “beyond self” concerns or focus. Analysis further revealed that the students’ existing epistemological beliefs possibly mediate their level of reflectivity by either inhibiting the reflective process (most evident with those focused on task, grade, time, procedures and some performance concerns), or supported the reflective thinking flow (most evident through focus on interest, identity, expectations, relevancy, development, personal and student impact concerns)

So, You Think You Can Teach? - Reflection Processes that Support Pre-Service Teachers’ Readiness for Field Experiences

This paper discusses and examines the effectiveness of course assignments designed to promote reflection processes and critical thinking of pre-service teachers. Specifically, the study explores and identifies the range of students’ level of reflectivity and critical examination of their own developing pedagogy, with foci on content knowledge, dispositions and teaching skills. In general, initial findings indicate students’ levels of reflectivity ranged from “self” to “outside of self” to “beyond self” concerns or focus. Analysis further revealed that the students’ existing epistemological beliefs possibly mediate their level of reflectivity by either inhibiting the reflective process (most evident with those focused on task, grade, time, procedures and some performance concerns), or supported the reflective thinking flow (most evident through focus on interest, identity, expectations, relevancy, development, personal and student impact concerns)

Our Academic Sandbox: Scholarly Identities Shaped through Play, Tantrums, Building Castles, and Rebuffing Backyard Bullies

This paper presents four teacher educators’ stories that explore their scholarly identity development through an Academic Sandbox metaphor where Play, Tantrums, Building Castles, and Rebuffing Backyard Bullies, serve as creative constructs for describing their experiences of triumphs and challenges in academia. The authors share how a professional learning community (Faculty Academy) functioned as the safe space for “participatory sense-making” (See De Jaegher & Di Paolo, 2007) where situated agency emerged and became strengthened through the telling of the teachers’ stories (Archer, 2003; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Kligyte, 2011; McGann, 2014; McLean, Pasupathi, & Pals, 2007). Stories representative of each metaphorical construct are presented and discussed. Narrative inquiry served as the methodological means in which the authors examined their stories as representative events in identity formation

The Continuum of Lens through Which Teachers View Cultural Differences: How Perceptions Impact Pedagogy

This paper describes a study conducted in a school district that experienced a significant shift in student demographics. As this shift parallels a national increase of immigrants in public schools, the study explored teachers’ perceptions of students’ cultural differences and how these differences impact their own pedagogy. The authors propose a Cultural Lens Continuum as a metaphorical heuristic structure for making meaning of the differing participating teachers’ views (i.e., microscopic, telescopic, panoramic, and holographic). This continuum aligns with existing research on culturally relevant pedagogy, in that the type of lens one possesses indicates the level of responsiveness to and adoption of culturally relevant pedagogy

An evaluation of the CAST program using a conceptual model of school-based implementation

Therapeutic prevention and/or early intervention programs for children at risk of developing disruptive behaviour disorders are increasingly being implemented in schools. One such Australian school-based program is CAST: CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and Schools Together, an evidenced-based program treating children with emerging disruptive behaviour disorders in the early primary school years. The current evaluation examines the process of implementation of the CAST program in primary schools. By using a conceptual model of school-based implementation (developed by Greenberg, Domitrovich, Graczyk & Zins, 2005) the wide array of factors that can affect successful implementation at the school level were identified, and those elements critical to implementation quality were examined. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted with a sample of 69 school personnel across 16 schools in the City of Ballarat and wider Grampians region of Victoria, in both government and Catholic primary schools. Results showed that schools were highly satisfied with the quality of CAST resources and personnel, and the implementation and delivery of sessions as planned. Aspects that impacted negatively on the implementation process were the lack of parental engagement; the lack of classroom follow-up in some schools; the level of readiness and pre-planning by the schools; and the availability of technical support. Greenberg’s conceptual model appears to be a useful framework to utilise in examining the implementation of the CAST model, as it allowed close examination of how the program was implemented within naturally occurring constraints. It allowed the identification of elements within the CAST model and the associated support system that must be maintained and nurtured by the collaborating parties, in addition to the factors at a school level that are potential barriers to effective implementation. Identification and examination of such factors assist in ensuring quality outcomes for school-based interventions in the future.C