Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Situated and Localised Learning: Examining the Case of Two English Language Teachers in Multilingual Settings in the Philippines During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article describes the teaching practices of two K–12 English language teachers in the Philippines at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data used in the study came from the interview of the two teachers; and a content analysis of some modules that they used. The study utilised Canagarajah’s critical pedagogy framework to describe the extent to which the teachers’ reported teaching practices; and the modules they used localised the teaching of English. Results revealed that teachers localised mostly in the level of content and strategies; but considered the language of the texts they used in the classroom to make sure that the meaning and form of the texts were accessible to their students. Moreover; localising was done only as ‘praxis’; and not as a ‘mode of inquiry’; so students were not made aware of their social positioning. Implications for curriculum design and teacher development programmes are discussed

English language teaching and bridging in mother tongue-based multilingual education.

This paper shall describe the bridging strategies used by Grades 3 and 4 English teachers from schools in two regions in the Philippines to help their multilingual students transition from using the mother tongue as medium of instruction in the different subject areas to using English in the English classroom. Data were obtained through interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall. Findings revealed that the teachers utilised different translanguaging strategies like direct translation, code-switching, metalinguistic comparison-contrast and metalinguistic explanation. These strategies used the various linguistic and semiotic resources of both students and teachers as mediating tools to allow more efficient teaching and learning and more active participation from students in the language learning activities

Critiquing Culture in Reading Materials Used by ESL Private Middle Schools in the Philippines: A Critical Literacy Perspective

This chapter shows to which extent two textbooks published by one of the leading publishers in the Philippines realize their goal of promoting a more critical approach to reading. Guided by the principles of critical literacy, content analysis reveals that despite the wide range of universally acknowledged values covered in the textbook, not all of them are necessarily relevant to the target audience. Also, it was found that the processing questions and activities remain limited to low order comprehension questions and language exercises, with few opportunities for users of the textbook to engage more fully with the values of the text or challenge ways of thinking embedded in the material despite the seemingly critical perspective preface that frames the series

Teaching English composition at the tertiary level Voices, values, and views of two teachers in the Philippines

This chapter serves as a starting point for new research directions in the field of teaching composition at the tertiary level in the Philippines and an extension of current studies that investigate monolingual and translingual perspectives and practices. English Language Teaching policies and practices in the Philippines have been largely influenced by American educational systems and models. The Philippines has become an attractive option for many international students to learn English and pursue higher studies because it offers many affordable quality courses that are conducted primarily in English. Children were taught to imitate native speakers (NSs) of English through the Speak, Read, and Write English only Policy . Methods of teaching writing in English that highlight conventional standards according to NS models reflect a monolingual orientation. J. Kiernan\u27s study illustrates how multimodality and translingualism may be applied in writing classrooms by giving university students assignments that allow them to explore food culture and use their home languages and other varieties of English

Incorporating Cultural and Moral Values into ELT Materials in the Context of Southeast Asia (SEA)

This chapter provides the rationale behind the integration of values into English language teaching (ELT) materials. It moves on to succinctly describe the sociolinguistic landscape of Southeast Asia (SEA) in order to help the reader understand the sociolinguistic context of the region. The chapter also outlines what each chapter presents. It concludes by pinpointing a pressing need for conducting a myriad of studies on the incorporation of moral and cultural values into ELT materials in which the contexts of studies should go beyond SEA

Situating Moral and Cultural Values in ELT Materials

This volume accentuates how ELT materials can be a mediation of capitalizing on moral and cultural values, which are more locally-grounded in respective Southeast Asia (SEA) countries. It features critical studies on locally-produced ELT materials (textbooks) situated in the following SEA countries: Timor-Leste, The Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. The chapters, written by experts who know the ELT context of their respective SEA country, critically examine the design and use of ELT materials widely used in local and national contexts. Thus, the volume provides fresh insight into how values are uniquely manifested in language classroom materials. The present text also brings together empirical, conceptual and practical grounds for incorporating moral and cultural values into ELT materials development in such a way that it views morality and culture as a mutually complementing entity. This much-needed volume will be a valuable resource for those interested in the design and use of language materials in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts, such as in the Asia Pacific, America, Africa, and Europe

Re-contextualizing ELT Materials: The Case of Southeast Asia (SEA)

This chapter highlights four important issues. To begin with, it addresses the role of context in the design of ELT materials because each of the language materials has different pedagogical goals in order to meet different needs of learner groups. For this reason, language teachers as materials developers need to re-contextualize the design and use of ELT materials. In this chapter, we also argue for the role of language materials as a cultural artifact because language materials can feature different cultural and moral values. With this in mind, we highlight a pressing need for incorporating values into ELT materials. In the remaining section, we offer practical guidelines on value-based language materials writing