(2020). 'The People in the Purple Shirts': Froebelian Insights to a Singing Medicine Project in a Children's Hospital. Journal of Early Childhood Research, v18 n3 p287-305 Sep. Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel (1782-1852) yearned to promote and foster the harmonious and holistic development of young children through a combination of outdoor activities, songs and games. His Mother Songs, with games and exercises for mothers and their infants, aimed to encourage the use of senses, limbs and body to increase body awareness and promote mental activity. This article reports on a qualitative interpretive study into the role of a Singing Medicine project in a children's hospital where children on all wards are invited to participate in singing games and activities. An aim was to understand how the application of Froebelian principles can help us to understand and conceptualise children's rights and well-being in restricted environments such as a Children's Hospital. Methods included semi-structured interviews with a range of health and education professionals who support children in a children's hospital in England. In contrast to previous largely quantitative… [Direct]
(2016). The Should Be Goal of Education: What Should Be Taught? And How Should It Be Taught?. Journal of Education and Practice, v7 n21 p138-143. The role of education is to be reflective (about what? Why? and how?) in preserving the civilization identity and human capability of a nation. This is particularly true because education is the cornerstone to building human capability and capacity that can develop a country. A well-formulated educational goal will serve as a moral compass for individuals in order to be fully aware of the reasons behind their existence. Education should lead a person to be reflective of his/her life, jettison vague norms or ideas and to chat the future on the right direction. Determining or articulating the goals of education have always been a challenge, be it present or in the past due to it multifaceted manifestation in a different aspect of society. This study provides a capsule representation of what should be the goal (s) of education by looking into arguments and opinions of past education philosophers and scholars. It is concluded that the goal of education is diverse along historically and… [PDF]
(2017). Dialogue. Schools: Studies in Education, v14 n1 p134-140 Spr. In this essay, the author asserts that the dialogic pedagogy of Paulo Freire provides a good description of the dynamic of authentic learning. The author narrates one short example and one long example of Freirian dialogues occurring in a public high school, giving details that describe moments of transformation. The short narrative sketches elements of a dialogic class assignment, and the relationship between the students, the assignment, and the teacher. The longer narrative explores the complexity of the relationship and the dialogue required for finding the right words in a writing conference. The author affirms the pedagogic power of truthful human relationships to transform student and teacher experiences in school, making school a place of genuine learning…. [Direct]
(2009). Higher Education Reform in Brazil: Reinforcing Marketization. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, v7 n1 p169-191 Jun. Higher education in Brazil began based on institutions organized as isolated establishments, and mostly privately owned. Nonetheless, public institutions created as universities and developing research activities and other services became the desired ideal for higher education. The first educational institutions in Brazil were created in the sixteenth century, by a Catholic denomination, the Jesuits. Higher education in Brazil remained mostly privately owned and organized based on isolated institutes until the 1950s. With the re-establishment of democracy in Brazil, after Getulio Vargas's authoritarian government (1930-1945), and within the political environment of state intervention for development and reconstruction, there was a process of transforming private and state-owned institutions into federal institutions, and afterwards, during the 1960s, transforming them into federal universities. Thus, within the period 1954/1964, 63% of the students were attending universities and not… [PDF]
(1993). A Core Curriculum & Training Program To Prepare Paraeducators To Work in Transitional Services and Supported Employment Programs. These instructional materials are designed to improve the performance of paraeducators working in transitional services and supported employment for teenagers and young adults with disabilities. The competency-based program helps participants to learn skills they can apply immediately, to accept new practices, and to increase their understanding of education issues. The modules cover: (1) roles of paraeducators working in transitional and vocational services; (2) communication and team-building skills; (3) human and legal rights of children and youth with disabilities and their families; (4) human development; (5) the instructional process (individualized education and transition plans, assessment, data collection, goals and objectives, and instructional interventions); (6) working with families; (7) appreciating diversity; and (8) emergency, health, and safety procedures. The format for the instructional modules includes: instructional objectives, equipment and resources required,… [PDF]
(1993). A Core Curriculum & Training Program To Prepare Paraeducators To Work in Center & Home Based Programs for Young Children with Disabilities from Birth to Age Five. These instructional materials are designed to provide personnel developers and trainers with resources that can be used to improve the performance of paraeducators working in center-based and home visitor programs for young children with disabilities from birth to age 5. The modules cover: (1) roles of paraeducators working in inclusive environments for young children; (2) communication and team-building skills; (3) human and legal rights of children and youth with disabilities and their families; (4) human development; (5) the instructional process (individualized education and family services plans, assessment, data collection, goals and objectives, instructional interventions, and facilitating inclusion using developmentally appropriate activities); (6) working with families; (7) appreciating diversity; and (8) emergency, health, and safety procedures. The format for the instructional modules includes: instructional objectives, equipment and resources required, suggested training…
(2017). Interface Design Optimization by an Improved Operating Model for College Students. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, v13 n6 p2601-2625 Jun. A method was proposed in this study for assessing the interface operating efficiency of a remote control. The operating efficiency of a product interface can be determined by the proposed approach in which the related dimensions of human palms were measured. The reachable range (blue zone) and the most comfortable range (green zone) were investigated when a user used a single hand (right hand) to operate the remote controls. After that, new remote control designs were created based on the measurement results and the operating efficiency of commercially available remote controls were determined for comparison. The operating efficiency is determined by calculating the overall distance of finger movements when manipulating the buttons and the overall operation time was recorded. The subjects who joined the body measurements and performed the experiments are right-hander Asian college students between the ages of 22 and 28. After further optimization, the reachable range became more… [Direct]
(2015). Cultivating a Value for Non-Human Interests through the Convergence of Animal Welfare, Animal Rights, and Deep Ecology in Environmental Education. Education Sciences, v5 n4 p363-379 Dec. While the original objective of environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) acquired an awareness of the natural world and its current plight, animal welfare (AW), animal rights (AR), and deep ecology (DE) have often been absent within EE and ESD. AW and AR focus their attention on individual animals, while the DE perspective recognizes the intrinsic value of the environment. In this article, we shall discuss how the integration of these three approaches within EE/ESD can and should be improved, with particular reference to the ethical underpinnings of educational scholarship and practice. This article will argue that these three positions are well placed to enhance the democratic practices of EE/ESD through the adoption of an inclusive pluralism that embraces representation of non-human species and recognizes their interests…. [PDF] [Direct]
(2018). NEP (Children@School): An Instrument for Measuring Environmental Attitudes in Middle Childhood. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v34 n1 p61-79 Mar. While there are many environmental education programs for children, few studies have used an appropriately developed scale for evaluating how such education might have on impact on children's environmental orientations. The research presented in this article adapted the NEP (New Ecological Paradigm) for Children scale to develop a new instrument for measuring children's environmental attitudes: the NEP (Children@School). The NEP (Children@School) has been developed by analysing the impact of the design of physical learning spaces on children's environmental attitudes. Factor analysis indicated that NEP (Children@School) has three dimensions: Children's Environmental Attitudes towards Human Intervention, Children's Environmental Attitudes via ESD at School, and Children's Environmental Attitudes towards Eco-Rights. We argue that NEP (Children@School) can meaningfully measure the impact of learning spaces on children's environmental attitudes. While the instrument was developed for use… [Direct]
(2018). Twinning "Practices of Change" with "Theory of Change": Room for Emergence in Advocacy Evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, v39 n2 p221-236 Jun. Theory of change (ToC) is currently "the" approach for the evaluation and planning of international development programs. This approach is considered especially suitable for complex interventions. We question this assumption and argue that ToC's focus on cause-effect logic and intended outcomes does not do justice to the recursive nature of complex interventions such as advocacy. Supported by our work as evaluators, and specifically our case study of an advocacy program on child rights, we illustrate how advocacy evolves through recursive interactions, with outcomes that are emergent rather than predictable. We propose putting "practices of change" at the center by emphasizing human interactions, using the analytical lenses of strategies as practice and recursiveness. This provides room for emergent outcomes and implies a different use of ToC. In this article, we make a clear distinction between theoretical reality models and the real world of practices…. [Direct]
(2018). Frontal Electroencephalogram Alpha Asymmetry Relates to Implicit Achievement Motives: A Pilot Study. Mind, Brain, and Education, v12 n2 p82-89 Jun. The achievement motive is one of the core motives of human behavior and can be divided into two motives: an approach motive (i.e., hope for success [HS]), and an avoidance motive (i.e., fear of failure [FF]). Research has demonstrated that frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry in the alpha frequency band is an important marker for differences in motivational processes. The present study investigated the relationship between resting state alpha asymmetry and the achievement motive. Resting state EEG was recorded, and implicit and explicit achievement motives, divided in HS and FF, assessed. Alpha activation asymmetries were calculated by subtracting the average left ln power from the average right ln power at frontal sites and at parietal sites as control position. Our results suggest a positive relationship between stronger left-sided activation and higher implicit HS scores; no other significant correlations where found. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed…. [Direct]
(2016). Becoming a Scientific Observer. NAMTA Journal, v41 n3 p133-171 Sum. Greg MacDonald leaves no stone unturned as he places the complexity of second-plane observation into one coherent vision that includes the fundamentals of self-construction, the essential field of observation (freedom of work within the prepared environment), the role of the human tendencies, the construction of developmental facets, and the importance of the elementary child's weekly conference with the teacher. The article reveals an integrated worldview. He suggests that we observe for progress and avoid placing obstacles in the way of the child's true self-construction, and to do this we must be humble and non-judgmental, create with the right degree of difficulty or opportunity, see the physical evidence, and understand the psychical manifestations. The comprehensive nature of this article shows us why observation is an integrating mechanism in building an understanding of human development…. [PDF]
(2009). Marching out from Ultima Thule: Critical Counterstories of Emancipatory Educators Working at the Intersection of Human Rights, Animal Rights, and Planetary Sustainability. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, v14 n1 p179-195. It is not altogether uncommon now to hear environmental educational theorists speak of the need to develop pedagogical methods that can work both for ecological sustainability and social justice. However, the majority of the socio-ecological turn in environmental education has failed to integrate nonhuman animal advocacy as a serious educational issue. In this essay, then, we critically inquire into the theoretical practices of these environmental educators and thereby offer the future promise of a total liberation pedagogy that works to further critical intersectional literacy on behalf of all oppressions and ecological sustainability. We then introduce and contextualize the practices of nine new paradigm educators at work in both formal and non-formal arenas. (Contains 12 notes.)… [PDF] [Direct]
(2016). Building Creativity Training: Drawing with Left Hand to Stimulate Left Brain in Children Age 5-7 Years Old. Journal of Education and Practice, v7 n2 p1-8. Researcher and professionals that started researching about brains since 1930 believe that left brain is a rational brain, which is tightly related with the IO, rational thinking, arithmetic thinking, verbal, segmental, focus, serial (linear), finding the differences, and time management, Meanwhile right brain is the part of brain that controlled emotional thinking, which is tightly related to EQ, intuitive character, spatial thinking, visual, holistic, diffuse, parallel thinking (lateral), finding the similarities and not depending on the time. Reputedly our brain dualism are the one who make human think really binary. Even though like that, both of the brains work together and support each other. Which one is more important? The left brain or the right brain? Drawing is one of the activity that can activate our right brain hemispheres, but then our education system in school is build that way, where creativity and imagination are put inside the box and only demand one right answer…. [PDF]
(2021). Delivering an Integrated Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV Programme to High-School Adolescents in a Resource-Constrained Setting. Health Education Research, v36 n3 p349-361 Jun. Southern Africa remains the epicentre of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic with AIDS the leading cause of death amongst adolescents. Poor policy translation, inadequate programme implementation and fragmentation of services contribute to adolescents' poor access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services. This study assessed an integrated, school-based SRHR and HIV programme, modelled on the South African Integrated School Health Policy in a rural, high HIV-prevalence district. A retrospective cohort study of 1260 high-school learners was undertaken to assess programme uptake, change in HIV knowledge and behaviour and the determinants of barrier-methods use at last sexual intercourse. Programme uptake increased (2%-89%; P<0.001) over a 16-month period, teenage-pregnancy rates declined (14%-3%; P<0.050) and accurate knowledge about HIV transmission through infected blood improved (78.3%-93.8%; P<0.050), a year later. Post-intervention,… [Direct]