The identification of teaching interactions used in one-to-one teaching of number in the early years of schooling

This research paper reports on phase one of an investigation of video recorded intensive one-to-one teaching interactions with 6–7-year-old students who were in their second year of schooling in Australia and identified by the their teacher as low attaining in early number. The two-phased study from which this paper emerges was originally conducted in 1998 as part of my Bachelor of Teaching Honours (Research) program at Southern Cross University Lismore, New South Wales. That study identified teaching interactions particularly suited to one-to-one teaching in the Maths Recovery Program, a program designed for these students who were at risk of failure in early number. Since that time a great deal has not changed with limited literature available that comprehensively reports on teaching interactions in intensive one-to-one settings. Revisiting the original study is considered timely given the increasing number of withdrawal and intensive programs now funded and adopted by schools and yet, rarely reported on in terms of the effectiveness of the teaching interactions that occur in such settings. This paper then presents a discussion of a preliminary series of teaching interactions that either positively and or negatively influence an intensive one-to-one teaching and learning setting

Neoadjuvant crizotinib in advanced inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour with ALK gene rearrangement

Background Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) are rare sarcomas that were first described in the lung. They are composed of myofibroblastic mesenchymal spindle cells accompanied by an inflammatory infiltrate of plasma cells. Complete resection is the treatment of choice. There is currently no standard treatment for inoperable or recurrent disease. Expression of ALK protein triggered by ALK gene rearrangement at chromosome 2p23 has been found in 36%-60% of IMTs. Case report We report a rapid early response to crizotinib as neoadjuvant therapy, enabling surgical excision of a large ALK-translocated IMT, which resulted in complete disease clearance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature of a patient with IMT in whom crizotinib was used successfully in the neoadjuvant or curative setting.

Making sense of a trial maths intervention program for teachers of students with disability in Australia: Interim report

The Disability Standards for Education (2005) and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority relevant standards underscore the right of students with disability to access the curriculum on the same basis as students without disability. Students with disability are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning opportunities drawn from the Australian curriculum content. Taking this context into account, this paper provides a work-in-progress report on a two-year mathematics intervention project conducted in 12 special schools (Preparatory-Year 12) in Queensland, Australia. The project aims to build the capacity of teachers to teach mathematics to their students and to identify and make sense of the intervention program’s impact. It combines two approaches—appreciative inquiry and action research to monitor schools’ change processes. The interim findings demonstrated that teachers were concerned about their students’ underachievement in mathematics and that the multi-sensory forms of teaching advocated in the program increased student engagement and performance.