The Voice of History and the Message of the National Curriculum: Recontextualising History to a Pedagogic Discourse for Upper Secondary VET

In the reform by the liberal-conservative government of Swedish upper secondary education in 2011, history was recognized as an important part of citizenship education and was introduced into the curriculum for vocational education and training (VET) tracks. Through the concepts of classification and framing, this article explores the process of constructing the history syllabus for VET. The data consist of archived material from the working group responsible for the history curriculum under the Swedish National Agency for Education. The analysis shows that there are competing discourses concerning the relative emphasis on competencies and skills and concerning the emphasis on contemporary and modern history. Although historians, history teachers and other agents are invited to respond to the content of the curriculum, the respondents have no influence on the knowledge structure of the curriculum, which is controlled by agents of the dominant educational ideology. From a critical perspective, this article suggests that the curriculum reflects the instrumental and neoconservative message of the reform through strong classification and framing and through the emphasis on general abilities and a contemporary history that has a more direct explanatory value to contemporary society.

Self-regulatory behaviours and flow dispositions in musical practice: a survey with advanced performers

Flow experience, a holistic sensation of total involvement in an activity, seems to have positive influences on musical performance activities. Although its main requirements (balance between challenges and skills, clear goals and unequivocal feedback) are inherent elements of musical practice, there is a lack of research about flow occurrences in the context of musical practice and on how specific practice behaviours affect the experience of flow and its particular dimensions. The aims of this thesis were to investigate advanced performersʼ dispositions to flow in musical practice, and to investigate whether the frequency of these experiences of holistic engagement with practice are associated with self-regulatory practice behaviours. 168 advanced classicallytrained performers (male = 50.0%; female = 50.0%), ranging in age from 18 to 74 years (m = 34.41, SD = 12.39), answered a survey that included two measures: the Dispositional Short Flow Scale, assessing performersʼ flow dispositions, and the Self-Regulated Practice Behaviours Questionnaire, developed specifically for the present research. The overall results of the survey suggested that advanced musicians have high dispositions to flow in musical practice, but not associated with the participantsʼ demographic characteristics. Three of the individual flow indicators were less experienced, suggesting that the most intense flow experiences are rare in musical practice. However, the results point to the existence of another relevant experience, named optimal practice experience. Practice engagement levels were positively associated with knowledge of oneʼs own personal resources and a capacity for practice organization, but not with inclusion/use of external resources. A capacity for setting optimal practice goals was related to self-regulation and to immersion aspects of flow. Current findings offer new clues about the assessment of flow dispositions in performers, helping to clarify how daily practice can heighten positive affective responses in musicians who are vulnerable to the requirements and difficulties of deliberate practice, as well as to other negative practice outcomes. The current research questions issues pertaining to the optimization and sustaining of flow in daily practice, suggesting future directions in the study of the affective subjective functioning of engagement with deliberate practice.

Towards guidelines for curriculum design and development in English language teacher education in Cambodian higher education institutions

In the current Cambodian higher education sector, there is little regulation of standards in curriculum design of undergraduate degrees in English language teacher education. The researcher, in the course of his professional work in the Curriculum and Policy Office at the Department of Higher Education, has seen evidence that most universities tend to copy their curriculum from one source, the curriculum of the Institute of Foreign Languages, the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Their programs fail to impose any entry standards, accepting students who pass the high school exam without any entrance examination. It is possible for a student to enter university with satisfactory scores in all subjects but English. Therefore, not many graduates are able to fulfil the professional requirements of the roles they are supposed to take. Neau (2010) claims that many Cambodian EFL teachers do not reach a high performance standard due to their low English language proficiency and poor background in teacher education. The main purpose of this study is to establish key guidelines for developing curricula for English language teacher education for all the universities across the country. It examines the content of the Bachelor‘s degree of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (B Ed in TEFL) and Bachelor‘s degree of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BA in TESOL) curricula adopted in Cambodian universities on the basis of criteria proposed in current curriculum research. It also investigates the perspectives of Cambodian EFL teachers on the areas of knowledge and skill they need in order to perform their English teaching duties in Cambodia today. The areas of knowledge and skill offered in the current curricula at Cambodian higher education institutions (HEIs), the framework of the knowledge base for EFL teacher education and general higher education, and the areas of knowledge and skill Cambodian EFL teachers perceive to be important, are compared so as to identify any gaps in the current English language teacher education curricula in the Cambodian HEIs. The existence of gaps show what domains of knowledge and skill need to be included in the English language teacher education curricula at Cambodian HEIs. These domains are those identified by previous curriculum researchers in both general and English language teacher education at tertiary level. Therefore, the present study provides useful insights into the importance of including appropriate content in English language teacher education curricula. Mixed methods are employed in this study. The course syllabi and the descriptions within the curricula in five Cambodian HEIs are analysed qualitatively based on the framework of knowledge and skills for EFL teachers, which is formed by looking at the knowledge base for second language teachers suggested by the methodologists and curriculum specialists whose work is elaborated on the review of literature. A quantitative method is applied to analyse the perspectives of 120 Cambodian EFL teachers on areas of knowledge and skills they should possess. The fieldwork was conducted between June and August, 2014. The analysis reveals that the following areas are included in the curricula at the five universities: communication skills, general knowledge, knowledge of teaching theories, teaching skills, pedagogical reasoning and decision making skills, subject matter knowledge, contextual knowledge, cognitive abilities, and knowledge of social issues. Additionally, research skills are included in three curricula while society and community involvement is in only one. Further, information and communication technology, which is outlined in the Education Strategies Plan (2006-2010), forms part of four curricula while leadership skills form part of two. This study demonstrates ultimately that most domains that are directly and indirectly related to language teaching competence are not sufficiently represented in the current curricula. On the basis of its findings, the study concludes with a set of guidelines that should inform the design and development of TESOL and TEFL curricula in Cambodia.

Vocational training and knowledge development: a deeper understanding

Construction management research literature has identified the importance of understanding the practical realities of skills and training provision and the role of reflective practice in the development of knowledge. This paper examines vocational training of experienced site staff in the development of their knowledge through SVQ training to investigate the primary factors for successful learning in site-based construction staff with a supervisory/management role. Using semi-structured interviews the impact of vocational training on individual candidates and other sitebased staff are investigated. The paper explores, through the reflections of 26 SVQ candidates (20 SVQ3 and 6 SVQ4), a deeper understanding of how site supervisors and site managers learn through the SVQ process and develop tacit knowledge through formal reflection. Reflective practice develops practical wisdom (Phronesis). The investigation explains aspects of practical wisdom and how knowledge, practice and skills are developed through vocational training. There is a clear perception by those completing the qualification that it has enabled them to perform their job better identifying numerous examples relating to problem solving, critical thinking, making decisions and leadership. It has been found that Phronesis is evident on a day-to-day basis on site activities developed through reflective practice in personal development. The reflective practice in developing knowledge also builds, within individuals, a better understanding of themselves and their capabilities through the learning achieved in the SVQ. Future work is identified around analysing the role of the assessor in facilitating Phronesis in the SVQ context.

Touchpoints: parents and nurses perceptions and satisfaction

O apoio prestado às famílias que vivenciam a parentalidade deve basear-se numa relação de confiança entre enfermeiros e pais. A satisfação dos clientes e dos enfermeiros durante a prestação de cuidados assume grande relevância e pode ser considerada um ganho em saúde. Objetivo: Compreender a experiência e o significado atribuído pelos pais de crianças entre os 11 e os 24 meses e dos enfermeiros que participaram na implementação da metodologia Touchpoints (TP), uma intervenção de enfermagem inovadora. Desenho do Estudo e Métodos: Estudo qualitativo de cariz fenomenológico. A recolha de dados foi efetuada através de (i) diários de itinerância dos enfermeiros que participaram na implementação da metodologia TP e da (ii) técnica de grupos focais realizada junto de 10 pais de crianças do grupo de intervenção. Resultados: os pais consideraram que as sessões TP, implementadas pelos enfermeiros, contribuíram para: Aquisição de conhecimentos e competências; Validação de práticas parentais; Melhoria do comportamento da criança; Confiança parental; Relacionamento interpessoal; Competências profissionais; Competências específicas; Satisfação. Os enfermeiros que participaram no estudo consideraram que a metodologia TP contribuiu para: Mobilização e aplicação dos princípios TP; Processo de aprendizagem; Interesse dos pais; Sentimentos/emoções; Satisfação. Implicações Clínicas: Os enfermeiros que cuidam de famílias devem implementar metodologias inovadoras que facilitem a adaptação à parentalidade, como os Touchpoints. A implementação da metodologia TP contribuiu para a satisfação dos pais e enfermeiros.

Working with Student Teachers: A Mixed Methods Study to Examine the Roles and Self-Identified Dispositions of Cooperating Teachers

A critical component of teacher education is the field experience during which candidates practice under the supervision of experienced teachers. Programs use the InTASC Standards to define the requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teaching. Practicing teachers are familiar with the concepts of knowledge and skills, but they are less familiar with dispositions. Practicing teachers who mentor prospective teachers are underrepresented in the literature, but they are critical to teacher preparation. The research goals were to describe the self-identified dispositions of cooperating teachers, identify what cooperating teachers consider their role in preparing prospective teachers, and explain challenges that cooperating teachers face. Using a mixed methods design, I conducted a quantitative survey followed by a qualitative case study. When I compared survey and case study data, cooperating teachers report possessing InTASC critical dispositions described in Standard 2: Learning Differences, Standard 3: Learning Environments, and Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice, but not Standard 6: Assessment and Standard 10: Leadership and Collaboration. Cooperating teachers assume the roles of modeler, mentor and advisor, and informal evaluator. They explain student teachers often lack skills and dispositions to assume full teaching responsibilities and recommend that universities better prepare candidates for classrooms. Cooperating teachers felt university evaluations were not relevant to teaching reality. I recommend modifying field experiences to increase the quantity and duration of classroom placements. I suggest further research to detail cooperating teacher dispositions, compare cooperating teachers who work with different universities, and determine if cooperating teacher dispositions influence student teacher dispositions.

kid-friendly veggies and fruits : 10 tips for making healthy foods more fun for children

This sheet encourages children to eat vegetables and fruits by making it fun. Provide healthy ingredients and let kids help with preparation, based on their age and skills. Kids may try foods they avoided in the past if they helped make them. Recipes are included.

UPDATE NEEDS OF PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY: Diagnosis of teachers and graduate degree from the School of Library, Documentation and Information (EBDI), National University of Costa Rica

This project is a diagnosis of update needs and training for professionals in bibliotecology and its results will be used for the design of a Program of Permanent training in bibliotecology, which will be implemented in Bibliotecology School, Documentation and Information of the National University.The studied population is composed by all the teachers of Bibliotecology School, Documentation and Information of the National University, in October, 2007, and all the graduated students of licentiate of the EBDI from 2000 to 2007.The results of this investigation were obtained by means of a questionnaire that was filled by each one of the members of these two populations, who corresponded to 25 teachers of the EBDI and 18 graduates of licentiate. This one also presents the information that was obtained in interviews realized to the managers of the principal institutions who are professionals contracted in bibliotecology.The results obtained of this diagnosis will allow the elaboration of the Program of Permanent training in bibliotecology, considering the formative needs of the professionals in bibliotecology of the EBDI. This project includes the following products:a) Description of the social and demographic characteristics of teachers and of graduated of licentiate of the EBDI.b) Diagnosis of needs to update and training of bibliotecology professional teachers and of graduated of licentiate of the EBDI.c) Determination of the knowledge and skills that the needs to satisfy what big employers ask for.d) Recommendations for the program. Implementation.

Computational Foundations for Safe and Efficient Human-Robot Collaboration in Assembly Cells

Human and robots have complementary strengths in performing assembly operations. Humans are very good at perception tasks in unstructured environments. They are able to recognize and locate a part from a box of miscellaneous parts. They are also very good at complex manipulation in tight spaces. The sensory characteristics of the humans, motor abilities, knowledge and skills give the humans the ability to react to unexpected situations and resolve problems quickly. In contrast, robots are very good at pick and place operations and highly repeatable in placement tasks. Robots can perform tasks at high speeds and still maintain precision in their operations. Robots can also operate for long periods of times. Robots are also very good at applying high forces and torques. Typically, robots are used in mass production. Small batch and custom production operations predominantly use manual labor. The high labor cost is making it difficult for small and medium manufacturers to remain cost competitive in high wage markets. These manufactures are mainly involved in small batch and custom production. They need to find a way to reduce the labor cost in assembly operations. Purely robotic cells will not be able to provide them the necessary flexibility. Creating hybrid cells where humans and robots can collaborate in close physical proximities is a potential solution. The underlying idea behind such cells is to decompose assembly operations into tasks such that humans and robots can collaborate by performing sub-tasks that are suitable for them. Realizing hybrid cells that enable effective human and robot collaboration is challenging. This dissertation addresses the following three computational issues involved in developing and utilizing hybrid assembly cells: - We should be able to automatically generate plans to operate hybrid assembly cells to ensure efficient cell operation. This requires generating feasible assembly sequences and instructions for robots and human operators, respectively. Automated planning poses the following two challenges. First, generating operation plans for complex assemblies is challenging. The complexity can come due to the combinatorial explosion caused by the size of the assembly or the complex paths needed to perform the assembly. Second, generating feasible plans requires accounting for robot and human motion constraints. The first objective of the dissertation is to develop the underlying computational foundations for automatically generating plans for the operation of hybrid cells. It addresses both assembly complexity and motion constraints issues. - The collaboration between humans and robots in the assembly cell will only be practical if human safety can be ensured during the assembly tasks that require collaboration between humans and robots. The second objective of the dissertation is to evaluate different options for real-time monitoring of the state of human operator with respect to the robot and develop strategies for taking appropriate measures to ensure human safety when the planned move by the robot may compromise the safety of the human operator. In order to be competitive in the market, the developed solution will have to include considerations about cost without significantly compromising quality. - In the envisioned hybrid cell, we will be relying on human operators to bring the part into the cell. If the human operator makes an error in selecting the part or fails to place it correctly, the robot will be unable to correctly perform the task assigned to it. If the error goes undetected, it can lead to a defective product and inefficiencies in the cell operation. The reason for human error can be either confusion due to poor quality instructions or human operator not paying adequate attention to the instructions. In order to ensure smooth and error-free operation of the cell, we will need to monitor the state of the assembly operations in the cell. The third objective of the dissertation is to identify and track parts in the cell and automatically generate instructions for taking corrective actions if a human operator deviates from the selected plan. Potential corrective actions may involve re-planning if it is possible to continue assembly from the current state. Corrective actions may also involve issuing warning and generating instructions to undo the current task.

WorldFish Center report on the opportunities and constraints to improved fisheries exploitation and management in the Maringa – Lopori – Wamba landscape

The WorldFish Center was contracted by Africa Wildlife Foundation to conduct a preliminary survey of the role of fisheries in livelihoods, and opportunities and constraints to improved fisheries exploitation and management, in the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Landscape. In May 2007, a three person WorldFish Center team, supported by AWF staff, visited the landscape to explore how the fishery operates to meet local needs and identify scope for interventions that might improve fisheries livelihood opportunities without undermining its sustainability. It is clear that although fishing is important for both income and subsistence in the areas visited, profits are nonetheless modest and somewhat unpredictable. Moreover, fisherfolk should not be considered a homogeneous group: there are different sub-groups, using different gears and skills, involving women and men in both fishing and post-harvest activities, groups who are more or less dependent on farming, and who fish, on balance, more either for cash or subsistence needs. Thus the findings here need to be set within this context of different sub-groups, fishing for generally very modest remuneration, with the latter subject to considerable variability and uncertainty.

Education and Training in Occupational Health Psychology: The Case for E-Learning

For the discipline of occupational health psychology (OHP) to continue to evolve and to serve workers effectively it is imperative that education and training provision is available that enables students to acquire knowledge and skills, free of geographical and temporal constraints. This chapter begins with a brief introduction to the historical development of education and training in OHP in Europe. The review culminates with the assertion that higher education institutions are now required to act innovatively in regard to the expansion of provision. One such initiative involves the introduction of e-learning. A case study concerning the implementation of a Masters degree in OHP by e-learning is presented. On the outcomes of the case study, recommendations are offered for the design and implementation of such courses. The chapter concludes by raising some further questions that need to be addressed for education and training provision in OHP to continue to expand.

The big four skills: Teachers’ assumptions on measurement of non-native students cognition

The four-skills on tests for young native speakers commonly do not generate correlation incongruency concerning the cognitive strategies frequently reported. Considering the non-native speakers there are parse evidence to determine which tasks are important to assess properly the cognitive and academic language proficiency (Cummins, 1980; 2012). Research questions: It is of high probability that young students with origin in immigration significantly differ on their communication strategies and skills in a second language processing context (1); attached to this first assumption, it is supposed that teachers significantly differ depending on their scientific area and previous training (2). Purpose: This study intends to examine whether school teachers (K-12) as having different origin in scientific domain of teaching and training perceive differently an adapted four-skills scale, in European Portuguese. Research methods: 77 teachers of five areas scientific areas, mean of teaching year service = 32 (SD= 2,7), 57 males and 46 females (from basic and high school levels). Main findings: ANOVA (Effect size and Post-hoc Tukey tests) and linear regression analysis (stepwise method) revealed statistically significant differences among teachers of different areas, mainly between language teachers and science teachers. Language teachers perceive more accurately tasks in a multiple manner to the broad skills that require to be measured in non-native students. Conclusion: If teachers perceive differently the importance of the big-four tasks, there would be incongruence on skills measurement that teachers select for immigrant puppils. Non-balanced tasks and the teachers’ perceptions on evaluation and toward competence of students would likely determine limitations for academic and cognitive development of non-native students. Furthermore, results showed sufficient evidence to conclude that tasks are perceived differently by teachers toward importance of specific skills subareas. Reading skills are best considered compared to oral comphreension skills in non-native students.

Essays on Uncertainty, Imperfect Information, and Investment Dynamics

Understanding how imperfect information affects firms' investment decision helps answer important questions in economics, such as how we may better measure economic uncertainty; how firms' forecasts would affect their decision-making when their beliefs are not backed by economic fundamentals; and how important are the business cycle impacts of changes in firms' productivity uncertainty in an environment of incomplete information. This dissertation provides a synthetic answer to all these questions, both empirically and theoretically. The first chapter, provides empirical evidence to demonstrate that survey-based forecast dispersion identifies a distinctive type of second moment shocks different from the canonical volatility shocks to productivity, i.e. uncertainty shocks. Such forecast disagreement disturbances can affect the distribution of firm-level beliefs regardless of whether or not belief changes are backed by changes in economic fundamentals. At the aggregate level, innovations that increase the dispersion of firms' forecasts lead to persistent declines in aggregate investment and output, which are followed by a slow recovery. On the contrary, the larger dispersion of future firm-specific productivity innovations, the standard way to measure economic uncertainty, delivers the ``wait and see" effect, such that aggregate investment experiences a sharp decline, followed by a quick rebound, and then overshoots. At the firm level, data uncovers that more productive firms increase investments given rises in productivity dispersion for the future, whereas investments drop when firms disagree more about the well-being of their future business conditions. These findings challenge the view that the dispersion of the firms' heterogeneous beliefs captures the concept of economic uncertainty, defined by a model of uncertainty shocks. The second chapter presents a general equilibrium model of heterogeneous firms subject to the real productivity uncertainty shocks and informational disagreement shocks. As firms cannot perfectly disentangle aggregate from idiosyncratic productivity because of imperfect information, information quality thus drives the wedge of difference between the unobserved productivity fundamentals, and the firms' beliefs about how productive they are. Distribution of the firms' beliefs is no longer perfectly aligned with the distribution of firm-level productivity across firms. This model not only explains why, at the macro and micro level, disagreement shocks are different from uncertainty shocks, as documented in Chapter 1, but helps reconcile a key challenge faced by the standard framework to study economic uncertainty: a trade-off between sizable business cycle effects due to changes in uncertainty, and the right amount of pro-cyclicality of firm-level investment rate dispersion, as measured by its correlation with the output cycles.

COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES (KAP) ON FLUOROSIS AND ITS MITIGATION IN ENDEMIC AREAS OF ETHIOPIA

Optimum fluoride intake plays an essential role in the prevention of dental caries while fluoride consumption above recommended level interferes with the normal formation of tooth enamel and bones and may increase risk of dental and skeletal fluorosis. The knowledge and practices of endemic communities on etiology of fluorosis will help in its mitigation and prevention. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practices of endemic community on fluoride contamination, fluorosis and prevention practices in order to devise coordinated and targeted prevention mechanisms. Focus group discussions (FGD) and key-informant interview were conducted in three dietary areas to collect knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the endemic community in July 2013.The results indicated that health consequences of fluoride contaminated water are fairly understood. None of the discussants mentioned the word “fluoride”. The knowledge and perception of the community on fluoride ingestion is poor. Health extension workers (HEWs) did not teach about fluoride and related health consequences. Dental fluorosis was reported to start at early ages and not commonly perceived as a major problem. However, adolescents worried and felt that they might be singled out when going to other areas. Older people have a skeletal fluorosis, which interferes with their day to day activities. In severely affected people, the teeth were weak and fragile and thus create difficulty in chewing hard foods like unfermented dry flat bread, sugar cane and toasted grains. People prefer rain water rather than water from borehole because of the inconvenient taste of the latter. The endemic communities have no sufficient knowledge and skills on potential sources of fluoride intake, the debilitating effect of high fluoride ingestion, and preventive and mitigatory measures to reduce fluoride intake. The effect of fluoride contamination and mitigatory methods should get sufficient attention by the community, health workers and concerned governmental bodies. The trend of harvesting and using rain water should be encouraged as it reduces fluoride intake. Future studies should focus on information communication on possible fluoride risks, intervention and evaluation studies on defluoridation, rain water harvesting and mitigatory techniques.

Improvements in fundamental movement skill competency mediate the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children

Numerous studies have identified a positive association between fundamental movement skill (FMS) competency and physical activity in children; however, the causal pathways have not been established. The aim of this study is to determine if changes in FMS competency mediated the effect of the Supporting Children's Outcomes using Rewards, Exercise and Skills (SCORES) intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children. Eight primary schools (25 classes) and 460 children (aged 8.5 ± 0.6, 54% girls) were randomised to the SCORES intervention or control group for the 12-month study. The outcomes were accelerometer-determined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiorespiratory fitness. The hypothesised mediators were actual FMS competency and perceived sport competence. Mediation analyses were conducted using multilevel linear analysis in MPlus. From the original sample, 138 (30.0%) and 370 (80.4%) children provided useable physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness data at post-test assessments. There were significant treatment effects for locomotor skills and overall FMSs. Changes in MVPA were associated with changes in object-control skills, overall FMSs and perceived competence. The overall FMSs had a significant mediating effect on MVPA (AB = 2.09, CI = 0.01-4.55). Overall FMSs (AB = 1.19, CI = 0.002-2.79) and locomotor skills (AB = 0.74, CI = 0.01-1.69) had a significant mediating effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study conclude that actual but not perceived movement skill competency mediated the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness.