A pilot study of orthopaedic resident self-assessment using a milestones' survey just prior to milestones implementation.

OBJECTIVE: To pilot test if Orthopaedic Surgery residents could self-assess their performance using newly created milestones, as defined by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. METHODS: In June 2012, an email was sent to Program Directors and administrative coordinators of the 154 accredited Orthopaedic Surgery Programs, asking them to send their residents a link to an online survey. The survey was adapted from the Orthopaedic Surgery Milestone Project. Completed surveys were aggregated in an anonymous, confidential database. SAS 9.3 was used to perform the analyses. RESULTS: Responses from 71 residents were analyzed. First and second year residents indicated through self-assessment that they had substantially achieved Level 1 and Level 2 milestones. Third year residents reported they had substantially achieved 30/41, and fourth year residents, all Level 3 milestones. Fifth year, graduating residents, reported they had substantially achieved 17 Level 4 milestones, and were extremely close on another 15. No milestone was rated at Level 5, the maximum possible. Earlier in training, Patient Care and Medical Knowledge milestones were rated lower than the milestones reflecting the other four competencies of Practice Based Learning and Improvement, Systems Based Practice, Professionalism, and Interpersonal Communication. The gap was closed by the fourth year. CONCLUSIONS: Residents were able to successfully self-assess using the 41 Orthopaedic Surgery milestones. Respondents' rate improved proficiency over time. Graduating residents report they have substantially, or close to substantially, achieved all Level 4 milestones. Milestone self-assessment may be a useful tool as one component of a program's overall performance assessment strategy.

Women empowerment and the current use of long acting and permanent contraceptive: Evidence from 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey

Background Both contraceptive use and fertility rates are high fertility in Malawi. Status of women remains low and is believed to affect reproductive health decisions including use of Long Acting and Permanent Contraceptives Method (LAPCM). Objective This study seeks to examine the relationship between women empowerment and LAPCM. A measure of women’s empowerment is derived from the women’s responses to questions on the number of household decisions in which the respondent participates, employment status, type of earnings, women’s control over cash earnings and level of education. Methods The study is based on a sub sample of 5,948 married women from the 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and multinomial logistic regression models (α=5%). Results The prevalence of current use of LAPCM was 20.0% and increases with increasing empowerment level (p<0.001). Mean age and empowerment score of women who are currently using LAPCM were 38.53±6.2 years and 6.80±2.9 respectively. Urban women (22.2%) were more currently using LAPCM than rural women (19.4%) p<0.001. Women who belong to Seven Day Adventists/Baptist were 1.51(C.I=1.058-2.153; p=0.023) more likely and Muslims were 0.58(C.I=0.410-0.809; p=0.001) less likely to currently use LAPCM than Catholic women. Being in the richest wealth quintile (OR=1.91; C.I=1.362-2.665; p<0.001) promotes current use of LAPCM than poorest. The likelihood of currently using LAPCM was higher among women who have access to FP programmes on media and increases consistently with increasing women empowerment level even when other potential confounding variables were used as control. Conclusion In Malawi, LAPCM is still underutilized and more than half of the women are not adequately empowered. Women empowerment, wealth quintile and access to FP programmes are key factors influencing the use of LAPCM. Programmes that address these determinants are urgently needed in Malawi.

Análisis comparativo entre actividades de aprendizaje diseñadas con Estudio de Casos y Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas, y actividades de tipo tradicional, como dispositivos didácticos en Educación a Distancia. Comparative analysis of learning activities designed with Problem Based Learning and Case Study approaches, and activities designed with traditional methods, in Distance Education.

Identificación y caracterización del problema: El problema que guía este proyecto, pretende dar respuesta a interrogantes tales como: ¿De qué modo el tipo de actividades que se diseñan, se constituyen en dispositivos posibilitadores de la comprensión de los temas propios de cada asignatura, por parte de los alumnos? A partir de esta pregunta, surge la siguiente: Al momento de resolver las actividades, ¿qué estrategias cognitivas ponen en juego los estudiantes? y ¿cuáles de ellas favorecen procesos de construcción del conocimiento? Hipótesis: - Las asignaturas cuyas actividades están elaboradas bajo la metodología de Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas y Estudio de Casos, propician aprendizajes significativos por parte de los estudiantes. - Las actividades elaboradas bajo la metodología del Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas y el Estudio de Casos requieren de procesos cognitivos más complejos que los que se implementan en las de tipo tradicional. Objetivo: - Identificar el impacto que tienen las actividades de aprendizaje de tipo tradicional y las elaboradas bajo la metodología de Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas y Estudio de Casos, en el aprendizaje de los alumnos. Materiales y Métodos: a) Análisis de las actividades de aprendizaje del primero y segundo año de la carrera de Abogacía, bajo lamodalidad a Distancia. b) Entrevistas tanto a docentes contenidistas como así también a los tutores. c) Encuestas y entrevistas a los alumnos. Resultados esperados: Se pretende confirmar que las actividades de aprendizaje, diseñadas bajo la metodología del Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas y el Estudio de Casos, promueven aprendizajes significativos en los alumnos. Importancia del proyecto y pertinencia: La relevancia del presente proyecto se podría identificar a través de dos grandes variables vinculadas entre sí: la relacionada con el dispositivo didáctico (estrategias implementadas por los alumnos) y la referida a lo institucional (carácter innovador de la propuesta de enseñanza y posibilidad de extenderla a otras cátedras). El presente proyecto pretende implementar mejoras en el diseño de las actividades de aprendizaje, a fin de promover en los alumnos la generación de ideas y soluciones responsables y el desarrollo de su capacidad analítica y reflexiva.

Novice teachers' perceptions of the extent to which the Brock University teacher education program focused on methods of promoting responsibility in students

The purpose of this study was to determine novice t~ache~s' perceptions of th~ extent to which the Brock University teacher education program focused on strategies for promoting responsibility in students. Individual interviews were conducted with ten randomly selected teachers who were graduates of this teacher education program between the years of 1989 and 1992, and a follow-up group discussion activity, with the same teachers, was also held. Findings revealed that the topic of personal responsibility was discussed within various components of the program, including counselling group sessions, but that these discussions were often brief, indirect and inconsistent. Some of the strategies which the teachers used in their own classrooms to promote responsibility in students were ones which they had acquired from those counselling group °sessions or from associate teachers. Various strategies included: setting ~lear expectations of students with positive and negative consequences for behaviour (e.g., material rewards and detentions, respectively), cemmunic?ting'with other teachers an~ parents, and -. suspending students from school. A teacher's choice of any particular strategy seemed to be affected by his or her personality, teaching sUbject and region of employment, as well as certain aspects of the teacher education program. It was concluded that many of the teachers appeared to be controlling rude and vio~ent- behaviour, as opposed to promoting responsible behaviour. Recommendations were made for the pre-service program, as well as induction and inservice programs, to increase teacher preparedness for promoting responsible student behaviour. One of these recommendations addressed the need to help teachers learn how to effectively communicate with their students.

Teaching and learning geometry : issues and methods in mathematical education.

Recurso para la evaluación de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la geometría en la enseñanza secundaria desde la perspectiva de los nuevos docentes y de los que tienen más experiencia. Está diseñado para ampliar y profundizar el conocimiento de la materia y ofrecer consejos prácticos e ideas para el aula en el contexto de la práctica y la investigación actual. Hace especial hincapié en: comprender las ideas fundamentales del currículo de geometría; el aprendizaje de la geometría de manera efectiva; la investigación y la práctica actual; las ideas erróneas y los errores; el razonamiento de la geometría; la solución de problemas; el papel de la tecnología en el aprendizaje de la geometría.

AS - A Level sociology : education and sociological research methods.

Guía de bolsillo para la revisión de los temas clave en el área de la sociología para alumnos de bachillerato (segundo ciclo de educación secundaria), niveles AS y A, con doscientas cincuenta preguntas rápidas y sus respuestas, organizadas en secciones temáticas y con consejos de examen. Contiene: educación, métodos sociológicos e investigación educativa en sociología.

Research methods in education.

El libro recoge todos los métodos empleados en las distintas etapas de la investigación educativa. Está dividido en cinco partes (el contexto de la investigación educativa, la planificación de la investigación educativa, los estilos de investigación, las estrategias para la recolección de datos, y la investigación y el análisis de datos), y trata temas como la ética en la investigación social y educativa, el muestreo, el diseño de cuestionarios, el análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de datos, estadística, y la investigación basada en Internet. Contiene referencias a páginas web con material de apoyo y ejemplos prácticos de la teoría presentada.

The impact of structured teaching methods on the quality of education

This paper estimates the impact of the use of structured methods on the quality of education of the students in primary public school in Brazil. Structure methods encompass a range of pedagogical and managerial instruments applied to the education system. In recent years, several municipalities in the State of São Paulo have contracted out private educational providers to implement these structured methods in their schooling system. Their pedagogical proposal involves structuring curriculum contents, elaboration and use of teachers and students textbooks, and training and supervision of the teachers and instructors. Using a difference in differences estimation strategy, we find that the fourth and eighth grader students in the municipalities with structured methods performed better in Portuguese and Math than students in municipalities not exposed to the methods. We find no differences in approval rates. However, a robustness check is not able to discard the possibility that unobserved municipal characteristics may affect the results.

Comparison of methods in oral health education from the perspective of adolescents.

To investigate whether teenagers' knowledge about oral health is influenced by educational methods and to verify the most effective method according to their perception. The study was performed in Araçatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil, with 127 teenagers from a vocational school. It was realised in 3 steps: 1. An evaluation of knowledge about oral health using a self-applied questionnaire. 2. An application of educational methods, where the students were divided into two groups (A and B). Group A participated in three educational activities that involved lectures, individual demonstration, and participatory activity. Group B was divided into three subgroups (B1, B2, B3) and each of them participated in only one of the methods. 3. The acquired knowledge was evaluated. Group A created a focus group to give their opinion about strategies. With regards to knowledge after the application of the different methods in all groups, there was a statistically significant difference concerning periodontitis, gingivitis and herpes. In group A, after the three activities, and in group B2 after the individual demonstration, an association was found between 'healthy teeth' and 'general health' (P = 0.004 and P = 0.022, respectively). After the individual demonstration, an association was shown between variables of acquired knowledge about 'harmful diet' and 'dental caries' (P = 0.002) as well as 'good diet' and 'prevention of oral diseases' (P = 0.032). The favourite method was individual demonstration, due to the contact with educational materials, followed by participatory activity because it encouraged learning in a more dynamic way. Educational methods influenced knowledge about oral health, with individual demonstration proving to be the most effective method for acquiring knowledge. In the adolescents' view, the participatory activity was the preferred method.

The impact of structured teaching methods on the quality of education in Brazil

This paper estimates the impact of the use of structured methods on the quality of education for students in primary public school in Brazil. Structured methods encompass a range of pedagogical and managerial instruments applied in the educational system. In recent years, several municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo have contracted out private educational providers to implement these structured methods in their schooling systems. Their pedagogical proposal involves structuring of curriculum content, development of teacher and student textbooks, and the training and supervision of teachers anti instructors. Using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find that the 4th- and 8th-grade students in the municipalities with structured methods performed better in Portuguese and mathematics than did students in municipalities not exposed to these methods. We find no differences in passing rates. A robustness test supports the assumption that there is no unobserved municipal characteristics associated with proficiency changes over time that may affect the results. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Department-store education: an acount of the training methods developed at the Boston School of Salemanship under the direction of Lucinda Wyman Prince

by Helen Rich Norton.

Special education : needs, costs, methods of financing : report of a study /

Mode of access: Internet.

Essays on school keeping; comprising observations on the qualifications of teachers, on school government, and on the most approved methods of instruction in the various branches of a useful education.

Bibliographical footnotes.