Teaching Adolescents to Think and Act Responsibly Through Narrative Film-making: A Qualitative Study

The current qualitative study examined an adapted version of the psychoeducational program, Teaching Adolescents to Think and Act Responsibly: The EQUIP Approach (DiBiase, Gibbs, Potter, & Blount, 2012). The adapted version, referred to as the EQUIP – Narrative Filmmaking Program, was implemented as a means of character education. The purpose of this study was three-fold: 1) to examine how the EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program influenced student’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours; 2) to explore the students’ and the teacher’s perception of their experience with the program; and 3) to assess whether or not the integrated EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program addressed the goals of Ontario’s character education initiative. Purposive sampling was used to select one typical Grade 9 Exploring Technologies class, consisting of 15 boys from a Catholic board of education in the southern Ontario region. The EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program required students to create moral narrative films that first portrayed a set of self-centered cognitive distortions, with follow-up portrayals of behavioural modifications. Before, during, and after intervention questionnaires were administered to the students and teacher. The student questionnaires invited responses to a set of cognitive distortion vignettes. In addition, data was collected through student and teacher interviews, and researcher observation protocol reports. Initially the data was coded according to an a priori set of themes that were further analyzed according to emotion and values coding methods. The results indicated that while each student was unique in his thoughts, feelings, and behavioural responses to the cognitive distortion vignettes after completing the EQUIP program, the overall trends showed students had a more positive attitude, with a decreased proclivity for antisocial behaviour and self-serving cognitive distortion portrayed in the vignettes. Overall, the teacher and students’ learning experiences were mainly positive and the program met the learning expectations of Ontario’s character education initiative. Based on these results of the present study, it is recommended that the EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program be further evaluated through quantitative research and longitudinal study.

Using Effective Teaching Strategies and Personality Type to Enhance the Mathematics Classroom: A Handbook for Intermediate Math Teachers

This project addressed the need for more insightful, current, and applicable resources for intermediate math teachers in Canadian classrooms. A need for a handbook in this division seemed warranted by a lack of government resource support. Throughout an extensive review of the literature, themes and topics for the handbook emerged. The handbook was designed to not only provide educators with examples of effective teaching strategies within the mathematics classroom but to also inform them about the ways in which their personal characteristics and personality type could affect their students and their own pedagogical practices. Three teaching professionals who had each taught in an intermediate math class within the past year evaluated the handbook. The feedback received from these educators was directly applied to the first draft of the handbook in order to make it more accessible and applicable to other math teachers. Although the handbook was written with teachers in mind, the language and format used throughout the manual also make it accessible to parents, tutors, preservice education students, and educational administrators. Essentially, any individual who is hoping to inspire and educate intermediate math students could make use of the content within the handbook.

Impact of a Youth Development Camp on Participants’ Skills, Attitudes, and Views Towards Science and Scientific Inquiry

This mixed-methods research study sought to determine the impact of an informal science camp—the Youth Science Inquiry Development Camp (YSIDC)—on participants’ science inquiry skills, through self-assessment, as well as their views and attitudes towards science and scientific inquiry. Pre and post data were collected using quantitative surveys (SPSI, CARS), a qualitative survey (VOSI-E), interviews, and researcher’s observations. Paired sample t-tests from the quantitative surveys revealed that the YSIDC positively impacted participants’ science inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. Interviews supported these findings and provided contextual reasons for these impacts. Implications from this research would suggest that informal and formal educational institutions can increase science inquiry skills and promote positive views and attitudes towards science and scientific inquiry by using non-competitive cooperative learning strategies with a mixture of guided and open inquiry. Suggested directions for further research include measuring science inquiry skills directly and conducting longitudinal studies to determine the lasting effects of informal and formal science programs.

Postsecondary Teaching and Learning Development Needs: Motivators and Barriers Associated With Participation in Educational Development

This study investigated instructor perceptions of motivators and barriers that exist with respect to participation in educational development in the postsecondary context. Eight instructors from a mid-size, research intensive university in south-western Ontario participated in semistructured interviews to explore this particular issue. Data were analyzed using a qualitative approach. Motivation theory was used as a conceptual framework in this study, referring primarily to the work of Ryan and Deci (2000), Deci and Ryan (1985), and Pink (2009). The identified motivators and barriers spanned all 3 levels of postsecondary institutions: the micro (i.e., the individual), the meso (i.e., the department or Faculty), and the macro (i.e., the institution). Significant motivators to participation in educational development included desire to improve one’s teaching (micro), feedback from students (meso), and tenure and promotion (macro). Significant barriers to participation included lack of time (micro), the perception that an investment towards one’s research was more important than an investment to enhancing teaching (meso), and the impression that quality teaching was not valued by the institution (macro). The study identifies connections between the micro, meso, macro framework and motivation theory, and offers recommendations for practice.

Removing Oneself from the Shadows: A Heuristic Inquiry to Understand the Lived Experience of Epilepsy in Young Adult Women and their Epilepsy Disclosure

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures (Stein & Kanner, 2009). The purpose of this study was to understand the essence of being a young woman living with epilepsy using heuristic inquiry (Moustakas, 1990). The research was built upon the assumption that each experience is unique, yet commonalities exist. Five women aged 22 to 28 years living with epilepsy were interviewed. Additionally, the researcher described her life with epilepsy. Participants characterized life with epilepsy as a transformative journey. The act of meeting and interacting with another woman living with epilepsy provided an opportunity to remove themselves from the shadows and discuss epilepsy. Three major themes of seizures, medical treatment, and social relationships were developed revealing a complex view of an illness requiring engaged advocacy in the medical system. Respondents frequently make difficult adjustments to accommodate epilepsy. This study provides a complex in-depth view of life with epilepsy.

Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities: A Case Study of the Spring Reading Program

This case study explored strategies and techniques in order to assist individuals with learning disabilities in their academic achievement. Of particular focus was how a literacy-based program, titled The Spring Reading Program, utilizes effective tactics and approaches that result in academic growth. The Spring Reading Program, offered by the Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara Region (LDANR) and partnered with John McNamara from Brock University, supports children with reading disabilities academically. In addition, the program helps children increase their confidence and motivation towards literacy. I began this study by outlining the importance of reading followed by and exploration of what educators and researchers have demonstrated regarding effective literacy instruction for children with learning disabilities. I studied effective strategies and techniques in the Spring Reading Program by conducting a qualitative case study of the program. This case study subsequently presents in depth, 4 specific strategies: Hands-on activities, motivation, engagement, and one-on-one instruction. Each strategy demonstrates its effectiveness through literature and examples from the Spring Reading Program.

Teaching Tips from a Recovered Autistic

An article by Grandin sharing tips for teaching and working with autistic children. The focus is on: Structured Environment, Learning to Talk, Rhythm, Sensory Problems, Reducing Arousal, Tactile Stimulation, Fixations, Visual Thinking. The conclusion of the article reads "I cannot over emphasize the important role that good teachers and therapists play in enabling autistics to lead a fuller life. A good autism program needs dedicated people and should use a variety of treatment methods in combination with an intense structured environment".

Case of Colonel Booker. The Court of Inquiry

A four sided pamphlet written by Alexander Somerville, and printed by Lawson & Co., Hamilton, Ont. The list of contents for the article reads: "Evidence Suppressed, Newspapers Silenced, Statement of Captain McGrath, General Manager of the Welland Railway, as to Colonel Booker's apparent mental aberration, on June 3rd, at 4 A.M. Squire Larne's statement. Other evidence."

Teaching Reading to ESL Adult Literacy Learners: The Development of an Instructor’s Handbook

The purpose of this project was to develop an instructors’ handbook that provides the declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge associated with the interactive instructional approach, differentiated instruction, and the gradual release of responsibility framework for teaching reading to English as a second language adult literacy learners. The need for this handbook was determined by conducting a critical analysis of existing handbooks and concluding that no handbook completely addressed the 3 types of knowledge for the 3 instructional processes. A literature review was conducted to examine the nature, use, and effectiveness of the 3 instructional processes when teaching reading to ESL adult literacy learners. The literature review also examined teachers’ preferences for reading research and found that texts that were relevant, practical, and accessible were favoured. Hence, these 3 elements were incorporated as part of the handbook design. Three peer reviewers completed a 35-item 5-point Likert scale evaluation form that also included 5 open-ended questions. Their feedback about the handbook’s relevancy, practicality, accessibility, and face validity were incorporated into the final version of the handbook presented here. Reference to the handbook by ESL adult literacy instructors has the potential to support evidence-informed lesson planning which can support the ESL adult literacy learners in achieving their goals and contributing to their societies in multiple and meaningful ways.

Message from the President of the United States, communicating, in compliance with a resolutión of the Senate, the proceedings of thetwo courts of inquiry in the case of Major General Pillow.

UANL

Speak english, little chats a help to learn conversational english,drawn up after the new method of teaching

UANL

Une approche conceptuelle pour l’interprétation des graphiques en cinématique au secondaire

Cette recherche tente de déterminer si, dans le cadre d’un cours de physique de cinquième secondaire, l’utilisation d’un laboratoire par enquête guidée (comme complément d’enseignement basé sur une approche conceptuelle) permet aux élèves de mieux comprendre des notions de cinématique, que le laboratoire traditionnel. Elle s’inscrit dans une série d’études, réalisées au collégial ou à l’université, qui portent sur des approches d’enseignement exploitant le laboratoire comme moyen de transmission des concepts mécaniques en physique (McDermott, 1996; Beichner, 1994). Le laboratoire par enquête est associé à une approche conceptuelle axée sur le raisonnement qualitatif alors que celui qui est traditionnel est associé à une approche traditionnelle de l’enseignement de la physique. Le test TUG-K, «Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics » (Beichner, 1994), ainsi que des entrevues individuelles ont été utilisés afin d’évaluer la compréhension des concepts de cinématique. Il semble d’abord que le laboratoire par enquête guidé soit efficace pour enseigner la plupart des notions de cinématique. De plus, en comparant deux groupes d’une trentaine d’élèves de 5e secondaire ayant suivi deux types de laboratoires différents, l’étude a permis d’entrevoir une piste concernant la compréhension du concept d’accélération. Les résultats suggèrent qu’un laboratoire associé à une approche conceptuelle permettrait aux étudiants, à long terme, de mieux s’approprier les notions d’accélération qu’un laboratoire traditionnel.

Teaching ethics to employees of a state public utilities company in a developing country: A case study

Cette étude de cas est issue d’un module final de formation pour les employés du service public d’une agence de l’eau. Nous explorons les résultats de plusieurs stratégies utilisées pour souligner le besoin de changement dans les comportements individuels et institutionnels en vue d’améliorer les services aux clients. En particulier, nous explorons certaines manières d’ouvrir la discussion sur les pratiques de corruption de manière non-triviale sans offenser les sensibilités ou provoquer l’indifférence. Comme point de départ, il est demandé aux participants de relever les problèmes institutionnels qu’ils caractérisent comme éthiques, même si d’autres problèmes appartiennent à d’autres catégories identifiées plus tard. Pour éviter une approche purement théorique des devoirs et obligations envers les clients, ils sont dérivés de la mission de l’agence telle que définit par la loi qui l’a créée.