Too cool for school

This article investigates MySchoolAct (MSA),an online music competition created exclusively for Australian high school students. MSA as a social networking platform, creates opportunities for young musicians to showcase their original music and expand their fanbase. From an education perspective, MSA hands ownership of the site to the user, and in this sense empowers young people to engage in meaningful knowledge exchange.

Investigating a disciplinary approach to literacy learning in a secondary school

This paper presents findings from a Design-Based Research (DBR) project undertaken in a large regional high school in Queensland. The study focused on an intervention involving explicit teaching using systemic functional grammar in assessed writing across two Year 8 subjects: English and History. The study’s findings demonstrate that, despite efforts at the whole school and classroom level to support a disciplinary literacy approach to subject learning, there are considerable constraints that need to be considered and overcome in order for students to develop appropriate writing capabilities for particular discipline areas.

The practical potential of self-advocacy for improving safety outcomes for school-aged workers

Young workers are over-represented in workplace injury statistics and there is growing interest in addressing their vulnerability and safety exposure. Such concerns have been raised within a broader discursive framework of responsibilisation which has seen a transfer of responsibility for workplace safety from employer to worker. This article examines the potential for self-advocacy as a strategy for improving the safety of young workers through the provision of resources to articulate and act on workplace rights. The study utilises data derived from 48 group interviews involving 216 high school students (13–16 years of age) at 19 high schools in Queensland, Australia, who were asked to discuss their knowledge and experience of workplace rights and responsibilities. The limitations of the safety self-advocacy approach are explored, including the social, developmental and organisational issues that might affect the ability or willingness of school-aged workers to self-advocate. The findings reveal that the notion of self-advocacy is internalised by young people before they even enter the formal labour market but that in practice, attempts by young people to enact rights to safety are often dismissed or undermined.

Who Participated in School-to-Work Programs in 1998? Technical Report

[Excerpt] This report is based on a survey of 7425 students attending high school during the 1998/99 academic year that asked about recent participation in school-to-work (STW) activities. The survey is the first wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth begun in early 1997 (NLSY97). Ninety-three percent of the youth surveyed in the initial wave were interviewed in the second follow up that we are analyzing here. The statistics reported below are based on weighted data and so represent the population of 15 to 19 year olds attending school during the 1998/99 academic year. Youth who graduated from or dropped out of high school before fall 1998 were not asked questions about participation in school-to-work programs and so are not included in our analysis.

Different countries, same science classes: Students’ experiences of school science in their own words

This paper reviews the remarkably similar experiences of school science reported by high school students in Sweden, England, and Australia. It compares student narratives from interpretive studies by Lindahl, by Osborne and Collins, and by Lyons, identifying core themes relating to critical contemporary issues in science education. These themes revolve around the transmissive pedagogy, decontextualized content, and unnecessary difficulty of school science commonly reported by students in the studies. Their collective experiences are used as a framework for examining student conceptions of, and attitudes to, school science more generally, drawing on an extensive range of international literature. The paper argues that the experiences of students in the three studies provide important insights into the widespread declines in interest and enrolments in high school and university science courses.

Hebrew College collection, 1928-1996

Louis Hurwich, then superintendent of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Boston, founded Hebrew Teacher’s College in 1921. Hurwich was concerned about Jewish teachers leaving the field of Jewish education for other professions and sought an educational system that promoted Hebrew literacy at all levels. Hebrew Teacher’s College was also responsible for maintaining Hebrew High School (Prozdor), located at 14 Crawford Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Those students who graduated from the high school could matriculate to Hebrew Teacher’s College without having to take an exam. In 1943, the high school offered Talmud classes in addition to its regular curriculum, with studies in the Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, and codes and customs. In 2002, the College moved to its current location in Newton, Massachusetts. One year later, it opened its Rabbinical School. This collection contains brochures, catalogs, commencement addresses, event fliers, invitations, pamphlets and publications.

Social ecology of bottlenose dophins in Monterey Bay, California

Between 1990 and 1995, Pacific coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus gillii) were studied using photo-identification during 228 boat-based surveys of the coastal strip (<1 km offshore) between Marina and New Brighton Beach in Monterey Bay (18 km of coastline). The study period encompassed 3 regular (1990, 1991 and 1995) and 3 El Niño years (1992, 1993, 1994). Based on dorsal fin markings, 97 unique individuals were identified. Eighteen animals (19%) showed a high level of site fidelity (defined as presence in at least 5 of the 6 years), although their overall range was larger than the study area. Thirty-eight animals (39%) were transient, leaving for periods of time, and 41 (42%) were occasional encounters. The rate of discovery indicated a pulsed recruitment of new individuals into the study area, with periods of stable school composition, especially during non-El Nino years, and periods of high school fluidity. Encounter rate was significantly higher in El Niño (81%) than non-El Niño years (61%). School size averaged 16 individuals (C.I.3, =0.05) and was significantly larger in El Niño years. Schools where calves were present were twice as large (mean=15; S.D.=8) than schools without calves (mean=8; S.D.=6). Newborns represented 12% of the sightings and were seen year round with a peak in summer and fall. Crude birth rate ranged between 0.09 and 0.17 (mean=0.13; S.D.=0.03). Five females calved in consecutive years and a resident female calved once a year for the duration of the study, possibly indicating a high rate of mortality for calves in this area. Individuals often traveled as subgroups of more consistent composition than the school itself, possibly indicating that a stronger social bond exists within these units which may function as “bands” (sensu Wells 1991) of same sex individuals traveling within a larger school of mixed composition. (ppt file of poster)

História de Vida de alunos com deficiência intelectual: percurso escolar e a constituição do sujeito

Esta tese procura compreender o processo de inclusão escolar dos alunos com deficiência intelectual a partir das suas histórias de vida e da percepção que eles têm da escola, considerando a relação entre deficiência, escola e construção do conhecimento. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma escola do campo, pertencente à rede pública estadual do município de Teresópolis no Rio de Janeiro. Objetivo principal foi compreender o processo de inclusão das pessoas com deficiência intelectual na escola regular a partir das histórias de cinco jovens inseridos na rede regular de ensino. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa norteada pelo método da história de vida, segundo os pressupostos de Glat (2009), Augras (2009), Ferrarotti (1993) e outros. O referencial teórico adotado no estudo pautou-se na abordagem psicossocial da deficiência, ressaltando a relação que a pessoa com deficiência estabelece com o meio social e cultural do qual faz parte. A partir das histórias de vida dos sujeitos foi possível compreender como os jovens narram sua trajetória escolar, com destaque para as seguintes categorias: 1) trajetória escolar, 2) o papel da escola; 3) relação com os professores e as disciplinas; 4) relação com os colegas dentro e fora da escola; 5) perspectivas de futuro e transição para a vida adulta. O estudo revelou as contradições e a complexidade do processo de inclusão de alunos com deficiência intelectual em escolas comuns, particularmente quando se trata da inserção de jovens no segundo segmento do Ensino Fundamental e no Ensino Médio. Percebemos que mesmo após anos de discussões e pesquisas sobre a inclusão escolar de alunos com deficiência intelectual suas trajetórias ainda são marcadas pela cultura da incapacidade e do descrédito em relação ao que esses alunos podem fazer. As políticas de inclusão, embora bastante avançadas do ponto de vista de suas concepções teóricas, na prática não se traduzem na superação de práticas homogeneizadoras de ensino e organização do espaço escolar. Esperamos que esta pesquisa contribua significativamente para o contexto da educação brasileira, seja no âmbito da escola comum ou da Educação Especial, de maneira que as falas que aqui foram apresentadas ecoem e signifiquem um ponto de reflexão sobre como os sistemas educacionais e nós mesmos estamos compreendendo o processo de inclusão de alunos com deficiência e outras necessidades especiais na escola e na sociedade.

Um percurso nacional - 20 anos de estudos sobre altas habilidades / superdotação: a contribuição discente dos programas de pós-graduação

Esta investigação, no campo da produção acadêmica dos programas de pós-graduação de universidades brasileiras, sobre a temática altas habilidades/superdotação, teve como objetivos: mapear um conjunto significativo de trabalhos elaborados sob as formas de tese e dissertação, nas duas últimas décadas; e apresentar as contribuições desses estudos para o atendimento educacional aos portadores de altas habilidades/superdotados. A contextualização teórica da presente pesquisa refere-se à busca de uma teoria mais completa e abrangente sobre a inteligência humana, e da melhor compreensão das altas habilidades/superdotação, mencionando a legislação educacional mais recente sobre o atendimento a esses alunos especiais. A metodologia de pesquisa bibliográfica foi utilizada na sistematização da leitura e releitura dos textos, em vários níveis, para a exploração de seus conteúdos. O objetivo almejado foi a adequada identificação das linhas de pensamento dos autores, procurando-se manter o máximo possível de imparcialidade e respeito a cada um dos posicionamentos. Os assuntos foram categorizados por afinidade temática, em três capítulos, que em sua estrutura apresentam uma introdução, as sínteses descritivas dos trabalhos analisados e uma conclusão. Os resultados alcançados permitiram uma análise elucidativa da produção acadêmica em pauta, nas décadas de 80 e 90, estendendo-se aos anos 2000 e 2001. Sinalizaram evoluções conceituais concernentes às altas habilidades/superdotação. Pontuaram conclusões sobre: a identificação precoce; a estimulação ambiental; a auto-alfabetização precoce; a identificação e atendimento a crianças das classes populares e a preparação de professores; a elaboração de instrumento de observação a ser utilizado pelos professores. Mais conclusões puderam ser registradas em relação a: percepções da escola, pais e professores; percepção de professores universitários; autopercepção e os relacionamentos interpessoais de adultos e jovens adultos; incidentes e comportamentos críticos observados na escola; representação social da escola segundo os alunos; relação professora-aluno portador de altas habilidades; autopercepção e a percepção dos olhares da família, escola e companheiros, por adolescentes. Outras conclusões ainda foram evidenciadas sobre: estratégias educativas para estimulação e identificação de talentos na escola regular, no ensino fundamental e educação infantil; subsídios para a realização escolar no ensino fundamental; a capacidade acadêmica elevada no ensino fundamental; a avaliação de um curso de educação do pensamento por professores participantes. Incluem-se também neste conjunto de resultados: dados históricos sobre a questão das altas habilidades/superdotação; reflexões sobre a profissionalização na área tecnológica; uma crítica ao atendimento educacional aos portadores de altas habilidades/superdotados; e o estudo da trajetória escolar de alunos que receberam atendimento em escolas da rede pública de ensino.

Evidências de necessidades de autocuidado de militares com hipertensão arterial sistêmica da Marinha do Brasil: contribuição da Enfermagem

Este estudo refere-se às evidências de necessidades de autocuidado de militares com hipertensão sistêmica da Marinha do Brasil. A hipertensão arterial é uma das doenças crônicas mais frequentes, de maior prevalência no mundo e a sua evolução leva a complicações que comprometem todos os sistemas orgânicos. Neste sentido o problema apresentado é: como se caracterizam as necessidades de autocuidado de militares hipertensos da Marinha do Brasil. Para tanto, o objetivo geral da pesquisa foi: Discutir as necessidades de cuidado no processo saúde/adoecimento do militar da Marinha do Brasil e os objetivos específicos: Descrever as características sociodemográficas e de autocuidado dos militares atendidos no ambulatório de cardiologia do HNMD; Identificar através dos depoimentos dos militares, as necessidades de autocuidado e; Propor estratégias de autocuidado em saúde aos militares. O referencial teórico utilizado foi o Modelo de Promoção de Saúde de Nola J Pender. Trata-se de um estudo misto de caráter exploratório e descritivo, realizado no ambulatório de Cardiologia do Hospital Naval Marcilio Dias, no município do Rio de Janeiro, no período de julho a agosto de 2014. Os sujeitos do estudo foram 20 militares hipertensos da Marinha do Brasil com idade acima dos 25 anos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, em seguida, submetidos à análise de conteúdo de Bardin, emergindo três categorias e subcategorias assim denominadas: Primeira: Evidências de necessidades de autocuidado. Segunda: Identificação situacional da saúde dos militares com a subcategoria: A experiência do autocuidado para o militar com HAS. Terceira: Interesse pelo autocuidado com duas subcategorias: Interesse pelo aprendizado e Estratégias para o aprendizado do autocuidado. O perfil dos participantes caracterizou-se da seguinte maneira: Dos 20 militares, 19 são homens e 1 mulher, sendo 3 da ativa e 17 da reserva, a maioria são casados, idosos, de etnia parda e crença religiosa cristã, possuem ensino médio completo, com remuneração acima de 4 salários mínimos, residindo em local com saneamento básico. Quanto ao autocuidado referido pelos participantes: a maioria controla o uso de sal, ingesta hídrica adequada, utilizam alimentação balanceada, praticam algum tipo de exercício diário, a maioria referiu uso regular de anti-hipertensivos, e procura pelos serviços de saúde, quando necessário. Conclui-se que apesar do autocuidado referido, estes estão aquém às necessidades de saúde e não atendem às demandas de autocuidado necessária à manutenção da vida. Apesar de diversos fatores contribuírem para desmotivar os militares em relação ao autocuidado, eles apresentam interesse em aprender novas tecnologias de cuidar para adequação de sua saúde atual e melhora da qualidade de vida. Para atender às necessidades de autocuidado identificadas, sugere-se planejamento das ações estratégicas de promoção à saúde conjunta, com a equipe multiprofissional, instituindo a consulta de enfermagem, avaliação do autocuidado, prevenção dos fatores de risco e acompanhamento regular para análise das mudanças efetivas dos hábitos de vida saudáveis.

Adolescent weight status and self-reported school performance in South Korea.

Using a nationally representative sample of 142 783 middle school (13-15 years old) and high school (16-18 years old) students in South Korea, this study examined whether (1) overweight and obesity are more likely to be associated with lower self-reported school performance; (2) overweight and obese students are more likely to enrol in a vocational high school as opposed to a general high school; (3) the association between obesity and poorer self-reported school performance is mediated through body image stress and health status. We found that excess weight was negatively associated with self-reported school performance among middle and general high school students, and that obese students had a higher probability of being enrolled in a vocational over a general high school. We did not find strong evidence on the mediating role of body image stress and health status.

Predictors of attitudes toward inclusion of students with special educational needs in future education professionals

One of the main pillars in the development of inclusive schools is the initial teacher training. Before determining if it is necessary to make changes (and of what type) in training programs or curriculum guides related to the attention to diversity and inclusive education, the attitudes of future education professionals in this area should be analyzed. This includes the identification of the relevant predictors of inclusive attitudes. The research reported in this article pursued this objective, doing so with a quantitative survey methodology based on the use of cross-sectional structured data collection and statistical analyses related to the quality of the attitude questionnaire (factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha), descriptive statistics, correlations, hypothesis tests for difference of means, and regression analysis in order to predict attitudes towards inclusion in education. Firstly, the results show that the participants held very positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Particularly, older respondents, those with a longer training and, to a lesser extent, women and those who had been in touch with disabled people stood out within this attitude. Secondly, it is evidenced that self-transcendence values ​and, more weakly, contact, function as robust predictors of attitudes of future practitioners towards the inclusion of students with special needs. Some applications for the initial professionalization of educators are suggested in the discussion.

A importância da actividade física no bem-estar do idoso

Dissertação de Mestrado, Psicologia, Especialização em Psicologia da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve. Departamento de Psicologia e Sociologia, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, 2009

Adolescents and School Asthma Knowledge and Attitudes

Introduction: bronchial asthma is a chronic disease that affects a high percentage of adolescents, with a significant restriction of daily activities, and is a cause of school absenteeism. The relationships between adolescents and asthma disease in school were assessed, with a view to improving knowledge about the asthmatic adolescent. Methods: a survey was conducted in the Lisbon metropolitan area, covering urban (Lisbon) and rural (Lourinh˜a ) zones and including 1879 students and 81 teachers from the 7th to 9th high school years. The study groups were asthmatic students, their peers, and teachers. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to collect information. The results were compared with a reference group of 91 asthmatic students attending our Department of Immunoallergy-Hospital Dona Estefânia. Cotinine urinary measurements were made in a sample of asthmatics and a control group. Results: the prevalence of current asthma among students was 10%. Estimates of asthma annual burden among 7th to 9th year students from Lisbon and Lourinh˜a high schools included 4,307 days missed from school, 4,148 medical consultations and a minimum of 351 hospital emergency care and 80 hospital admissions. Exposure to passive smoking was not significantly different between asthmatic students and theirs peers. Cotinine urinary measurements did not discriminate between exposed and non-exposed individuals. Cigarette smoking was almost as common among adolescent asthmatics (5.4%) as it was in non-asthmatic subjects (6.7%). However, 55% of asthmatics mentioned active and passive smoking as an asthma exacerbating factor. Asthmatic students, theirs peers and teachers showed a deficient knowledge about asthma (mean group scores: 17.6; 14.2 and 17.7 of a possible 30), particularly in the areas related to asthma recognition and its management. Asthmatics attending our Allergy Department had the highest scores. All groups showed tolerance in the sense of a positive and understanding attitude toward a person with asthma. However, traditional beliefs about asthma disease (dependence, inferiority...) were confirmed. A positive correlation between knowledge levels and tolerance attitudes was found. Conclusion: in view of the dimension of the asthma problem in adolescence and its social and economic impact, it is justifiable to assess the need for the implementation of asthma education programs in schools in order to improve asthma management by the adolescents and their schools.

Some go without a cigarette: characteristics of cannabis users who have never smoked tobacco.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of youth who use cannabis but have never been tobacco smokers and to assess the characteristics that differentiate them from those using both substances or neither substance. DESIGN: School survey. SETTING: Postmandatory schools. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5263 students (2439 females) aged 16 to 20 years divided into cannabis-only smokers (n = 455), cannabis and tobacco smokers (n = 1703), and abstainers (n = 3105). OUTCOME MEASURES: Regular tobacco and cannabis use; and personal, family, academic, and substance use characteristics. RESULTS: Compared with those using both substances, cannabis-only youth were younger (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.82) and more likely to be male (AOR, 2.19), to play sports (AOR, 1.64), to live with both parents (AOR, 1.33), to be students (AOR, 2.56), and to have good grades (AOR, 1.57) and less likely to have been drunk (AOR, 0.55), to have started using cannabis before the age of 15 years (AOR, 0.71), to have used cannabis more than once or twice in the previous month (AOR, 0.64), and to perceive their pubertal timing as early (AOR, 0.59). Compared with abstainers, they were more likely to be male (AOR, 2.10), to have a good relationship with friends (AOR, 1.62), to be sensation seeking (AOR, 1.32), and to practice sports (AOR, 1.37) and less likely to have a good relationship with their parents (AOR, 0.59). They were more likely to attend high school (AOR, 1.43), to skip class (AOR, 2.28), and to have been drunk (AOR, 2.54) or to have used illicit drugs (AOR, 2.28). CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis-only adolescents show better functioning than those who also use tobacco. Compared with abstainers, they are more socially driven and do not seem to have psychosocial problems at a higher rate.