Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of authentic learning in a capstone unit

Capstone units in higher education courses are learning experiences which are designed to bring reflection and focus to a whole course of study while, at the same time, leading students toward their entry into a new world of work (Humphrey, Brown, & Benson, 2005). The capstone experience described in this paper runs as a conference, called the Stepping Out Conference. The conference is delivered as one unit and is mandatory for all fourth year pre-service teachers. Participation in a capstone unit is an effective way for students to begin thinking of themselves as teaching professionals rather than as continuing students. Students engage in the assessment as part of their capstone experience. The assessment is designed to measure students’ knowledge and skills as they relate to ‘authentic’ real life situations (Darling-Hammond, 1991). This paper details pre-service teachers’ experiences of authentic learning through their participation in a capstone unit.

Investigating the effectiveness of an ecological approach to learning design in a first year mathematics for engineering unit

This paper reports on the results of a project aimed at creating a research-informed, pedagogically reliable, technology-enhanced learning and teaching environment that would foster engagement with learning. A first-year mathematics for engineering unit offered at a large, metropolitan Australian university provides the context for this research. As part of the project, the unit was redesigned using a framework that employed flexible, modular, connected e-learning and teaching experiences. The researchers, interested in an ecological perspective on educational processes, grounded the redesign principles in probabilistic learning design (Kirschner et al., 2004). The effectiveness of the redesigned environment was assessed through the lens of the notion of affordance (Gibson, 1977,1979, Greeno, 1994, Good, 2007). A qualitative analysis of the questionnaire distributed to students at the end of the teaching period provided insight into factors impacting on the successful creation of an environment that encourages complex, multidimensional and multilayered interactions conducive to learning.

An investigation into the effectiveness of sensory modulation in reducing seclusion within an acute mental health unit

In this paper we report the findings from an evaluation of the introduction of sensory modulation (SM) in an acute mental health inpatient unit. It was expected that SM could be used to help settle patients experiencing high levels of disturbance and that as a result, there would be less need for use of more restrictive seclusion practices. The evaluation took place in a hospital in south-east Queensland, Australia. SM was introduced in one acute unit while the other served as a control. The evaluation comprised two studies. In the first study we aimed to determine whether SM reduced the level of disturbance among patients given the opportunity to use it. In the second study we aimed to find out whether the introduction of SM reduced the frequency and duration of seclusion. In study 1, we found that most patients reported marked reduction in disturbance after using SM and there was a very large effect size for the group as a whole. In study 2, we found that frequency of seclusion dropped dramatically in the unit that introduced SM but rose slightly in the unit that did not have access to SM. The change in seclusion rate was highly significant (χ2 = 49.1, df = 1, p < 0.001). Results are discussed, having reference to the limitations inherent in a naturalistic study.

Implementing a context-based environmental science unit in the middle years: Teaching and learning at the creek

Engaging middle-school students in science continues to be a challenge in Australian schools. One initiative that has been tried in the senior years but is a more recent development in the middle years is the context-based approach. In this ethnographic study, we researched the teaching and learning transactions that occurred in one 9th grade science class studying a context-based Environmental Science unit that included visits to the local creek for 11 weeks. Data were derived from field notes, audio and video recorded conversations, interviews, student journals and classroom documents with a particular focus on two selected groups of students. This paper presents two assertions that highlight pedagogical approaches that contributed to learning. Firstly, spontaneous teaching episodes created opportunities for in-the-moment questioning by the teacher that led to students’ awareness of environmental issues and the scientific method; secondly, group work using flip cameras afforded opportunities for students to connect the science concepts with the context. Furthermore, students reported positively about the unit and expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to visit the creek frequently. This findings from this study should encourage teachers to take students into the real-world field for valuable teaching and learning experiences that are not available in the formal classroom.

Les formes d’adresse dans un corpus de films français et leur traduction en finnois

The use of forms of address in French films and their Finnish translations The use of forms of address constitutes an integral part of speakers’ communicative competence. In fact, they are not only used to assign to whom the speech is addressed, but also to construct the relationship between speakers. However, the choice of a suitable form is not necessarily evident in modern, pluralistic society. By the notion form of address, I refer to pronouns of address (tu vs. vous) and different nouns of address like names, titles (Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle), kinship terms, occupational terms, terms of endearment and insults. The purpose of the present thesis is, first, to study the semantic and pragmatic values of forms of address in dialogues of modern French films, and, second, their translation in Finnish subtitles. It is evident that film language is not spontaneous, but only a representation of authentic speech, and that subtitles are a written version of the original spoken language. Consequently, this thesis studies spoken fictive dialogues and their written translations. The methods applied in the study are the Interactional and Pragmatic Approach as well as Translatology. The role of forms of address in an interpersonal relationship is studied with dimensions of distance and power (Brown and Gilman 1960, Kerbrat-Orecchioni 1992), whereas the pragmatic dimension permits studying in particular the use of forms of address in speech acts (Kerbrat-Orecchioni 2001). The translation strategies are studied with the help of Venuti’s (1995) notions of foreignizing and domesticating strategies. The results of the thesis suggest that the pronoun use in the studied films is usually reciprocal. However, the relations of power have not disappeared, but are expressed in a more discrete manner with nouns of address (for instance vous + Docteur vs. vous + Anita). The use of the pronoun of address vous seems still to be common, but increased intimacy is expressed by accompanying familiar nouns of address like first names. The nominal forms of address accompany different speech acts, but not in a systematic manner. In a dialogue they appear usually in the first speech act, and more rarely in the response, but not in both. In addition, they have an important role in the mechanics of conversation. The translators here face multiple demands, and their translations seem mostly to be a compromise between foreignizing and domesticating strategies.

Les noms mythologiques du Banquet de Platon en traduction

Tutkielman aihe on mytologisten nimien kääntäminen Platonin Pitojen kuudessa käännöksessä (ranska, englanti, saksa, suomi, ruotsi, viro). Lähtökohtana oli selvittää, mikä käännösstrategia heijastaa selkeimmin Platonin periaatetta, jonka mukaan etymologia kuvaa nimen tarkoitteen luonnetta. Käännöksiä tarkastellaan kontrastiivisen analyysin keinoin. Käännösten mytologisia nimiä sisältäviä otteita analysoidaan ja vertaillaan sekä keskenään että alkutekstin kanssa. Tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten ja missä nimien merkitys välittyy käännösten lukijoille. Tutkielmassa käsitellään myös nimiin liittyviä käännösongelmia sekä syitä erilaisiin strategiavalintoihin. Tähän pyritään esittelemällä kääntäjien ja asiantuntijoiden näkemyksiä nimien kääntämisestä. Tiedot perustuvat sähköpostitse ja suullisesti tehtyihin haastatteluihin. Aiheen valinta johtuu siitä, että haluttiin osoittaa, miten paljon mytologisten nimien kääntäminen tai kääntämättä jättäminen voi vaikuttaa käännösten ymmärrettävyyteen ja helppolukuisuuteen. Kääntäjät ja asiantuntijat eivät kuitenkaan usein tiedosta tätä ongelmaa vaan lähestyvät nimiä pääasiassa kahdella vastakkaisella tavalla, joko kääntämällä ta transkriboimalla. Heidän näkemyksensä asiasta ovat hyvin erilaisia ja ristiriitaisia, eikä kompromissia ei ole syntynyt. Teoreettinen viitekehys on käännösteoreettinen. Ensin määritellään käännösstrategiat, joita nimien kääntämisessä käytetään - yleensä ja tutkituissa käännöksissä. Käsitteiden jaottelun peruslähtökohtana on se, missä määrin strategia paljastaa käännösyksikön merkityksen. Käännösanalyysin tueksi esittellään antiikin etymologian ja personifikaation käyttöä. Käännösosuudessa analysoidaan käännöksiä ja niitä verrataan alkuteksteihin. Kontrastiivisen analyysin avulla osoitetaan, että Pitojen mytologiset nimet eivät ole erisnimiä ja selvitetään, missä määrin niitä käsitellään käännöksissä yleis- ja missä määrin erisniminä. Käännösanalyysissä tutkitaan käännösratkaisuja ja nimien ja niihin perustuvien sanaleikkien merkityksen välittymistä juoksevassa tekstissä. Perusoletus oli se, että nimien kääntäminen on ongelmallista. Haluttiin selvittää, missä määrin niiden sisältämä informaatio välittyy lukijalle käännöksissä. Analyysi osoittaa, että kääntäminen välittää tehokkaimmin nimien merkityksen. Se on kuitenkin vaikeaa, koska nimillä ei ole vastineita, jotka kattaisivat niiden semanttiset, filosofiset ja kulttuuriset konnotaatiot. Nimet tuottavat ongelmia myös informaatiotiheyden kannalta. Jos ne käännetään, osa konnotaatioista jää välittämättä. Jos ne transkriboidaan, ne jäävät opaakeiksi. Tekstin koherenssi rikkoutuu, jos samat nimet milloin transkriboidaan, milloin käännetään. Jos nimien johdoksiin perustuvat sanaleikit käännetään mutta mytologiset nimet transkriboidaan, yhteys katoaa. Lopuksi tarkastellaan strategianvalinnan syitä, joita ovat nykyaikaistetun lähtötekstin vaikutus, eri käännöstraditiot, kääntäjien mieltymykset, filosofiset teoriat sekä kohdeyleisö. Kääntäjän on mietittävä, mikä on lukijalle tarkoituksenmukaista. Analyysin mukaan transkriboidut nimet ovat usein opaakkeja ja tekevät tekstistä vaikeaselkoisen. Analyysin selkein tulos lienee se, että nimien merkityksen eksplisitointi juoksevassa tekstissä ilmentää parhaiten niiden tärkeää etymologiaa. Tämä havainto voisi ehkä saada kääntäjät ja asiantuntijat pohtimaan ratkaisujaan ja johtaa kompromisseihin, joissa merkitys ja muut aspektit yritettäisiin välittää yhdessä. Tutkimus voi lisäksi valaista Platonin etymologian käyttöä sekä personifikaatiota, jota on tutkittu vähän. Avainsanat: Platon, Pidot, Erisnimet, Kääntäminen, Etymologia, Kontrastiivinen analyysi

The introduction of an Inter-professional learning unit: staff and student perspectives

Background The School of Clinical Sciences comprises a number of health disciplines including podiatry, paramedic science, pharmacy, medical imaging and radiation therapy. A new inter-professional unit was introduced in 2014, which covered key introductory learnings applicable for future health practitioners. This study examined teaching staff and student perspectives about their experience with the new unit for first year students. Methods Qualitative interviews with teaching staff (n=9) and focus group interviews with students (5 groups which ranged in size from 4-30) were conducted. Extensive notes were taken during the interviews Issues emerging from the interviews were identified and organised according to themes and subthemes. Results Four major themes were identified namely: Something new; To be or not to be that is the question; Advantages of the new unit; and Areas for improvement. Previous staff experience with inter-professional learning (IPL) had been ad-hoc, whereas the new unit brought together several disciplines in a planned and deliberate way. There was strong philosophical agreement about the value of IPL but some debate about the extent to which the unit provided IPL experience. The unit was seen as assisting students’ social and academic adjustment to university and provided opportunity for professional socialisation, exposure to macro and micro aspects of the Australian health care system and various types of communication. For podiatry students it was their first opportunity to formally meet and work with other podiatry students and moved their identity from ‘university student’ to ‘podiatry student’. Other positives included providing the opportunity for staff and students to interact at an early stage with the perceived benefit of reducing attrition. Areas for unit improvement included institutional arrangements, unit administration aspects and assessment. Conclusion The unit was seen as beneficial by staff and students however, students were more polarised in their views than staff. There was a tension between feeling apart of and learning about one's own profession and feeling apart of and learning about the roles of other health professionals in relation to patient care and the health care system.

The development of a guideline of care for patients with a Sengstaken-Blakemore Tube insitu in a general Intensive Care Unit using translational change theory

Aims & Objectives - identify and diagnose the current problems associated with patient care with regard to the nursing management of patients with Sengstaken-Blakemore tubes insitu; - Identify current nursing practice currently in place within the ICU and the hospital; identify the method by which the assessment and provision of nursing care is delivered in the ICU

Development and Accreditation of an Applied Climate Education Unit for Sustainable Land Use in Australia

In recent years, there have been significant developments in climate science relevant to agriculture and natural resource management. Assessing impacts of climate variability and use of seasonal climate forecasts have become increasingly important elements in the management "toolkit" for many Australian farmers. Consideration of climate change further increases the need for improved management strategies. While climate risk extension activities have kept pace with advances in climate science, a national review of the Vocational Education and Training system in Australia in relation to "weather and climate" showed that these topics were "poorly represented" at the management level in the Australian Qualifications Framework, and needed increased emphasis. Consequently, a new Unit of Competency concerning management of climatic risk was developed and accredited to address this deficiency. The objective of the unit was to build knowledge and skills for better management of climate variability via the elements of surveying climatic and enterprise data; analysing climatic risks and opportunities; and developing climatic risk management strategies. This paper describes establishment of a new unit for vocational education that is designed to harness recent developments in applied climate science for better management of Australia's highly variable climate. The main benefits of the new unit of competency, "Developing climatic risk management strategies,"were seen as improving decisions in climate and agriculture, and reducing climate risk exposure to enhance sustainable agriculture. The educational unit is now within the scope of agricultural colleges, universities, and registered training organisations as an accredited unit.

Investigating the effectiveness of an ecological approach to learning design in a first year mathematics for engineering unit

This is presentation of the refereed paper accepted for the Conferences' proceedings. The presentation was given on Tuesday, 1 December 2015.

Implementing music therapy on an adolescent inpatient unit: A mixed-methods evaluation of acceptability, experience of participation and perceived impact

Objective: We aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering a music therapy program on adolescent psychiatric wards. Method: We undertook a mixed-methods evaluation of a pilot program. Various active and receptive techniques were employed in group music therapy sessions delivered as part of a structured clinical program. Data collected in interviews with participants and staff and feedback questionnaires were thematically and descriptively analysed and triangulated. Results: Data from 62 questionnaires returned by 43 patients who took part in 16 music therapy sessions, and seven staff, evidenced strong support for music therapy. Patients typically reported experiencing sessions as relaxing, comforting, uplifting, and empowering; >90% would participate by choice and use music therapeutically in the future. Staff endorsed music therapy as valuable therapeutically, reporting that patients engaged enthusiastically and identified sessions as improving their own moods and ward milieu. Conclusions: Integration of music therapy in inpatient treatment of adolescents is feasible and acceptable, and is valued by staff and patients as a complement to ‘talking therapies’. Participation is enjoyed and associated with outcomes including improvement in mood, expression of feelings and social engagement consistent with recovery.

The mean geometry of the peptide unit from crystal structure data

The average dimensions of the peptide unit have been obtained from the data reported in recent crystal structure analyses of di- and tripeptides. The bond lengths and bond angles agree with those in common use, except for the bond angle C---N---H, which is about 4° less than the accepted value, and the angle C2α---N---H which is about 4° more. The angle τ (Cα) has a mean value of 114° for glycyl residues and 110° for non-glycyl residues. Attention is directed to these mean values as observed in crystal structures, as they are relevant for model building of peptide chain structures.

The non-planar peptide unit II. Comparison of theory with crystal structure datastar, open

The theoretical results derived in Part I (Ramachandran, G.N., Lakshminarayan, A.V. and Kolaskar, A.S. (1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 303, 8–13) that the three bonds of the peptide unit meeting at N can have a pyramidal structure is confirmed by an analysis of 14 published crystal structures of small peptides. It is shown that the dihedral angles θN and Δω are correlated, while θC, is small and is uncorrelated with Δω, showing that the non-planar distortion at C′ is generally small.