When does it get any easier?: Beginning teachers' experiences during their first year of teaching.

Studies of beginning teachers' readiness to teach indicate a range of areas in which these teachers feel nervous about teaching, prior to beginning their first teaching position. Studies of the first year of teaching demonstrate that the reality shock of teaching is something that affects beginning teachers in a variety of ways. The literature on the stages of teacher development tells us that the "survival" stage in teaching can last throughout the whole first year of teaching. This New Zealand study follows seven beginning teachers through their first year of teaching and identifies the points at which the teachers began to say, "I'm getting on top of it now"

Designing the eatwell week: the application of eatwell plate advice to weekly food intake

<p>To develop a menu and resource to illustrate to consumers and health professionals what a healthy balanced diet looks like over the course of a week.</p> <p>Development and analysis of an illustrative 7 d ‘eatwell week’ menu to meet current UK recommendations for nutrients with a Dietary Reference Value, with a daily energy base of 8368 kJ (2000 kcal). Foods were selected using market research data on meals and snacks commonly consumed by UK adults. Analysis used the food composition data set from year 1 (2008) of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey rolling programme. The eatwell week menu was developed using an iterative process of nutritional analysis with adjustments made to portion sizes and the inclusion/exclusion of foods in order to achieve the target macronutrient composition.</p> <p>Three main meals and two snacks were presented as interchangeable within the weekdays and two weekend days to achieve adult food and nutrient recommendations. Main meals were based on potatoes, rice or pasta with fish (two meals; one oily), red meat (two meals), poultry or vegetarian accompaniments. The 5-a-day target for fruit and vegetables (range 5–6·7 portions) was achieved daily. Mean salt content was below recommended maximum levels (<6 g/d). All key macro- and micronutrient values were achieved.</p> <p>Affordable foods, and those widely consumed by British adults, can be incorporated within a 7 d healthy balanced menu. Future research should investigate the effect of using the eatwell week on adults’ dietary habits and health-related outcomes.</p&gt

Upper-limb activity in adults: Referent values using accelerometry

The goal of physical rehabilitation following upper extremity (UE) impairment is functional restoration of the UE for use in daily activities. Because capacity for UE function may not translate into real-world activity, it is important that assessment of real-world UE activity be used in conjunction with clinical measures of capacity. Accelerometry can be used to quantify duration of UE activity outside of the clinic. The purpose of this study was to characterize hours of UE activity and potential modifying factors of UE activity (sedentary activity, cognitive impairment, depressive symptomatology, additive effects of comorbidities, cohabitation status, and age). Seventy-four community dwelling adults wore accelerometers on bilateral wrists for 25 hours and provided information on modifying factors. Mean hours of dominant UE activity was 9.1 ± 1.9 hours and the ratio of activity between the non-dominant and dominant UEs was 0.95 ± 0.06. Decreased hours of dominant UE activity was associated with increased time spent in sedentary activity. No other factors were associated with hours of dominant UE activity. These data can be used to help clinicians establish outcome goals for patients, given pre-impairment level of sedentary activity, and to track progress during rehabilitation of the UEs

Comparison of unilateral versus bilateral upper extremity task performance after stroke

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that practicing functional tasks bilaterally instead of unilaterally may improve paretic limb performance after stroke. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to determine whether the bilateral movement condition alters paretic limb performance of a functional task in people with post-stroke hemiparesis, and to identify specifically which parameters of performance may be affected. METHODS: In this single-session study, we examined immediate effects of the bilateral vs. unilateral movement condition on performance of a reach-grasp-lift-release task at preferred-speed in 16 people with mild to moderate post-stroke hemiparesis and in 12 healthy controls. Performance was quantified using motion analysis variables, including durations of the reach and grasp phases, reach path straightness, maximum thumb-index finger aperture, efficiency of finger movement, peak grip force, and timing of release. RESULTS: We found no evidence of immediate improvement in paretic-limb performance in the bilateral condition. In both groups, release timing occurred later when participants moved bilaterally instead of unilaterally, possibly representing a divided-attention effect. Other variables did not differ across conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest little immediate impact of the bilateral condition on motor performance of a reach-grasp-lift-release task at preferred speed, in people with mild to moderate hemiparesis

The bilateral movement condition facilitates maximal but not submaximal paretic-limb grip force in people with post-stroke hemiparesis

OBJECTIVES: Although healthy individuals have less force production capacity during bilateral muscle contractions compared to unilateral efforts, emerging evidence suggests that certain aspects of paretic upper limb task performance after stroke may be enhanced by moving bilaterally instead of unilaterally. We investigated whether the bilateral movement condition affects grip force differently on the paretic side of people with post-stroke hemiparesis, compared to their non-paretic side and both sides of healthy young adults. METHODS: Within a single session, we compared: 1) maximal grip force during unilateral vs. bilateral contractions on each side, and 2) force contributed by each side during a 30% submaximal bilateral contraction. RESULTS: Healthy controls produced less grip force in the bilateral condition, regardless of side (- 2.4% difference), and similar findings were observed on the non-paretic side of people with hemiparesis (- 4.5% difference). On the paretic side, however, maximal grip force was increased by the bilateral condition in most participants (+11.3% difference, on average). During submaximal bilateral contractions in each group, the two sides each contributed the same percentage of unilateral maximal force. CONCLUSIONS: The bilateral condition facilitates paretic limb grip force at maximal, but not submaximal levels. SIGNIFICANCE: In some people with post-stroke hemiparesis, the paretic limb may benefit from bilateral training with high force requirements

Person-specific changes in motor performance accompany upper extremity functional gains after stroke

In animal models, hundreds of repetitions of upper extremity (UE) task practice promote neural adaptation and functional gain. Recently, we demonstrated improved UE function following a similar intervention for people after stroke. In this secondary analysis, computerized measures of UE task performance were used to identify movement parameters that changed as function improved. Ten people with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis participated in high-repetition UE task-specific training 3 times per week for 6 weeks. Before and after training, we assessed UE function with the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and evaluated motor performance using computerized motion capture during a reach-grasp-transport-release task. Movement parameters included the duration of each movement phase, trunk excursion, peak aperture, aperture path ratio, and peak grip force. Group results showed an improvement in ARAT scores (p = 0.003). Although each individual changed significantly on at least one movement parameter, across the group there were no changes in any movement parameter that reached or approached significance. Changes on the ARAT were not closely related to changes in movement parameters. Since aspects of motor performance that contribute to functional change vary across individuals, an individualized approach to upper extremity motion analysis appears warranted