Strengthening responsive and reciprocal relationships in a whānau tangata centre: A summary

Although the kindergarten teaching team members were excited at being a part of the parent support and development initiative, they were also aware that they would face challenges that would affect their practice. Their commitment to ensuring effective teaching and learning at Taitoko Kindergarten led them to seek evidence-based teaching practices, inside the vision of the parent support and development initiative. Their involvement with this TLRI research project has helped to provide this. Through action research, the research team has addressed the teachers’ questions associated with (a) the strengthening of relationships (how this has been done so far, and how might it be furthered); (b) changes in practice (what is possible, what appears to be effective); (c) diversity (how a range of “funds of knowledge” (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) can be shared and included in curriculum); and (d) documentation (how this can engage families and learners)

Strengthening responsive and reciprocal relationships in a whānau tangata centre: An action research project

This project came about after discussions with the general manager of the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association and Jeanette Clarkin-Phillips (University of Waikato) about setting up a research partnership to support the teachers at Taitoko Kindergarten in Levin. The teachers were establishing an integrated community centre (the whānau tangata centre) as part of a parent support and development initiative funded by the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development. This initiative in Levin includes a drop-in centre for parents, parent workshops on topics of the parents’ choice, a well-resourced whānau room, facilities for infants and toddlers, school liaison visits and liaison with local health centres. The initiative at Taitoko Kindergarten is one of six pilot parent support and development projects. These pilot projects do not include any research components to evaluate the processes and outcomes for teaching and learning, or the level of engagement of the community. This Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project, in one centre, researched these aspects of the initiative in an ongoing action research project. The parent support and development contracts are a relatively new initiative for New Zealand, and this research project was designed to provide information to guide this teaching and learning policy for future initiatives of this nature. The aim of the TLRI research project was to investigate the development of the whānau tangata centre at Taitoko Kindergarten with teaching and learning in mind

Connecting curriculum and policy to assist families' aspirations

Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood national curriculum, is strongly underpinned by sociocultural and ecological theories of development that recognise the significance of families in children’s lives. There are, however, very few national policies that support the holistic nature of the curriculum. In 2006, the first significant recognition by government of the potential for early childhood centres to assist the holistic well-being of a community occurred. A pilot programme was launched that awarded Parent Support and Development contracts to early childhood centres in vulnerable communities. Eight centres took part in the pilot. This paper reports on the impact of a Parent Support and Development contract on a kindergarten ecosystem, highlighting ways in which the ecological systems of the community were strengthened

Dialogue-based teaching: The art museum as a learning space

Book review of "Olga Dysthe, Nana Bernhardt & Line Esbjørn (2013). Dialogue-based teaching. The art museum as a learning space. Copenhagen, Denmark: Skoletjenesten.

Conceptualising leadership in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand

The New Zealand Teachers Council Te Pouherenga Kaiako o Aotearoa is pleased to publish this occasional paper focused on leadership in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project that led to this publication grew out of a desire of the Council’s Early Childhood Education Advisory Group to promote some action on leadership development specifically for ECE. Whereas there is a well-developed leadership strategy for the school sector there is no equivalent support for teachers in ECE. Yet it is well established in the literature that an effective professional learning community is most likely to result from leadership that has learning as the central focus. Thus the absence of a cohesive leadership strategy was seen as a significant risk to professional initiatives supporting quality teaching in ECE

Detection of early osteogenic commitment in primary cells using Raman spectroscopy

Major challenges in the development of novel implant surfaces for artificial joints include osteoblast heterogeneity and the lack of a simple and sensitive in vitro assay to measure early osteogenic responses. Raman spectroscopy is a label-free, non-invasive and non-destructive vibrational fingerprinting optical technique that is increasingly being applied to detect biochemical changes in cells. In this study Raman spectroscopy has been used to obtain bone cell-specific spectral signatures and to identify any changes therein during osteoblast commitment and differentiation of primary cells in culture. Murine calvarial osteoblasts (COBs) were extracted and cultured and studied by Raman spectroscopy over a 14 day culture period. Distinct osteogenic Raman spectra were identified after 3 days of culture with strong bands detected for mineral: phosphate ν3 (1030 cm−1) and B-type carbonate (1072 cm−1), DNA (782 cm−1) and collagen matrix (CH2 deformation at 1450 cm−1) and weaker phosphate bands (948 and 970 cm−1). Early changes were detected by Raman spectroscopy compared to a standard enzymatic alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay and gene expression analyses over this period. Proliferation of COBs was confirmed by fluorescence intensity measurements using the Picogreen dsDNA reagent. Changes in ALP levels were evident only after 14 days of culture and mRNA expression levels for ALP, Col1a1 and Sclerostin remained constant during the culture period. Sirius red staining for collagen deposition also revealed little change until day 14. In contrast Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of amorphous calcium phosphate (945–952 cm−1) and carbonated apatite (957–962 cm−1) after only 3 days in culture and octacalcium phosphate (970 cm−1) considered a transient mineral phase, was detected after 5 days of COBs culture. PCA analysis confirmed clear separation between time-points. This study highlights the potential of Raman spectroscopy to be utilised for the early and specific detection of proliferation and differentiation changes in primary cultures of bone cells

Letter from the Waikato

Because 2016 is the 20th anniversary of Te Whāriki and 12 years since the publication of the first 10 books of Kei Tua o te Pae (Ministry of Education, 1996; 2004), we have been reflecting on developments in teaching, particularly in assessment practices in early childhood services

Are mesenchymal stem cells so bloody great after all?

This perspective discusses some activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the context of angiogenesis, focusing on contrasting effects that could call into question the extent to which MSCs can be used clinically in the future. We report on the antiangiogenic/antiproliferative effects of specific MSC populations (including bone marrow MSCs), their paracrine activity, tissue heterogeneity, and endothelial cell interactions. Also discussed are what could lead to contrasting effects of the influence of MSCs in regulating angiogenesis, pointing to some negative effects of these cells. In conclusion, this article highlights important aspects of MSC behavior within the perspective of translational medicine applications.SignificanceMultipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be extracted from virtually every organ and tissue in the body. Although they have previously been shown to be an important source of blood vessel-attracting factors, useful for tissue repair and regenerative medicine, recent studies have found that specific MSC populations can also produce factors that inhibit blood vessel growth. Abnormal vascularization is associated with the progression of many diseases, and identification of these unique blood vessel-inhibiting MSCs has highlighted a potential source of cytotoxic factors that could be used to control pathological angiogenesis, for example, tumor

Le développement empirique de la psychothérapie focalisée sur le transfert

L’auteur retrace les étapes d’élaboration de la psychothérapie focalisée sur le transfert : choix d’un modèle théorique, observation et analyse menée par des thérapeutes d’expérience, discussions en équipe des difficultés rencontrées relevant tant de la pathologie elle-même que de la thérapie appliquée, cueillette de données empiriques pour expliquer autant le trouble de la personnalité que ses racines neurologiques et physiologiques, etc. L’auteur passe aussi en revue les efforts pour en arriver à la rédaction d’un manuel sur la psychothérapie focalisée sur le transfert, un manuel répondant aux critères d’une méthode manualisée. Enfin, l’auteur résume les recherches faites pour mesurer l’efficacité psychothérapique de la méthode et les possibilités de généralisation.The author describes the stages of elaboration of Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) : choice of theoretical model, observation and analyses of several sessions of psychotherapy led by experienced therapists, team discussions on problems encountered that rise both from the pathology itself and from the therapeutic approach applied, a quest of empirical data to explain as much the personality disorder as its neurological and psychological roots, etc. The author reviews the efforts made to arrive at the description in writing of a manual on TFP, a manual that meets the criteria of a treatment method. Finally, the author summarizes studies conducted to measure the psychotherapeutic efficacy of the method and the possibilities of generalizability.El autor reconstituye las etapas de elaboración de la psicoterapia focalizada en la transferencia: elección de un modelo teórico, observación y análisis de numerosas sesiones de psicoterapia llevadas a cabo por terapeutas experimentados; discusiones en equipo sobre las dificultades encontradas que provienen tanto de la patología misma como de la terapia aplicada; búsqueda de datos empíricos para explicar tanto el trastorno de la personalidad, así como sus raíces neurológicas, psicológicas, etc. El autor también revisa los esfuerzos para llegar a la redacción de un manual sobre la psicoterapia focalizada en la transferencia, un manual que responde a los criterios de un método manualizado. Finalmente, el autor resume las investigaciones realizadas para medir la eficacia psicoterapéutica del método y las posibilidades de generalización.O autor relata as etapas de elaboração da psicoterapia focada na transferência: escolha de um modelo teórico, observação e análise de várias sessões de psicoterapia dirigidas por terapeutas experientes, discussões em equipe sobre as dificuldades encontradas tanto sobre a patologia quanto a terapêutica aplicada, busca de dados empíricos para explicar tanto o transtorno da personalidade quanto as raízes neurológicas e fisiológicas, etc. O autor passa em revista também os esforços para chegar à redação de um manual sobre a psicoterapia focada na transferência, um manual que responda aos critérios de um método “manualizado”. Finalmente, o autor resume as pesquisas feitas para medir a eficácia psicoterapêutica do método e as possibilidades de generalização

Regional diversity in the murine cortical vascular network is revealed by synchrotron X-ray tomography and is amplified with age

Cortical bone is permeated by a system of pores, occupied by the blood supply and osteocytes. With ageing, bone mass reduction and disruption of the microstructure are associated with reduced vascular supply. Insight into the regulation of the blood supply to the bone could enhance the understanding of bone strength determinants and fracture healing. Using synchrotron radiation-based computed tomography, the distribution of vascular canals and osteocyte lacunae was assessed in murine cortical bone and the influence of age on these parameters was investigated. The tibiofibular junction from 15-week- and 10-month-old female C57BL/6J mice were imaged post-mortem. Vascular canals and three-dimensional spatial relationships between osteocyte lacunae and bone surfaces were computed for both age groups. At 15 weeks, the posterior region of the tibiofibular junction had a higher vascular canal volume density than the anterior, lateral and medial regions. Intracortical vascular networks in anterior and posterior regions were also different, with connectedness in the posterior higher than the anterior at 15 weeks. By 10 months, cortices were thinner, with cortical area fraction and vascular density reduced, but only in the posterior cortex. This provided the first evidence of age-related effects on murine bone porosity due to the location of the intracortical vasculature. Targeting the vasculature to modulate bone porosity could provide an effective way to treat degenerative bone diseases, such as osteoporosis