Becoming a teacher: conceptual and practice development in the learning and skills sector

Drawing on a mixed-methods study of in-service learning and skills sector (LSS) trainees, comprising beginning- and end-of-year surveys and six longitudinal case studies together with literature on trainees’ development in the LSS, schools and higher education sectors, conceptual and practice development continua are proposed. Conceptions become more multi-dimensional and increasingly link teaching and learning whilst initial concern with the practicalities of teaching is followed by recognition of learners’ needs. Next, greater emphasis is placed on learner autonomy and catering for individuals’ needs and finally assessment and evaluation is used systematically to shape practice. The continua offer an understanding of the subtleties and complexities of trainee development allowing for different starting and end points and accommodating varied work contexts. I argue that this provides a more adequate basis for the development of initial teacher education (ITE) than the prescriptive approach embedded within recent LSS ITE policy reforms

The significance of motivation in student-centred learning : a reflective case study

The theoretical underpinnings of student-centred learning suggest motivation to be an integral component. However, lack of clarification of what is involved in motivation in education often results in unchallenged assumptions that fail to recognise that what motivates some students may alienate others. This case study, using socio-cognitive motivational theory to analyse previously collected data, derives three fuzzy propositions which, collectively, suggest that motivation interacts with the whole cycle of episodes in the teachinglearning process. It argues that the development of the higherlevel cognitive competencies that are implied by the term, student-centred learning, must integrate motivational constructs such as goal orientation, volition, interest and attributions into pedagogical practices

Mobile translators for non-English-speaking women accessing maternity services.

noIt is becoming increasingly common for midwives to care for women who do not speak English, and UK interpreting services are often inadequate and underused. Persistent language barriers have been found to contribute to maternal and perinatal mortality thus it is essential that these barriers are overcome to provide safe maternity care. This article reports on a two-stage study undertaken to address this. The study aimed to: • Identify difficulties midwives experience when communicating with non-English-speaking women. Through undertaking a group interview with 11 senior students, four themes emerged: accessing interpreters, working with interpreters, cultural barriers and strategies to address persistent language barriers • Explore the feasibility of using mobile devices with a translation application to communicate in clinical practice. Google Translate was tested in a simulated clinical environment with multi-lingual service users. Google Translate was not adequately developed to be safely used in maternity services. However, a maternity-specific mobile application could be built to help midwives and women communicate in the presence of a persistent language barrier

Palynological studies of the genus Combretum Loefl. from Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria

Variations in pollen morphology were investigated in nine (9) common species of Combretum found in Uyo metropolis, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. The species included Combretum bracteatum, C. calobotrys, C. dolichopetalum, C. hispidum, C. mannii, C. mooreanum, C. platypterum, C. racemosum and C. zenkeri. The pollen samples were acetolysed and examined under light microscope. The investigation showed that the pollen grains were all heterocolpate and circular in shape. Sculpturing was psilate or scabrate and pollen shape class was either sub-prolate, oblate-spheroidal or prolate spheroidal. Among the 9 species of Combretum, maximum polar dimension (34.41-44.40 μm) was found in C. platypterum whereas minimum polar dimension (21.09-38.85 μm) was noted in C. racemosum and C. zenkeri. The equatorial dimensions were highest (29.97-34.12μm) in C. mooreanum while the lowest equatorial dimension (17.76-31.08 μm) was observed in C. zenkeri. Pore diameters were highest (8.88-15.54) in C. calobotrys and C. platypterum and least (5.55-13.32) in C. bracteatum, C. racemosum and C. zenkeri. There was no significant difference in exine thickness among the species

Prevalence and intensity of urinary schistosomiasis among primary school pupils in minjibir local government area ofKano state

Urine samples were collected from 493 pupils (5-16 years) at Wasai and Dingim wards in Minjibir Local Government Area of Kano State. The samples were examined for urinary Schistosomiasis infection. 218 (44.2%) of the pupils were infected. The prevalence rate was higher in Dingim (52.5%) than in Wasai (41.55%) .The rate of infection among males in Wasai was (56.28%) and 2.7% among females and no female was infected in Dingim. Haematuria was found in more than half (52.75%) of the infected pupils .The prevalence of infection are as follows (71.88%) ,(51.83%), (35.46%) for the age range 14-16,11-13, and 5-16 years respectively. This study gives the latest information on the rate of Schistosoma haematobium infection in the area and the need for an urgent intervention. Key words: Urinary Schistosomiasis ,pupils, Minjibir Local Govt Area , Kan

Tibial impacts and muscle activation during walking, jogging and running when performed overground, and on motorised and non-motorised treadmills.

Purpose To examine tibial acceleration and muscle activation during overground (OG), motorised treadmill (MT) and non-motorised treadmill conditions (NMT) when walking, jogging and running at matched velocities. Methods An accelerometer recorded acceleration at the mid-tibia and surface EMG electrodes recorded rectus femoris (RF), semitendinosus (ST), tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SL) muscle activation during OG, MT and NMT locomotion whilst walking, jogging and running. Results The NMT produced large reductions in tibial acceleration when compared with OG and MT conditions across walking, jogging and running conditions. RF EMG was small-moderately higher in the NMT condition when compared with the OG and MT conditions across walking, jogging and running conditions. ST EMG showed large and very large increases in the NMT when compared to OG and MT conditions during walking whilst SL EMG found large increases on the NMT when compared to OG and MT conditions during running. The NMT condition generated very large increases in step frequency when compared to OG and MT conditions during walking, with large and very large decreases during jogging and very large decreases during running. Conclusions The NMT generates large reductions in tibial acceleration, moderate to very large increases in muscular activation and large to very large decreases in cycle time when compared to OG and MT locomotion. Whilst this may decrease the osteogenic potential of NMT locomotion, there may be uses for NMTs during rehabilitation for lower limb injuries

Gendered educational leadership: beneath the monoglossic façade

Recent gender retheorisation has drawn on Mikhail Bakhtin's literary and linguistic theories of monoglossia and heteroglossia to reconcile seemingly contradictory gender discourses. Thus, girls/women and boys/men as they are biologically sexed might be discussed within a poststructural gender theory discourse that disconnects gender from the body. The concepts of gender monoglossia, gender heteroglossia and polyglossia have been applied here to empirical research into the construction of gendered leadership as it was seen to be done by one woman head teacher. The accounts of members of staff expose heteroglossia in the articulation of their understandings of gendered leadership beneath the construction of a monoglossic façade. They also reveal an understanding of polyglossic simultaneity as the head teacher is observed to ‘switch’ seamlessly between modes of doing gendered leadership depending on context and circumstances. There is also evidence of polyglossic simultaneity in the reports that might lead to the rejection and/or redefinition of gender theory discourses