MedWorm: Classrooms

Specialist English as a foreign language for European public health: evaluation of competencies and needs among Polish and Lithuanian students.

Medicina (Kaunas) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:02:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS. Similar levels of English language in all five areas of language skills were established in Polish and Lithuanian university students. Respondents gave more priorities to less formal and practice-based interactive English teaching methods (going abroad, contacts with native speakers) in comparison with theory-oriented or classroom-based methods of learning (self-studying, Internet courses). Survey showed a growing interest of students in improving English language in the future in Poland and Lithuania. PMID: 20234164 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Medicina (Kaunas))

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Building capacity in health facility management: guiding principles for skills transfer in Liberia

Human Resources for Health — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate key elements for scaling up and replicating educational initiatives that address management skills essential for long-term health systems strengthening in resource-poor settings. (Source: Human Resources for Health)

Risk of developing tuberculosis from a school contact: retrospective cohort study, United Kingdom, 2009

Eurosurveillance latest news — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study included all students and staff (n=1,065) at an inner city secondary school in Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK). Being in the same school year as the index case resulted in a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with active TB (odds ratio (OR) 6.11) and either active or latent TB (OR 10.52) compared to the risk for pupils in other school years. Neither lower level classroom exposure in tutoring groups nor being a staff member resulted in significantly increased risk of infection. The number of cases detected in the school was significantly higher than compared with the TB notification rate for the respective age groups in the population in the area. This study is consistent with the small body of evidence that already exists suggesting that greater levels of classroom...

Physiology teaching and learning experience in a new modular curriculum at the National University of Rwanda

AJP: Advances in Physiology Education — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:25:21 +0100

In conclusion, the new teaching and learning style was appreciated by the students, but problems related to limited human and material resources need to be solved. (Source: AJP: Advances in Physiology Education)

Pupils are given sleep lessons to make sure they stay awake in the classroom

Scotsman.com News - Health — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

GRUMPY, uncommunicative, easily distracted – these teenage traits are nothing new. But researchers now believe they may be due to sleep deprivation. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

THE awards open for entries

MEDEV News — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The 2010 Times Higher Education (THE) awards are now open for entries and JISC is sponsoring the Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year category. THE Awards look to recognise the talent and achievement of universities and colleges in their pursuit of excellence in teaching and research. Ann Mroz, THE editor, said: THE awards represent a unique and high profile opportunity to celebrate the excellence and amazing achievements of UK higher education institutions, and reaffirm our commitment to the two core pursuits of higher education: teaching and research. There are eighteen categories for 2010. We're looking forward to a wealth of strong contenders again this year, displaying the talent and imagination that make UK higher education the best in the world. For the third year running, JIS...

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Teaching measurement through historical sources.

History of Psychology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

This article provides an example of the use of historical issues associated with intelligence testing to teach about the nature of measurement in psychology and includes pedagogical questions for the classroom. Students learning about research may assume that the ways psychologists measure constructs are permanent and immutable. However, using intelligence as the focus, this article shows how its measurement evolved, reflecting contemporaneous theories and assumptions. The initial sensory and psychophysical measurements designed by Cattell (1890) to measure mental ability were logically defensible in his era and gained temporary acceptance by many psychologists. Currently, standardized tests reflect the biases of later psychologists. The article highlights reasons for such changes. (PsycIN...

Longitudinal Studies of Anger and Attention Span: Context and Informant Effects

Journal of Personality — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examined stabilities of informant and context (home vs. classroom) latent factors regarding anger and attention. Participants included children from the National Institute of Child Health and Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development who were measured at 54 months, first grade, and third grade. Latent factors of anger and attention span were structured using different indicators based on mothers', fathers', caregivers', teachers', and observers' reports. We used structural equation modeling to examine the autoregressive effects within a context (stability), the concurrent associations between home and classroom contexts, and informant effects. The results indicated that for both anger and attention (1) there were significant informant effects that influenced st...

The Role of Arts-Based Curricula in Bullying Prevention: Elijah's Kite -- A Children's Opera. - Haner D, Pepler D, Cummings J, Rubin-Vaughan A.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:35:12 +0100

This article describes a children's opera about bullying that was presented to five classrooms in three schools and evaluated with a pre-post design. Data were available for 104 Grade 4 and 5 students who completed a bullying prevalence survey and bullying... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

From Cradle to Classroom: High Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes

Forum for Health Economics and Policy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:20:42 +0100

This study finds that cognitive outcomes are adversely affected not only by low birth weight (4500 grams). Our results have policy implications in terms of provision of support for pregnant women. (Source: Forum for Health Economics and Policy)

Utilizing Peer Nominations in Middle School: A Longitudinal Comparison Between Complete Classroom-Based and Random List Methods

Journal of Research on Adolescence — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Although peer nominations provide invaluable data on social status and reputations of classmates, the large size and organizational structure of secondary schools pose a practical challenge to utilizing nomination methods. Particularly problematic is determining the appropriate reference group when students are no longer in self-contained classrooms. In the current study, we compared a random list method as an alternative to complete classroom-based or grade list peer nominations. In a 3-year longitudinal study of 2,307 middle school students, the temporal stability and construct validity of the method were assessed regarding peer acceptance, rejection, coolness, aggression, and victimization. The findings suggested that the random list procedure provides a feasible method to study large p...

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Teaching the extracellular matrix and introducing online databases within a multidisciplinary course with i-cell-MATRIX

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article presents an approach to teach the ECM developed for first year medical undergraduates who, working in teams: (i) Explore a specific molecular component of the matrix, (ii) identify a disease in which the component is implicated, (iii) investigate how the component's structure/function contributes to ECM' supramolecular organization in physiological and in pathological conditions, and (iv) share their findings with colleagues. The approach - designated i-cell-MATRIX - is focused on the contribution of individual components to the overall organization and biological functions of the ECM. i-cell-MATRIX is student centered and uses 5 hours of class time. Summary of results and take home message: A "1-minute paper" has been used to gather student feedback on the impact of i-cell-MA...

IADIS international conference on mobile learning 2010

MEDEV Events — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:06:30 +0100

Mobile Learning, a Retrospective Outlook Since its inauguration in 2005, the IADIS Mobile Learning conference series has provided a forum to present, discuss and promote international mobile learning research. Past conference themes have focused on pedagogical approaches most suited for mobile learning such as collaborative, contextual, and constructivist which support data collection, context & location awareness and distributed activities. In 2007 the conference aimed to harness an international perspective on the 'big issues' in mobile learning by discussing topics such as the conflict between personal informal learning and traditional classroom education, the evaluation of mobile learning and appropriate methods for this setting, the design of mobile learning activities and the ...

AIBS Shares Thoughts on K-12 STEM Ed with House Science Committee

Public Policy Reports — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:47:46 +0100

As reported in the last issue of the AIBS Public Policy Report (http://www.aibs.org/public-policy-reports/20100201.html#027178) the House Science and Technology Committee plans to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act before the 111th Congress closes later this year. As part of this effort, the Committee has solicited comments from various stakeholders about the role of K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programs at the nation’s scientific research agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). In response, AIBS recently shared some thoughts and recommendations with Committee staff. The full text of AIBS’ written comments may be viewed at http://www.aibs.org/position-statements/20100128stemed.html. An excerpt from the comments fol...

Collaborative Action Research: Implementation of Cooperative Learning.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Smith-Stoner M, Molle ME Nurse educators must continually improve their teaching skills through innovation. However, research about the process used by faculty members to transform their teaching methods is limited. This collaborative study uses classroom action research to describe, analyze, and address problems encountered in implementing cooperative learning in two undergraduate nursing courses. After four rounds of action and reflection, the following themes emerged: students did not understand the need for structured cooperative learning; classroom structure and seating arrangement influenced the effectiveness of activities; highly structured activities engaged the students; and short, targeted activities that involved novel content were most effective. These findings ind...

Benefits of Adaptive FM Systems on Speech Recognition in Noise for Listeners who use Hearing Aids.

American Journal of Audiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: The Adaptive FM processing resulted in significant improvements at the higher noise levels and was preferred by the majority of participants in most of the conditions. PMID: 20220201 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal of Audiology)

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Teach self-control, improve kids' behavior

Health News - UPI.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:07:49 +0100

ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 9 (UPI) -- Children taught skills to monitor and control their anger and emotions improved their classroom behavior, U.S. researchers found. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Laptop revolution: New class design saves schools money, space

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(North Carolina State University) Universities around the country are struggling with shrinking budgets, even as they need to cater to the needs of an increasing number of students. New research from North Carolina State University shows that one way to cut down on costs, and simultaneously improve the learning experience, is to have students use the technology they already bring into the classroom. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Laptop revolution: New class design saves schools money, space

ScienceDaily Headlines — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Universities around the country are struggling with shrinking budgets, even as they need to cater to the needs of an increasing number of students. New research shows that one way to cut down on costs, and simultaneously improve the learning experience, is to have students use the technology they already bring into the classroom. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

got breakfast? Foundation Silent Hero Grant Program

ScanGrants feed — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The got breakfast? Silent Hero Grant program was launched to encourage schools and non-profit organizations to expand the reach of underutilized child nutrition programs.Are you a Silent Hero?There are many recognizable heroes in society today – from firefighters and police officers to nurses and school volunteers. But there are also unsung heroes that have made a difference, such as food banks, agencies, School Food Service administration and many more on the front lines ensuring children receive a nutritious meal.Who can apply for a Silent Hero Grant?If you are a public, non-profit private school or 501(c)(3) non-profit that participates in the national School Breakfast Program you may qualify for the Alternate Meal Service Breakfast Grant. Alternate meal service is defined as ei...

Koda-Kimble to Receive Pharmacy's Highest Honor

UCSF School of Pharmacy News — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:59:08 +0100

March 8, 2010 UCSF School of Pharmacy Dean Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD, will receive the 2010 Remington Honor Medal from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) on March 13, 2010, at APhA's annual meeting in Washington, DC. The medal is the profession's highest honor. Koda-Kimble, who is a leader in the innovation and continual advancement of pharmacy education and practice, was among a growing group of pioneers who changed the practice from one of dispensing to one that took responsibility for the overall safe and effective use of medications and the direct pharmaceutical care of patients. To teach the concept in the classroom, Koda-Kimble and Lloyd Young, PharmD, led the development of the first pharmacy school textbook on clinical therapeutics, which was first printed in 1975. ...

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The Plight of the Pretty Girl

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:13:47 +0100

"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time."-- Albert Camus"People think if you look fairly reasonable, you can't possibly act, and as I only care about acting, I think beauty can be a great handicap."-- Vivien LeighWhile at lunch with friends, one of my future broadcast buddies brought up how being too beautiful might be detrimental for a woman. She cited Lara Logan, CBS Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, who laments that her beauty has been somewhat of an obstacle in her career. In a 2005 New York Times article, Logan said, "being really attractive can hurt you." Had she not exhibited tenacity, fearlessness and compassion on her way up the news ladder, she would not be in the...

Interactivity and personal touch brings success in the classroom

Diagnostic Imaging — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Teaching came under the microscope during the professional challenges session on Friday, March 5, at which speakers gave practical tips on how to engage radiology trainees and prepare them for the future. (Source: Diagnostic Imaging)

Classroom Problems Reduced By Teaching Self-Control Skills To Children

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Children taught skills to monitor and control their anger and other emotions improved their classroom behavior and had significantly fewer school disciplinary referrals and suspensions, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. Children in a school-based mentoring program were about half as likely to have any discipline incident over the three-month period of the study, according to an article published online by the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Classroom Problems Reduced By Teaching Self-Control Skills To Children

Public Health News From Medical News Today — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

What Does Your Work Space Say About You?

Psychology Today Work Center — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:48:40 +0100

A reader asked me to describe my office.I don't think she expected to hear what I'm going to say.Here goes: My office looks like the inside of a piñata, complete with candy. It's located in the basement of a 1960s building, standard-issue red brick and flat roofed, with lots of perpetually grimy plate glass windows wrapped around its four floors. My office is pretty big, and sits right next to the vending machines. It's pretty close to the ladies' room. (My grad assistant Karen says "It's situated like the worst table in a restaurant.")There are three desks, with three working computers (or four if you count Karen's laptop). There's an old Mac on the floor; I'm afraid to give it or throw it away because I wrote three books on it and I fear that tossing it would bring me bad luck. It squat...

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Teaching self-control skills to children reduces classroom problems

ScienceDaily Headlines — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Movement Education Aims to Combat Childhood Obesity and Increase Brain Function in Students

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

For Martha Swirzinski, a movement education teacher, it's all about keeping children moving in their classrooms. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

Teacher-child interactions: relations with children's self-concept in second grade

Infant and Child Development — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examined whether teacher-child interactions characterized by teacher involvement, structure, and autonomy support at the beginning of second grade predicted children's global, academic, social, and behavioural self-concept at the end of second grade. The study was conducted in 30 second grade classrooms with 570 children and their teachers. Data included teacher reports of teacher-child interactions and child reports of self-concept. Results showed that, when controlling for the initial level of self-concept, children's social self-concept was predicted by teacher involvement, structure, and autonomy support. In addition, teacher autonomy support predicted high academic self-concept. Finally, these teacher-child interaction characteristics did not contribute to the behavioural a...

Just as I Expected

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:40:28 +0100

The experts approached the teachers at the Oak School with an offer that seemed too good to be true.Our new diagnostic test will identify the hidden gems in each of your classrooms, they said. We'll find those students, they vowed, who haven't stood out intellectually to date, but sit perched on the precipice of a mental growth spurt. We'll tell you exactly which kids are poised to make academic breakthroughs this year.The name of the test they planned to administer was no less impressive than the results it promised: "The Harvard Test of Inflected Acquisition." And it seemed to work wonders.By the end of the next year, the average 1st grader's IQ at the school had gone up 12 points. But those students identified as "late bloomers" by the test? They had shot up a remarkable 27 points. And,...

Teaching self-control skills to children reduces classroom problems

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Rochester Medical Center) Children taught skills to monitor and control their anger and other emotions improved their classroom behavior and had significantly fewer school disciplinary referrals and suspensions, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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African American high school students and variability in behavior across classrooms

Journal of Community Psychology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Many African American adolescents who enter high school with low achievement are at-risk for being perceived as defiant and uncooperative by their classroom teachers. This generalized view of risk, however, offers little understanding of the differentiated behavior these students have with their teachers. The study followed 35 African American students, who have a history of low achievement, across multiple classrooms in their school day. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that there was greater variability in teacher-perceived defiance, cooperation, and office discipline referrals "within-student" compared with "between-students." This shows that individual students tended to be perceived differently across their teachers. Similarly, the study found that students also tended to different...

Denormalising smoking in the classroom: does it cause bullying?

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:28:04 +0100

Conclusion Participation in the intervention had no effect on bullying or perceptions of isolation. Trial Reg No ISRCTN27091233 in Current Control Trial Register. (Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)

ABCs of DNA Class in Dallas, March 30

Network News — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:24:16 +0100

The NN/LM SCR will be offering ABCs of DNA: Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information for Consumers hosted by the UT Southwestern Library in Dallas, TX, March 30, 2010. Details: March 30, 2010 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM Instructor: Karen Vargas Library Classroom, E2.310A. Directions to the UT Southwestern Library: http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/library/about/directions.cfm Class Description Do you ever wonder what the odds are that you’ll [...] (Source: Network News)

ABCs of DNA Class in Dallas, TX March 30

Network News — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:24:16 +0100

The NN/LM SCR will be offering ABCs of DNA: Unraveling the Mystery of Genetics Information for Consumers hosted by the University of Texas Southwestern Library in Dallas, TX, March 30, 2010. Details: March 30, 2010 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Instructor: Karen Vargas Library Classroom, E2.310A. Directions to the UT Southwestern Library: http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/library/about/directions.cfm Class Description Do you ever wonder what the odds are [...] (Source: Network News)

What is Sensory Processing Disorder and How Is It Related to Autism?

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:46:42 +0100

Earlier this week, there was an article in The Boston Globe about sensory processing disorder. It stated that a group of researchers, families, and occupational therapists is aggressively lobbying to get sensory processing disorder included in the next Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is currently being drafted.Many readers may wonder, what is a sensory processing disorder?Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder that causes difficulties with processing information from the five senses: vision, auditory, touch, olfaction, and taste, as well as from the sense of movement (vestibular system), and/or the positional sense (proprioception). For those with SPD, sensory information is sensed, but perceived abnormally. Unlike blindness or deafn...

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Engaging Nursing Students and Community Partners in the Development of Decision Cases.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes how senior nursing students partnered with community practitioners to develop cases and subsequently used the cases in teaching activities with their fellow students. Outcomes of the project supported such an approach as a valuable learning assignment and method for improving critical thinking abilities. PMID: 20210285 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Journal of Nursing Education)

The Vast Media Wasteland Gets Vaster - How Can Parents, Schools, and Government Be So Clueless About the Media?

Pediatric Health Associates — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:45:00 +0100

By Victor C. Strasburger, M.D.Dr. Strasburger is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico and author of Children, Adolescents, and the Media, 2nd ed. (with Barbara Wilson, Ph.D. and Amy Jordan, Ph.D.), Sage, 2009. ©Victor C. Strasburger, M.D.How about that powerful antidrug commercial paid for by the U.S. government? It aired right between the seventh and eighth Budweiser commercials.David Letterman, CBS' Late Show, 2002: My 6-year-old daughter turned to me and said, "What's a 4-hour erection? How do you explain it?"Kelly Simmons, Executive VP, Tierney Communications, Philadelphia Given the enormous influence that electronic media in all of their forms exerts on the lives of children, it is astonishing how little parents, researchers, and policymakers have been spurred to...

Adolescent Screen Time and Attachment to Parents and Peers [Article]

Archives of Pediatrics — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:50:48 +0100

Conclusions Screen time was associated with poor attachment to parents and peers in 2 cohorts of adolescents 16 years apart. Given the importance of attachment to parents and peers in adolescent health and development, concern about high levels of screen time among adolescents is warranted. (Source: Archives of Pediatrics)

The Course of Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity Symptoms After Foster Placement

PEDIATRICS — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:02:28 +0100

CONCLUSION: Findings point to the clinical usefulness of attending to the parenting quality and placement stability as malleable factors affecting symptom reduction subsequent to placement. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

You don't have to be popular

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:01:07 +0100

Since I've been back in school, I have been thrust back into somewhat of a high school environment, rife with cliques--popular kids, freaks, jocks, and the smelly fat kids.It's eerie, because I don't remember it being like this during undergrad. Perhaps, because our graduate class is so small--around 60 students--and we have all our classes with only each other, the dynamic is much more socially incestuous.Like high school, I don't know where I fit in this group. While everyone interacts during class-- finding common ground and easy conversation-- after class, it's a whole different story. We become strangers outside of the classroom and introduce ourselves all over again the following week, even though I KNOW YOU WERE ON YOUR PERIOD LAST WEEK AND HAVE A MALTESE NAMED FLUFFY! Don't pretend...

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'Church must accept reality of false memories of sexual abuse'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:39:05 +0100

The notion that therapists can help people to 'recover' memories of sexual abuse causes serious harm to patients and their families, writes psychologist Chris FrenchLast April, I wrote a column on the topic of false memories of childhood sexual abuse and the misery that such memories, typically "recovered" during therapy, can cause. On Friday, in my role as a member of the scientific and professional advisory board of the British False Memory Society (BFMS), I was more than happy to be a signatory to a letter to the archbishop of Canterbury concerning the views expressed by the Rev Pearl Luxon, safeguarding adviser to the Church of England, who is responsible for child protection issues. Luxon apparently accepts her advisers' assertion that "there is no such thing as 'false memory'" and th...

Church must recognise false memories

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:39:05 +0100

The myth of racist kids

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:52:47 +0100

Teachers in Britain are obliged, under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, to record the number of racist incidents in their schools. This has resulted in the reporting of an estimated 250,000 such incidents, and race relations officials claim this is just the tip of the iceberg.Yet Adrian Hart, a community filmmaker and tutor, argues in The Myth of Racist Kids: Anti-Racist Policy and the Regulation of School Life that ‘the notion of racist kids is in large part a myth'. Hart became concerned about today's anti-bullying and anti-racist policies while working on a government-funded educational film about racism in schools. He writes: ‘I observed a strange and concerning phenomenon: in modern cosmopolitan Britain, where race is becoming less and less relevant, and ...

Characterization of particle number concentrations and PM(2.5) in a school: influence of outdoor air pollution on indoor air.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that occupancy did not cause any major changes to the modal structure of particle number and size distribution, even though the I/O ratio was different for different size classes. The I/O curves had a maximum value for particles with diameters of 100-400 nm under both occupied and unoccupied scenarios, whereas no significant difference in I/O ratio for PM(2.5) was observed between occupied and unoccupied conditions. Inspection of the size-resolved I/O ratios in the preschool centre and the classroom suggested that the I/O ratio in the preschool centre was the highest for accumulation mode particles at 600 nm after school hours, whereas the average I/O ratios of both nucleation mode and accumulation mode particles in the classroom were much lower than those o...

Downloadable Magazine, Web Site, and Educational Materials

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This magazine is the collaborative effort of the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service and Bison Athletics. It is part of a statewide educational program that also includes a video featuring Thundar, the Bison mascot; a Web site (http://www.ndsu.edu/eatsmart); a 4-H club recognition program; poster contests; and classroom lessons for kids, with newsletters for parents. The magazine's premiere issue brings together the expertise of faculty across NDSU with articles that range from making time for family meals to saving money on gas when driving children to activities. (Source: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior)

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Physiology teaching and learning experience in a new modular curriculum at the National University of Rwanda.

Advances in Physiology Education — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, the new teaching and learning style was appreciated by the students, but problems related to limited human and material resources need to be solved. PMID: 20237228 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Advances in Physiology Education)

Jurassic coast: Landscape of learning

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:45:13 +0100

Natural History Museum starts courses at Dorset heritage siteHilary Penrose, an artist from Oxfordshire, was feeling soggy but inspired. Soggy because she had misjudged a wave during a windy walk on Britain's Jurassic Coast. Inspired because she had been learning about the geology of the area from some of the world's leading experts.Penrose is one of the first students to attend a course at a new outreach centre opened by the Natural History Museum in Lyme Regis, Dorset.The museum may be best known for its stunning collections of all creatures great and small and its displays of dinosaur and whale skeletons, but the new Jurassic Coast Studies Centre is part of an attempt to spread its message farther and wider.Effectively, the pilot scheme is turning the 95 miles of coastline in Devon and ...

Call for Teaching Artists With Disabilities Fellowship Program

ScanGrants feed — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Application deadline: April 23, 2010 VSA recognizes the positive influence of the arts to advance teaching and learning in the classroom. Because a skilled teaching artist can foster creative engagement and help build an inclusive environment, VSA is seeking outstanding teaching artists with disabilities for the Teaching Artist Fellows program.The VSA Teaching Artist Fellowship program seeks to identify, engage, and support teaching artists with disabilities in the visual and performing arts. VSA recognizes the value of teaching artists in integrating the arts into education. Teaching artists with disabilities also serve as role models of diversity, expression, and inclusive learning in the classroom.Benefits to selected Teaching Artist Fellows will include: * Professional development re...

Classroom Performance System Use in an Accelerated Graduate Nursing Program.

Computers, Informatics, Nursing : CIN — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:40:44 +0100

This article reports the implementation of a classroom performance system and the results ofa program evaluation project designed to capture the system's impact on student and faculty satisfaction and student learning outcomes. Project results and implications for further work are presented. PMID: 20182157 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Computers, Informatics, Nursing : CIN)

Classroom Performance System Use in an Accelerated Graduate Nursing Program.

Computers, Informatics, Nursing : CIN — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:40:41 +0100

Authors: PMID: 20182158 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Computers, Informatics, Nursing : CIN)

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Doritos ads represent sick, demented nature of junk food companies and their products

NaturalNews.com — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Junk food advertising has reached a new low with the recent Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" ads which portray Doritos consumers as violent murderers who will kill fellow human beings to get a bag of Doritos.One Doritos ad portrays a man backing out of a parking lot when his car strikes an innocent person who drops a bag of Doritos and falls to the ground behind the car. Rather than trying to help the innocent victim, this man throws his car into reverse and drives over the victim, killing him with the vehicle and stealing the bag of Doritos.The message? Doritos are so valuable that it's okay to kill people just to score a bag. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T_DiTPoy-A)A second Doritos ad shows two loser-looking gym bums being attacked by an insane junk food ninja who uses Do...

Age-Appropriate Health Promotion Education: Roots Firmly Established in Baccalaureate Pediatric Rotation

Journal of Pediatric Nursing — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:57:48 +0100

Chronic illnesses in the pediatric population are a growing problem and significantly impact quality of life. The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) addresses the importance of health promotion at the individual level accross the lifespan to effect optimal population health. This qualitative study explores senior baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions (N = 85) of the teaching and learning experience related to health promotion during their pediatric clinical rotation. Several themes emerged. Knowledge was enhanced related to patient and family understanding of basic issues as well as self-reflection of the student's perceptions, teaching styles, and understanding of essential concepts learned ...

The teaching of attitudinal content in higher education of nursing

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:57:14 +0100

Pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, de abordagem qualitativa que teve como objetivo investigar o ensino dos conteúdos atitudinais ministrado por docentes de uma instituição pública na formação inicial do enfermeiro. Foi realizada na Escola de Enfermagem da USP, com nove docentes do bacharelado em enfermagem e membros do Grupo de Apoio Pedagógico. Após aprovação do projeto, os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semi-estruturada e analisados por meio da análise de Conteúdo. Os conteúdos atitudinais por não se inserirem nos conteúdos programáticos das disciplinas são trabalhados por iniciativa individual dos docentes que utilizam diferentes estratégias, em sala de aula ou em campo de prática. No processo de ensino os docentes encontram possibilidades e limites re...

Response repetition as an error-correction procedure for sight-word reading: A replication and extension

Behavioral Interventions — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We evaluated the effects of response repetition (RR) as an error-correction procedure for increasing sight-word reading for four individuals using a multiple baseline design. The results for each participant showed that correct responding increased following the introduction of the RR procedure. In addition, responding for three of four participants showed evidence of stimulus generalization, response generalization, or both. Likewise, we found that comparable behavior changes were produced when a participant's paraprofessional implemented RR in a typical classroom. These findings are briefly discussed in terms of procedures that promote behavior acquisition and generalization via negative reinforcement. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Behavioral Interventions)

Digital Education in the Sciences

About.com Biotech Biomedical — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I was recently asked about my thoughts on the ongoing shift to digital education and social media legitimacy as it pertains to science and biotechnology. It seems in the past 2 or so years, it isn't enough for a scientific journal to publish it's papers online, but, nearly each and every one has created an entire network of learning tools. This is a general trend among all facets of media, not just the biotech industry. In the sciences, experts in various fields of research are recruited to write online material. In my experience, the legitimate sites with a history of producing peer-reviewed journals, subject the material to stringent editing and review by other scientists. I have participated in several projects for building online educational resources, most recently one on purifying cy...

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`Just Try Harder and You Will Shine': A Study of 20 Lazy Children

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling 19(2): 95-103 Abstract Attributions of laziness, reflected in teacher comments such as `Just try harder and you will shine', may mask specific cognitive, learning, attentional or emotional problems that could explain low motivation in some children. This paper reports findings from an investigation of 20 children, aged 7 to 10 years, who were regarded as lazy by their parents and teachers. Questionnaire measures provided evidence of low levels of motivation and classroom engagement. Psychometric assessments revealed the presence of a range of difficulties including phonologically based learning disabilities and significant problems with attention in 17 of the 20 children. The paper concludes that the special needs of an unknown number of child...

Identifying the Learning Development of Students Who Are Refugees

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study found that, with no coordination of information on students' learning backgrounds nor of their learning needs and development, students were in danger of being identified as at-risk of having a learning disability, with little support to substantiate such claims. (Source: Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling)

Cultural Factors Relevant to Secondary School Students in Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia: Relative Differences and Congruencies

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling 19(2): 161-178 Abstract Waldrip and Fisher (2000) proposed seven culturally relevant factors that are salient in the educational setting (gender equity, collaboration, competition, deference, modelling, teacher authority, congruence). In relation to these factors, the present study examined differences and congruencies in factor structure (i.e., differences of kind) and mean scores (i.e., differences of degree) among secondary school students in Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. The Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ; Waldrip & Fisher, 2000) was administered to 920 students (n = 230 for each country, with boys and girls equally represented; mean age = 16 years). Factor analyses showed congruencies across the f...

Intervention to Strengthen Emotional Self-Regulation in Children with Emerging Mental Health Problems: Proximal Impact on School Behavior.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Wyman PA, Cross W, Hendricks Brown C, Yu Q, Tu X, Eberly S A model for teaching children skills to strengthen emotional self-regulation is introduced, informed by the developmental concept of scaffolding. Adult modeling/instruction, role-play and in vivo coaching are tailored to children's level of understanding and skill to promote use of skills in reallife contexts. Two-hundred twenty-six kindergarten-3rd grade children identified with elevated behavioral and social classroom problems from a population-based screening participated in a waitlisted randomized trial of the Rochester Resilience Project derived from this model. In 14 lessons with school-based mentors, children were taught a hierarchical set of skills: monitoring of emotions; selfcontrol/ reducing escalation of em...

Goodnight, moon. Good morning, sun.

Wash Post Health — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Riding in school buses in the early morning, then sitting in poorly lighted classrooms are significant reasons students have trouble getting to sleep at night, according to new research. (Source: Wash Post Health)

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Goodnight, moon. Good morning, sun.

washingtonpost.com - Health — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Music training enhances brainstem sensitivity to speech sounds, neuroscientist says

ScienceDaily Headlines — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0100

What is the relationship between music and speech processing? Playing an instrument may help children better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret language nuances conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice, says one expert who has studied the links between neural encoding of speech and music in the auditory nervous system for three decades. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Music Training Enhances Brainstem Sensitivity To Speech Sounds

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0100

At a press briefing, Saturday, Feb. 20, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist argued that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education. "Playing an instrument may help youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice," says Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Communication Sciences at Northwestern University... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Bridging the gap between the classroom and the hospitality industry

Nutrition Bulletin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Nutrition Bulletin)

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2010 Students Preparing for Academic and Research Careers (SPARC) Award

ScanGrants feed — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

* SPARC stands for Students Preparing for Academic & Research Careers. * The goal of SPARC is to foster students' interest in the pursuit of PhD education and careers in academia in order to fill faculty/researcher vacancies in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). * The SPARC award is designed to provide opportunities for enhanced educational mentorship experiences that prepare students for successful PhD education and academic careers, travel to enhance teaching and research exposure, and teaching and research experience under a mentor.ASHA sponsors this award in support of its Strategic Objective to increase research commitment.As many as 10 students will be awarded up to $1,500 for teaching and research enhancement activities, such as travel to a research, pedagogy confere...

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Feynman Diagram Fun

About.com Physics — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

One of the most useful innovations of quantum physics was the creation of so-called Feynman diagrams by Richard P. Feynman. These graphics are a visual representation of the particle interaction at the heart of quantum electrodynamics, and are part of the reason why Richard Feynman received his Nobel Prize. (I was once criticized for stating this, so let me cite both the 1965 Nobel Prize announcement and Feynman's own banquet speech, which indicate that the Feynman diagrams are one of the major achievements he's being credited for.) Well, the folks working at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have helped explain these diagrams in the post "Let's draw Feynman diagrams!" over at the LHC blog, in a way that is basically accessible without a lot of background on the fundamental physics involved...

Neuroscientist: Think twice about cutting music in schools

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Northwestern University) A Northwestern University neuroscientist will discuss the relationship between music and speech processing at an 11 a.m. Feb. 20 AAAS press briefing. Nina Kraus says playing an instrument may help children better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret language nuances conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice. Kraus has studied the links between neural encoding of speech and music in the auditory nervous system for three decades. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Managing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the public school system: a needs assessment pilot.

The Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:08:03 +0100

ConclusionsPractitioners need additional supports in order to address FASDs in their schools. As this is the first pilot study on FASDs in the Ontario school system, further study is warranted.Key words: fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, fasd, education, special needs, intervention, inclusion ~~~~~ PMID: 20160330 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)

Texas Should Re-Evaluate Abstinence-Only Sex Education Policies, Opinion Piece States

Pregnancy News From Medical News Today — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Texas Should Re-Evaluate Abstinence-Only Sex Education Policies, Opinion Piece States

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0100

"Can Texans actually believe that our sex education policies are working?" Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd asks, adding, "I guess, if they're still buying into the notion that an hour or so of demonstrably absurd sex-is-a-sin-and-condoms-don't-work moralizing is all the classroom instruction our kids need." Floyd writes, "The numbers do not lie, and Texas, which for more than a decade has spent more than any other state on what federal law defines as abstinence-only classroom programming, ranks consistently near the shameful top in teen-pregnancy rates... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Lasting effects of short-term training on preschoolers' street-crossing behavior.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:36 +0100

Authors: Albert RR, Dolgin KG Can short-term training improve preschoolers' knowledge of road-crossing concepts as well as behavior in a real traffic situation? Forty children, aged four to five years, were assigned to one of four conditions (game, story, song, and control). Each condition participated in four 15-min classroom-based lessons over four weeks. Two assessments measuring knowledge of street-crossing concepts and one assessment measuring behavior on a real street were used to evaluate performance at baseline and one week and six months post-training. Children in all three experimental conditions showed a significant improvement over the control on the two conceptual assessments. Only children in the game condition significantly improved their behavior on the street-crossing ...

The Pluses of Getting It Wrong (preview)

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0100

For years many educators have championed “errorless learning,” advising teachers (and students) to create study conditions that do not permit errors. For example, a classroom teacher might drill students repeatedly on the same multiplication problem, with very little delay between the first and second presentations of the problem, ensuring that the student gets the answer correct each time.The idea is that students who make errors will remember the mistakes and will not learn the correct information (or will learn it more slowly, if at all). Recent research shows that this worry is misplaced. Pupils actually learn better if conditions are arranged so that they have to make errors. Specifically, people remember things better and longer if they are given tests so challenging that...

Start Science Sooner

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Good science education at the earliest grades is supremely important, but in most classrooms it gets short shrift. Studies have found that children in kindergarten are already forming negative views about science that could cast a shadow across their entire educational careers. When researchers interviewed kindergartners from typical classrooms, barely a third of the children showed any knowledge of science, whether from school or other sources. Many children said that science was for older kids and adults, not kindergartners like them. They talked of science being about magic potions or dangerous chemicals; they said science is hard, science is not interesting, and “I am not good at science.” Ask a room of five-year-olds to draw a scientist, and you will likely get lots of pic...

AIBS Shares Thoughts on K-12 STEM Ed with House Science Committee

Public Policy Reports — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:25:02 +0100

Washington Times Column Discusses Role Of Condoms In Reducing Spread Of Chlamydia

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein writes that a recent Indiana University School of Medicine chlamydia study "hints at serious flaws in the condom approach" to reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. According to Wetzstein, "Now that the Obama administration and Democrat-led Congress have jettisoned federal abstinence-education funding, sex education that stresses condom use to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases will dominate classrooms and communities... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Study sheds light on 'teenage night owl syndrome'

Los Angeles Times - Science — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Students are going to sleep later and may be underperforming in class because they're not getting enough bright light in the morning, researchers say. Better school lighting may help. Riding in school buses in the early morning, then sitting in poorly lighted classrooms are the main reasons students have trouble getting to sleep at night, according to new research. (Source: Los Angeles Times - Science)

Study sheds light on 'teenage night owl syndrome'

L.A. Times - Health — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Explorable three-dimensional digital model of the female pelvis, pelvic contents, and perineum for anatomical education

Anatomical Sciences Education — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The anatomy of the pelvis is complex, multilayered, and its three-dimensional organization is conceptually difficult for students to grasp. The aim of this project was to create an explorable and projectable stereoscopic, three-dimensional (3D) model of the female pelvis and pelvic contents for anatomical education. The model was created using cryosection images obtained from the Visible Human Project, in conjunction with a general-purpose three-dimensional segmentation and surface-rendering program. Anatomical areas of interest were identified and labeled on consecutive images. Each 2D slice was reassembled, forming a three-dimensional model. The model includes the pelvic girdle, organs of the pelvic cavity, surrounding musculature, the perineum, neurovascular structures, and the peritone...

Amy Bishop and the Trauma of Tenure Denial

Psychology Today Work Center — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:30:47 +0100

Workplace shootings by women are extremely rare and, until now, seemingly non existent. The same is true of shootings by graduate students of their professors who denied them their degrees. Because men are so identified with work and also more prone to violence, they are almost singularly the perpetrators of these kinds of outbursts. But now a woman professor has been arrested for the mass killings of her colleagues on a college campus, and we need to come up with some explanation.Two elements stand out in this case that can help us make sense of this tragedy. One is the personality factor, and there is a lot about Amy Bishop that is striking and indicative of a propensity for violence. The other factor, which is more meaningful to me personally, is the gripping emotional pain that is ofte...

Dialogical Relationship between Identity and Learning

Culture — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:08:58 +0100

This paper highlights some connections between cultural psychology, educational psychology, and identity psychology. This aim is pursued through the constructivist view of conceptualized learning as building knowledge. It is contended that identities should explicitly be considered as part of this process. Useful approaches to explore the relationship between learning and identity are the Dialogical Self Theory (DST) and the Communities of Learning model (CoL), both of which demonstrate a shared interest in dialogue and constructivism. DST defines the self as being composed of a set of I-positions, which are constantly in dialogue and in movement. The CoL model conceptualizes the classroom as a set of cultural contexts where dialogues permit the analysis of context and also shape it. Empir...

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Increasing self-reported suicide attempts by adolescents in Greece between 1984 and 2007

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:18:45 +0100

Conclusions Changes in Greek society during the last 30 years, including loosening of family ties, increased drug use and stress because of the demands of school work, are hypothesised to have had an impact on the increasing trend in suicide attempts among adolescents. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original PaperDOI 10.1007/s00127-010-0185-3Authors Anna Kokkevi, Athens University Medical School Department of Psychiatry Athens GreeceVasiliki Rotsika, Athens University Medical School Department of Psychiatry Athens GreeceAngeliki Arapaki, University Mental Health Research Institute Athens GreeceClive Richardson, Panteion University Athens Greece Journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric EpidemiologyOnline ISSN 1433-9285Print ISSN 0933-7954 (Source: Social...

Lessons in Fashion

Psychology Today — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Custom tailored for the classroom (Source: Psychology Today)

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:02:48 +0100

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of the bottom-of-the-TV-crawl with breaking news of a mass shooting on a college campus. Quick–what's your first thought? Lonely male student frustrated by perceived social slights? Perhaps a revenge killing based on unrequited romantic interest?Neither of these knee-jerk reactions to the recent campus shooting in Alabama were accurate, of course. No, the perpetrator in this instance was neither male nor a student. She was a female faculty member, about whom each day seems to bring another surprise revelation. First, we learned that she was reportedly upset over not having received tenure. Then, we heard about her suspicious role in the shooting death of her brother decades ago. Now, today, reports have surfaced regarding a mail bombing ...

Obituary: Patricia Clarke

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:09:36 +0100

Biochemist keen to encourage women to take up scientific careersPatricia Clarke, who has died aged 90, was one of Britain's most distinguished biochemists during the second half of the 20th century. For more than three decades, she was a key part of the biochemistry department at University College London, where she was professor of microbial biochemistry from 1973 until her retirement in 1984 – when she was made emeritus professor.Very aware that more women had to become involved in science, she was one of six female members of the committee on women in science, engineering and technology commissioned by the Conservative science minister William Waldegrave in 1993. The committee's report, The Rising Tide (1994), urged that a development unit be set up to encourage women to move into sci...

Smithsonian Institution, Arizona State University announce education and research partnership

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Arizona State University) Secretary Wayne Clough, head of the Smithsonian, and ASU President Michael M. Crow launched a global classroom -- with one foot in Arizona's Sonoran desert and the other in the tropical landscapes of Panama. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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New in BioScience

Education Reports — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:56:48 +0100

Susan Musante, AIBS Education Programs Manager, writes about using DNA barcoding in the classroom in the January 2010 issue of BioScience. The complete article is freely accessible through University of California Press Journals on Caliber (http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/full/10.1525/bio.2010.60.1.4) or on the AIBS website (http://www.aibs.org/eye-on-education/eyeoneducation201001.html). Here is an excerpt from “DNA Barcoding Investigations Bring Biology to Life”: When Sophia Cuprillnilson walked into her undergraduate genetics class in the fall of 2008, little did she realize that her perception of biology would be transformed forever. “I thought I was going to be learning about Mendel and peas,” she said. Instead, Cuprillnilson and her classmates became DNA dete...

Getting the most from kids, employees -- and yourself

Psychology Today Work Center — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:49:21 +0100

One of the more pernicious dimensions of the hidden brain is the way in which it prompts many people to fulfill self-defeating stereotypes about their groups. If you tell a classroom of students that men tend to outperform women in math tests — right before you administer a math test — the women in the class are likely to perform more poorly on the math test than they would if you had not said anything. You don’t even have to remind people explicitly about the stereotype: Merely drawing attention to whether students are male or female before administering a math test can impair the ability of women to do their best. You can show the same phenomenon in a variety of domains — you threaten the ability of white men to play basketball by telling them that on average blacks are better at...

Examining the link between working memory behaviour and academic attainment in children with ADHD

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Aim The aim of the present study was to investigate whether behaviours typical of working memory problems are associated with poor academic attainment in those with attention-deficit[ndash]hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as a non-clinical group identified on the basis of working memory difficulties.Method Children clinically diagnosed with ADHD-combined (n=31; mean age 9y 7mo, SD 12mo; 27 males) were matched with 44 low working memory children (mean age 9y 4mo, SD 15mo; 32 males) and 10 healthy controls (mean age 10y, SD 12mo; 5 males). Working memory behaviour was measured using the Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS) and academic attainment was assessed with standardized tests of literacy and numeracy.Results The majority of children considered by their teachers to have problematic...

Global Classroom

WHO Maternal, Newborn and Child Health — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:55:00 +0100

John Hopkins Public Health Magazine (2009) (Source: WHO Maternal, Newborn and Child Health)

Hands-on: From classroom to employment

EurekAlert! - Biology — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(American Society of Agronomy) A pilot program for employment in sustainable agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Scholars Program, is used to expand on routine undergraduate lab work. The program includes hands on and experiential learning opportunities, designed to increase excitement, interest and understand of careers in sustainable agriculture. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

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Can You Live With Someone Who Never Says "I Love You"? Part 1

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:01:24 +0100

Can you imagine living for three years with a man who doesn't say "I love you"?This question assumed more than an academic place in my life when I lived with a man who had a sort of hysterical inability to make this most obvious declaration of affection. I spent a long time thinking about the question.Now I'd re-phrase the question this way: How do you talk yourself into living without what you want?If you're like me, you convince yourself that he simply cannot say three short words, despite the fact that he inevitably has recourse to the first and second (and even uses the "L" word) in daily conversation. ("I'll be home for dinner, and I'd love to have lasagna"). You tell yourself that he is just not the kind of man to show affection openly; you tell yourself that words are cheap, throw-a...

Sacking of Christian science teacher divides town in Bible belt

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:05:06 +0100

A class experiment has left a deep mark in a strongly religious communityJennifer Dennis studied her 13-year-old son's skin and was uncertain which to be more astonished by: the shape made by the strange dots running the length of his forearm, or how they got there."When I looked at it, the shape was definitely a cross, like a Christian cross," said Dennis. "Zach said his teacher did it with an instrument that gave off something like a lightning bolt. It was red, like a sunburn or if you burn your arm on the oven."The next morning, Dennis was standing in the reception of Mount Vernon middle school demanding to know what had been done to Zachary.That was three years ago and the small, deeply religious Ohio town is bracing itself for the answer to Dennis's question after the lengthy de facto...

Sacking of science teacher divides Bible belt town

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:05:06 +0100

Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics at the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University

ScanGrants feed — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Summer 2010 program will be held June 7 - July 16, 2010. Biostatistics is the exciting field that applies statistics to medical and public health research. Biostatisticians work closely with experts from other fields in research teams. Together they seek to answer serious and important questions that affect human health and well being. The demand for biostatisticians TODAY is greater than ever before, and it is expected to INCREASE in the near future. The Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics (SIBS), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is a 6-week program to give undergraduate and beginning graduate students students majoring in or with background in the quantitative sciences the opportunity to explore a career in biostatistics. The Program has been o...

Learning the control of variables strategy in higher and lower achieving classrooms: Contributions of explicit instruction and experimentation.

Journal of Educational Psychology — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:18:54 +0100

Students (n = 797) from 36 4th-grade classrooms were taught the control of variables strategy for designing experiments. In the instruct condition, classes were taught in an interactive lecture format. In the manipulate condition, students worked in groups to design and run experiments to determine the effects of four variables. In the both condition, classes received the interactive lecture and also designed and ran experiments. We assessed students' understanding using a written test of their ability to distinguish valid from invalid experimental comparisons. Performance on this test improved from the pretest to the immediate posttest in all conditions, and gains were maintained at a 5-month delay. For students from both higher and lower achieving schools, gains ordered as follows: both ...

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Improving classroom quality: Teacher influences and experimental impacts of the 4rs program.

Journal of Educational Psychology — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:18:54 +0100

This study capitalizes on recent advances in the reliable and valid measurement of classroom-level social processes known to influence children's social–emotional and academic development and addresses a number of limitations in our current understanding of teacher- and intervention-related impacts on elementary school classroom processes. A cluster randomized controlled trial design was employed to (a) examine whether teacher social–emotional functioning forecasts differences in the quality of 3rd-grade classrooms, (b) test the experimental impact of a school-based social–emotional learning and literacy intervention on the quality of classroom processes controlling for teacher social–emotional functioning, and (c) examine whether intervention impacts on classroom quality are moder...

“Teacher effects” in early literacy development: Evidence from a study of twins.

Journal of Educational Psychology — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:18:53 +0100

It is often assumed that differences in teacher characteristics are a major source of variability in children's educational achievements. We examine this assumption for early literacy achievement by calculating the correlations between pairs of twin children who either shared or did not share a teacher in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Teacher effects—or, more strictly, classroom effects—would show up as higher correlations for same-class than for different-class twin pairs. Same-class correlations were generally higher than different-class correlations, though not significantly so on most occasions. On the basis of the results, we estimate that the maximum variance accounted for by being assigned to the same or different classrooms is 8%. This is an upper-bound figure for a teach...

Cultural Diversity in Nursing Education: Perils, Pitfalls, and Pearls.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article identifies concerns arising from attitudes and values within nursing and common approaches to diversity education, and then discusses key issues in nursing education that relate to human nature, culture, faculty workload, and student demographics. Finally, some strategies are proposed for increasing the effectiveness of professional preparation with diverse students through a focus on culturally congruent education and development of faculty cultural competence. PMID: 20143759 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Journal of Nursing Education)

The Course Council: An Example of Student-Centered Learning.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Heise B, Himes D To promote student-centered learning, a course council was established in a beginning undergraduate nursing course. A student representative was selected by peers to attend a monthly course council meeting with faculty. Representatives were asked to query classmates in their section of eight students regarding opinions, questions, and concerns about the course and then bring those views to the council. In this monthly, small group, open dialogue setting, students spoke freely about experiences in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The stage was set for reflection, problem solving, and decision making involving students and faculty. Student input led to meaningful course changes, provided opportunities for students to learn from one another, and ...

Constructivism in Cultural Competence Education.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hunter JL, Krantz S A graduate course on cultural diversity, based in constructivist theory and structured on the Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services model, was developed and taught through classroom and online methods. The following research questions were explored: 1) Can an educational experience, built on constructivist learning theory tenets, change students' perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and skills in the area of cultural competence? 2) Does the delivery method, online or traditional classroom, influence the degree of change? The study used a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest control group design using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals Revised. Findings showed significan...

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Compelling Teaching with the Four Cs: Caring, Comedy, Creativity, and Challenging.

The Journal of Nursing Education — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article presents an exemplar of the transformative learning process within the nursing education setting. The concepts forming this compelling teaching approach are caring, comedy, creativity, and challenging (the four Cs). Through this innovative teaching method, opportunities are created for authentic co-learning to occur. PMID: 20143753 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Journal of Nursing Education)

Child and informant influences on behavioral ratings of preschool children

Psychology in the Schools — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study investigated relationships among teacher, parent, and observer behavioral ratings of 3- and 4-year-old children using intra-class correlations and analysis of variance. Comparisons within and across children from middle-income (MI; N = 166; mean age = 54.25 months, standard deviation [SD] = 8.74) and low-income (LI; N = 199; mean age = 51.21 months, SD = 7.22) backgrounds revealed significant agreement between the raters but also considerable differences in both ranking and absolute scores between raters. Teachers and parents consistently rated children from LI classrooms as having more behavioral problems and fewer prosocial behaviors. Results are conceptualized with respect to how differential expectations, comparison groups, and types of interaction with children can affect t...

FSA Takes Small Steps To Encourage Young People To Eat Well, Get Active And Feel Good

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0100

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) today officially launched SmallSteps4Life - an innovative approach to motivating young people to take simple steps towards improving their health and well-being, both inside and outside the classroom. The programme also supports the Change4Life movement, and is part of Get Set - the London 2012 education programme that will help deliver the lasting legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

FSA Takes Small Steps To Encourage Young People To Eat Well, Get Active And Feel Good

Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0100

New in BioScience

Education Reports — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:31:08 +0100

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Understanding and Improving Classroom Emotional Climate and Behavior Management in the “Real World”: The Role of Head Start Teachers' Psychosocial Stressors

Early Education and Development — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:37:51 +0100

(Source: Early Education and Development)

A Validation of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System in Finnish Kindergartens

Early Education and Development — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:37:51 +0100

(Source: Early Education and Development)

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities--Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children With Disabilities Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:44:38 +0100

This funding notice from the Department of Education is to: (1) Improveresults for children with disabilities by promoting the development,demonstration, and use of technology; (2) support educational mediaservices activities designed to be of educational value in theclassroom setting to children with disabilities; and (3) providesupport for captioning and video description that are appropriate foruse in the classroom setting. (Source: Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center)

DUT staff back after Haiti relief mission

IOL: Health — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:54:44 +0100

With thoughts of utter chaos, unimaginable human suffering and death fresh in their minds, a group of Durban University of Technology lecturers were back in the classroom, rolling up their sleeves for challenges of a different kind. (Source: IOL: Health)

An exploratory study of co-location as a factor in synchronous, collaborative medical informatics distance education

BMC Research Notes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Synchronous communication at a distance via videoconference may give sufficient sense of presence that the learning experience may be similar to that in actual classrooms, even when students are far apart. The technology may channel interaction in desirable ways. (Source: BMC Research Notes)

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These space mission cuts will cost us our scientists | Colin Pillinger

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:30:00 +0100

After yesterday's retreat, the US and Europe will fall behind in the space race. The next man on the moon will be ChineseFew people who remember the 1960s can fail to have been inspired by the drama and excitement of the space missions, which pitted the United States against the Soviet Union in a race to land a man on the moon. Today there is still a massively competitive space race; but yesterday the Barack Obama administration cancelled its Constellation programme, which had aimed to put astronauts back on the moon. With the US effectively out of the race to the moon, the field is now clear for India, China and Japan.The 1960s space race was about military prowess. This time it's about economic and technical leadership, but in terms of our future prosperity it is just as significant....

The Cinematic Mirror for Psychology and Life Coaching

Springer Psychology titles — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:50:37 +0100

Cinema both reflects life and contours life—that is its psychological power. And for decades, clinicians and educators have recognized the value of this power, using it to respectively heal in therapy and educate in the classroom. The Cinematic Mirror for Psychology and Life Coaching mines the illustrative value of cinema, offering therapists and life coaches access to ideas that can motivate ... (Source: Springer Psychology titles)

What Is the Differential Diagnosis of Attentional Problems?

PediatricEducation.org — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:23:56 +0100

Discussion Attentional problems are a clinical diagnosis. Some people use a functional definition of attentional difficulties that disrupt the normal activities of the patient and/or family. Attention Deficit Disorder (with or without hyperactivity, i.e. ADD, ADHD) has specific criteria for its diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (version IV). Children with attentional problems present in a wide variety of ways, including poor school performance, behavioral problems, personality changes, and inappropriate or antisocial behavior. History is very important and should include school history with results of other evaluations, typical day activities and behaviors, birth history (including possible teratogens and substance abuse), developmental history (including possible los...

An injury prevention strategy for teen restaurant workers.

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article discusses the ProSafety model of injury prevention among teen restaurant workers. Through integration with an existing career and technical education program, the ProSafety project seeks to prevent occupational injuries among the teen worker population through classroom safety education and internship skills reinforcement. ProSafety is the product of an innovative collaboration with occupational health nurses, business professionals, educators, and government. Its approach is derived from Social Cognitive Theory, is consistent with key values and strategies of occupational health nurses, and provides lessons for practitioners seeking to reduce occupational injuries in food service or among other populations of adolescent workers. PMID: 20180503 [PubMed - in process] (Sourc...

Changes in School Environments With Implementation of Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003.

Obesity — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:34:47 +0100

Authors: Phillips MM, Raczynski JM, West DS, Pulley L, Bursac Z, Gauss CH, Walker JF Changes in school nutrition and physical activity policies and environments are important to combat childhood obesity. Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003 was among the first and most comprehensive statewide legislative initiatives to combat childhood obesity through school-based change. Annual surveys of principals and superintendents have been analyzed to document substantial and important changes in school environments, policies, and practices. For example, results indicate that schools are more likely to require that healthy options be provided for student parties (4.5% in 2004, 36.9% in 2008; P </= 0.0001) and concession stands (1.6% in 2004, 19.6% in 2008; P </= 0.0001), ban commercial advertising by...

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School-based interventions promoting both physical activity and healthy eating in Europe: a systematic review within the HOPE project

Obesity Reviews — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

It is the purpose of this study to systematically review the evidence of school-based interventions targeting dietary and physical activity behaviour in primary (6[ndash]12 years old) and secondary school (12[ndash]18 years old) children in Europe. Eleven studies (reported in 27 articles) met the inclusion criteria, six in primary school and five in secondary school children. Interventions were evaluated in terms of behavioural determinants, behaviour (diet and physical activity) and weight-related outcomes (body mass index [BMI] or other indicators of obesity). The results suggest that combining educational and environmental components that focus on both sides of the energy balance give better and more relevant effects. Furthermore, computer-tailored personalized education in the classroo...

Genomics and bioinformatics in undergraduate curricula: Contexts for hybrid laboratory/lecture courses for entering and advanced science students

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Emerging interest in genomics in the scientific community prompted biologists at James Madison University to create two courses at different levels to modernize the biology curriculum. The courses are hybrids of classroom and laboratory experiences. An upper level class uses raw sequence of a genome (plasmid or virus) as the subject on which to base the experience of genomic analysis. Students also learn bioinformatics and software programs needed to support a project linking structure and function in proteins and showing evolutionary relatedness of similar genes. An optional entry-level course taken in addition to the required first-year curriculum and sponsored in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, engages first year students in a primary research project. In the first semester...

Paternity testing in a PBL environment

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Problem Based Learning (PBL) makes use of real-life scenarios to stimulate students' prior knowledge and to provide a meaningful context that is also related to the student's future professional work. In this article, Paternity testing is presented using a PBL approach that involves a combination of classroom, laboratory, and out-of-class activities: in relation to a fictitious newborn found on the Campus, students design a PCR based protocol to determine their own genotype for two markers. Pooled class genotypes serve to calculate allelic frequencies and to assess Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Individual results are also evaluated for possible paternity. The goals of the activity and how each step in the process relates to learning outcomes are presented. Classroom discussions, group discus...

A Model for Easily Incorporating Team-Based Learning into Nursing Education

International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:01:47 +0100

A sense of urgency exists among nurse educators to determine the best possible teaching strategies to create a rich, engaging learning environment for students. With the calls for transformation, innovation, and excellence in nursing education from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and the National League for Nursing, educators may determine that current teaching strategies fall short. Team-based learning, an innovative teaching strategy, offers educators a structured, student-centered learning environment and may be effective in teaching necessary skills to students. An overview of how this strategy fosters many of the essential concepts, such as critical thinking, professionalism, communication, and interprofessional teamwor...

Adult participation in children's word searches: on the use of prompting, hinting, and supplying a model.

Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:08:16 +0100

This study characterizes, in detail, teachers' use of prompting, hinting, and supplying a model. From a classroom dataset of 53 instances, several distinctive patterns emerged. A prompted completion sequence is initiated by a 'word retrieval elicitor' ('fishing::') and is interpreted as a request to complete the phrase. Non-verbal prompting is accomplished through a combination of gaze and gesture and, also, as a series of prompts. Hinting supplies a verbal clue, typically via a wh-question, or by specifying the nature of the repairable. In contrast, the strategies that supply a linguistic model include both embedded and exposed corrections and offers of candidates. A sequential relationship was found between prompting, hinting, and supplying a model which has implications for how clinicia...

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Female teachers may pass on math anxiety to girls, study finds

Los Angeles Times - Science — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0100

After a year in the classroom with female teachers who say they are anxious about math, girls are more likely to share that attitude -- and score lower on tests, researchers say. Girls have long embraced the stereotype that they're not supposed to be good at math. It seems they may be getting the idea from a surprising source -- their female elementary school teachers. (Source: Los Angeles Times - Science)

Female teachers may pass on math anxiety to girls, study finds

L.A. Times - Health — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:04:34 +0100

Teachers pass math anxiety to female students, study finds

L.A. Times - Health — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:04:35 +0100

After a year in the classroom with female teachers who identify as being more anxious about doing math, girls are more likely to share their attitude - and score lower on tests, researchers say. Girls have long embraced the stereotype that they're not supposed to be good at math. It seems they may be getting the idea from a surprising source -- their female elementary school teachers. (Source: L.A. Times - Health)

Scitable Introduces New Features

What's New on JEFFLINE — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:58:42 +0100

The editors at Nature Publishing Group/Nature Education have published a free online science library and professional networking resource: Scitable is aimed at a broad spectrum of users from high school students to fully qualified researchers and science writers. Registration for the site is free to all. New features (from the publisher’s news release): Essentials of Genetics, a free course on the basic concepts of genetics, featuring high quality animations, clear explanations, and links to biographies and research papers. 30+ new Readings on important topics in genetics, each written and reviewed by leading researchers and filled with links to research milestones. Scitable Classrooms, a free online research space that teaching faculty can create in less than 5 minutes. Sc...

A Modern Analysis of a Historical Pediatric Disaster: The 1927 Bath School Bombing

Journal of Surgical Research — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:42:37 +0100

Conclusions: Within the same floor, ISS scores decreased with increasing distance from the blast, with the most severe injuries having resulted from the structural collapse of the floor above. The pattern of injury closely approximates those of other pediatric disasters such as Columbine. The absence of severe abdominal trauma and one reported hospital mortality may reflect an initial under-triage of patients possibly due to the medical technology of the time. (Source: Journal of Surgical Research)

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The analysis of classroom talk: Methods and methodologies.

The British Journal of Educational Psychology — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:32:05 +0100

This article describes methods for analysing classroom talk, comparing their strengths and weaknesses. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are described and assessed for their strengths and weaknesses, with a discussion of the mixed use of such methods. It is acknowledged that particular methods are often embedded in particular methodologies, which are based on specific theories of social action, research paradigms, and disciplines; and so a comparison is made of two contemporary methodologies, linguistic ethnography, and sociocultural research. The article concludes with some comments on the current state of development of this field of research and on ways that it might usefully progress. PMID: 20092680 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The British Journal of Educational Psycholog...

A computer per student leads to higher performance than traditional classroom settings

ScienceDaily Headlines — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0100

Providing every student and teacher with a laptop computer can produce improved student performance in some subjects, when compared to traditional classroom settings. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Evaluation of a classroom-based psychosocial intervention in conflict-affected Nepal: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: A school-based psychosocial intervention demonstrated moderate short-term beneficial effects for improving social-behavioral and resilience indicators among subgroups of children exposed to armed conflict. The intervention reduced psychological difficulties and aggression among boys, increased prosocial behavior among girls, and increased hope for older children. The intervention did not result in reduction of psychiatric symptoms. (Source: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)

Domain specificity in relationship history, social-information processing, and violent behavior in early adulthood.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:28:33 +0100

Authors: Pettit GS, Lansford JE, Malone PS, Dodge KA, Bates JE Using prospective longitudinal data, we tested 5 hypotheses: (a) that the relation between earlier developmental experiences (peer social rejection and victimization in a romantic relationship) and adult violent behavior toward peers and romantic partners is specific to relationship domain; (b) that the relation between social-information processing (SIP) biases and subsequent violence is also specific to relational domain (romantic partner vs. peer); (c) that the relation between developmental experiences and SIP biases is domain specific; (d) that domain-specific SIP mediates the impact of earlier developmental experiences on later violent behavior; and (e) that harsh parenting early in life is a domain-general predictor ...

School Nutrition Standards Get High Marks From Dietitians, Canada

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0100

"Ontario's school nutrition standards released Friday by the Ministry of Education are an important step in creating an environment to support healthy eating", says Linda Dietrich, Regional Executive Director for Dietitians of Canada (DC). Students are taught about healthy eating in the classroom, and it is important that the foods available in school support them in making healthy choices. "The new nutrition standards are set to help students eat better at school by emphasizing foods that are higher in essential nutrients and lower in fat and salt" continues Dietrich... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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School Nutrition Standards Get High Marks From Dietitians, Canada

Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0100

"Ontario's school nutrition standards released Friday by the Ministry of Education are an important step in creating an environment to support healthy eating", says Linda Dietrich, Regional Executive Director for Dietitians of Canada (DC). Students are taught about healthy eating in the classroom, and it is important that the foods available in school support them in making healthy choices... (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

School classroom air may be more polluted with ultrafine particles than outdoor air

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(American Chemical Society) The air in some school classrooms may contain higher levels of extremely small particles of pollutants -- easily inhaled deep into the lungs -- than polluted outdoor air, scientists in Australia and Germany are reporting in an article in ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

New help for teachers on dealing with epilepsy in the classroom

Scotsman.com News - Health — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

"PEOPLE see you differently," says 15-year-old Beth Mackie. "The teachers who were there when it happened said it was really scary and they didn't know what to (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Active Parent Consent for Health Surveys With Urban Middle School Students: Processes and Outcomes*

Journal of School Health — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Employing a multifaceted active parent consent campaign can result in high rates of parental response with limited sampling bias among an urban, ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged group of middle school students. (Source: Journal of School Health)

An Educational Strategy for Teaching Standardized Nursing Languages

International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS. The educational strategy provided students opportunities to enhance their experience with the SNL to plan and document care of individuals experiencing psychiatric[ndash]mental health problems.IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING. The educational strategy used in this program was judged to be successful. Research is needed to provide empirical evidence of the efficacy of this pedagogical strategy for increasing knowledge and enhancing students' competency. (Source: International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications)

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Effects of classroom education on knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation in ethnically diverse urban high schools

Clinical Transplantation — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Cárdenas V, Thornton JD, Wong KA, Spigner C, Allen MD. Effects of classroom education on knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation in ethnically diverse urban high schools.Clin Transplant 2010 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2009.01200.x.© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract: School-based health education is a promising approach for improving organ donation rates, but little is known about its efficacy among ethnically diverse youth. The impact of a classroom intervention was examined in a multicultural high school population where students' ethnicities were 45% African American, 30% Asian American, and 33% Caucasian (allowing for multiracial choices). A baseline survey was administered to all health classes within two wk prior to intervention. On the intervention day, classes randomly a...

UKCGE - Bringing Cutting Edge Science to the Classroom

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0100

The UK Council for Graduate Education is looking for early career researchers to take part in their pilot scheme to bring contemporary science into the classroom. As part of a new teacher CPD programme, each scientist would work with one or two individual teachers and interact with them via a website to develop a classroom resource using the researcher's data. Science Learning Centres are initially looking for researchers to become involved in the pilot programme in spring 2010. Researchers who would like to know more or who are interested in taking part should email the external contact at freshscience@slcs.ac.uk. UKCGE scheme (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Effects of Classroom Embeddedness and Density on the Social Status of Aggressive and Victimized Children. - Ahn HJ, Garandeau CF, Rodkin PC.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:27:03 +0100

This study investigated the independent and interacting effects of classroom-level embeddedness (i.e., hierarchical vs. egalitarian) and classroom density on the perceived popularity and social preference of aggressive and victimized 3rd-4th grade students... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Ability grouping of gifted students: Effects on academic self-concept and boredom.

The British Journal of Educational Psychology — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Preckel F, Götz T, Frenzel A Background Securing appropriate challenge or preventing boredom is one of the reasons frequently used to justify ability grouping of gifted students, which has been shown to have beneficial effects for achievement. On the other hand, critics stress psychosocial costs, such as detrimental effects on academic self-concept (contrast or big-fish-little-pond effect). Aim The effects of full-time ability grouping in special classrooms for the gifted on students' academic self-concept and their experience of boredom in mathematics classes were investigated. Sample The sample comprised 186 ninth-grade students (106 male) from eight classes at one Austrian high school. Four of these classes were part of a gifted track beginning from school year 9 on (N...

Development and implications of a revised Canadian Healthy Eating Index (HEIC-2009).

Public Health Nutrition — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The HEIC-2009 has the potential to be used as a population-level diet quality index in Canada. PMID: 20074391 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Public Health Nutrition)

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Settlements Under Disabilities Act Regarding Use of Electronic Book Readers

Disabled World — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:17:55 +0100

The Justice Department today announced separate agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Ore., regarding the use in a classroom setting of the electronic book reader, the Kindle DX, a hand-held technological device that simulates the experience of reading a book. (Source: Disabled World)

Longitudinal Behavioral Effects of a School-Based Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Program

Journal of Pediatric Psychology — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:56:48 +0100

Conclusions The intervention resulted in increased F&V consumption, with more pronounced and enduring effects for fruits than vegetables. (Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology)

ADHD and academic performance: why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom?

Child: Care, Health and Development — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This paper reviews the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and academic performance. First, the relationship at different developmental stages is examined, focusing on pre-schoolers, children, adolescents and adults. Second, the review examines the factors underpinning the relationship between ADHD and academic underperformance: the literature suggests that it is the symptoms of ADHD and underlying cognitive deficits not co-morbid conduct problems that are at the root of academic impairment. The review concludes with an overview of the literature examining strategies that are directed towards remediating the academic impairment of individuals with ADHD. (Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Realizing the cognitive potential of children 5-7 with a mathematics focus: Post-test and long-term effects of a 2-year intervention.

The British Journal of Educational Psychology — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The main hypothesis was supported by the data on cognitive development. The corollary hypothesis is supported by the gains in English. The implications of this study are that relative intelligence can be increased and is not fixed, and that children can be led into collaborating with each other to the benefit of their own thinking, and that there does exist a theory-based methodology for the improvement of teaching. PMID: 20070920 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal of Educational Psychology)

PubMed and NLM Gateway & ClinicalTrials.gov TRAINING

Midcontinental Region News — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:01:16 +0100

The National Training Center and Clearinghouse (NTCC) will be at Becker Medical Library to offer instruction in PubMed and the NLM Gateway/ClinicalTrials.org. St. Louis, MO site details PubMed Thursday, April 8, 2010, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (Register) This full-day class is designed to teach students how to use PubMed which includes MEDLINE citations. The class also includes an overview of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and its importance as a tool to both searchers and indexers. NLM Gateway & ClinicalTrials.gov Friday, April 9, 2010, 8:30 AM – noon (Register) This half-day class is designed to teach students how to use the NLM Gateway. It also includes a discussion and demonstration of ClinicalTrials.gov The NTCC in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) s...

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Teacher Perspectives and the Psychosocial Climate of the Classroom in a Traditional BSN Program

International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:21:51 +0100

Developing and implementing a positive psychosocial environment should be one of the main responsibilities of educators. As educators influence the climate, learning is enhanced or hindered. Therefore educators need to understand their own teaching perspectives and how they in turn influence the classroom. Data were collected from nurse educators and BSN nursing students. The relationship between faculty teaching perspectives and the students' perceptions of the learning environment was examined. The data collection tool used to measure the educators' perspective was the Instructional Perspective Inventory (IPI), and to measure the students' perspective was the Adult Classroom Environment Scale (ACES). A MANCOVA was used to determine the relationship and significant differences between edu...

Perceived Stress and Wellness in Early Adolescents Using the Neuman Systems Model.

The Journal of School Nursing — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Yarcheski TJ, Mahon NE, Yarcheski A, Hanks MM The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived stress and wellness in early adolescents and to test primary appraisal as a mediator of this relationship using the Neuman Systems Model as the primary framework. The sample consisted of 144 adolescents, ages 12-14, who responded to instruments measuring perceived stress, primary appraisal, and wellness in classroom settings. Correlational analysis supported the three hypothesized relationships. A series of regression analyses indicated that primary appraisal was a weak mediator of the relationship between perceived stress and wellness. Implications for nursing and recommendations for future studies were addressed. PMID: 20065096 [PubMed - as supplied b...

The Human Placenta: Normal Developmental Biology

Placenta — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Imagine you are teaching nursing students, midwives, or medical students, or a high school biology class and decide to do a section on the placenta. What could you possible use for a reference text? Benirschke's tome? Fox and Sebire's? Kraus'? These are often too specialized for even the devout placentologists to use, certainly not user friendly for the novices. Well, look no farther, Halit Pinar's new book, The Human Placenta: Normal Developmental Biology has arrived ready for service! This is a ready to read, well illustrated and referenced, basic textbook on the human placenta; ready to use in the classroom. (Source: Placenta)

Interactive animations give science students a boost

ScienceDaily Headlines — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0100

For a generation of students raised and nurtured at the computer keyboard, it seems like a no-brainer that computer-assisted learning would have a prominent role in the college science classroom. But many difficult scientific concepts are still conveyed through dry lectures or ponderous texts. But that could change if science professors take a cue from a new study on the use of interactive animations in the college science classroom. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)