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Coming Back
Get PDFThe world is emerging from a very strange and scary time, and students and faculty are looking forward to coming back to campus this fall term. In response to this new beginning, this year’s Pure Insights cover image illustrates a scene with themes of “returning” and “winter.” The two figures in the scene have struggled long and hard to get to shelter, which is symbolic of what many of us have been through this past year. As a reference to education, the figure on the left is wearing a backpack, and the warm glow from the sky and castle conveys a feeling of comfort and welcoming
Fostering Critical Thinking in the Elementary Classroom
Get PDFIn this modern-day world, we have an immense amount of information that we can access right through our technology. The power and speed of technology have created a world where information changes quickly, and new ideas can be distributed and adapted almost instantaneously. It has also resulted in inaccurate and misinformation which has to be sorted through and questioned critically (Murawski, 2014). Today it is so important that students learn critical thinking skills, so they can be both the inventors and the critics of the new information being put out. Yet with this issue arising, change still has not come. Organizations and initiatives that are involved in education reform (National Center on Education and the Economy, the American Diploma Project, the Aspen Institute) have brought attention to the need for students to think and/or reason critically. Content that once had to be drilled into students’ heads is now just a phone swipe away, but the ability to make sense of that information requires thinking critically about it. My thesis aims to address this problem by integrating the development of critical thinking into a Common Core-based literacy unit. I have created a literacy unit that will develop students’ critical thinking while still covering the required 5th grade Oregon Common Core Standards for English Language Arts. The central focus and learning objective in the unit all align with each other and the ELA state standards as well. These lessons use the concept of discrimination to engage students with the content as it is an authentic issue that can affect many of them. The main purpose of my project is to provide an example unit to show that a 6 classroom teacher can align the development of the critical thinking skills with common core standards they must teach
Their Farm, Your Table: Sustainability of Small Farms in the Willamette Valley
Get PDFWhether walking down a grocery aisle or strolling through a farmer’s market, everybody eats, which means everybody shops. Oregon’s Willamette Valley is thick with small farms that grow everything from raspberries to rutabaga, but is locally grown produce worth the hype? Despite this rich agricultural area, many people lack knowledge about the importance of local farms, the ways they operate, and how they can be supported. This project explores what it means to farm small, and whether being small is the same as being environmentally friendly and sustainable long-term. Along with research contrasting conventional, organic, and sustainable farming techniques there are editorials on three local farms, and a handful of recipes that can be made using their produce
How Massage Therapy Affects Educational Interpreters
Get PDFThis thesis examines the importance of self-care for American Sign Language educational interpreters. The research presented in this study adopts a holistic approach to analyzing the mental and physical health effects resulting from the regular use of massage therapy. The goal of this thesis is to identify some controls an interpreter can implement when mental and physical demands intensify due to job-related stress. Data was collected using a questionnaire available only to educational interpreters concerning job-induced stresses and the effects of regular massage. The findings of this study identify the psychological and physiological benefits professionals feel after implementing periodic massage therapy as a form of self-care. Further investigation could reveal a greater variety of self-care opportunities that could impact an interpreter’s wellbeing
Twitter as Consciousness-Raising: An Analysis of the 2017 #MeToo Movement
Get PDFSexual assault and harassment have always been a societal taboo. Individuals who have shared their experiences with sexual misconduct in the past have been heavily shamed and ridiculed, which prevented a lot of individuals from sharing their experiences, out of a fear of being labeled a liar, or worse. However, sexual assault and harassment are not uncommon in society, and the #MeToo movement allowed the discourse surrounding these issues to be brought to the forefront of society. This thesis sought to analyze the discourse within and surrounding the 2017 #MeToo movement, ignited on Twitter by actor and activist Alyssa Milano. To do this, I developed a comprehensive background to the movement, including a discussion surrounding the concept of consciousness-raising groups and the historical context of such groups. I analyzed select tweets from both Milano and other prominent Twitter accounts from October 15, 2017, which I separated into four key themes. Also included is a discussion surrounding the lack of intersectionality within the movement, and why that is ultimately harmful to the cause. In addition to the inherent importance of speaking out against the occurrences of sexual assault and sexual harassment, this thesis explores the use of social media as digital consciousness-raising groups, with a specific focus on the social media site Twitter. This thesis has determined that Milano was able to create a Twitter consciousness-raising group, as well as discussing how the #MeToo movement represents social media’s contribution to creating social change
Playing! It’s All for Fun! Or is it? An Examination of Play in the Field of Sign Language Interpreting
Get PDFThis thesis examines the impact of guided and exploratory language play by interpreters. Interpreters in the current study participated in a pre-survey, engaged in an ASL language play group that engaged in language play through the phone app Marco Polo, reported their experiences in a nine-part reflective journal on their ASL and interpreting skills, and took a post-survey. The timeline of the play group was one week, where participants completed all the components of the study.
Chapter one introduces the concept of general play and language play. It provides a definition of terms, which revolve around play and play groups, and states the problem of interpreting programs not providing the tools to play with language. It also provides the theoretical basis of this paper, which is grounded in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The curriculum was built on the concept of scaffolding information found in the theory of ZPD. Chapter two provides the literature review defining play, its benefits and impacts, play in the work place, and tangential subject of collaborative learning, which happens in play. The literature repeats several variables that were brought into the design of the study, such as creativity, flexibility, working with people, and level of enjoyment.
Chapter three discusses the mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative questions in the pre- and post-survey, with the “treatment” as the language play group and the reflective journal. The study was designed to provide a baseline data with the pre-survey and see if changes occurred after engaging in the treatment or play group. In the play group, participants played and watched language games using both languages ASL and English, which are described in full in the methodology section.
Chapter four is the discussion and results, which shows that interpreters increased in their ASL and English creativity, ASL fluency, and flexibility with teams. The data showed that most participants learned ASL by watching and copying others, and the data reported in the reflective journal supports the participants enjoyed watching others played the game by using terms like entertaining, educational, and curious. Chapter five is the discussion, which points to the importance of giving interpreters the tools to play with language and outlines how that can benefit their linguistic skills. Lastly, chapter six is the summary, the conclusion, that playing with language can benefit interpreters, and recommendations for researchers to continue studying interpreters’ linguistic development through play
FOR US, BY US: Why do we need an HBCU interpreter education program?
Get PDFThis research document can be used as a catalyst for a proposed interpreter education program housed at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Currently, there are not any education programs for sign language interpreters at these institutions. This research is cross-disciplinary between HBCUs and the sign language profession. A review of literature addresses issues in current interpreter programs under the phenomenon of ‘White gaze’ in the profession explained through the lens of anti-racist policies. The aims of this research were to answer: 1) What are the benefits of having an interpreter education program (IEP) at an HBCU? 2) Why is there a need for our (Black/African American) own space? and 3) If given the option, would current and former Black interpreting students have chosen to go to an HBCU for their IEP? Bishop State Community College is an HBCU that once offered an interpreting program. The program was analyzed through four semi-structured interviews with administrators and alumni. A look into the inner workings of the program was coupled with survey results. A mixed-methods approach uncovered five major themes from interview and survey data. Those themes are Culture, Positive Impact on Black Deaf community, Increase Numbers/Representation, Racism/Microaggressions, and Program Structure. This study provides continuing conversations for recognizing the importance of not only diversifying the profession but educating the current/future pool of interpreters on serving, understanding, and working with the demographic of Black Deaf and hearing consumers, interpreters, students, and interpreter educators
A Discussion of Fake Relics in the Early Eleventh Century: An Analysis of Guibert of Nogent and Rodolphus Glaber
Get PDFGuibert of Nogent (c.1053-c.1124), a Benedictine monk, wrote On the Relics of Saints in 1119 C.E. Guibert broke up his treatise into three main books, each book connected to the overall theme of Guibert’s response to the church of Saint-Médard and their relic, a baby-tooth of Christ. Book I responded to Saint-Médard and discussed relic cults, Book II discussed the problems relating to the existence of relics and their connections to the Eucharist, and Book III attempted to debunk the claims of Saint-Médard. Overall, Guibert argued that a saint needed detailed written documentation for their relic to be a true holy relic. Guibert is one of two monks, another being the Cluniac Rodolphus Glaber (c.980-c.1046), whose writings help give a comparison between the two monks\u27 view points that showed the similarities and differences of their reactions towards fake relics
A Mathematical Approach to Inventory Management at Client-choice Food Pantries
No full textTraditional food pantry models give customers pre-arranged boxes of food that offer no or limited choice of the items received. Recent research indicates that the client-choice model, in which customers get to choose items in a grocery store-like setting, is a much more effective method of running a food pantry. However, there has not been scholarly research into the best practices for organizing and restocking items at client-choice pantries, which can significantly affect the quality and amount of food a customer has the opportunity to shop for. This research outlines a method of using common probability and statistics techniques to quantify the expected equity and risk of products expiring to find an optimal restocking method