University of Massachusetts Boston
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If I can\u27t see how do I get around? How Orientation and Mobility Training will keep you moving!
No full textSince nearly all older drivers have a sensory loss of hearing and/or vision, this poster will discuss how Orientation and Mobilty Training will allow a older adult with legeel blindness to remian independent within the community by learning non visual travel travel techinques and use of public transit options. Impriving the design of all pedestrian enviroments for pedesstrians who have low vision or are blind will improve access to the community for all pedestrians
Promoting Saudi Learners\u27 Coherence and Cohesion Writing Development Using Dynamic Assessment - An Approach for IELTS Preparation
No full textA well-documented gap exists in pedagogical approaches for teaching L2 coherence and cohesion writing skills, particularly in high-stakes testing contexts. Prior research on coherence and cohesion has been non-developmental as it has not tracked learners’ progress over time. Moreover, there has not been adequate pedagogy focused on teaching these critical writing skills. In order to fill this gap, this study employed a robust instructional approach to promote the development of learners’ coherence and cohesion writing skills, thereby making a substantial contribution to the aforementioned limitations in pedagogical research. Underpinned by Sociocultural Theory (SCT), this study bridges the gap between test preparation and actual language development through implementing a Dynamic Assessment (DA) approach into the context of IELTS. This dissertation investigated how four Saudi L2 English learners developed their coherence and cohesion writing skills, specifically for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2, through seven online DA sessions over Google Docs. The DA procedure incorporated a genre process approach to writing. The genre-focused element concentrated on helping learners identify the genres of the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2, recognize their rhetorical purposes and incorporate the textual organizational stages required by each genre type in their text to develop their coherence writing skills. Additionally, it emphasized accurately integrating cohesion concepts such as reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion into learners’ texts to develop their cohesion writing skills. The process-oriented facet structured the DA sessions around the three critical stages of writing: planning, drafting, and reviewing. Development was promoted through the use of specific mediational moves that were attuned to each participant’s needs through the different stages of the DA procedure. The written interactions between the researcher-mediator and participants were saved on Google Docs and analyzed using microgenetic analysis to track learners’ developmental trajectories. The findings suggest that the DA sessions with mediation attuned to each learner’s specific needs not only promoted the participants’ coherence and cohesion development but also their independent application of the developed writing skills in the delayed and more challenging transfer tasks that were held at the end of the study. In addition, the participants also improved in other assessment areas which were not the focus of this study. This research underscores the need for a pedagogical shift towards dynamic and context-sensitive approaches that delve deeper into the nuanced processes of constructing coherent and cohesive texts within the IELTS framework to prepare learners for this high-stakes test and equip them with the essential linguistic skills to succeed. The study’s implications extend to educators, assessors, curriculum developers, policymakers, and researchers, advocating for a paradigm shift in language education that aligns with Vygotsky’s principles, promoting cognitive development and anticipating future learning needs. Overall, this dissertation contributes to the dialogue on standardized testing and language education, reinforcing the importance of targeted mediation in achieving language proficiency for educational success
The Importance of Naming Your Program
Get PDFThis resource provides guidance on naming postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability. Authors suggest using names that focus on academics, like College & Community Studies, to make programs feel more inclusive. This guide is useful for educators and school administrators who want to create inclusive and empowering program names
The Psychological Risks of War Between the United States and China
Get PDFThe relationship between the United States and China has deteriorated over the past two decades and fears of escalating risks of war are regularly reported in global media. This article explores the psychological factors that contribute to the two superpowers shifting from a collaborative relationship to a competitive relationship, seeing each other as enemies, feeling increasingly threatened by each other, failing to consider the heightened sensitivities that arise from their respective traumatic pasts, triggering the collapse of thinking and unleashing of uncontainable emotionality, escalating accidents to conflict, and escalating conflict to war. It highlights the dangers of ignoring heightened trauma-related sensitivities, or worse, the humiliation of the Other for domestic political gain or strategic advantage. This psychodynamic analysis of the psychological risks of war between the two superpowers considers the dynamics of Thucydides’s Trap and ways to avoid succumbing to the dynamics of inevitability. The essence of the psychodynamic approaches to managing these risks is to anticipate the seemingly irrational and inevitable by preparing to counter the regressive forces driven by fear, contain the overwhelming emotionality, and restore the capacity for complex thinking in order to fully understand the nuances of the situation and find creative solutions to a potential impasse
Scaling Expertise: A Note on Homophily in Online Discourse and Content Moderation
Get PDFIt is now empirically clear that the structure of online discourse tends toward homophily; users strongly prefer to interact with content and other users that are similar to them. I review the evidence for the ubiquity of homophily in discourse and highlight some of its worst effects including narrowed information landscape for users and increased spread of misinformation. I then discuss the current state of moderation frameworks at large social media platforms and how they are ill-equipped to deal with structural trends in discourse such as homophily. Finally, I sketch a moderation framework based on a principal of “scaling expertise” that I believe can contend with the scale of online discourse while maintaining sensitivity to context and culture
Abriendo Puertas: Exploring the Challenges to Homeownership and Housing Stability for Latinos in Massachusetts
Get PDFThis report speaks to the current state of housing for Latinos in the Commonwealth; and it’s not great. Areas where Latinos still face inequities are compounded in a way that directly impacts access to housing and thus, ability to build generational wealth, or at the very least housing stability. We have solutions to these issues, like rent control, transfer fees, zoning changes, and even tax credits. What we lack is enough political power to have our voices make a larger impact, as Latinos own their homes at 32.7% , this issue is directly correlated to our low homeownership rates, often a measure of political investment
A Humanistic Approach To Politics: AHP\u27s Call For An Authentic Politics Of Truth And Accountability
Get PDFAs human beings on this tiny planet in the cosmos we call Earth, we live as ‘citizens’ in a variety of people-determined land demarcations that we call countries, each with its own unique version of politics. Citizens in the United States and people in the world, therefore, are engaged in a variety of political dramas. It is fair to say that in the United States and globally, the current political climate is very divisive. In the United States and globally, humanity is at an inflection point in the evolution of its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Out of fear, some people are looking backward to an illusionary past and call themselves ‘conservatives’ and some people are looking forward to a potentiated probable future and call themselves ‘progressives.’…This inflection point is mirrored in part via the ‘gaslighting’ tactics used by many politicians to con people into giving away their power to them as they play their divisive political games. …
Utilizing Digital Health Technologies to Promote Engagement in Behavioral Health Treatment Among Adults with Major Depressive Disorder
Get PDFBackground: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is extremely common and is difficult to treat. Evidenced-based interventions, promising medications, and care provided by experienced clinicians can be ineffective when patients disengage from treatment. Within an outpatient behavioral health program, low engagement in treatment among adult patients diagnosed with MDD negatively affects patient outcomes while contributing to provider burden. The most promising intervention to increase patient engagement based on evidence and needs of the local site is utilizing digital health technologies (DHTs), such as an online or smart-phone application.
Methods: Telehealth treatment augmented with digital health technologies among adult patients diagnosed with MDD was implemented in an outpatient behavioral health program to increase patient engagement in behavioral health treatment, in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce provider burden.
Intervention: DHTs were used to augment existing telehealth treatment to increase patient engagement for patients who met eligibility, based upon the DHT Guideline Algorithm. Providers and patients collaboratively selected a DHT application. Providers and patients were surveyed to assess feasibility, value added, and engagement with use of DHTs.
Results: A total of fifty-three patients screened eligible to participate in the project. Forty-seven percent of eligible patients (n=25) augmented telehealth treatment with DHTs. All of these patients remained engaged in treatment. The program disengagement rate reduced from pre to post implementation for both clinicians and prescribers. Patient Health Questionare-9 (PHQ-9) scores reduced by thirty-three percent and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores reduced by forty-five percent. The patient satisfaction survey showed a majority of patients found DHTs to be feasible to use (n=15), adding value to their treatment (n=12), and enjoyable to use (n=14). The provider satisfaction survey showed that sixty percent of providers (n=3) found that DHTs added value to treatment and improved patient outcomes.
Conclusions: Implementation of telehealth treatment augmented with DHTs among adult patients diagnosed with MDD receiving care from an outpatient behavioral health program was effective in increasing patient engagement in treatment for the project site, while also showing improvement in patients’ symptoms. Future work should explore provider training to increase confidence and competence with incorporating DHTs into practice
Mindful Military Leadership: Leveraging Critical and Creative Thinking to Navigate Modern Generational Dynamics in Teams
Get PDFContemporary military leadership faces a pressing challenge in reconciling traditional doctrine with the evolving needs and characteristics of Generation Z service members. This paper explores the vital importance of integrating critical and creative thinking skills into military small group dynamics to effectively prepare leaders for the complexities of their responsibilities as both decision makers and facilitators of successful teams. Drawing on a diverse range of sources, including academic literature, military publications, and firsthand experiences, the paper examines the inherent tensions between traditional military practices and the demands of a rapidly changing world. Through a synthesis of insights and recommendations, it proposes actionable strategies for enhancing leadership development initiatives to better align with the needs and expectations of rising generations. By fostering a culture of openness, innovation, and adaptability, military institutions can cultivate the next generation of leaders equipped to navigate the challenges of the twenty-first century