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Macro Practice Social Work Licensing Roundtable
No full textThe roundtable featured members of the Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice Licensing Task Force, who provided contextual information and engaged attendees in meaningful discussions about the work of the group. The facilitators highlighted accomplishments from the last three years of their collaborative effort around promoting, protecting, and advancing macro practice social work. The recently completed comprehensive definition of social work and the extensive process that preceded the completion of the definition was also presented. Additionally, three recommendations of advocacy that have emerged as priorities from the group’s efforts were introduced and discussed: 1) States should adopt the language of the Social Work Model Practice Act, specifically regarding graduate licensure and clinical licensure. 2) Graduate social work students should pursue a graduate level license. 3) States should link Title Protection for social work to a BSW/MSW degree. Existing research regarding licensure, and the challenges facing macro-practice social work practitioners, educators, researchers, and students will prompt dialogue around the future of the profession
The Effects of Daily Read Alouds on Comprehension Acquisition in a Montessori Setting
Get PDFThe purpose of this research study was to examine the effects of chapter book read alouds on young children’s comprehension in a Montessori setting. Children participated in discussion and a retell activity while I read a chapter book aloud during the lunch period over of three weeks. This helped me gather data on the effects of the children’s comprehension and understanding of the story over a period of time. Seven children between the ages of five and six years participated in this study. All of these children attend a private Montessori school in a midwestern metropolitan area and attend the school Monday through Friday until at least 3pm each day. Data showed that the discussion and activity implemented in the study assisted children in their understanding of the chapter book over a period of time, even though there were some inconsistencies in the data gathered. The action plan includes changes in times of day read alouds are implemented, changes in number of days read alouds are implemented, and emphasis on story sequencing when retelling a story
The Effects of Professional Development on Collective Teacher Efficacy
Get PDFThis action research study aims to determine the effect of control-based group games on self-controlled behavior in a Montessori primary classroom. The study took place over a period of four weeks and included 17 participants ages 35 months to 6 years. A control-based group game, such as Red Light/Green Light or This action research examined the effects of professional development on collective teacher efficacy in a primary Montessori setting. The focus group comprised four participants, three lead teachers, and a site supervisor. The methodology consisted of four one-hour professional development sessions including quantitative and qualitative data collection, initial and final surveys and interview questions, a focus group, and weekly teacher self-assessment. There were four critical findings from the intervention. First, a teacher who demonstrated past negative feelings increased self-perception/ capabilities. Second, the top response to the interview questions was to help other staff/ offer assistance. Third, the teacher’s self-assessment response improved communication during week one intervention but decreased by the end of the intervention. The last finding was improving the participants’ feelings about the program and the school. Potential future action research is recommended to provide longer interventions, more quantitative data tools, and be conducted during a non-pandemic situation
The Impact of Creative Movement Presentations on Dance Participation and Student Attitudes Towards Dance in a Montessori Early Childhood Classroom
Get PDFThis study sought to examine how time management skills would impact the self-efficacy of Teacher Leaders working in a teacher-led school model. The participants of the four-week study were three Teacher Leaders from two teacher-led primary Montessori schools in an urban area. The Teacher Leaders incorporated time management skills including time analysis, establishing goals, prioritization, and planning/scheduling.Data was collected on Teacher Leader productivity, distribution of time among teaching and administrative roles, self-efficacy, and time management behavior through pre- and post- questionnaires, daily to-do lists, and daily activity logs. The study concluded that although the results were not statistically significant, two out of three Teacher Leader’s productivity, time management behavior, and self-efficacy did improve over the course of the study. Further research is needed to determine how these time management skills impact Teacher Leader’s experienced stress, perceived productivity, and to further investigate how Teacher Leaders’ distribution of time among teaching and administrative roles impacts stress and self-efficacy
The Effects of Peer Collaboration on Students’ Writing Skills and Their Attitude Towards Writing in a Hybrid Montessori Classroom of Second and Third Grade Students.
Get PDFAbstract The purpose of this technology-integrated research is to understand the effects peer collaboration has on students writing skills on 2nd and 3rd graders in a virtual setting. The research took place over five weeks in a lower elementary classroom in a private Montessori school in New England area. The population included 18 students ages 8 to 9. Students participated in a 5-week intervention process, working in groups of 3 on peer collaboration, sharing ideas, and creating group written work. The findings indicate an overall beneficial effect on children’s attitude towards writing, leading to better writing skills and communication skills. Collaborative writing in a technology-integrated platform positively impacted students’ typing skills. Continued research is necessary to assess additional domains such as cognitive improvement, vocabulary effects, and students’ specific writing skills
Standard Work for Nurse Leaders: A Quality Improvement Project
Get PDFProviding role clarity and defining the standard work of nursing leaders is essential to reduce burnout, increase the quality of care provided, and ensure there is an adequate supply of qualified nurse leaders (Kelly & Adams, 2018; Seichter, 2018).Standard work is the established best and most reliable method and sequence of work to minimize waste and maximize performance providing routine and structure to create clear expectations for the nurse leader (Thomas Jackson, 2012). The additional responsibilities of leadership can lead to burnout, and the risk is further perpetuated when a leader does not effectively understand the complexities of their role (Kelly & Adams, 2018). Nurse leaders are critical to a healthy work environment as they can unintentionally create a trickle-down effect on those with whom they work. The impact of lower staff engagement correlates to lower-quality patient care, patient experience, productivity, and an increased potential for medical errors and workplace accidents (Seichter, 2018). Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, best practices, and recommendations from subject matter experts in collaboration with current nurse leaders, this project created and piloted standard work tools related to financial management for nurse leaders of ICUs at a large academic health center in the Midwest. Although the standard work tools will require revision, 100% of the nurse leader participants suggested the continuation and further development of standard work tools to support improving clarity regarding the expectations of the nurse leader role
Implementation of a Standardized Nurse to Nursing Assistant Hand-Off Process in the Inpatient Setting
Get PDFCommunication is critical to nursing and considered to be the backbone of successful nursing collaboration (Kear, 2016). Effective communication during delegation from the registered nurse (RN) to the nursing assistant (NA) is important for optimal teamwork and work-flow in the fast-paced inpatient setting. Inconsistencies in the delegation process lead to frustration and disconnect among the nursing staff at a suburban inpatient hospital unit which was the site of this DNP project. The goal of the project was to improve communication, teamwork, and efficiency of work-flow through the use of a standardized RN to NA hand-off delegation tool. A pre-implementation survey was conducted to determine participant’s perceived need for improvement with the current delegation processes. A standardized hand-off tool was then developed and used by the nursing staff during the delegation process. Evaluation of the participants perceived improvement in the hand off process was assessed through the use of a post-implementation survey. Results of the post-implementation survey showed a majority of participants felt neutral about improvement to RN and NA communication and teamwork with use of the standardized hand-off process. Additional study into individual vs team readiness for change, motivation for participation in quality improvement projects, and additional strategies for successful RN to NA communication is needed to successfully impact the RN to NA delegation process
School-Based Health Centers: Accessible Health Care for Uninsured and Underinsured Children
Get PDFAccess to affordable health care is essential to community health outcomes. Health care is not easily accessible to all, especially children who are uninsured and underinsured. Children affected by social determinants are more likely to be uninsured and underinsured, resulting in access barriers. Using Penchansky and Thomas\u27s access theory, this project designed and implemented a school-based health center (SBHC) to develop meso-level change and improve health care access for uninsured and underinsured children. The SBHC was implemented in a Midwest public school-district. Health care services were no-cost and included primary care, mental health services, chronic illness management, and health education. Parents or guardians of children clinic users were surveyed to help determine if the clinic was accessible. The project evaluation concluded that the SBHC was accessible to clinic users. However, further initiatives such as the use of mobile clinics are needed to broaden outreach to the targeted population. Relatively inexpensive to operate, SBHCs offer high-quality care and improve health outcomes. School-based health centers contribute to socioeconomic development by bypassing larger social structural conditions that present barriers to care. Finally, this SBHC project model utilized post-secondary health students to deliver care; the up-close connection offers a unique opportunity for adolescent SBHC users to explore health careers. Policymakers should consider SBHCs a permanent solution to the U.S. health care system\u27s failure to aid uninsured and underinsured children