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Helicopter stories to support children's development
Get PDFThis months’ ‘leadership journey’ follows Lorna Rayner and her project to introduce helicopter stories to promote communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development
An early years model of transformative leadership: Becoming a change agent
Get PDFIn this article Debra Laxton and Abi Horn conclude the early years leadership series by looking at the combination of elements that are necessary in enabling early years educators to lead practice improvements and become agents of change
Developing the practice of staff in partnership with employers
No full textThis chapter invites you to reflect on and recognise the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing partnerships between themselves and further education colleges (FECs) whilst acknowledging some of the controversies about how the employers support higher education opportunities for the EY sector. It also provides the prospect to understand the development of the Foundation Degree in Early Years (FDEY) and reflect upon employers’ and students’ perspectives of the programme. There is a summary of reactions and examples of impacts on practice from different categories of employers. The chapter continues with a focus on views of FDEY students with the relevance of a growing graduate workforce, including the recent Graduate Practitioner Competences introduced by the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN), being explored within the complexities of the current political framework. The chapter furthermore introduces the notion of continual professional development (CPD) and what this means for the EY profession. Case studies and examples to show the skills in planning and facilitating self-managed learning are explored. The chapter concludes with suggested strategies for employers to support staff and colleagues with their CPD requirements
From setting to strategy: a study into perspectives on higher education of experienced early years practitioners, a 'paradigm shift' on two levels
Get PDFResearch was carried out on the Isle of Wight, in the United Kingdom, to determine the impact of Higher Education (HE) in childhood studies as studied at a Further Education (FE) college. The original aims were to find out what a childhood studies graduate ‘looks like’ and what degrees in the sector offer employers. It also set out to evaluate the impact of the Graduate Practitioner Competences (GPCs) offered by HE providers. Research took the form of focus groups with childhood studies undergraduates and on analysis. The participants focus was on professional progression and personal development beyond the early years setting. Findings pointed to an appreciation of the skills and abilities of childhood graduates by managers but, once embarked on HE programmes, Early Childhood Education Care (ECEC) practitioners tend to look to develop their careers beyond the setting they are employed. The participants used their degrees to move away from the role of ECEC practitioner into more ‘professional’ positions such as teaching and social work. It was not possible to evaluate the impact of GPCs in the way intended, because the participants had little knowledge of this new government initiative. This constitutes a paradigm shift in two ways: first, students begin to see the opportunities available to them and look for career development, and second, the research on this group took a different direction to that first anticipated. It began to focus not on the impact of HE on practitioners in the ECEC workforce, but on the perceived benefits to practitioners in terms of career progression and self-satisfaction. It is recommended that for further research on GPCs be carried out on practitioners at earlier stages in their careers
The impact on the pregnancy and post-partum experience
No full textPart two of the series by Louisa Johnson investigating the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on families with babies reports on the research of pregnancy experiences and how much support from midwives and health visitors that the participants received
Industry experience and supporting part-time academic professionals: professional sport and academic development parallels
Get PDFFor many, the route towards teaching within education, and in particular, higher education (HE), does not always follow a straightforward, linear fashion. Indeed, some take unconventional routes, and this is particularly apparent within the context of UK HE given that the requirements of this sector oftentimes specifically ask for significant industry experience. How else to develop this, other than through experience itself? Accruing it, admittedly, is particularly helpful in underpinning and developing the vocational/professional expertise of lecturers (that benefits students), yet to have gained this oftentimes means shifting from one career to another, in this case to HE
Review of: Social Distance in Social Work: COVID Capsule One, Dominic Watters (ed.) and Shahid Naqvi (co-edited), Kent , Social Distance Writers, 2021, pp. 95, ISBN 9798517317438, £9.99 (p/b)
Get PDFEffects of 56-kilogram kettlebell swing endpoint on total body mechanics
No full textRoss, JA, Keogh, JWL, Lorenzen, C, and Lake, J. Effects of 56-kilogram kettlebell swing endpoint on total body mechanics. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2023—In the past 2 decades, kettlebell training popularity has increased and the range of kettlebells has expanded to 2–92 kg. However, commercially available kettlebells above 56 kg have 12 kg increments, so alternatives to load are required to provide a suitable way of increasing training stimulus until the athlete is strong enough for a load increase. This study aimed to determine the differences in the force plate–derived biomechanical characteristics of heavy kettlebell swings to 3 different heights, as altering the height of the kettlebell swing may be one way to alter the mechanical demands with the same kettlebell mass. Fifteen resistance-trained men performed the kettlebell swing to acromion process height (AH), acromion process height + 20% (AH+20), and acromion process height—20% (AH-20). Swing height significantly affected vertical braking and propulsion phase net impulse and displacement, vertical braking velocity, and braking and propulsion work but not braking and propulsion duration. Altering kettlebell swing trajectory endpoint is a method to regress/progress the demands of kettlebell training. Coaches may be able to alter the acute demands and likely chronic adaptations of kettlebell training by prescribing different swing heights and kettlebell masses to their athletes
Where is technology in the ‘golden thread’ of teacher professional development?
Get PDFResearchers and policy makers have consistently agreed that the quality
of teachers is one of the most important factors in determining the quality of
an educational system and that teachers need to be supported and developed
through rigorous initial teacher education and continuous professional development.
In the specific case of teachers’ ability to make effective use of technology,
it has been noted that teachers require both technological and pedagogical training
and education that equips them with the knowledge, confidence and skills
they need. Given this broad, international consensus about the importance of
teacher education for effective technology use, this paper explores the ‘golden
thread’ of teacher development proposed by the UK government for teachers in
England. This sets out a detailed curriculum for teacher development with very
little reference to educational technology. The paper considers some of the potential
missed opportunities to develop teacher expertise and practice with technology
Reactive oxygen species in biological media are they friend or foe? Major In vivo and In vitro sensing challenges
No full textThe role of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) on biological media has been shifting over the years, as the knowledge on the complex mechanism that lies in underneath their production and overall results has been growing. It has been known for some time that these species are associated with a number of health conditions. However, they also participate in the immunoactivation cascade process, and can have an active role in theranostics. Macrophages, for example, react to the presence of pathogens through ROS production, potentially allowing the development of new therapeutic strategies. However, their short lifetime and limited spatial distribution of ROS have been limiting factors to the development and understanding of this phenomenon. Even though, ROS have shown successful theranostic applications, e.g., photodynamic therapy, their wide applicability has been hampered by the lack of effective tools for monitoring these processes in real time. Thus the development of innovative sensing strategies for in vivo monitoring of the balance between ROS concentration and the resultant immune response is of the utmost relevance. Such knowledge could lead to major breakthroughs towards the development of more effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Within this review we will present the current understanding on the interaction mechanisms of ROS with biological systems and their overall effect. Additionally, the most promising sensing tools developed so far, for both in vivo and in vitro tracking will be presented along with their main limitations and advantages. This review focuses on the four main ROS that have been studied these are: singlet oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.