12244 research outputs found
Sort by
The production of social spaces for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties: a Lefebvrian analysis
Get PDFThere is on-going debate about whether mainstream education is desirable for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Whilst some hold that ‘inclusion’ is a human right, and that interaction with mainstream peers leads to socio-cognitive gains, others argue that profoundly disabled learners require developmental curricular provided by special schools. Despite such claims, there is little evidence to support either view. This paper contributes to the debate by presenting research that examined how mainstream schools and special schools, across nursery, primary, and secondary settings, provided alternative social spaces for children with PMLD. It applies a Lefebvrian lens to illuminate how social engagement depended on the extent to which prescribed practices (‘abstract spaces’) dominated the interaction (‘spatial practices’), and the conditions which allowed novel forms of engagement to emerge (‘lived spaces’). Novel forms of engagement correlated with positive social development. The conclusion challenges the ‘mainstream-special’ binary presupposed in inclusion debates
‘Why aren’t there more women in your books?’ Ann and William Golding
No full textThrough an examination of archival material, this chapter details the previously undocumented importance of the contribution of Ann Golding in the work of Nobel Prize Laureate William Golding
The plastic and functional changes in hippocampal neurons during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum are reversed by offspring deprivation
No full textBackground:
Pregnancy and lactation are governed by hormones and neurophysiological processes, including differential expression of trophic factors, functional and structural synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis in different brain areas.
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to evaluate the number of neurotrophic factors, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of rats during pregnancy, lactation, as well as in dams that were deprived of their pups one week after birth or treated with Finasteride or Clomiphene.
Methods:
Adult female Sprague Dawley CD rats were treated with finasteride (25 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or clomiphene (5 mg/kg, intragastrically) from day 12 to 18 of pregnancy. Dams during pregnancy, lactation, and those deprived of their pups, which were sacrificed 7 days after delivery, were used to study Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Activity-regulated Cytoskeletal (Arc) protein expression, dendritic spine density (DSD), and cell proliferation in the hippocampus.
Results:
BDNF, Arc, and DSD markedly increased after 21 days of pregnancy (the time of delivery), an effect that lasted for 21 days during lactation and was abolished by physiological weaning (21 days after delivery). The modifications in the mentioned parameters were associated with a dramatic reduction of neurosteroid content when compared to estrus females. In contrast, after 21 days of pregnancy, an increase in cell proliferation and a decrease during the first three weeks of postpartum were observed. Finasteride and clomifene failed to modify the changes in BDNF and Arc content elicited by pregnancy and delivery. Pups deprivation induced a rapid reduction in the amount of BDNF, Arc, and DSD while increasing cell proliferation.
Conclusion:
In rats, the changes in plastic properties of hippocampal neurons during pregnancy, lactation, and pups deprivation may play a crucial role in the modulation of maternal care
From living to lived and being-with: exploring the interaction styles of children and staff towards a child with profound and multiple learning disabilities
Get PDF‘Profound and multiple learning disabilities’ (‘PMLD’) is a term used in the UK to refer to children with extensive impairments to cognitive development. The majority of children with PMLD are taught in special schools where specialist interventions are deployed to help PMLD children progress through the preverbal stages of development. Despite international calls for ‘inclusive education’ there has been very little research examining how mainstream schools provide ‘naturalistic’ opportunities for PMLD children to develop early communication skills. This paper addresses the situation by presenting a project that investigated how special school staff and mainstream school peers embodied different interaction styles towards a child with PMLD. The research utilised ethnographic methods including participant observation, vignette-writing, and on-going dialogue with teaching staff to develop interpretations of the child’s interactions in context. A novel phenomenological lens was applied to the findings to illuminate how differences in social engagement were contingent upon the framing of the body as living or lived, whether interactions were normatively symbolic or intercorporeal, and how different modes of ‘Being-with’ the participant shaped interactions. The paper concludes by discussing how models of interaction found in the PMLD field overlook the situated nature of sociality
Accountability and corporate human rights violations in tort and international law
Get PDFThis volume identifies a coherent legal principle in order to establish a novel duty of care for corporate human rights violations and environmental damages. It examines whether tort and civil law offer better accountability and remedies for victims of corporate human rights abuses, and carries out an in-depth and critical analysis of the concept of corporate accountability. Moreover, a fundamental part of this book is devoted to examining the extent to which international criminal law influences international human rights law in its use of tort law and civil law remedies. Finally, the book sets out a theoretical mechanism for duty of care, as well as a proposal for the establishment of a ‘Hybrid International Transnational Corporation Court’ that would have the potential to effectively interpret the concept of the corporate duty of care under tort law
Critical reflections on women, family, crime and justice, volume 1
No full textDrawing on original research from the Women, Family, Crime and Justice research network, this edited collection sheds new light on the challenges and experiences of women and families who encounter the criminal justice system in the UK. Each contribution demonstrates how these groups are often ignored, oppressed and repeatedly victimised. The book addresses crucial issues including short-term imprisonment, trauma-specific interventions, schools supporting children affected by parental imprisonment and visibility and voice in research. Bringing together contemporary knowledge from both research and practice, this ambitious volume offers valuable insights and practical recommendations for positive action and change
The swan: a biography
No full textFrom the details of the swan's lifecycle, to its place in popular culture and literature across the centuries, and from old symbolism to modern myths, this book is a fascinating guide to Britain's largest and most elegant bird
What is the role of preaching in Buddhism?
No full textPreaching was an ancient method of teaching within Buddhism. The Buddha himself used and displayed abundant skill in preaching his message effectively. Yet, after two and a half millennia, preaching remains vital in Buddhism, making Buddhism one of the most significant Asian contributions to human civilization, holding the attention of large gatherings, influencing their thought and practice, and taking a prominent place in ritual and festivals
"Two faces, each of a confused countenance": Coleridge, De Quincey, and contests of authority
Get PDFThomas De Quincey exploits his rivalry with Samuel Taylor Coleridge to structure many of the key features of his most famous work, ‘Confessions of an English Opium-Eater’ (1821). De Quincey's idolization of Coleridge began early and survived the anger and disappointment he felt after the collapse of their friendship and his discovery of Coleridge's intellectual duplicity. In ‘Confessions’, De Quincey's accounts of himself as a scholar of Greek literature, Ricardian economics, and Kantean philosophy are all galvanized by his knowledge that Coleridge too has worked in these areas. As opium addicts, De Quincey's experience of the drug overlaps with Coleridge's in a number of ways, while De Quincey differs from Coleridge – at least on the surface – in his claims about both the moral implications of drugged euphoria and the resolve needed to defeat addiction
The connection between English art school pedagogies in the 1960s and 1970s with punk, post-punk, and new wave music
No full textNumerous well-known popular musicians were educated within art schools (AS) through an era where the art form creatively expanded and set the basis for the multi-genre music industry which exists today. The main argument of this thesis is that a connection existed between 1960s and 70s art pedagogy, which occurred within some of the more radical AS in England, and the development of creative popular musicians who emerged within the subgenres of punk, post punk, and the new wave. A postmodern pedagogical theoretical framework has been innovatively developed to analyse the data, which identifies four main characteristics of the pedagogies developed at the art schools concentrated on within this research: the re-imagining of hierarchies, a focus on the creative process, an explosion of experimentation and the increasing importance of the interrelationships in artistic creation. These themes highlight key pedagogical philosophies and practices of English AS in the 1960s and 70s, connected to the creative development of those popular musicians influenced by the schools studied in this thesis. Eight interviews were undertaken with key participants of the English AS scene, who emerged as influential in the development of popular music. A postmodern approach to interviewing was employed, which achieved a co-creation of knowledge between participants and myself. Thematic Analysis was utilised to analyse the data and supported the development of the four themes related to creative practices: hierarchies, process, experimentation and relationships. Concluding the thesis is a set of recommendations for curriculum development within Higher Popular Music Education (HPME) based around the four central themes of this research