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Inspiring Sustainable Higher Education and Lean through a lean ambassadors network.
Get PDFThe chapter describes and reflects on the evolution of a Lean Ambassadors Network (LeAN 1.0) at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK. Building on a successful foundation of Business Excellence, and winning the BQF Excellence Model Award in 2016, the HEI have a strategic goal of embedding continuous improvement within the organisation. Professional Service, Academic Staff and Students were invited to participate in the network from Oct 2016 – Sept 17. As part of the pilot, a series of three training and one celebration workshop and were held. The aims of the workshops were to introduce the concepts of Lean, identify opportunities for improvement at the institution, and to introduce the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) cycle and value stream mapping (Brouwer-Hadzialic, L., & Wiegel, V. (2015) for use in subsequent continuous improvement projects. The chapter explores the successes, barriers and key requisites for the introduction of a HEI Lean Ambassadors Network using workshops and live projects. We conclude with a summary of successes and key challenges, and summarise the next steps for the launch of LeAN 2.0 in the spirit of continuous improvement and Lean Learning
The biomechanical effects of allograft wedges used for large corrections during medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy
Get PDFThe inclusion of an allograft wedge during medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy has been shown to lead to satisfactory time-to-union in larger corrections (>10°). Such large corrections are associated with greater incidences of intraoperative hinge fracture and reduced construct stability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical stability that an allograft wedge brings to an osteotomy. Ten medium-size fourth generation artificial sawbone tibiae underwent 12 mm biplanar medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy with a standard Tomofix plate. Five tibiae had an allograft wedge inserted into the osteotomy gap prior to plate fixation (allograft group). The gap in the remaining tibiae was left unfilled (control group). Each group underwent static compression testing and cyclical fatigue testing until failure of the osteotomy. Peak force, valgus malrotation, number of cycles, displacement and stiffness around the tibial head were analysed. Intraoperative hinge fractures occurred in all specimens. Under static compression, the allograft group withstood higher peak forces (6.01 kN) compared with the control group (5.12 kN). Valgus malrotation was lower, and stiffness was higher, in the allograft group. During cyclical fatigue testing, results within the allograft group were more consistent than within the control group. This may indicate more predictable results in large osteotomies with an allograft. Tibial osteotomies with allograft wedges appear beneficial for larger corrections, and in cases of intraoperative hinge fracture, due to the added construct stability they provide, and the consistency of results compared with tibial osteotomies without a graft
Encouraging the teacher-agent: resisting the neo-liberal culture in initial teacher education
Get PDFInfluenced by Sachs’ (2001) ‘activist identity’ I propose that pre-service teacher education or initial teacher education (ITE), as I will refer to it, could, and indeed should, encourage a new form of teacher: the ‘teacher-agent.’ This teacher-agent would be aware of the pressures and dictates of the neo-liberal educational culture and its ensuing performative discourse, and choose to resist it, in favour of a more holistic view of education. This view of education encourages inclusive, creative and democratic forms of education concernedwith encouraging a social conscience in children and young people, as well as seeing education as concerned with the whole child. These more holistic approaches to education could include pedagogical approaches such as Philosophy for Children (P4C), Rights Respecting Education and Slow Pedagogy, which can not only provide a more balanced understanding and deeper experience of education for both teachers and pupils, but can also help teachers to resist the debilitating impact of the neo-liberal performative discourse, potentially also thus impacting on their wellbeing and ability to retain theirintegrity as professionals. This may also have the potential to halt the rapid exodus of new teachers from the profession. It is my contention, that engaging with pedagogies such as P4C in this new iteration of ITE could help not only to encourage the Student Teacher-Agent, but also, as a consequence, develop the Citizen-Agent in the children they are teaching. In this paper I consider four key areas where I propose P4C could play a role in this alternative model of Initial Teacher Education: democracy in action, the teacher as Teacher-Facilitator, a space for co-construction of knowledge, and encouraging Social Justice
The Sicilian Cosa Nostra:Moving between Legal and Illegal Spheres
No full textThe article explores and discusses the way the SIcilian COsa Nostra became organic to power relation by moving between the legal and the illegal spheres
Flavonoid-Rich Mixed Berries Maintain and Improve Cognitive Function Over a 6 h Period in Young Healthy Adults
No full textResearch with young adults has previously indicated flavonoid-rich berry interventions facilitate improved executive function (EF) and positive affect 20 min–2 h post-dosing. There has been little consideration of the impact of a berry intervention over a working day and interventions have also tended to consider only a single berry type. This study investigated the temporal profile of EF and mood changes over a 6 h period following a mixed-berry intervention. We hypothesized berry-related benefits would be most evident when participants were cognitively compromised on demanding elements of the task or during periods of fatigue. The study employed a single-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, between-subjects design. Forty participants aged 20–30 years consumed a 400 mL smoothie containing equal blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry (n = 20) or matched placebo (n = 20). Mood was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; EF was tested using the Modified Attention Network (MANT) and Task Switching (TST) Tasks. Testing commenced at baseline then 2, 4 and 6 h post-dosing. As expected, following placebo intervention, performance decreased across the day as participants became cognitively fatigued. However, following berry intervention, participants maintained accuracy on both cognitive tasks up to and including 6 h, and demonstrated quicker response times on the MANT at 2 and 4 h, and TST at 6 h. This study demonstrates the efficacy of flavonoid rich berries in maintaining or improving cognitive performance across the 6 h day
The relationship between implicit theories of intelligence, attainment and socio‐demographic factors in a UK sample of primary school children
No full textResearch emerging from the USA suggests that holding an incremental theory of intelligence (growth mindset) has a positive impact on academic success. However, limited empirical work has explored this relationship in a UK sample, and there has been a lack of research into the antecedents which might influence the development of certain intelligence beliefs. This study aimed to explore these gaps in the existing literature. Data was collected from 710 9‐year‐old pupils (UK Year 5). Participants completed attainment tests in Maths and English, and a questionnaire to assess their implicit theories of intelligence (mindset). Socio‐demographic information—including gender, ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) status and special educational needs (SEN) status—was also collected. Results showed that pupils eligible for FSM or SEN endorsed more of an entity theory of intelligence than pupils not eligible for either. Analysis of the whole sample showed that attainment significantly correlated with implicit theories of intelligence, however, this relationship did not exist for children with FSM or SEN status. These findings help to elucidate the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and attainment in the UK, but also suggest the importance of external support in potentially facilitating pupils' belief systems. Results are discussed in relation to avenues for targeted intervention
Scales of Conflict in Bronze Age to Iron Age Britain: Enemies both Outside and Within
Get PDFIn this paper I assess two archaeological phenomena for Bronze to Iron Age Britain: the expanding scale of conflict over this period and the practice of what is often called deviant burial, and I consider their possible connection. Such burials may relate to a wider pattern of social violence, given that community setbacks need to be explained away, perhaps requiring scapegoats to take the blame, who met their death as a result of being identified as ‘the enemy within’.) Although burials with weaponry occurred in the Early Bronze Age, there is little evidence of conflict and few deviant burials. The Later Bronze Age and the Iron Age, by contrast, provide significant evidence at varying scales of both warfare and deviant burial practices