(An item from the ISHN Member information service) We often refer to the need to have an evidence-based framework for planning and implementing health/development approaches and programs. One of these frameworks is the Concerns-based Adoption Model model that was published several years ago. An article published in Issue 33, 2013 of the Journal of Educational Administration by one of the authors of this model examines the implementation processes through this lens. "this paper introduces the three diagnostic dimensions of the CBAM) along with illustrations of how each can be used to assess extent of implementation. Highlights from the four decades of development and use of each of these constructs are presented. Each of the constructs, Stages of Concern, Levels of Use and Innovation Configurations, is described along with review of the four decade story of its measurement development. Reference is made to selected studies. Implications of each construct for research, program evaluation and facilitating change processes are highlighted." Read more>>
0 Comments
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #2, 2013 of the Asia-Pacific Journal on Teacher Education reports on a survey of 1397 teachers in Australia, followed by interviews with 37 teachers. the authors report that one-half to two-thirds of teachers were knowledgeable and confident about selected components of mental health promotion. The authors report that "Independent judgments by staff about students’ mental health status concurred with students’ scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in about 75% of cases, indicating a good level of staff awareness about students’ mental health status. Exposure to the KidsMatter Primary mental health promotion initiative was associated with improvements in teachers’ efficacy, knowledge and pedagogy, with small to medium effect sizes. Qualitative analysis indicated that teachers’ subject-matter and pedagogical knowledge were heavily reliant on curriculum resources." Implications of these findings are discussed. Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #2, 2013 of the Canadian Journal of Counselling & Psychotherapy reviews the literature on youuth to work transitions and then extracts the implications for counsellors. The authors "first discuss today’s hypermodern world, specifically the meanings being conveyed by today’s complex social realities and their impact on individuals’ (work) lives. An overview of research, most of it framed from the perspective of current youth studies literature, follows, addressing how today’s youth think, feel, and act while negotiating work transitions. Finally, some implications for career counselling theory and practice are derived, using some of the most recent developments in the career field theory as an integrative framework." Read More>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) The school health movement has focused on transforming schools through "whole school" strategies. As proponents, we would learn much from reading Issue #2, 2013 of Improving Schools, where the concept of "schoolwide pedagogies" is discussed in a special issue. There are several articles but this quote from the concluding article is quite revealing. "The term schoolwide pedagogy was once rarely heard and yet has now become a part of most discussions around school improvement. But what does it really mean and why is the presence of a schoolwide pedagogical framework important? Some would say that in their school the adoption of an authoritative approach such as Habits of Mind, Bloom’s Taxonomies or the Productive Pedagogies is a schoolwide pedagogical framework. To some extent they are, but what is often lacking is the intellectual and social capacity that is built through collective professional sharing and articulation of strongly held beliefs about contextually relevant teaching and learning practices. Without this sense of ownership, teacher adoption ends up being sporadic at best with some teachers paying only lip service to imposed quality frameworks". If this is the case for matters at the heart of the school (ie how to teach), then what can we expect for matters such as health, which are often seen as secondary? (unless we truly understand and commit to working within schools in a sustained manner) Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #2, 2013 of the European Journal of Education describes the policies and pathways used to help young people make the transition between secondary schooling and employment. The authors report that "young people's transitions from education to work are shaped by a variety of structural and institutional relations in education and the labour market. We argue that analysis of developments in approaches to education and training benefits from including these perspectives. This article explores these differences and similarities in a comparative transnational context across two continents. The article suggests that it not useful, whether from a policy or scholarly perspective, to link education and employment without examining the role and type of the welfare state, including the role and type of capitalism within that state, and the relationship of the welfare state to transition systems. With these concerns as our focus, the article has two objectives. The first is to establish some links between comparative research on transition systems and the literatures on welfare state regimes and varieties of capitalism. The second is to draw out some of these links with two concrete and contrasting examples in a comparative manner, focussing on Denmark and Australia. Free access to full text is provided. Read More>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) The Transition Year (TY) program in Ireland is an optional one-year program that can be taken in the year after the Junior Certificate in Ireland and is intended to make the senior cycle a three year program encompassing both Transition Year and Leaving Certificate.[The mission statement of the Transition Year is to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society.. The TY was introduced as a pilot project in September 1974 and was introduced as a mainstream option in 1994. Students in the TY do not have exams but are assessed, The program s intended to be a broad educational experience which assists in the transition from the school environment by encouraging creativity and responsibility for oneself. Approximately 75% of second-level schools offer TY. It consists of both education and work experience. Schools generally set admissions criteria and design the program based on local needs in accordance with departmental guidelines. The year focuses on many non-academic subjects, such as life skills including: First Aid, cooking, self-defense, driving and typing. A lot of sport goes on, with many different types including: rock-climbing, hill-walking, horse-riding, kayaking and orienteering. Voluntary Work is a requirement in many schools, with students helping out in local communities and charities. It is not possible to fail Transition Year overall: all students continue to their next year of education no matter what their results. However, if a student does not do the set work or is absent for a large amount of time, there is a chance that the school will request that they leave. An article in Issue #2, 2013 of Irish Educational Studies documents the development of the program since its inception.The use of the TY to offset economic or other disadvantages is also discussed. Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) Knowing that there is often too much content to cover in a health/personal-social development curriculum, health advocates often suggest that other subjects be used to convey health messages. This is an attractive idea but a qualitative study from singapore, reported in Volume 31 of Teaching & Teacher Education, reports that implementing an integrated curriculum strategy may be difficult for teachers. The authors report that "In this qualitative study, we examined eleven Singapore teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning as related to their experiences implementing integrated curriculum. Interviews revealed that the teachers' conceptions of integration spanned the spectrum of ideas found in relevant literature. Further, although participants saw benefits to integration, including greater engagement of learners, they also spoke of significant obstacles to its implementation, such as teachers' own perceived lack of subject knowledge and a misalignment with the assessment system. The findings, while echoing previous studies conducted in various countries, highlight implementation difficulties in settings where high stake examinations and disciplinary-based curriculum prevail.". Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article in Volume 30, 2013 of the Journal of Teaching & Teacher Education explores how the micro=politics of the school, particularly the staffroom, where teachers spend much of their non-teaching time, as a key factor in teacher development, particularly their professional identity. The article examines the effect of the staffroom on beginning health/PE teachers. The authors suggest that "Staffroom occupants shaped situations which beginning teachers encountered. Micropolitical practices reflected personal and professional interests and knowledge. The staffroom context had the capacity to [re]shape beginning teacher learning." Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #3, 2013 of the British Journal of Guidance & Counselling explores the connection between career guidance programs and well-being or health. Since many health education curricula are now combined with career education, this focus is worthy of discussion. The authors suggest that "There are both conceptual and empirical reasons to expect that the impacts may be positive, but a lack of evidence directly testing this proposition. Career guidance has commonalities with therapeutic counselling suggesting analogous effects, and it promotes positive engagement in work and learning, which may be associated with health benefits. There are implications for services in reconciling health and employment objectives. However, the promotion of well-being need not imply quasi-clinical ways of working. A call is made for more research and debate in the career guidance community. Read more>>
(An item from the ISHN Member information service) Several articles in a Supplementary Issue of Public Health Reports provide a comprehensive reframing of sexual health promotion, moving away from disease-focused, preventive strategies towards a holistic and health promoting approach. One article in the issue presents an excellent ecological analysis and then presents the principles that could underlie ecology-based actions. These principles include contextualizing the issues, using systemic thinking, focusing on relationships, acknowledging sexuality and emphasizing wellness. Another article reports on how the state or Oregon is shifting from a teen pregnancy strategy to a sexual health promotion approach. Two articles present indicators for monitoring progress in the US and Canada. Two articles discuss the impact of socio-economic status on teen pregnancy and early initiation of sexual activity. Read more>>
|
Welcome to our
|