Poly(ester amide) copolymers based on L-lactide (2) and a new depsipeptide (1) were prepared by ring opening polymerization in the presence of Sn(Oct)2 as the catalyst. Variable monomer feed ratios up to 2.3 mol% 1 afforded copolymers containing ester and amido functional groups in the backbone. Lower glass transition temperatures and reduced crystallization kinetics and crystallinity compared to homo-polylactide (PLA) was achieved with low levels of amido incorporation. A reactivity comparison between enchainment of 2 and 1 was determined using in situ infrared spectroscopy. An increase in shear viscosity was observed with the increase of 1 content as determined by rheology studies. Cellular compatibility of the co-polymers was investigated by seeding D1 mouse stem cells onto films and characterizing cell morphology by optical microscopy. Preliminary results indicate that these novel materials exhibit reduced cell attachment compared to PLA and, pending further exploration, may have potential use in biomedical applications.
Today’s world requires attention to all aspects of initial literacy teacher preparation, including how and what preservice teachers learn about the component processes of reading. To address this imperative, a review was conducted of articles published from 2000 to 2018 identified through the CITE-ITEL database ( https://cite.edb.utexas.edu ) that reported findings related to reading processes and initial teacher preparation. After an inductive analytic process, the authors organize findings into five focus areas: (a) definitions and delimitations of reading processes, (b) studies of preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching reading processes, (c) research identifying preservice teachers’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions, (d) intervention studies aimed at increasing preservice teachers’ knowledge, and (e) studies detailing the application of knowledge about reading processes into contexts of pedagogical practice. The discussion considers the current gaps in how reading processes and literacy are conceptualized and possible areas of inquiry related to preservice teacher education and reading processes.
The study examines how a white elementary educator used discursive practices I refer to as “race talk moves” to support students’ racial literacy during whole-class read-alouds. This case study found that the teacher used four moves that have been previously documented in literature discussions: listening, participating, synthesizing, and challenging. Significantly, however, the teacher drew upon these moves in ways that were responsive to students’ racialized identities and emergent understandings of race. Moreover, the analysis identified a new, fifth move, what I call “anchoring,” that supported students in moving from surface-level conceptions of race to a deeper understanding of systemic racism. By actively responding to and deepening students’ racial literacy contributions, anchoring moves illuminate how teachers and students can co-construct critical race knowledge. This study diverges from previous research on the drawbacks of white teachers talking about race to demonstrate the moves teachers can make to support students’ racial literacy development.
Drawing on a theoretical framework that centers race, racism, and anti-racism, this study explores a coaching conference in preservice literacy teacher education. In classrooms, teachers often encounter disruptions in the community; however, those disruptions are often seen as problems to be solved and are addressed without interrogating race discourses. This study builds on previous research that has explored how teachers engage in developing understandings about race in relation to their practice using discursive tools of racial literacy. We ask, How do three White teachers draw on race discourses that are racist and anti-racist within the context of one coaching event, a post-conference? Using critical discourse analysis, we describe and interpret how race discourses were drawn upon and disrupted in the conference. We conclude with a discussion of the racial literacy practices that have promise in this coaching context and in other professional settings.
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