Likewise, reports and position statements generated through the press and media depict an equally depressing picture of our ublic school systems and their seeming inability to provide an appropriate education to the majority of our nation's youth (Beck, Namuth, Miller, & Wright, 1988;Drucker, 1989).Despite the consensus across professional and public domains that our nation remains at risk of not uc ting stud there is little agreement as to why we are not doing the job e ively. Some argue that curriculum and content issues underlie persistent student underachievement, while others suggest that poor leadership within school systems is a major culprit impeding excellence in education. In many cases, unions are seen as the driving force in perpetuating substandard educational environments. Overcrowded classrooms and limited cognitive abilities among teachers are also offered as explanations.While all of the reasons cited above may play a role in reducing our society's ability to attain excellence in education, one could make the argument that attempting to deliver educational content to an increasingly diverse student population makes for less than optimal educational outcomes. In fact, it is our view that one major impediment to achieving educational excellence in today's school environments is the difficulty teachers have in designing their instructional practices to accommodate diversity (e.g., individual differences) among students. In large part, the more diverse a teacher's classroom with respect to differences in students' ability levels, cultural backgrounds, and educational experiences, the greater the demands on the teacher for content expertise and knowledge of pedagogical principles. More directly stated, the more diverse the student population, the greater the need for teachers to select different representations of concepts for individual students, monitor and adjust the number of conceptual elements being presented, routinely induce strategies for learning, inspire and motivate students with different learning needs to invest in the instructional task, and perform all of these complex interactions simultaneously or in rapid juxtaposition within an ambiguous decision-making setting.at Australian National University on June 5, 2016 tes.sagepub.com Downloaded from 165 Within this context, one can not help but see that teaching in today's schools represents a complex series ot tasks. We would agree that curriculum, leadership issues, and class size contribute to our current educational woes, but it may also be the case that we simply are not preparing our teachers for the complexity of the demands that they face daily in the classroom (Graham, 1988;Kennedy, 1987;Thousand, 1988). To better understand the role of preparation issues within the complex process of teaching in today's classrooms, we recently completed a survey of regular and special educators to glean in-. formation related to how teachers themselves perceived the effectiveness of their graduate and undergraduate training. We were particularly ...
Purpose: Aphasia impacts not just the individual with aphasia, but also their family members and friends. Known as third-party disability, it is largely hidden but can be as pervasive as aphasia itself. Gavel Clubs are a Toastmasters International-affiliated group where members participate in public-speaking tasks. Participation has been associated with improvements in quality-of-life and communication confidence but the extent to which it can impact family members of people with aphasia is not yet known. This study explored family member perspectives of participation in a Gavel Club for people with aphasia, to reveal any benefits or challenges perceived by family members and/or close friends.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 13 family members or close friends of people with aphasia who regularly participated in a weekly Gavel Club. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Three themes were identified: (1) Something to do, (2) Sense of community and (3) I can see great improvements, along with two subthemes (i) This is not just us and (ii) Support of knowing other people go through it. The themes reflected a largely positive experience of Gavel Club participation as perceived by family members. The theme names were derived from quotes from the participants.Conclusions: Regular participation in a Gavel Club for people with aphasia has a positive impact beyond just the person with aphasia, extending to their family members and close friends. This impact can be direct, if the family members themselves participate, or indirect, through the perceived benefits for the person with aphasia.
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