The Arts@ Program: The Creation and Impact of an Arts Community at a Specialized Institution

This paper will examine the Arts@ Program, an arts and leadership program run by a director at a specialized institution of higher education in the northeastern United States. This paper offers the opportunity for readers to: 1.) Analyze a community arts program from a leadership perspective; 2.) Examine ways in which leadership, decision-making, and related factors can impact a community arts program; and 3.) Apply concepts of the Arts@ Program toward future virtual programmatic efforts. Key learnings from this paper include the following: 1.) Arts communities provide opportunities for all community members to engage in, build lasting memories from, and benefit from arts-related programmatic efforts, including arts instructors; 2.) Community arts programs have the potential to encourage aspects of self-leadership while also allowing participants to develop a deep, cogent appreciation for the arts; and 3.) Many of the design and delivery aspects of arts programs such as those discussed about the Arts@ Program can be applied toward future programmatic efforts, particularly in virtual formats. Reflections and recommendations for future research are presented.

The Effectiveness Of Using The Dunn And Dunn Model In Teaching The Unit Of Regular Fractions For Fifth-Grade Primary Students In Developing Achievement And Mathematical Intuition Skills

The current study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of using the Dunn and Dunn model in teaching the unit of regular fractions for fifth-grade primary students in developing achievement and mathematical intuition skills. The study sample was tested from fifth grade students in the first semester of Mosa ben Nosier school at Tabuk City, and they (30 students) were divided into two district groups; the first half (15 students) were allocated into the experimental group and the other half (15 students) made up the control group. After preparing and utilizing the instruments, the results of the research revealed the following: statistic between the mean scores of students of the experimental and control groups in the cognitive achievement test related to the unit of regular fractions in the first semester in favor of the average of the students of the experimental group, as it was found that there was a statistically significant difference at the level (0.01) between the average scores of students of the experimental group in the pre and post applications in the achievement test Cognitive, and in favor of the mean of post-application. The results also demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the control group and the experimental group in the mathematical intuition test as a whole, and in its components in the post-application for the benefit of the experimental group. Furthermore, the results indicated that to and statistically significant differences between the pre application and post application of the experimental group in the sport as a whole test intuition, and in its components in favor of the dimensional application, and in light of the results, this current study presents a number of recommendations as Encouraging math teachers to use the Dunn and Dunn model of learning styles to develop students' achievement and mathematical skills.

Playful Practices With Children With Intellectual Disabilities

This article aims to promote and support the physical education teacher's community in the use of playful practices with pupils with mild intellectual disabilities (MID), as a didactic medium, and a substantial educational resource of quality physical education. Firstly, it will be reviewed definitions and emergent themes on the subject shaping the theoretical framework on which this study has been built. Later, it will be presented didactic advice and guidelines for the application of playful practices, extracted from the most effective observable practices in the author's teaching experiences in specialized education institutions with pupils with MID and supported by the scientific literature. This article reinforces the notion that playful practices provide variety to meaningful learning, have great potential as a facilitator in pedagogical processes, and provide an appropriate educational response to pupils with intellectual disabilities. It also shows that teachers should reflect positive and reflective disposition to modifications and adaptations of the different elements involved in the playful practices according to educational objectives and the personal needs and interests of the children with MID. Considerations such as the instructions have to be modified to meet students’ needs, play according to children's biological age and systematic registration and monitoring in the teaching-learning process are essential. It is recommended that teachers share their experiences in pedagogical practice to learn from our differences and strengthen our coincidences, to contribute to the still insufficient bibliography in the pedagogical practices in special education.

Utilization Of Ted Talks Videos In Facilitating The Lessons In Social Science: Adult Learners In Focus

With the advancement of technology, teachers are challenged on how they could cope with the academic needs of their students - understanding the lessons in class. This qualitative study focused on the adult learners’ experiences on how TED Talks Videos enhanced their understanding of the lessons and gathered their views on how the utilization of the strategy be improved. Results revealed that the students generally like the speakers’ professionalism and expertise. However, the length of the videos hindered students’ interests and understanding. Moreover, the participants mentioned that the videos’ factual information and contextual examples helped them understand the lesson well. They also found the subject teachers’ additional explanation on the topic was beneficial. They suggested that background information may be given before the videos may be presented. Variant answers, conclusion, and implications were also presented.

Integration Of Strategic Human Resource Management For Efficiency In Uganda Public Universities

The paper explores the status quo of strategic human resource management and its perceived role to alleviate inefficient management in Uganda public universities. A close-ended questionnaire was administered to top and middle level university managers (n = 101) to establish the status quo of strategic human resource management practices and the perceived role it can play to alleviate inefficient management at Makerere and Kyambogo. The results of the study indicate that strategic human resource management practices are barely practiced in Uganda public universities. The results also reveal that top and middle level managers have a strong conviction that integration of strategic human resource management practices can alleviate inefficient management in Uganda public universities. The paper concludes that due to rapid changes emanating from globalisation, knowledge based economy, technological revolution and reduced funding of higher education from governments, public universities in Uganda need to adopt strategic human resource management to improve their efficiency

Basic Education Reforms in Guinea: Context and Concerns

Human behaviors are cultivated from childhood. People's aesthetic habits and creativity are cultivated through the creation of children's painting works. Unlike the other art activities, painting is an art activity that is very easy to implement and not constrained by the surrounding environment. Creating a painting work is an art activity that everyone can participate in. Anyone can use painting works to express their own thoughts and feelings. As for some introverted personality children, they are shy to share their ideas. Researchers can search children's growth environment, psychological state, aesthetic habits and their painting habits from these children's painting works. Aesthetic cognition and concept are the most important factors that compose a painting work. Children's aesthetic habits and painting habits will directly affect children's creativity and imagination after adulthood. There are 471 children aged 7-13 participated in this study. This research focus on seeking children's painting education method. In addition, using House Tree Person (HTP) test to find children’s preference and habits while creating the paintings works

Analyzing School Images To Reveal The Values And Norms Of Greek Middle Schools

The study attempts to explore the challenges confronting head teachers in the management of special schools in Ghana. The study was conducted using qualitative research design. Nine out of 29 head teachers were sampled for the study. All head teachers stressed that they were confronted with numerous challenges that affect the management of the schools. The main challenge identified by the study participants was that special education teachers in Ghana were not adequately motivated. The study therefore recommended that special incentive packages be instituted for teachers in the schools and that the Ministry of Education should release funds on time to the schools to enable the school management acquires the resources needed for effective teaching and learning in the special schools.

Basic Education Reforms in Guinea: Context and Concerns

This paper sets out to consider the context and concerns in educational reform through an examination of the achievements and difficulties encountered in attempts to develop basic education in Guinea. Yet, many are the countries around the world, and more specifically developing countries that have constantly cherished basic education development. This is obvious since all these countries, including Guinea, have—at one time or another— undertaken reform in their education system. However, the real impact of these reform measures has been slow to be noticed, not only, with regard to the performance of the sector but also the improvement of human capital. As such, the paper proceeds to point out the prevailing issues in reform undertakings in Guinea’s education sector. The study uses qualitative approach, and both primary and secondary sources to portray major national education intervention programs and their relative outcomes. However, it appears that the inability of the system to capitalize on previous efforts and gains presents a key challenge to ensure the sustainability of basic education development in the country.

The Educational Experiences of Teachers who deal with Children of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrant Children on the Move in Trinidad & Tobago

The Objective of this paper is to showcase the experience of teachers who work with children of refugees, asylum seekers and children on the move in Trinidad & Tobago. These experiences can be considered by other educators on the international front, who work with migrant children as a frame of reference for dealing with them when they enter new environments. This topic is quite relevant in a world where children are constantly being uprooted and have to leave their home countries for the unknown. The paper aims to highlight the unique context under which these migrant children are informally educated. For reasons of risk and child protection, the paper will not use real names, locations and will focus only on the experiences of the educators/teachers. The paper will highlight the views of 29 teachers and teaching volunteers who spent more than 20 months trying to find alternative educational solutions for children of refugees, asylum seekers and migrant children on the move who are not allowed to enter the mainstream of public or private schools within Trinidad & Tobago. To give background and context, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. In 2019, the country has still, not passed any legislation or administrative regulations on asylum or refugee status, nor established a national refugee status determination procedure. The Venezuelan crisis and Cuban political and economic situation have contributed to a dramatic rise in the number of asylum seekers and refugees reaching to the nearby shores of Trinidad & Tobago in recent times. The borders of T&T are quite porous, and relatively unprotected allowing for constant new arrivals. Phillips (2018) reported, ‘160 arrivals everyday’. This influx of migrants and children on the move is putting the Republic in a position where educational practices need to be more closely examined, as the country’s lack of legislation on refugee and asylum matters, and the country’s immigration law, adopted prior to accession to international refugee instruments, does not provide an adequate framework for refugee protection and asylum issues. This simply put, means that the migrant population does not have the right to work, the right to an education; or any legal rights. Poignant is that the average Trinbagonian seems quite unaware of the needs and plight of this population of concern (POC). There are many uncertainties and negative impacts, since Trinidad & Tobago is considered by all to be a transit point and not a settlement zone for refugees, asylum seekers and people on the move. This paper will trace the challenges involved in educating the children of these persons who do not have legal standing within the country from the perspective of educators who have been directly involved in searching for educational solutions.

The Information Apocalypse

The Information Apocalypse is evidenced by the unraveling of trust in American institutions. This phenomenon is affecting not only democratic institutions, their products and outputs, but also news, information and most critically, ideas and values. The decay in public trust goes beyond institutions and also affects individuals. Personal data and identity are at risk. At the same time, the ever-expanding role of technology is not only omnipresent in our lives, it also acts as an accelerant, speeding up not only change but our abilities to keep pace and to control our responses.