Explore the vast range of titles available.

Research supports the benefits of exposing children to nature, yet classroom teachers indicate they do not possess the time, monetary resources, or space to construct an ideal outdoor space. An underutilized resource is the non-traditional educator who has: knowledge about the outdoors; space, especially in state parks; and time since the primary goal of their position is often educating others about the outdoors, including programs planned for early learners that can be used repeatedly with different groups of children. For this article, educators working with young children, both classroom teachers and non-traditional educators, provided insight regarding outdoor excursions they embark upon with their learners. What they shared reinforced the idea that interactions with young children outdoors is beneficial to increasing their knowledge of science. In this article we explore the ideas of informal and formal excursions in any outdoor environment, including practical guidelines and suggestions for making these interactions purposeful and meaningful. In addition, tips include ideas that can be shared with families for backyard learning, providing children with additional knowledge and exposure to outdoor exploration.

Trade books are a great way to introduce complex ideas to students. Children's literature is a useful tool for helping students understand science concepts because it helps them see connections to their own lives. Writing is another useful tool because much of the same type of thinking occurs in both writing and inquiry-based science. Integrating inquiry-based activities with reading and writing helps to develop skills in literacy and science in authentic ways. Creating a unit that incorporates reading, writing, and inquiry promotes growth in all three areas. Here, Hamilton and Welch share how they developed and taught a mini unit about water that promotes being environmentally conscious using literature and nonfiction trade books as well as writing.

The United States is facing a time of division, isolation, and threats to our democracy. As studies begin to show the link between social capital (particularly bridging ties) and democracy, this exploratory mixed methods study documented and measured the thoughts, feelings, and actions of participants moving through Marshall Ganz’s Public Narrative model while using Circle process as a dialogue space.Nine participants from the Washington, D.C. area participated online and in-person in five dialogue sessions. Transcripts recorded participant language used during the sessions. Following each session, participants recorded private responses to reflection questions and answered surveys designed to measure changes in social connection between group members. Pre- and post-intervention data on participant trust, belonging, empathy, civic empathy, leadership, efficacy, and the competencies of emotional intelligence also were collected.Although the findings must be considered exploratory due to the small number of participants, the qualitative and quantitative data together reveal several key findings. Participants reported experiencing increased connection with others, with the strongest connections made by those who shared their stories with vulnerability. These stories promoted mutuality, trust, empathy, and belonging with other members of the study group. Although tensions occurred, by the last session participants expressed gratitude for the unique gifts and identities each person contributed, a sense of themselves as leaders, and an urgency to be part of needed change in the context of the recent 2025 presidential inauguration.The dialogue space that combined the Circle process and the Public Narrative approach resulted in an intentional space where participants built social connectedness and spoke openly of their responsibility to others in society. They indicated a desire to be actively involved civically going forward. All participants voiced a desire to move toward action but lacked ideas for how they could continue the sessions in public spaces. This last finding offers opportunities for future research in using both Public Narrative and dialogue in Circle with community organizing skill building embedded in social and civic spaces. Further research could collect data on groups using this model in community spaces such as public libraries.

This thesis asks: ‘What is the contribution of a Master’s module that requires reading, reflection and a written 5000-word essay to a primary postgraduate initial teacher education programme, the PGCE?’ It examines this question from the perspectives of PGCE student teachers, alumni in their first year of teaching, and lecturers. How does it help them to consider and use research evidence in their practice? As an experienced primary teacher who has worked on the Primary PGCE for 13 years, I was interested in what difference the study at Master’s level is making. Literature suggests that the research engagement that Master’s study necessitates benefits the development of effective primary teachers. Data for this thesis were gathered using mixed methods: questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews in the context of one particular Master’s module within a university-led Primary PGCE. It draws on enactivist theories about cognition and knowledge. Findings were interesting and not conclusive. Many student teachers did not see the Master’s level qualification as offering status, or to be necessary in any way for the profession as a whole. They did, however, value its contribution to their initial teacher education. There was a realisation that part of being an effective teacher is to be able to draw on and use the differences found between practice encountered at school, the theory and pedagogies explored at university, and the beliefs that have come to be held about teaching that are rooted in personal experience. The potential cognitive dissonance was proposed as a resource that could be embraced, to enable new teachers to feel confident to use autonomy in their classroom practice.

This collection of work totalling over 85,000 words published over the period 2013 – 2018 addresses two separate but closely inter-related questions. ‘(1) What role can the European Court of Human Rights (‘ECtHR’) and the European Union (‘EU’) play in claims for the recognition of same-sex marriage? (2) What further impact do pan-European courts’ approaches to same-sex marriage cases have internationally?’ The publications have been produced at a time of rapid social and legal change worldwide concerning the recognition of same-sex relationships. When this work was begun in 2012 only six countries in Europe recognised same-sex marriage. At the time of writing (October 2019) this has increased to 16 countries. However, many jurisdictions within Europe continue to refuse to recognise same-sex marriage. The last couple of years has seen leading judgments from the ECtHR, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) and the Inter-American court. As yet the ECtHR does not require contracting states to legalise same-sex marriage. In an era of Brexit, together with discussions by certain political factions regarding leaving the Council of Europe, there are increasing difficulties for pan-European organisations to act. This is particularly the case in relation to the topic of same-sex marriage, which often incites social, moral and religious controversy. The pieces in this work document the challenges raised by same-sex marriage claimants, the judicial and legal responses and the reforms that have or may still take place. Unlike many prominent works in this area which are highly influenced 3 by feminist or queer theories, this PhD focuses on doctrinal and comparative law methodology.These works make a novel and significant contribution to the prior knowledge base in a number of ways. (1) Originality is demonstrated by novel critiques of the Margin of Appreciation (‘MoA’) doctrine and by evaluating the strength of different legal arguments for proponents of same-sex marriage before the ECtHR. The detailed critical analysis in the publications highlights the importance of interpreting the non-discrimination rights (article 14 ECHR) together with a dynamic approach to the right to marriage (article 12) and further development of the family law aspect to article 8 ECHR. (2) Lack of consensus between contracting states is cited by the ECtHR as a reason for not requiring legalisation of same-sex marriage. A novel critique is set out concerning the lack of certainty over how consensus should be quantified or measured. (3) Other publications demonstrate originality by predicting the potential for EU involvement for same-sex couples, in relation to both expansion of free movement protections for non-EU national same-sex spouses and in the area of private international law. (4) A new choice of law theory is recommended for use in essential validity cases concerning same-sex couples. (5) Originality can also be seen by the published work providing an immediate and fresh insight into the possible impact of Brexit on same-sex couples. (6) The final section utilises comparative law methodology to recommend the use of the incrementalist theory in a strategic manner. The central conclusion reached, is that proponents of same-sex marriage should take 4 a new more holistic approach, taking into account all relevant factors. This should include consideration of the role of the ECtHR in advancing human rights and the ever expanding role of the EU and international comparative law to set out incremental steps for proponents of same-sex marriage.

Students enter kindergarten as natural-born scientists, curious about the world around them. They enter middle school disliking science. Although implementing science in kindergarten has the potential to improve learning in other subjects in addition to science, it is not taught much in kindergarten. There are many reasons for this according to the literature. The purpose of the study is to gain insight into teachers’ thinking as they decide when and how to engage their students in science, to better understand why student enjoyment of science fades in early grades; to contribute teachers’ voices to the existing literature on teaching science in the early grades; and to investigate how teachers’ science teaching methods align with current research regarding how students learn best. The key research question is “What are the factors that impact teachers’ decisions about when to engage the natural curiosities of their students?” Broken down, the supporting research questions include: 1. What factors impact teacher decisions about when to teach science? 2. Under what conditions do teachers engage students’ natural curiosities in science? 3. How do teachers describe engagement in their classrooms? This was a participatory action research study that used autoethnography, case studies, and grounded theory methods. Five co-researchers took part in the process. Purposeful sampling was used to select a range of kindergarten teachers in Tennessee and Alabama with different perspectives on teaching science—some from county systems and some from city systems; some using Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) kits and some not using kits. Co-researchers were selected during initial meetings, interviewed, collected journal entry data, and interviewed again at the culmination of the study. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Analysis included individual cases, each co-researcher, as well as across-case analysis. Results indicated that co-researchers did not have time to teach science many days due to requirements for teaching reading and math, and because of benchmark testing. Recommendations include integrating science concepts including hands-on explorations with reading and math. Ideas for future study include collecting data for a full year, as opposed to eight weeks, to see how factors change from beginning to end in one school year. The idea of learning during spontaneous interactions emerged from interviews with two co-researchers. Exploring spontaneous interactions is another area for future study.

Partnered with the Nunavut community of Gjoa Haven on King William Island, a large-scale Genome Canada project, the Towards a Sustainable Fishery for Nunavummiut (TSFN) project endeavoured to integrate Inuit traditional knowledge and practices with genomic and microbial analyses to assess the sustainability and health of the Coregonus species complex (CSC) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) fisheries. Encompassed within the goals of the project, fish health was assessed based on microbial diversity and condition factor (K) of the sampled fish. In this region, sampled CSC, which included lake whitefish (C. clupeaformis) as well as two cisco species (C. autumnalis and C. sardinella) and Arctic char displayed anadromy, transitioning annually from the ocean to freshwater lakes and rivers. Inuit fishers collected samples from the ocean, rivers, and lakes in different seasons, and microbiomes from these salmonids were characterized with respect to changing seasonal habitats. Skin- and intestine-associated microbiomes were characterized through amplification of 16S rRNA gene fragments. Overall, lake whitefish, ciscoes, and Arctic char skin-associated microbiota grouped separately in ordination based on salinity while cisco and Arctic char grouped based on seasonal habitat. Higher Shannon diversity in autumn and spring freshwater habitats suggested a transitional state in the autumn riverine and spring lacustrine environments. Core microbiomes, representing taxa found in at least 50% of samples, were also identified within seasonal habitats. Comparison of skin- and intestine-associated core microbiota showed differences in composition across seasonal habitats. Condition factor (K) remained consistent across seasonal habitats for cisco, was higher for lake whitefish in the lacustrine environment, and progressively decreased for char from ocean, to riverine, to overwintering habitat. There was some evidence of dysbiosis in the microbiota of lake whitefish, which may be associated with stress as these fish are at the northern limits of their range. In contrast, cisco and Arctic char appeared to have more stable communities, possibly displaying resilience towards anadromy within the high Arctic. Overall, these findings may inform sustainable fishery practices in regard to how microbiomes respond to stress and what factors may put these fish at risk of pathogen colonization throughout their migrations.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) result from in utero alcohol exposure. Patients with FASD exhibit a wide range of deficits that include, but are not limited to, neuroanatomical abnormalities as well as hippocampus-associated and PFC-related behavioral impairments. Neonatal alcohol-induced neuroanatomical abnormalities are apparent on all regions of the cell, but are most evident in the dendrites. Dendritic abnormalities are the most consistent anatomical correlates of mental retardation and they may play a role in FASD behavioral deficits. This dissertation examines the long-term impact of neonatal alcohol exposure on dendritic complexity in both the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Further, it explores the efficacy of behavioral interventions in mitigating the damaging effects of neonatal alcohol exposure on dendritic morphology. Previously, we demonstrated that neonatal alcohol exposure decreased basilar dendritic complexity but did not affect spine density in Layer II/III mPFC pyramidal neurons. Further, we showed that neonatal alcohol exposure inhibited the survival of newly generated neurons in the adult dentate gyrus. All experiments in this dissertation employed an animal model of binge-drinking during the third trimester of pregnancy. Rats were either intubated with alcohol (alcohol exposed, AE; 5.25g/kg/day), sham intubated (SI), or remained with the mother (suckle control, SC) on PD4-9. The first set of experiments (Exp. 1 and Exp. 2) focused on dendritic complexity of immature dentate gyrus granule cells. In Experiment 1, following alcohol exposure, rats were pseudorandomly assigned to either cages with access to a running wheel (WR) or standard housing (SH) from PD30-42. Experiment 2 mirrored this design but added exposure to a complex environment (PD42-72) after WR (WR/EC). Results indicated the influence of neonatal alcohol exposure is long-lasting as decreased dendritic plasticity was seen in the adolescent (Exp. 1) and the adult (Exp. 2) rat. Both WR and WR/EC were able to mitigate alcohol-induced dendritic abnormalities. The second set of experiments (Exp. 3 and Exp. 4) focused on dendritic plasticity in the mPFC. The methods for this set of experiments mirrored those of Exp. 1 and Exp. 2, respectively. The results of these experiments illustrate long-term alterations in dendritic complexity, dendritic length, number of dendritic endpoints and spine density as a result of a third-trimester binge-like alcohol exposure in adolescent rats (Exp. 3) while only alterations in dendritic complexity and dendritic length were evident in adult rats (Exp. 4). WR was unable to rescue alcohol induced deficits in dendritic complexity of mPFC neurons, but it did ameliorate the loss of spine density, while WR/EC provided a full rescue on both measures. Finally, Experiment 5 analyzed potential mechanisms of benefit from EC exposure in AE animals by analyzing exploratory and social behavior in the EC cage between neonatal treatment groups. Interestingly, although the most benefit of WR/EC exposure was exhibited by AE animals, these rats explored less and had decreased overall activity in the EC cage when compared to controls. Together, theseexperiments demonstrate the long-lasting influence of a neonatal alcohol exposure on dendritic morphology in multiple brain regions, which may be associated with the behavioral deficits seen in FASD patients. Further, these results implicate the role of WR/EC as a potentially novel treatment for humans and indicate a long-term treatment throughout adolescence and into adulthood (perhaps for the entire lifespan) is essential to the proper treatment of anatomical, and possibly behavioral, deficits associated with FASD.

Mental Health in Primary Care: A Resource for New Zealand Health Professionals, Kay Laracy and Wendy Trimmer (Whitireia New Zealand, 2011, $49.95) Mental Health in Primary Care is a user-friendly book that will have wide appeal for mental health workers and professionals across disciplines, including nurses, social workers and community health workers.