Framed by a sociocultural understanding of literacy acquisition and learning, this research study investigates methods content area teachers can use to meet the needs of adolescent English language learners and native English speakers who struggle to read texts in school. The interventions were designed to both expand students’ concepts of literacy and of themselves as literate people, and to capitalized on students’ multiliteracies by using visual art to teach students how to notice main ideas in nonfiction texts. Statistical analyses indicate that English language learners made significant gains in reading comprehension. However, analyses of students’ written reflections and of stimulated recall interviews illustrate that, although students practiced literacies in diverse and powerful ways outside of school, they maintained generally low self-concepts and highly schoolish conceptions of literacy. / Teaching & Learning

Mediation of special education disputes varies between states. This study addressed the ways in which the practices and methods of evaluation differ between five states: Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey. This includes such factors as provision of services, alternative dispute resolution procedures, mediation style, and mediator training. Data were examined regarding mediation rates, rates of agreement, and the types of students/issues involved. The research focused on the ways the states used participant feedback to assess their own performance. Extant data from two states, Iowa and Minnesota, were examined to determine which factors impacted overall evaluation of the mediation process and satisfaction with the outcome. States were similar regarding the provision of services, although the agency overseeing mediation differed. Methods of alternative dispute resolution varied greatly, and were strongly tied to the perspective of each state. Large differences were found between states relating to mediation usage and agreement rates. Content analyses were conducted on the survey instruments. The greatest number of questions addressed the impact on the relationship between participants, followed by fairness of the process, and then skills of the mediator. Overall, participants were satisfied with the mediation process. Satisfaction with the outcome was moderate to high, but diminished over time. There were no significant differences in satisfaction ratings between parents and school officials in either state, but individuals who reached a resolution were most satisfied with the mediation process. The ability to discuss and understand the important issues was the largest predictor of satisfaction. Improved communication in the long term was strongly related to satisfaction, but improved communication within the mediation session was not. Additionally, Iowa parents felt more satisfied when they were better able to understand their own perspective and their views were considered before any solutions or agreements were made. Iowa school officials were more satisfied when they were better able to understand the parents' perspective. In Minnesota, an improved relationship with the other party predicted greater satisfaction with the mediation outcome for the school officials, but not parents. Mediator skills and impartiality were important factors for the school officials only. / School Psychology

Research studies and commentaries have analyzed the formal mechanisms associated with special education conflict such as the use of mediation and impartial hearings to resolve disputes. However, specific information regarding the management of special education conflict at the school level is in shorter supply. This study addresses special education conflicts between school personnel and parents of children with disabilities to understand better how these conflicts might be managed more successfully. The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations and implications for managing special education conflicts at the school building level. Multi-vocal synthesis methods were used to collect and to analyze data in an iterative process incorporating results from a content analysis of previous research with analysis of interviews with stakeholders having a vested interest in managing special education conflict at the school level (Gersten & Baker, 2000; Ogawa & Malen, 1992). Findings suggest that providing parents with evidence that their child’s needs are being met would pave the way for successful school-based special education conflict management. In conclusion, the participants indicated that conflicts could be avoided or managed successfully if school personnel could provide parents with clear evidence (a) that their child’s IEP was being followed in the classroom; (b) that accommodations were provided; (c) that staff were knowledgeable about providing services in an inclusive environment; (d) that administrators were knowledgeable about special education compliance issues; and (e) that staff would be held accountable for providing an appropriate education and for demonstrating trustworthy behavior. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the child study process in a local education agency (LEA) with four elementary schools. These data determine the extent that prereferral interventions are being implemented and whether these strategies influence the outcome of the Child Study Committee (CSC) decision. All referrals to the CSC for the 1998-1999 school year (n=108) at the elementary level were examined to describe the students who are referred according to four primary independent variables of gender, grade level, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). Free or reduced lunch was used as the measure for SES. Students referred were members of the total elementary population of 1884 students in the LEA. The total population was described according to gender, grade level, ethnicity, and SES. Using cross tabulation techniques, the percentages of CSC referrals in each category are compared to the population. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the significance (p<.05) of any differences in the observed distribution of this mutually exclusive categorical data. Records of CSC meetings were reviewed to identify the presence of prereferral interventions. Prereferral interventions are recommendations given by the CSC to help remedy a student's problem before referral for evaluation for special education is made. Two independent raters examined the reason for referral and the recommendations made by the CSC. The reasons and recommendations were categorized according to academic problems, behavioral problems, or one of three possible combinations of both. Inter-rater reliability was measured using percent agreement across all categories and Cohen's kappa was calculated to provide additional rater validation. Rater results were used to check for congruence between the problems leading to the referral and the interventions recommended. Records of students who were referred for evaluation for special education were studied to determine the percentages found eligible and ineligible, and were examined according to gender, grade level, ethnicity, and SES. Compared to the population, the group of students referred to the CSC during the 1998-1999 school year was over-representative of males and of students with low SES. Most referrals to the CSC were for academic reasons. In cases where the CSC did not recommend a full evaluation for consideration of special education services, the committee recommended prereferral interventions. The recommendations of the committee typically were congruent with the reason for referral, but often did not specifically state who was responsible for implementing the interventions recommended. / Ed. D.

[pt] Esta pesquisa pretende abordar o que o filósofo Walter Benjamin tem a dizer sobre crítica e magia - exploradas na linguagem - para chegar a uma concepção monadológica do tempo e da matéria. Dialogando com inúmeros pensadores, obras e coisas, sua filosofia busca conceber através de ensaios (contrários aos textos acadêmicos e sistemáticos) o que ele chama de ciência da origem, tocando tempo, forma e matéria como que condensados em fragmentos da história. Esses fragmentos são como pequenos cacos de um grande mosaico ou vitral sagrado reivindicando mística ao materialismo. / [en] This research aims to address what philosopher Walter Benjamin has to say about critic and magic - explored in language - to get to a monadological comprehension of time and matter. In dialogue with numerous thinkers, works and things, his philosophy attempts to conceive through essays (contrary to academic and systematic texts) what he calls science of origin, touching time, form and matter as it condensed into fragments of history. These fragments are like little pieces of a mosaic or sacred stained glass claiming mystic to materialism.

[pt] O objetivo desta dissertação é compreender o trabalho do historiador, segundo Walter Benjamin, como a construção de uma interpretação. Apesar de construída, a interpretação não é arbitrária - ela deve ser capaz de apresentar a verdade histórica. Para tanto, ela é aproximada da contemplação filosófica. O objeto da contemplação é a idéia, que não deve ser entendida como algo restrito ao âmbito do pensamento, mas sim como Ser. A idéia é Ser porque arrasta consigo elementos materiais. Isso não significa, todavia, que ela possa então ser encontrada no mundo empírico. Pelo contrário, os elementos materiais só se apresentam para a faculdade mimética. Ela é capaz de perceber semelhanças entre elementos aparentemente heterogêneos, colocando-os em um estado de tensão. A idéia é a imagem formada por essa configuração, na qual encontramos a verdade histórica. / [en] The objective of this dissertation is to understand the task of the historian, according to Walter Benjamin, as the construction of an interpretation. Although constructed, interpretation is not arbitrary - it must be capable to present historical truth. To accomplish such task, the interpretation should get closer to philosophical contemplation. The object of contemplation is the idea, that should not be understood as something restricted to the scope of thought, but as Being. The idea is Being because it carries material elements inside. This does not mean, however, that it could be found in empirical world. On the contrary, material elements appears only for the mimetic faculty. This faculty is capable to perceive similarities between elements apparently heterogeneous, placing them in a tension state. The idea is the image formed by this configuration, in which it is found historical truth.

La presente tesis pretende estudiar los textos fílmicos del filósofo francés Alain Badiou con el objetivo de sustraer el papel que juega el cine en su proyecto de (re)comienzo de la filosofía. De esta manera hemos dividido su exposición en dos partes: el estudio de su proyecto de (re)comienzo filosófico y el estudio del papel que juega el cine en dicho proyecto y de su teoría fílmica implícita. En la primera parte trataremos de justificar en qué medida su proyecto puede ser entendido como un intento de reivindicar la tarea filosófica como la eterna tarea de educar a pensar la contemporaneidad de manera universal e igualitaria. Así en primer lugar expondremos como este proyecto tiene sus fundamentos en la teoría de causalidad estructural althusseriana, en la teoría subjetiva de los afectos lacanianos y en la teoría dialéctica maoísta. A partir de cada una de estas teorías definiremos tres dimensiones fundamentales del proyecto filosófico de Badiou, a saber, la dimensión formal o intelectual, la dimensión afectiva o ética, y la dimensión didáctica o igualitaria. Por un lado, veremos cómo las dimensiones intelectual y ética subyacen en la búsqueda de un sistema formal y afectivo, respectivamente, con el que la filosofía puede orientarse en su tarea eterna de pensar en el presente. A este sistema de pensamiento formal-afectivo Badiou le denominará "teoría de del sujeto". Por otro lado veremos cómo, Badiou encuentra en el proyecto platónico de una educación según la universalidad de la Idea -proyecto que Platón desarrolló para hacer frente a la educación según la opinión relativa propia del sofismo dominante de su época-, el modelo al que debe acudir la filosofía para renovarse como pensamiento eterno de la contemporaneidad. Expondremos, por tanto, cómo la renovación de la filosofía contemporánea pasa por concebirla como la puesta en práctica de un proceso pedagógico por el que se transmite un sistema formal y afectivo para pensar el Sujeto o la Idea del presente. / García Puchades, W. (2012). EL LUGAR DEL CINE EN EL PENSAMIENTO FILOSÓFICO DE ALAIN BADIOU [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/14862

Seit 1998 unterstützt dresden|exists Gründungsinteressierte aus den Dresdner Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen. In dieser Zeit besuchten mehr als 6.800 Studierende die Vorlesungen zu Gründungsthemen und über 2.800 Geschäftsideen wurden an dresden|exists herangetragen. Doch was ist aus den vielen Ideen geworden? Wir haben bei 20 dieser Gründungen konkret nachgefragt. In der Broschüre zum 15. Jubiläum geben Gründer Einblicke in ihre Geschäftskonzepte und teilen einige ihrer Erfahrungen aus der Gründungsphase.

The objective of this project is to understand how information design– specifically informative illustration– can contribute to producing concept sketches for a science-fiction/puzzle game called Sky’s Edge. Through theoretical studies and research methods, I aimed to deepen my understanding of what makes a concept image a good one, and from that, I aimed to determine how informative illustration can help in designing and sketching the ideas that the job requester needed. The conducted theoretical studies indicated that a good concept image is one that contains ideas which are easily understood/communicated, can inspire the team, and in turn generate further discussion. They also revealed the vast advantages of thumbnail sketching– which can lead to the development of stronger ideas and compositions. Refined sketches and drawings are produced thereafter to present these ideas to the development team. The purpose of the resulting collection of concept images was to unify the visual direction of the team responsible for developing the game.

Studies have shown that it is necessary for manufacturing industries, in order to stay competitive and increase the profitability, to work with optimizations and continuous improvements of processes. Existing models and philosophies aiming for this, such as PDCA (Plan Do Check Act), IDEA (Investigate Design Execute Adjust), DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Improve Control), and Lean Production, are either ambiguous or only focusing on one specific area or field. Due to this it is not suitable to apply these singly at a cutting station because root causes to problems can derive from many different factors. The purpose of this thesis has been to develop a model, with the advantage of having a clear and structured approach, and still considering all affecting factors of the cutting station. This leads to a better chance of finding the actual root causes, consequently maximizing the profits gained from the improvement solutions suggested. The model has been applied and tested on a case company and it has been proven to be suitable to use when optimizing a cutting station. Eight alternatives for possible improvements were found, where five of these were estimated to generate more than 800 000 SEK in cost savings each year. For the other three there were no estimations done due to the large extent of the suggestions, but it is believed that these will have an even larger impact on the profitability than the other alternatives. The results found will provide a solid foundation for the company in order to achieve the best possible outcome, when completing the rest of the model. The model has been developed for cutting stations but with small modifications it can be applied on any other production station in a plant. / Studier har visat att det är nödvändigt för tillverkande industrier, för att kunna bibehålla en hög konkurrenskraft och en ökad vinst, att arbeta med optimeringar och ständiga förbättringar av processer. Existerande modeller och filosofier som har detta som mål, såsom PDCA (Plan Do Check Act), IDEA (Investigate Design Execute Adjust), DMAIC (Define Measure Analyze Improve Control), och Lean Production, kan vara otydliga eller fokuserar endast på ett specifikt område eller fält. På grund av detta är det inte passande att applicera dessa individuellt på en skärande bearbetningsstation, då felorsaker kan härstamma från många olika faktorer. Syftet i detta examensarbete har varit att utveckla en modell som har fördelen att ha ett tydligt och strukturerat tillvägagångssätt, men fortfarande ta hänsyn till alla påverkande faktorer i den skärande bearbetningsstationen. Detta medför en större chans till att hitta den verkliga felorsaken, därmed också maximera den tjänade vinsten från förbättringslösningarna som föreslagits. Modellen har blivit applicerad och testad på ett fallföretag samt blivit bevisad att vara passande att använda vid optimeringar av skärande bearbetningsstationer. Åtta alternativ för möjliga förbättringar har hittats, varav fem av dessa var estimerade att generera mer än 800 000 kr i kostnadsbesparingar varje år. På de andra tre alternativen var inga estimeringar utförda på grund av storleken på förslagen, men dessa tros ha en ännu större inverkan på vinsten jämfört med de andra alternativen. Dessa resultat tillhandahåller företaget med en solid grund att stå på, för att kunna uppnå bästa möjliga utfall när resten av modellen slutförs. Modellen har utvecklats för skärande bearbetningsstationer men kan, med mindre modifikationer, även appliceras på vilken produktionsstation som helst på en fabrik.