E‐learning: new opportunities in continuing professional development
The growth in professional learning is opening up many new opportunities for the application of e‐learning to the world of continuing professional development (CPD). CPD programmes require professionals to engage in annual programmes of professional development, and in some cases revalidation or recertification. To date, most of this activity has been off‐line. Increasingly, CPD requirements will be satisfied through the use of learning resources available on‐line or packaged into specially tailored e‐learning courses. Societies and professional associations – as the primary managers and coordinators of CPD programmes – are in a strong position to expand upon their existing Web‐based initiatives to deliver a new generation of e‐learning services to their members.
Teachers’ Perspectives on the Impact of Cleft Lip and/or Palate During the School Years
Background: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) poses many challenges for those affected throughout the school years, with recent studies pointing to a trend in poor educational outcomes. Previous research has highlighted the important role that teachers play in supporting young people with chronic health conditions yet studies in the field of CL/P suggest that teachers may lack knowledge of the condition, and underestimate pupils’ academic ability. Qualitative investigation of the impact of CL/P from the teacher’s perspective may provide additional insight as well as potential suggestions for improving the school experience for affected pupils. Methods: Twenty UK preschool, primary, and secondary school teachers with experience of teaching pupils with CL/P completed an open-ended survey, eliciting qualitative data. Results: Qualitative content analysis was performed. Data were presented under 5 key headings: Knowledge of CL/P and its effects, perceived impact of CL/P on education, teachers’ training needs, delivery of training, and impact of CL/P on teachers. Teachers were able to identify a number of potential social, emotional, and treatment-related challenges within the school setting, yet did not believe that CL/P would have a long-term impact on pupils’ educational achievement. Participating teachers reported that cleft-specific training and access to relevant resources would be highly beneficial. Conclusions: Acting as a platform for future research, this exploratory study provides insight into the challenges faced by teachers and offers suggestions for how to improve teachers’ understanding of CL/P, and their confidence in dealing with cleft-related issues.
Devonian Conodonts from Kashmir
THE increasing use of conodonts in studies of Palaeozoic stratigraphy in Europe and North America has recently received added impetus by the discovery of faunas in other continents where broadly similar faunas have been described from strata of similar ages. So far, however, there has been only one published record of conodonts from the Indian subcontinent1. A well preserved fauna of some 1,200 individual conodonts has recently been extracted from a sample of siliceous limestone, collected from a locality near Lutherwan, Kashmir (33° 6′ 00″ N., 75° 35′ 00″ E.). The insoluble residue also yielded many fragments of bony material and numerous fish teeth. The strata yielding conodonts lie just below the Muth Quartzite which has been assigned a Middle Devonian age on the basis of fossils collected from a locality 1 mile north of Naubug (33° 44′ 30″ N., 75° 23′ 30″ E.), Anantnag Distt, Kashmir.