The Making and Breaking of Minds: How social interactions shape the human mind

Isabella Sarto-Jackson, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Austria

The human brain has a truly remarkable capacity. It reorganizes itself, flexibly adjusting to fluctuating environmental conditions – a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity provides the basis for wide-ranging learning and memory processes that are particularly profuse during childhood and adolescence. At the same time, the exceptional malleability of the developing brain leaves it highly vulnerable to negative impact from the surroundings. Abusive or neglecting social environments, as well as socioeconomic deprivation and poverty, cause toxic stress and complex traumas that can severely compromise cognitive development, emotional processing, self-perception, and executive brain functions. The neurophysiological changes entailed impair emotional regulation, lead to heightened anxiety, and afflict attachment and the formation of social bonds. Neuroplastic changes following severely adverse experiences are not something that a person grows out of and gets over. These experiences alter the neurobiological and biochemical makeup and cause people to live in an emotionally relabeled world in which the evaluation of any social cue, their behavior, cognition, and state of mind are biased towards the negative. Even more worrying, detrimental neurophysiological consequences are not limited to the traumatized individual but are often transmitted to subsequent generations through a process of social niche construction, thereby creating a vicious cycle. Thus, the making and breaking forces of the brain are epitomized by parents, alloparents, peers, and our socioeconomic niche. This book expounds on the formative role that the social environment plays in healthy brain development, especially during infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Based on scientific findings, the book advocates for bold measures and responsible stewardship to combat child abuse, maltreatment, and child poverty. By bringing together insights from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and social education work, it lays out a fact-based, transdisciplinary endeavor that aims at rising to the societal challenge of providing a rewarding perspective to youth at risk. It will be a valuable resource for academics from social education, pedagogy, cognitive science, neuroscience, as well as professionals in the fields of social work, pedagogy, education, child welfare.

Help is just a click away: Social Network Sites and Support for Parents of Children with Special Needs

I-Jung Grace Lu, University of Manchester, UK

Feeling alone, searching for help, searching for a sense of belonging and identity: parents of children with special needs face various difficulties in their daily lives. But help and support can be extremely hard to obtain for these parents since they are limited by resources, location and time. However, things started to change when the World Wide Web began to connect people together. We now live in an era when networks of power can be achieved and maintained through virtual connections on the internet, where instant communication can be a form of power. This book hopes to shed light on how the simple act of “clicking” can empower (and, contrariwise, in some cases, disempower) parents to locate help and support. This book also discusses the shifting role of these parents from those seeking help to those who provide help for other parents through the virtual networks they have built on various social networking sites. When examining these issues, this book takes into consideration the Asian concept of Face, in which identity is an image agreed by society. This book will offer insights for parents, researchers and social workers, as well as for anyone else who hopes to understand what is taking place on the ‘net’ and how to be involved in the networking process of providing support for people around you. It allows the readers to see how support nowadays can really be just a click away.

Design School: After Boundaries and Disciplines

Edited by Paul A. Rodgers, University of Strathclyde, UK and Craig Bremner, Charles Sturt University, Australia

By examining the contemporary situation of the Design School from a global perspective, this book explores how the structure of design learning and teaching, research and practice, is being transformed by a number of internal, external, and contextual factors and the implications of these factors for future iterations of the Design School. Exploring contemporary design education, this book asks whether Design Schools are shaping a new type of designer, or if tomorrow’s designers will emerge from other professions such as business, health care, education, and computing, where design ‘thinking’ is now regularly applied. The book is proposed at a time when governments and markets across the world are reshaping education. In a time of rapid and intensive change, it looks internationally at the shape of the Design School of the future. The book has been developed from a series of summits that explored the future of the contemporary Design School informed by international perspectives from high level invited speakers from design education, culture and industry who were asked: * How can a Design School in the age of the Anthropocene best prepare future designers for this complex world? * How can the Design School maximize the potential opportunities suggested by this future, uncertain world at a time of rapid and intensive change? * Having changed the planet how should the Design School react to the planet changing us? The three summits reflect three significant turns in the contemporary Design School. The first focused on the current issues surrounding the Design School from the academic perspective. The second summit examined the increasingly intensive relationship between industry and Design Schools. The third summit focused on the increasingly close relationship between the Design School and the Cultural Sector. The book includes essays from the expanding landscape of the Design School, including educational providers, the design museum sector, the international design festival circuit and influential practitioners engaged in design education. The essays in this book provide a valuable, comprehensive examination of the future of the Design School and render a unique forecast of its probable trajectory.

Captivating Campuses: Proven Practices that Promote College Student Persistence, Engagement and Success

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

What role does student engagement play in educational achievement on the post-secondary campus? And, what factors affect each student’s ability and motivation to engage with the full college experience, both in and outside of the classroom? It is now widely acknowledged that post-secondary institutions must not only focus on facilitating the transition from high school to college, but that they must also make a concerted effort to listen to the needs and experiences of their students in order to achieve maximal involvement within the college environment. Students need to be captivated by at least one element of their college experience - whether that be in the classroom, dorm, or extracurricular activities - in order to form a bond with their institution and feel motivated and attached enough to put in the hard work until graduation. Campuses that capture their students’ interests and passions, provide spaces for them to develop as individuals, and opportunities to form meaningful professional and personal relationships have a far greater chance of both retaining their students to graduation and helping them develop as whole human beings who will contribute. This book studies the many facets of student engagement as it attempts to define student engagement, differentiating it from involvement, and covers seminal theories of college student engagement. The contributions to this volume discuss the powerful role that relationships play in helping students identify their interests and talents, and other examples of best practice when it comes to creating engaging classroom experiences, such as collaborative projects with peers, study abroad, and learning that is situated in real-life problems that are of importance to the student.

Empathic Teaching: Promoting Social Justice in the Contemporary Classroom

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

Empathic Teaching: Promoting Social Justice in the Contemporary Classroom is written for those who are committed to employing social justice practices in the classroom. The intent is to educate the next generation to value tolerance and to have respect and empathy for others in society. While this tome will largely focus on understanding the role that equity should play in P-12 education, it will do so with an acute awareness that there are myriad factors that influence student engagement and the motivation to learn. Although some of the subjects under consideration have been written about elsewhere broadly, this tome will offer a unique contribution by examining each from a social equity perspective. As schools move to ensure a more inclusive and well-rounded student body, this book will be a substantial asset to anyone interested in advancing a social justice agenda.

Acceptance, Understanding, and the Moral Imperative of Promoting Social Justice Education in the Schoolhouse

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

This book examines the critical issues associated with the topic of social justice in primary and secondary education. Understanding the challenges related to educational inequity requires a comprehensive and systematic re-examination of educational reform; specifically, this book defines social justice education, offers different perspectives from major thought leaders and examines the challenges faced by different populations when it comes to receiving equal opportunity and treatment. Emphasis will be placed on programs, approaches and strategies to increasingly teach tolerance, respect, and understanding within and between these groups and members of the majority culture. The focus, then, will be on educational practices designed to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to be active, contributing, and fully participatory members of our contemporary society. This book is most appropriate for preservice and veteran teachers, school and educational psychologists, related special education service professionals, educational administrators, guidance counselors, graduate education professors, policymakers, parents, and student leaders who wish to gain a better understanding of how social justice can and should become a valuable part of the educational landscape.

Emotional intelligence: Does it really matter?

A guide to coping with stressful experiences

Phillip Walden Bowen

What really is emotional intelligence? This book, aimed primarily at the university academic and those working and/or studying in higher education, seeks to help readers understand the term and the role emotional intelligence plays in education and business. It clearly identifies and critiques the three main models: the ability model (Salovey and Mayer), the mixed Model (Goleman, Bar-On) and the trait model (Petrides and Furnham). It discusses eustress, distress and chronic stress, reflecting on the effects negative types of stress can have on the human body, demonstrating how the modern workplace can lead to burnout. It emphasizes the importance of a healthy work/life balance while acknowledging the demands and pressures placed on organisations to compete within the global marketplace. It also explores how one may understand and process emotions, considering terms such as “learned optimism” and “learned helplessness”. Room for discussion is also given to the influence of bullying and harassment in the workplace and types of therapy that are presently available. It discusses strategies for coping with challenging experiences, providing anecdotes and case studies from university academics. It also considers how personality relates to emotional intelligence and how people cope with challenging experiences. The book delves into the term “intelligence”, showing how theories surrounding the concept have developed over the twentieth century; and it elucidates the link between emotional intelligence and wellbeing. The author discusses the effect stress can have on human telomeres (thus shortening lifespan) and sheds light on the darker sides of human nature, such as the so-called “dark triad” personality traits (psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellian behaviour). Overall, the book is dedicated to the vital question: “Emotional intelligence: does it really matter?”

Contact, Community, and Connections: Current Approaches to Spanish in Multilingual Populations

Edited by Scott M. Alvord, Brigham Young University and Gregory L. Thompson, Brigham Young University

This edited volume provides state of the art research on developing areas of Spanish in contact with other languages. This manuscript is unique in its broad yet coherent approach to the study of Spanish in bilingual contexts by investigating current issues in the field through well-designed research and innovative analyses. In addition, this book concludes with research on how languages in contact are reflected in individuals in educational settings as well as insights on how to teach bilinguals raised in contact with English and Spanish. This manuscript is divided into three major themes that focus on the overall issues of Spanish in bilingual contexts: 1. The first section, titled "Language and Identity," is composed of four chapters that focus on the connection between language and identity in unique settings. 2. The second section of the manuscript is titled "Language and Dialectal Contact" and is composed of six chapters that analyze the dialectal and linguistic changes in languages in contact in a variety of settings. 3. The final section is titled "Language in Educational Settings" and consists of four chapters with a focus on heritage speakers and second language students of Spanish in different classroom settings as well as abroad. This volume contributes original research in these areas in a way so as to fill valuable gaps in the current knowledge in the field especially in the innovative ways of approaching areas such as teaching heritage learners, understanding diachronic and synchronic dialectal and linguistic changes as well as innovations in language use, and how language contributes to the formation of identity.

Capital, capabilities and culture: a human development approach to student and school transformation

Cliona Hannon, The University of Dublin

This book applies the capability approach as an evaluative lens through which to explore the range of capabilities that emerged over a three-year period, through the Trinity Access 21 – College for Every Student (TA21-CFES) higher education access project in four schools. Qualitative analysis is presented from a longitudinal study of four schools over a three-year period, drawing on data from four student focus groups involving 21 student participants and 14 individual student interviews. An additional sixteen school personnel contributed in interviews. There are three main findings: first, specific student capabilities emerge because of their engagement in the TA21-CFES core practices of Leadership, Mentoring and Pathways to College. These are: autonomy, practical reason/college knowledge, identity, social relations and networks and hope. Second, students encounter a range of inhibiting social conversion factors in developing capabilities and persisting with higher education aspirations. These are: the negative pull of peer relations; pressure related to the Junior Certificate; limited subject choice and conflicting family expectations. Third, it is the combination of their own emerging capability set along with a network of trusted relationships with others that enables them to overcome potentially corrosive disadvantage and translate their experiences into fertile functionings. It is proposed that these findings have national and international relevance for widening participation interventions. The research makes a methodological contribution as it is the first use of qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) in Ireland within a ‘lived’ project aimed at working-class students over a three-year period. It contributes empirically as it provides new knowledge about the impact of interventions aimed at developing students’ capability set and how these might help them to develop navigational capital and post-secondary educational aspirations. It also makes a conceptual contribution to how we frame the design and evaluation of impact of widening participation initiatives, as it takes a capability approach to considering how students develop higher education aspirations over time, towards what they consider ‘a life of value’. It is useful to researchers, practitioners and policy makers who are interested in taking an evidence-based approach to developing higher education access programmes.

Maximizing Mental Health Services: Proven Practices that Promote Emotional Well-Being

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

'Maximizing Mental Health Services: Evidence-Based Practices that Promote Emotional Well-Being' examines best therapeutic practices for patients, therapists, graduate professors, family members and all who struggle to find the most effective treatment modalities for those dealing with mental health challenges. Mental health issues are rising at an alarming rate, while positive therapeutic outcomes have not kept pace and remain low for many conditions, making an investigation of evidence-based treatment options critically important to the helping profession. While certain types of therapy bring success to specific clients, these modalities cannot be easily applied to all client profiles. Understanding the strengths of each modality and how to match them to the respective needs of the client will be emphasized. Furthermore, the impact of counselors’ own traits on the client-therapist relationship is an important and often overlooked topic that will be explored. Therapy practices have changed over the past decade to include non-traditional options; therefore, the authors investigate the ways in which these practices have either helped or hindered patient success. Lastly, the book offers readers information on resources for further information on the evidence-based practices presented within.

The African Mother Tongue and Mathematical Ideas

A Diopian Pluridisciplinary Approach

Abdul Karim Bangura, American University Center for Global Peace

This book by renowned scholar Dr Abdul Karim Bangura combines linguistics and mathematics to show how and why African-centred mathematical ideas can be a driving force in Africa’s development efforts. Bangura explores the concept that Africa has been the centre of the History of Mathematics for thousands of years, as the civilizations that emerged across the continent developed contributions which would enrich both ancient and modern understanding of nature through mathematics. However, scholars and other professionals working in the field of mathematics education in Africa have identified a plethora of issues in carrying out their tasks. This is highlighted by one of the most compelling arguments in the book, which is that a major reason for these problems is the fact that the African mother tongues has been greatly neglected in the teaching of mathematics in the continent. Bangura asserts that a change has to be made in order for Africa to benefit from the exceptional opportunities mathematics offer, showing that, even if there is a great body of work connecting linguistics and mathematics, few analyses have been performed on the link between African languages and mathematics—and the ones that have been made are not theoretically-grounded on linguistics. Thus, the book begins by identifying the objects of study of linguistics and mathematics, and delineates which ones they have in common. Next, since the object of study of linguistics is language, the nine design features of language are employed to examine each of the objects as it pertains to African languages. After that, mathematical ideas of sustainability and those of tipping points are suggested as means to help Africa’s development efforts.

Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Spaces: Shaping Futures and Envisioning Unity in Diversity and Transformation

Edited by Zilungile Lungi Sosibo, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa and Eunice Ndeto Ivala, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Higher education in post-apartheid South Africa was always likely to attract academic interest, and yet there remains a dearth of research on creating teaching and learning spaces suitable for students from diverse backgrounds. Using examples from higher education institutions across the Southern African Developing Community (SADC) region, this volume explores the ways teaching and learning spaces are being used to advance the transformation agenda of higher education in these regions, and provides concrete recommendations for the future. The book is sure to appeal to academics from a variety of disciplines - from African, African American and ethnic studies to education and sociology. It will be of particular interest to teacher trainers, administrators and policy-makers working in higher education, and anyone else with a stake in managing cultural diversity in education.

The changing face of ESP in today's classroom and workplace

Edited by Nalan Kenny, King's Leadership Academy Liverpool and Linda Escobar, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain

Despite the growth and development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as an area of study since the 1960s, few books related to classroom applications in combination with other disciplines such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), English Language Teaching (ELT), or English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), exist. Each section of this volume includes scholarly written studies from across the globe, indicating the extent and the importance ESP has in the current academic world. Filling the present void in available material on this subject, this book contains various useful and effective applications of ESP, teaching activities for classroom settings, as well as insights on how ESP can be combined with, and adopted by, other disciplines. Written from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, this text is sure to contribute to this field and will be of interest to ESP teachers, as well as postgraduate and undergraduate students.

Mastering the Art of Co-Teaching: Building More Collaborative Classrooms

Edited by Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

Today, more than ever, greater emphasis is placed on inclusive practices and the collaboration between general and special educators to ultimately ensure student success. 'Mastering the Art of Co-Teaching: Building More Collaborative Classrooms' addresses research-based strategies, practices and theories which can be readily translated into classroom practice. Important issues that commonly arise in co-teaching partnerships, as well as professional and personal challenges faced by teachers are also tackled. Tackling important issues that commonly arise in co-teaching partnerships, as well as professional and personal challengers often faced by teachers, this book provides educators with the most effective co-teaching strategies and tools available, aiding the success of collaborative efforts in the classroom.

Between Truth and Falsity: Liberal Education and the Arts of Discernment

Edited by Karim Dharamsi, Mount Royal University, Canada and David Ohreen, Mount Royal University, Canada

It seems we are awash in information. From the moment we wake until we turn over our phones at night, we are bombarded with images and messages, news and information from a confounding number of sources. But as the amount of information available to us increases ever more rapidly, its quality and reliability seem less credible. Russian troll bots, 4chan, Breitbart, and Rebel Media, challenge our credulity, but they do so by mimicking aesthetic registers consumers expect of “traditional” media outlets. Moreover, traditional news sources, both privately owned and public broadcasters, already weakened by eroding revenue, cuts to budgets, and shifting demographics, are under sustained attack from those who wish to damage their ability to hold powerful people to account. Instead of a multi-perspectival approach, which seeks to report to the public the many ways to address a particular issue, taking the reporter’s role as neutral with regard to outcome, “fake” or “ideologically” driven news sources compete for audience attention and faithfulness, often using emotion to rally people toward a certain political cause or issue. Academics, meanwhile, have their work attacked and undermined by people or groups seeking to advance political or economic interests. They are told they too are political actors, one more voice in a messy public arena instead of a font of reliable information and knowledge. While academics continue to believe that their work, at least in part, enhances our understanding of the world and informs debate, how do we know that their conclusions are indeed more reliable than their critics in the “post-truth” era? ‘Between Truth and Falsity: Liberal Education and the Arts of Discernment’ will aid academics and students seeking to better grasp the value of liberal education within this post-truth era. It seeks to advance pedagogical ideas in order to fight factual erosion and reinforce intellectual capacities that are able to critically assess the chaos of information enveloping all segments of society. This volume will therefore be of particular interest to academics and university educators working in higher education, graduate students theorizing the nature of media and the role of higher education, undergraduates studying liberal education and the nature of the university, and those thinking about liberal education.

Creating a Transnational Space in the First Year Writing Classroom

Edited by W. Ordeman, University of North Texas

During the first twenty years of the new millennium, many scholars turned their attention to translingualism, an idea that focuses on the merging of language in distinct social and spatial contexts to serve unique, mutually constitutive, and temporal purposes. This volume joins the more recent shift in pedagogical studies towards an altogether distinct phenomenon: transnationalism. By developing a framework for transnational pedagogical practice, this volume demonstrates the exclusive opportunities afforded to freshmen writers who write in transnational spaces that act as points of fusion for several cultural, lingual, and national identities. With reference to recent works on translingualism and transnationalism, this volume is an attempt to conceptualize effective writing pedagogy in freshman writing courses, which are becoming more and more transnational. It also provides educators and first year writing administrators with practical pedagogical tools to help them use their transnational spaces as a means of achieving their desired learning outcomes as well as teaching students threshold concepts of composition studies. This volume will be particularly useful for first year writing faculty at colleges and universities as well as writing program administrators to create a more effective curriculum that addresses these needs in classroom settings. All scholars with a doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition, English as a Second Language, Translation Studies, to name a few, will also find this a valuable resource.

118 Theories of Design(ing)

Edited by Paul A. Rodgers, University of Strathclyde, UK and Craig Bremner, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Theories normally seek to explain something. 118 Theories of Design[ing] asks us to question those explanations. By focusing on a broad range of somewhat overlooked and undervalued essays, papers, book articles, words, terms, authors and phenomena that swirl around design[ing], the reader is encouraged to read, reflect and question everything. This original book will appeal to a global market of university faculty heads and deans, museum directors, design educators, design researchers, key design practitioners, publishers, members of the design media, and undergraduate, postgraduate and post-doctoral students of design.

The Recovery Handbook: Understanding Addictions and Evidenced-Based Treatment Practices

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

Addiction is rapidly becoming one of the most significant challenges to mental health today. According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2018), 19.7 million Americans, aged 12 and older, battled a substance disorder alone in 2017. Additionally, 8.5 million of those individuals also suffered from a mental health disorder, with millions more suffering from a range of other addictive disorders and associated behaviors that interfere with physical, social and emotional health. These alarming statistics highlight the crucial need for mental health providers to be kept up to date with the latest research on the full range of addiction treatment and recovery. ‘The Recovery Handbook: Understanding Addictions and Evidenced-Based Treatment Practices’ provides a comprehensive examination of the various forms of addiction, its physical and mental complexities, and, unlike other sources on addiction, effective evidence-based interventions that promote a healthy recovery. Particular attention is given to the nature of addiction, including environmental, genetic, and developmental factors; with authors examining the short- and long-term effects of a variety of addictions such as drug, alcohol, gambling, food, sex, shopping, work, and video gaming to name a few. This book will serve as a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, professors, graduate students in the helping professions, as well as families of addicts, co-workers, and those suffering from addiction themselves.

Intercultural Education: Kosovo Stories of Struggle and Resilience

Edited by Cameron White, University of Houston and Blerim Saqipi, University of Prishtina, Kosovo

“Intercultural Education: Kosovo Stories of Struggle and Resilience” offers stories that challenge traditional conceptions regarding often unknown or ignored histories. The efforts and fortitude of Kosovo and its people provide a thought-provoking case study to learn from history. Kosovo still suffers from issues of poverty, development, and global recognition. The ongoing story of education in Kosovo comes alive with educators sharing individual perspectives regarding their struggles and resolve as students, teachers and parents. Although the focus is on Kosovo, the hope is that an intercultural awareness arises in place of the traditional international understanding. Celebrating culture, perspective, difference, and similarity is a primary focus of this book, which aspires to encourage readers to build bridges through intercultural education. This collection will be of interest both to faculty, students, researchers, and scholars in education and cultural studies, and to members of international education organizations.

Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy

Edited by Stephen Kekoa Miller, Oakwood Friends School; Marist College

'Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy' is intended for those interested in pre-college philosophy; the nine contributions within cover a wide array of approaches to bringing philosophy to younger students in a number of new settings. The chapters in this book describe programs taking place across the United States—some inside school and some in unexpected settings such as camps, art museums and nature trails—and offer help to those who want to establish or enrich philosophy programs at pre-college levels while discussing an underlying philosophy and the challenges the programs have faced. At a time when institutional philosophy is imperiled, the programs in this volume point towards new directions being forged to bring the benefits of doing philosophy to more people. This volume will be of particular interest to those interested in pre-college philosophy, and it is intended for philosophy professors, graduate students in philosophy or education, and philosophy teachers in pre-college settings. 'Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy' will also be helpful to school administrators, parents and philosophy camps instructors.