title: Decoding the emotional valence of future thoughts

authors: Devitt, Aleea L.

abstract: Affective future thinking allows us to prepare for future outcomes, but we know little about neural representation of emotional future simulations. We used a multi-voxel pattern analysis to determine whether patterns of neural activity can reliably distinguish between positive and negative future simulations. Neural patterning in the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices distinguished positive from negative future simulations, indicating that these regions code for the emotional valence of future events. These results support prior findings that anterior medial regions contain representations of emotions across various stimuli, and contribute to identifying potential rewarding outcomes of future events. More broadly, these results demonstrate that the phenomenological features of future thinking can be decoded using neural activity.

text: Decoding the emotional valence of future thoughts Affective future thinking allows us to prepare for future outcomes, but we know little about neural representation of emotional future simulations. We used a multi-voxel pattern analysis to determine whether patterns of neural activity can reliably distinguish between positive and negative future simulations. Neural patterning in the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices distinguished positive from negative future simulations, indicating that these regions code for the emotional valence of future events. These results support prior findings that anterior medial regions contain representations of emotions across various stimuli, and contribute to identifying potential rewarding outcomes of future events. More broadly, these results demonstrate that the phenomenological features of future thinking can be decoded using neural activity.

year: 2021

title: A socially contextualised approach to professional learning for school leaders

authors: Thrupp, Martin

abstract: Distinctive school contexts pose a challenge for professional learning for school leaders but this distinctiveness does not mean professional learning has to become entirely individualised. Schools with clusters of common contextual characteristics can provide a middle ground for professional learning between wholly generic versions of ‘good practice’ and wholly individualised ones. Yet because professional learning for school leadership has often been generic in its approach, these contextualised examples are generally not to the fore. It is often hard to work out which practices would be most appropriate for schools in particular social settings. This article describes the ‘School leadership in context’ courses, a New Zealand initiative that approached this problem by providing relatively targeted professional learning. The courses collected together the principals of small rural schools in particular geographic areas with the intention to provide a forum for discussion centred on the needs of ‘like’ schools facing a number of similar issues and problems, getting away from the one-size-fits-all approach that so often dominates professional learning offerings in New Zealand and elsewhere. The article discusses the political background to this professional learning and goes into considerations in providing the courses such as which groupings of school leaders to invite, and what the courses covered. The article also discusses some enduring challenges in providing professional learning centred on school context highlighted by the courses.

text: A socially contextualised approach to professional learning for school leaders Distinctive school contexts pose a challenge for professional learning for school leaders but this distinctiveness does not mean professional learning has to become entirely individualised. Schools with clusters of common contextual characteristics can provide a middle ground for professional learning between wholly generic versions of ‘good practice’ and wholly individualised ones. Yet because professional learning for school leadership has often been generic in its approach, these contextualised examples are generally not to the fore. It is often hard to work out which practices would be most appropriate for schools in particular social settings. This article describes the ‘School leadership in context’ courses, a New Zealand initiative that approached this problem by providing relatively targeted professional learning. The courses collected together the principals of small rural schools in particular geographic areas with the intention to provide a forum for discussion centred on the needs of ‘like’ schools facing a number of similar issues and problems, getting away from the one-size-fits-all approach that so often dominates professional learning offerings in New Zealand and elsewhere. The article discusses the political background to this professional learning and goes into considerations in providing the courses such as which groupings of school leaders to invite, and what the courses covered. The article also discusses some enduring challenges in providing professional learning centred on school context highlighted by the courses.

year: 2018

title: "More than bloods and obs" - Whānau Māori discuss health and hospital care

authors: Masters-Awatere, Bridgette

abstract: The impact of colonisation on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, combined with negative interactions with health workers, has contributed to insufficient resources and reduced access to primary health care. The purpose of this report is to share narratives of whānau Māori who have experienced a child’s hospital admission in order to highlight the common aspects (good and bad) of their stay at Waikato Hospital. The overarching aim of the Harti Hauora Tamariki (HHT) tool trial, within which this report is located, is to demonstrate the measurable impact of a developed screening tool (referred to throughout as the Harti tool). The Harti tool is a comprehensive approach to assessing and addressing holistic health needs for hospitalised children and their whānau. Our recruitment strategy gave priority to those whose kōrero would capture the realities of those living in situations of few resources. This report presents findings from conversational interviews with whānau of tamariki Māori admitted to the paediatrics ward of Waikato Hospital. We have purposefully presented the interview findings as narratives to allow the reader to engage in their own interpretation of commonalities of experiences. Each case study follows the same format: an overview, their hospital experience, and their description of everyday health. Across all the cases, similarities of experience emerge; financial stressors and strain; hunger and isolation; concern for their child(ren); and families that are actively engaged in caring for their children’s health and well-being. The Harti tool, when administered by a culturally competent Harti Research Assistant (Harti RA), appears to work to counteract previous alienating experiences. Being treated with dignity, respect and value had a positive impact. Participants spoke at length regarding how wonderful it was to be able to engage with the Harti RA’s as Māori and in a culturally appropriate way.

text: "More than bloods and obs" - Whānau Māori discuss health and hospital care The impact of colonisation on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, combined with negative interactions with health workers, has contributed to insufficient resources and reduced access to primary health care. The purpose of this report is to share narratives of whānau Māori who have experienced a child’s hospital admission in order to highlight the common aspects (good and bad) of their stay at Waikato Hospital. The overarching aim of the Harti Hauora Tamariki (HHT) tool trial, within which this report is located, is to demonstrate the measurable impact of a developed screening tool (referred to throughout as the Harti tool). The Harti tool is a comprehensive approach to assessing and addressing holistic health needs for hospitalised children and their whānau. Our recruitment strategy gave priority to those whose kōrero would capture the realities of those living in situations of few resources. This report presents findings from conversational interviews with whānau of tamariki Māori admitted to the paediatrics ward of Waikato Hospital. We have purposefully presented the interview findings as narratives to allow the reader to engage in their own interpretation of commonalities of experiences. Each case study follows the same format: an overview, their hospital experience, and their description of everyday health. Across all the cases, similarities of experience emerge; financial stressors and strain; hunger and isolation; concern for their child(ren); and families that are actively engaged in caring for their children’s health and well-being. The Harti tool, when administered by a culturally competent Harti Research Assistant (Harti RA), appears to work to counteract previous alienating experiences. Being treated with dignity, respect and value had a positive impact. Participants spoke at length regarding how wonderful it was to be able to engage with the Harti RA’s as Māori and in a culturally appropriate way.

year: 2019