title: Using task models to understand the intersection of numeracy skills and technical competence with medical device design

authors: Bowen, Judy

abstract: Task models are used in many different ways throughout the design and development of interactive systems. When the interactive systems are safety critical, task models can play an important role in ensuring system behaviours are consistent with user requirements, which may help to prevent errors. While task models can be used to describe a user’s goals and the steps required to achieve that goal, to understand where user errors may occur we also need to consider the users’ understanding of how to perform a task and how this relates to the system they are using. Our focus is on the use of medical devices such as syringe drivers and infusion pumps for intravenous medication, which forms a major part of hospital inpatient care throughout the world. While we might rely on software engineering and human factors techniques to ensure correctness of such devices, their use by medical personnel in practice includes other factors that are equally important. These include training medical personnel in the use of medical devices. Also numeracy education for medical staff to ensure that they are able to set up and perform the necessary calculations to convert prescribed medication into the appropriate values and measures for their delivery mechanisms. We have developed an approach that aims to bring together concepts of technology design (both functional correctness and usability concerns), numeracy and medication delivery competency. In order to do so we use task models as a common language that enables us to consider these different domains in a single way. We find that the ability to describe the two domains within a single process allows us to compare models of knowledge, tasks and use of devices, which can elicit potential mismatches and problems.

text: Using task models to understand the intersection of numeracy skills and technical competence with medical device design Task models are used in many different ways throughout the design and development of interactive systems. When the interactive systems are safety critical, task models can play an important role in ensuring system behaviours are consistent with user requirements, which may help to prevent errors. While task models can be used to describe a user’s goals and the steps required to achieve that goal, to understand where user errors may occur we also need to consider the users’ understanding of how to perform a task and how this relates to the system they are using. Our focus is on the use of medical devices such as syringe drivers and infusion pumps for intravenous medication, which forms a major part of hospital inpatient care throughout the world. While we might rely on software engineering and human factors techniques to ensure correctness of such devices, their use by medical personnel in practice includes other factors that are equally important. These include training medical personnel in the use of medical devices. Also numeracy education for medical staff to ensure that they are able to set up and perform the necessary calculations to convert prescribed medication into the appropriate values and measures for their delivery mechanisms. We have developed an approach that aims to bring together concepts of technology design (both functional correctness and usability concerns), numeracy and medication delivery competency. In order to do so we use task models as a common language that enables us to consider these different domains in a single way. We find that the ability to describe the two domains within a single process allows us to compare models of knowledge, tasks and use of devices, which can elicit potential mismatches and problems.

year: 2021

title: Can we call ourselves a Restorative School yet? Report on an Innovations Project in Restorative Practices

authors: Kaveney, Kathleen Mary

subjects: Restorative Practices

abstract: This report will discuss the impact of an Innovative Restorative Practices professional development of three years, 2009-2011, introduced to a mid-decile, urban, multi-cultural, New Zealand secondary school.

There are a number of reasons that a school might choose to commit to a restorative model and at the heart of this professional development (PD) was a belief that implementing Restorative Practices (RP) would have a positive impact on the well-being of teachers and students. In 2008 the school successfully won funding for a three year professional development and the project began in 2009. One of the challenges of Restorative Practices is the adaptation of the practices so that they can be utilised on a daily basis by teachers to deal with issues that arise each day, that impact both teaching and learning. The school developed a model of classroom meetings and taught teachers to use a discursive process of inquiry. This process and these skills were used to challenge poor learning behaviours by students and difficulties in relational dynamics in classrooms.

This report analyses data that is collected as a matter of course by the school to consider whether or not the introduction and implementation of Restorative Practices has had an impact. It discusses evidence that this adaptation of RP for daily use has made any difference to the school and explores the implementation of Restorative Practices by considering various data: stand down, suspensions and exclusions, referrals from class and the student management records that record student behaviour. It also explores the self reported impact of the professional development on participants.

The data show decreased involvement of Senior Leaders in various behaviour situations and increased contribution from the deans, form teachers and classroom teachers in the management of student behaviour. This suggests that teachers/staff are more able to de-escalate behaviour situations and that behaviour management is better aligned with staff roles and/ or expectations. Feedback from participant teachers suggest that learning the new skills and the regular discussion meetings have positively impacted their classroom management and their mental well being.

The teachers’ self-reported sense of competency in using the skills and processes introduced/ taught to participants is analysed and it is apparent that some of the skills are more readily utilised than others. It appears that the use of a discursive process, and the regular opportunity to discuss issues of learning and teaching, have provided teachers with an opportunity to better understand both themselves and their students, enhancing their professional identity. Restorative practices at this school have been utilised in both a proactive and reactive way. It seems that the practices have much potential as an everyday tool, rather than just a reactive device. This report sought to answer the question “Is the school able to call itself restorative yet?” but argues that perhaps the concern should be “Are we restorative enough?”

text: Can we call ourselves a Restorative School yet? Report on an Innovations Project in Restorative Practices This report will discuss the impact of an Innovative Restorative Practices professional development of three years, 2009-2011, introduced to a mid-decile, urban, multi-cultural, New Zealand secondary school.

There are a number of reasons that a school might choose to commit to a restorative model and at the heart of this professional development (PD) was a belief that implementing Restorative Practices (RP) would have a positive impact on the well-being of teachers and students. In 2008 the school successfully won funding for a three year professional development and the project began in 2009. One of the challenges of Restorative Practices is the adaptation of the practices so that they can be utilised on a daily basis by teachers to deal with issues that arise each day, that impact both teaching and learning. The school developed a model of classroom meetings and taught teachers to use a discursive process of inquiry. This process and these skills were used to challenge poor learning behaviours by students and difficulties in relational dynamics in classrooms.

This report analyses data that is collected as a matter of course by the school to consider whether or not the introduction and implementation of Restorative Practices has had an impact. It discusses evidence that this adaptation of RP for daily use has made any difference to the school and explores the implementation of Restorative Practices by considering various data: stand down, suspensions and exclusions, referrals from class and the student management records that record student behaviour. It also explores the self reported impact of the professional development on participants.

The data show decreased involvement of Senior Leaders in various behaviour situations and increased contribution from the deans, form teachers and classroom teachers in the management of student behaviour. This suggests that teachers/staff are more able to de-escalate behaviour situations and that behaviour management is better aligned with staff roles and/ or expectations. Feedback from participant teachers suggest that learning the new skills and the regular discussion meetings have positively impacted their classroom management and their mental well being.

The teachers’ self-reported sense of competency in using the skills and processes introduced/ taught to participants is analysed and it is apparent that some of the skills are more readily utilised than others. It appears that the use of a discursive process, and the regular opportunity to discuss issues of learning and teaching, have provided teachers with an opportunity to better understand both themselves and their students, enhancing their professional identity. Restorative practices at this school have been utilised in both a proactive and reactive way. It seems that the practices have much potential as an everyday tool, rather than just a reactive device. This report sought to answer the question “Is the school able to call itself restorative yet?” but argues that perhaps the concern should be “Are we restorative enough?”

year: 2012

title: Transitioning from kōhanga reo to kura

authors: Hohepa, Margie Kahukura

abstract: This is a collaborative cross-sector research project involving a kōhanga reo (Māori immersion early childhood language nest) kura (Māori language immersion school) and university-based researchers. It focuses on tamariki (children) moving from kōhanga reo to kura classrooms and will examine the development of an 'akoranga whakawhiti', a transition programme that will be based at Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Kuaka in Hamilton. The over arching research question for this project is: Pēhea rā te āhuatanga me te kounga o ngā whakawhitinga mai i te kōhanga ki te kura mō ngā tamariki, whānau, kaiako me te hāpori? - What do effective transitions from kōhanga reo to kura look like, feel like, and sound like, for tamariki, whānau, kaiako and the community? The project aims to provide important new insights into learning and teaching in Māori-medium settings and into ways of enhancing transitions from Maori-medium early childhood education to Māori medium classrooms.

text: Transitioning from kōhanga reo to kura This is a collaborative cross-sector research project involving a kōhanga reo (Māori immersion early childhood language nest) kura (Māori language immersion school) and university-based researchers. It focuses on tamariki (children) moving from kōhanga reo to kura classrooms and will examine the development of an 'akoranga whakawhiti', a transition programme that will be based at Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Kuaka in Hamilton. The over arching research question for this project is: Pēhea rā te āhuatanga me te kounga o ngā whakawhitinga mai i te kōhanga ki te kura mō ngā tamariki, whānau, kaiako me te hāpori? - What do effective transitions from kōhanga reo to kura look like, feel like, and sound like, for tamariki, whānau, kaiako and the community? The project aims to provide important new insights into learning and teaching in Māori-medium settings and into ways of enhancing transitions from Maori-medium early childhood education to Māori medium classrooms.

year: 2014