In this fully revised Fourth Edition of Psychometrics: An Introduction, author R. Michael Furr centers his presentation around a conceptual understanding of psychometric core issues, such as scales, reliability, and validity. Focusing on purpose rather than procedure and the "why" rather than the "how to," this accessible book uses a wide variety of examples from behavioral science research so readers can see the importance of psychometric fundamentals in research. By emphasizing concepts, logic, and practical applications over mathematical proofs, this book gives students an appreciation of how measurement problems can be addressed and why it is important to address them. The book offers readers the most contemporary views of topics in psychometrics available in the nontechnical psychometric literature.

This text gives prospective and practicing teachers a comprehensive understanding of how to teach multiple literacies in elementary arid middle school classrooms. All of the Iiteracies-dance, music, visual arts, popular culture, media, and computer technologies-are integrated with reading and writing. Balanced treatment is given to theoretical perspectives and practical applications. The text also features authentic cases written by preservice teachers, and commentaries on the cases from practitioners and university professors. The cases are designed to prepare future teachers for the PRAXIS teacher certifying exam and others offered in many states. Three theoretical chapters support the practical applications: Chapter 1 addresses the benefits of writing and analyzing cases and the specific attributes of exemplary teaching cases, and offers guidelines for teachers to author their own case narratives and questions for analyzing and discussing case issues with peers; Chapter 2 discusses the role of electronic symbol making and multiple sign systems in children's literacy and how children use symbols to receive and express meaning; Chapter 3 offers a theoretical framework that helps define and enable teachers to use the new literacies of Internet technology, and provides a strong rationale for expanding traditional definitions of literacy.

This text gives prospective and practicing teachers a comprehensive understanding of how to teach multiple literacies in elementary and middle school classrooms. All of the literacies--dance, music, visual arts, popular culture, media, and computer technologies--are integrated with reading and writing. Balanced treatment is given to theoretical perspectives and practical applications. The text features authentic cases written by preservice teachers, and commentaries on the cases from practitioners and university professors. The cases are designed to prepare future teachers for the PRAXIS teacher certifying exam and others offered in many states.
Three theoretical chapters support the practical applications:
*Chapter 1 addresses the benefits of writing and analyzing cases and the specific attributes of exemplary teaching cases, and offers guidelines for teachers to author their own case narratives and questions for analyzing and discussing case issues with peers.
*Chapter 2 discusses the role of electronic symbol making and multiple sign systems in children's literacy and how children use symbols to receive and express meaning.
*Chapter 3 offers a theoretical framework that helps define and enable teachers to use the new literacies of Internet technology, and provides a strong rationale for expanding traditional definitions of literacy.
The practical applications chapters (chaps. 4-12) gradually lead readers toward a deeper understanding of how to conceptualize and structure more complex, integrated lessons. In each of these chapters:
*An "Overview" provides up-to-date information about the particular form of literacy discussed in the chapter.
*A helpful "What Do You Need to Know and How Do You Begin" section offers ideas and tasks for teachers who wish to nurture their artistic and technological aptitudes, expand their understanding of popular culture media, and increase their knowledge about integrating diverse communication forms into cohesive themed units or instruction.
*Exemplary cases--the heart of these chapters--present preservice teachers' candid descriptions of their reflections, confusions, and concerns as they support K-8 students writing and writing development through multiple literacy approaches.
*Case-specific questions encourage readers to take an active part in analyzing, documenting, and discussing the particular issues raised.
*"Commentaries" by skilled practitioners and university professors provide sound teaching suggestions, scholarly perspectives, and sometimes contrasting solutions to the dilemmas described in the cases.
*"Reflections and Explorations" activities help teachers become more actively involved in thinking and learning about multiple literacies.
*"Practical Applications" questions engage teachers in considering their own teaching environments and goals as they integrate multiple literacy lessons into their curriculum.
*"Suggested Readings" support teachers in constructing more in-depth knowledge about the chapter topics.

Charles Frederick Algernon Portal was born in Hungerford, England, in 1893\. One of seven brothers, Portal developed a fierce competitive streak and a steely determination from an early age. Known by all who knew him as �Peter', Portal enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of the First World War as a despatch rider, being mentioned in General French's very first despatch. Portal's abilities were quickly recognised, and he gained a commission in short order. It was in the air that Portal saw his future, and he subsequently transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, initially as an observer, before training as a pilot. In this latter role, Portal proved a courageous and instinctive leader, garnering the rare accolade of a DSO and Bar for his wartime service. His meteoric rise continued in the inter-war period, and when Hitler's forces invaded Poland, Portal had already ascended to the Air Force Board. He then took the RAF's top command post at Bomber Command during the battles of France and Britain, before replacing Cyril Newall as Chief of Air Staff, aged just 47, in October 1940. Charles Portal was, in General Eisenhower's words, �Britain's greatest wartime leader, including Churchill'. Portal was a strategist, a diplomat and an outstanding leader of the RAF in the Second World War. He built productive and enduring relationships with the most powerful Allied leaders - some of which, including Churchill, Bomber Harris, and Hap Arnold, are explored here. Portal helped direct the UK's strategy from the darkest days of 1940 through to Allied victory in 1945\. He never lost his calm, even under the most extreme pressure, and approached the war with a cool logic that defied the chaos of the day. Despite his enormous achievements, and being showered with post-war accolades, Portal is little known today. His historical anonymity is a reflection of his disinterest in his own legacy. He neither kept wartime diaries, nor penned an egotistical autobiography to cash in on his post-war fame. He retired as he had served, with dignity and humility, traits that made him particularly influential with American allies. As Wing Commander Rich Milburn reveals in this long-overdue second biography, Charles Portal was a hero in every sense; a heroic battlefield leader in one global conflict, and one of the men most directly responsible for Allied victory in a second.

A charming mermaid story by master story-teller Michael Morpurgo, perfect for children learning to read. Robbie says swimming is easy. You just have to pretend you're a mermaid. But that doesn't help Mairi. She isn't even sure that mermaids are real. The Reading Ladder series helps children to enjoy learning to read. It features well-loved authors, classic characters and favourite topics, so that children will find something to excite and engage them in every title they pick up. It's the first step towards a lasting love of reading. Level 2 Reading Ladder titles are perfect for readers who are growing in confidence and are beginning to enjoy longer stories. Clear type Up to 8 lines per page Bright, appealing pictures for added interest A variety of sentence structures A wider range of vocabulary Strong themes and characters to discuss All Reading Ladder titles are developed with a leading literacy consultant, making them perfect for use in schools and for parents keen to support their children's reading. Book band: Turquoise

Many urban-based anthropologists who study rural communities are also searching for "political" alternatives to a society they conceive as alienating, bureaucratic, unjust and exploitative. Such a search for other life-styles in order to learn something that could change one's own society bears the risk of idealization of the "other". The native anthropologist is subject to a different phenomenon of idealization, especially when his culture is threatened by powerful forces emanating from an alien centre. Such an idealization is evident in the ethnographic studies of rural Welsh communities by the Welsh geographers of the Aberystwyth school. Their analyses were heavily coloured by the dominant theme of the nationalist discourse, in which they played an important role. This book places their ethnographies, and the studies of Welsh communities by English social anthropologists, in the context of the theoretical development of an "anthropology at home" in Britain. It examines how new approaches to the study of local distinctiveness and its symbolic expressions could change perceptions of local cultures in Wales.

Cognitive and Intellectual Disabilities: Historical Perspectives, Current Practices, and Future Directions provides thorough coverage of the causes and characteristics of cognitive and intellectual disabilities (formerly known as mental retardation) as well as detailed discussions of the validated instructional approaches in the field today. Features include: A companion website that offers students and instructors learning objectives, additional activities, discussion outlines, and practice tests for each chapter of the book. An up-to-date volume that reflects the terminology and criteria of the DSM-V and is aligned with the current CEC standards. Teaching Applications: presents the strongest coverage available in any introductory text on instructional issues and applications for teaching students with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. A unique chapter on "Future Issues" that explores the philosophical, social, legal, medical, educational, and personal issues that professionals and people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities face. This comprehensive and current introductory textbook is ideally suited for introductory or methods courses related to cognitive and intellectual disabilities.

In Darwinian Heresies, which was originally published in 2004, prominent historians and philosophers of science trace the history of evolutionary thought, and challenge many of the assumptions that have built up over the years. Covering a wide range of issues starting in the eighteenth century, Darwinian Heresies brings us through the time of Charles Darwin and the Origin, and then through the twentieth century to the present. It is suggested that Darwin's true roots lie in Germany, not his native England, that Russian evolutionism is more significant than many are prepared to allow, and that the true influence on twentieth-century evolution biology was not Charles Darwin at all, but his often-despised contemporary, Herbert Spencer. The collection was intended to interest, to excite, to infuriate, and to stimulate further work.

In this inspiring lecture, addressed primarily to the anthroposophic movement, Prokofieff gives an overview of how the spiritual hierarchies and Christ, the Lord of Karma, work in the ordering of human karma. We are led to the karma and mission of the Anthroposophical Society, with indications as to what needs to happen before that karmic mission can be fulfilled. Prokofieff explains why true modern Christian research into karma does not arise out of intellectual speculation, curiosity or nebulous mystical experiences. The process of karmic research based on spiritual science should lead to a fundamental transformation of human nature, leading to a full experience of the cosmos.

Charles Darwin is easily the most famous scientist of the modern age, and his theory of evolution is constantly referenced in many contexts by scientists and nonscientist alike. And yet, despite how frequently his ideas are evoked, there remains a surprising amount we don't know about the father of modern evolutionary thinking, his intellectual roots, and the science he produced. Debating Darwin seeks to change that, bringing together two leading Darwin scholars Robert J. Richards and Michael Ruse to engage in a spirited and insightful dialogue, offering their interpretations of Darwin and their critiques of each other's thinking. Examining key disagreements about Darwin that continue to confound even committed Darwinists, Richards and Ruse offer divergent views on the origins and nature of Darwin and his ideas. Ruse argues that Darwin was quintessentially British and that the roots of his thought can be traced back to the eighteenth century, particularly to the Industrial Revolution and thinkers such as Adam Smith and Thomas Robert Malthus. Ruse argues that when these influences are appreciated, we can see how Darwin's work in biology is an extension of their theories. In contrast, Richards presents Darwin as a more cosmopolitan, self-educated man, influenced as much by French and particularly German thinkers. Above all, argues Richards, it was Alexander von Humboldt who both inspired Darwin and gave him the conceptual tools that he needed to find and formulate his evolutionary hypotheses. Together, the authors show how the reverberations of the contrasting views on Darwin's influences can be felt in theories about the nature of natural selection, the role of metaphor in science, and the place of God in Darwin's thought. Revealing how much there still is to investigate and interrogate about Darwin's ideas, Debating Darwin contributes to our understanding of evolution itself. The book concludes with a jointly authored chapter that brings this debate into the present, focusing on human evolution, consciousness, religion, and morality. This will be powerful, essential reading for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of modern-day evolutionary science and philosophy.

In Darwinian Heresies, which was originally published in 2004, prominent historians and philosophers of science trace the history of evolutionary thought, and challenge many of the assumptions that have built up over the years. Covering a wide range of issues starting in the eighteenth century, Darwinian Heresies brings us through the time of Charles Darwin and the Origin, and then through the twentieth century to the present. It is suggested that Darwin's true roots lie in Germany, not his native England, that Russian evolutionism is more significant than many are prepared to allow, and that the true influence on twentieth-century evolution biology was not Charles Darwin at all, but his often-despised contemporary, Herbert Spencer. The collection was intended to interest, to excite, to infuriate, and to stimulate further work.

The right manufacturing strategy is vital to maintaining profitability and running an efficient business. Manufacturing, however, is a complex business, and it is often difficult to know where to start when reviewing and developing long term strategic plans. This industry guide explains in clear, simple stages how to review your current processes and procedures, and how to build on this information to develop, present and implement new manufacturing strategies. Based on a uniquely structured approach developed over many years with major industry clients, including Rolls-Royce and Federal Mogul, its holistic approach can be applied to every area of operations from the entire organization down to individual business units or processes. CD included.

2013 Reprint of 1963 First Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "A Behavioral Theory of the Firm" has become a classic work in organizational theory, and is one of the most significant contributions to theory intended to improve the operation of the modern corporation. The authors use experiments and empirical observations to build their model of decision making. They reject the structure of the firm as represented by classical economic theory, instead they focus on the discretion of management. They also offer a new way of viewing the effects of organization, communications and individuals on the firm's overall activity. This is path breaking book and among the most important and provocative interpretations yet advanced for seeing inside the firm to understand it as an organization and an economic entity.

A reflective guide for all those studying for the range of professional disciplines within the area of children and families. Written by a multi-disciplinary team, this book provides students and practitioners with opportunities to reflect upon work-based placement challenges and solutions within a variety of settings, supporting employability and the development of a professional identity. Practical and practice-based, it addresses issues of self-confidence, voice and agency, resilience and self-care, relationships and partnerships, risk assessments and reflective practice, all within the context of children and families. Chapters take a supportive and reflective approach, including clear objectives, case studies, critical questions and spotlights on new debates, helping to build essential skills and promoting a clear sense of self as individuals transition from student to professional.