Older adult maintaining and improving health self-management through peer supported SMART goal setting

Non-medical interventions to address risk factors (such as reducing smoking, increasing physical activity, and tackling limited social interaction) are needed to help tackle escalating social and financial health costs. Peer supported interventions have been used successfully to support persons’ health self-management; however, there is limited evidence for group interventions facilitated by older adults. A proof-of-concept study by the first author demonstrated the potential of older adults meeting in groups to each create and follow through with a single SMART goal for any area of health over one-month. This study extends SMART goal setting to enhancing health management over six months. Older adult participants from across Ontario will attend virtual SMART goal setting group sessions followed by six monthly support group meetings where they are free to choose any goal, whether a mitigation or a new behavior. Each month the facilitator will assist participants to continue, modify, or set a new goal. At the end participants will complete surveys about their satisfaction with the method, their results and their desire to continue with SMART goals. They will also be asked if they would like to facilitate new groups to continue the spread of peer-supported SMART goal groups. This study is designed to empower older adults to maintain or improve management of their physical, psychological, and/or social health. It will reveal the impact of an older adult created and guided group health intervention on feelings of self-efficacy and well-being.

Optimizing developmental outcomes by setting smart goals individualized home program for children with disabilities during COVID-19

Background: The recent flare-up of the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a huge danger to the lives and prosperity of millions of individuals around the world. The weakest segments of society are being missed in this largescale crisis. As the world opens up from lockdowns and enters an unprecedented condition of uncertainty, or what many have called "the new normal", it bodes well to ponder what are the lessons learnt. Understanding such risks and assessing the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic are key to shaping a response that considers the needs of all children. The Covid pandemic presents a phenomenal chance for the families of children with disabilities to act in fortitude and transform this emergency into a force to accomplish the objectives and enhance result for their children. Methods: Children and young adults in the age group 1-21 years were part of this program. A total of 261 participants have undertaken the services provided by LRF staff during the year long period from Jan -Dec 2020. Results: In this article, we feature the home management programs that were setup by the staff at Latika Roy Foundation (LRF) during the pandemic for families of children with disabilities. Families of children with disabilities worked hard during the lockdown and their children showed improved outcomes by the individualised home programs that were set for each child attending the online services Conclusion: The pandemic led to shift from regular services to online mode of service and displayed clearly that necessity is the mother of invention. When accessibility to essential services was difficult, children with disabilities and their parents were the high-risk group for various physical and mental health issues and needed appropriate guidance and support. As the world navigates the pandemic the LRF staff continued to work for the most vulnerable sections of society fostering the idea of practice and participation. KEY WORDS: Pandemic, the new normal, families of children with disabilities, online services.

THE PECULIARITIES OF ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE LECTURERS IN THE USA

The article deals with studying the American experience of educator professional development. To carry out this research the following methods have been applied: content analysis, systematization and theoretical generalization of scientific literature, standards, technical assistance documents and samples of the individual professional development plan (IPDP) for educators. Having conducted the research, the following results and conclusions have been drawn. The primary goal for professional learning is to help educators develop and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to help students to learn foreign languages more effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the planning and designing of professional learning include defining the SMART goals of professional learning drawn from analysis of student and educator learning needs, which are determined by examining data on student learning outcomes. To achieve these goals those who are responsible for professional learning should select the appropriate job-embedded and external forms of professional learning, which allow the educators to satisfy student learning needs, bridge the knowing-doing gap and integrating new ideas and skills into practice. An IPDP is a tool serving as a guide for the professional learning. IPDP enables educators to chart their goals and to plan learning activities that improve their competencies in order to enhance their students’ performance. Completing the IPDP includes setting the goals based on student learning needs, deciding on the professional methods/strategies, tapping possible resources, setting the time-frame, identifying success indicators. After having been accomplished, the IPDP is evaluated by the person in charge. Evaluation of professional learning provides the opportunity to monitor the process of embedding the new learning into practices by observing and assessing changes in educator practice and increases in student learning.

The Use of SMART Goals to Create Attainable Health Actions at Community Health Screenings

Background Frontera de Salud is a student-run, interprofessional health organization that delivers primary care to underserved populations in South Texas. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of, and longitudinal adherence to, SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound) goals created with clients during the Frontera counseling session. Methods Prior to a trip, Frontera personnel received training on developing SMART goals. During the counseling session of the health screening, after a client had undergone tests to measure blood sugar and lipids, a Frontera counselor would create a personalized SMART goal with the client. Several months after the initial health screening, the Frontera client was contacted via phone call to discuss adherence to their SMART goal. Results Of a sample of 150 client records, 58 (38.7%) of those clients were able to be reached via phone call. Of those 58 clients, 38 (65.5%) reported adherence to the SMART goal created during their Frontera counseling session. For those 38 clients, 18 had a diet-related goal (47.4%), 3 had an exercise-related goal (7.9%) and 13 (34.2%) had a goal that encompassed both diet and exercise. Conclusions Among clients contacted for follow-up, almost two-thirds reported adherence to their SMART goal. The most efficacious goals were diet-related. Of concern, only 38.7% of clients were able to be reached for follow-up.

The Evaluation of an Integrated Growth & Goals Module to Better Equip Students with Learning Skills in Postsecondary Courses: Systematic, Scalable, and Explicit

<p><b>Objective:</b> <a></a><a>Most students spend years in formal education settings without being explicitly taught how to learn effectively. </a>Our objective was to evaluate an innovative intervention designed to effectively equipping all students with learning skills, called the Growth & Goals Module, which is an adaptable open education resource available in English and French.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> We evaluated the module using a Practical Participatory Evaluation approach and the 4-level Kirkpatrick Evaluation model. To investigate ten research questions aligned with the model, we collected data from 1845 students and five educators from nine undergraduate courses in science, engineering, and mathematics through questionnaires, focus groups, course assessments, and institutional data.</p><p><b>Results:</b> Students and educators reported high satisfaction (Level 1, Learning). The training was new to most students and most completion rates were over 75% when educators provided an incentive. Students in some demographics used the module less than others. In Level 2 (Learning), students’ metacognitive skills increased. They could identify SMART goals and differentiate growth/fixed mindset statements. At Level 3 (Behaviour), students reported intending to use the module in the future. Most educators created learning outcomes for the first time. The module required little time of students and educators; however, greater support, incentives, and rewards are needed for project sustainability. Educators have used the module in courses in many disciplines and levels (Level 4, Results).</p><p><a></a><b>Conclusions:</b> The Growth & Goals module explicitly teaches core learning skills for students in science, engineering, and mathematics courses and has the potential to scale to other disciplines and levels.<br></p>

Case Study: Mexican Obese Child

Objectives Introduction: The risk of overweight and obesity development, is determined by the exposure to many factors. Around 40% of Mexican kids are living with this disease. Methods Case Description: A 14-year-old patient is referred to a nutritional support appointment. The patient had no interest on her health, but her brother wanted to help her. Assessment: The first 3 months of life exclusive breastfeeding, after that formula and juices. She began gaining weight at age seven. Height (1.62 m), weight (80.4 kg), fat mass (40%), waist (96 cm) and neck circumference (37 cm). Glucose 98 mg/dL, cholesterol 189 mg/dL, triacylglicerides 250 mg/dL, HDL 45 mg/dL and LDL 140 mg/dL. Energy intake 1800 calories with high sugar consumption (1 liter of soda/day). Sedentary behavior with 6 hours/day on a screen. She was on the pre-contemplation stage of the Transtheoretical Model. Diagnosis: Obesity, related to a high consumption of sugar and a sedentary lifestyle, evidenced by food analysis and family report. Intervention: We developed a strategy of food exchange based on colored-coins in order to get the patient involved in the process. The patient´s brother took responsibility to help his sister with food selection. SMART goals were stablished, involving less soda consumption and daily physical activity. Monitoring and Evaluation: During her follow-up (1st month), the patient reduced 1.7 kg, 3 cm waist, glucose, cholesterol, triacylglicerides and LDL levels. Results Discussion: When treating overweight children, the family and environment play a crucial roll. Getting her brother involved in the process was a good strategy, because he spent most part of the day with her; and was aware of her eating patterns. In this specific case, a colored-coin and food lists strategy was implemented, taking into account her initial lack of interest. This strategy helped her cognitive development, thus she moved in to the action stage of the Transtheoretical Model. Conclusions Conclusions: Child obesity treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach, but most of all, family commitment. In this case, the brother roll was an essential part of the treatment success. Our responsibility as health workers is to guide lifestyle changes and help to implement them. With this kid, the colored-coin game was the key to getting her attention in her eating habits. Funding Sources N/A.

Personalizing Learning Targets With Technology-Based Assessment

There is tension between standardization and individualization in education today. Instructional fidelity to a challenging grade-level curriculum is the expectation of current pedagogy. Federal U.S. initiatives mandate assessing the academic growth of all students with common assessments aligned with challenging content standards. The growing number of students who vary as learners in today's classrooms holds implication for instruction and assessment. Personalizing learning targets promotes an equitable measure of student growth. Appropriate instructional goals develop grade-level curricular skills that are selected based on student performance data and are personalized with individualized baselines and proficiency targets. Technology facilitates data-driven instruction through the efficient development and progress monitoring of personalized learning goals. In this chapter, a technology-based model for personalizing standards-based learning targets, developing SMART goals, and monitoring progress is presented.

A Road Map for the COVID-19 Pandemic Process to Ensure Quality of Assurance Active Learning Strategies in Online Learning Environments

The damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of education on a global scale has caused many school closures worldwide and prevented many students from benefitting from the educational services in a limited way. In order to overcome this situation, educational institutions had to switch to distance education applications. This study provides a roadmap and aims to identify teaching and learning activities in an online learning environment considering the learning outcomes to ensure the quality assurance with the basis of SMART goals and “Gagne's Events of Instruction” model by including active learning strategies. Assessments were completed by the alternative approaches, such as self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and evaluation by the instructor. Finally, based on the identified scenarios, an eclectic model of scenario which is called “FlipHyb” is presented.