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Higher Education (HE) is spinning. The systematic erosion of our academic freedom, (Docherty, 2012) means that the authors of this chapter no longer know how to navigate what is on the horizon. The neoliberal agenda now driving HE is threatening how we work via, ‘a quiet ruination and decay of academic freedom’ (Docherty, 2012, p. 47). This chapter offers an autoethnography of a collaborative creative project that engaged the authors in dialogues about the effects of neoliberalism on how they teach, work, live and where they compare working in HE to hula-hooping as both demand relentless movement and activity to prevent everything from collapsing. Our story offers ideas for valuing time and space in our academic lives that are playful, creative, bonding, and suggest that by mastering hula-hooping, we have enjoyed a renewed sense of confidence with academic work and academic life.

We employ a range of styles of writing that seek to engage the reader with reflection on their own experiences. Guiding questions for any reader might be, but are by no means restricted to:

What are the effects of neoliberalism on how we work?

How much time do we give for creative play and risk-taking?

What creative methods can we adopt and develop in order to preserve our academic freedom?

How can we navigate the HE landscape effectively without succumbing to neoliberal pressures and shifts?

How can we value human experiences in academic work and in academic life?

Examines the characteristics of young innovators (i.e. those in a group who accept the innovation first, for instance a hula hoop, a mobile phone or a video game) and opinion leaders (i.e. the person in a group who tends to be copied or consulted for advice); the two roles overlap, as child innovators are usually also opinion leaders, but not necessarily the reverse. Explains the Diffusion of Innovations theory, relating it to the adoption by children of new products and behaviours, i.e. their socialisation as consumers; this process involves the stages of awareness, interest, evaluation, test purchase, and adoption. Outlines the characters involved in the generalised theory of Diffusion of Innovations: opinion leaders, innovators, gatekeepers (for instance parents who allow their children to acquire a new product), and change agents (an outsider who gives advice, for instance a teacher). Discusses whether there are generalised innovators and opinion leaders, i.e. whether the same people tend to fulfil these roles in all or most areas. Moves onto a 2003 study of children which surveyed how well the Diffusion of Innovations theory fits them, how much overlap there was among innovators and opinion leaders, and where children got information about new products. Concludes that the Diffusion of Innovations theory does roughly fit child and teenage behaviour; in the adoption process, personal communication plays a dominant role, followed by television and advertising, but mobile phone and SMS messages played almost no role among eight to 12‐year‐olds in communicating information on new products.

The purpose of this paper is to allow students to explore the accomplishments of Harriet Tubman at various stages of her life through a guided research investigation. Students will be able to identify Harriet Tubman as a human hero by creating biographical story boards to display first in the classroom and later moved to a local cultural museum. The lesson plan is based on the trade book Before She Was Harriet. This short biography of Harriet Tubman is written in a free verse style to introduce young readers to the several roles she held throughout her impressive life span.

Social constructivist principles are integrated throughout the lesson; that is, meaningful interactions with peers and the teacher influence student learning. Students participate in a scaffolded research project with the support of teacher modeling and graphic organizers. They expand their knowledge by creating an original interdisciplinary project, a story board biography. Throughout all phases of the learning experience, students engage in critical thinking and challenging activities that include drawing connections among ideas, evaluating group work, arguing positions and applying research skills. Additionally, a variety of resources, including technology, are incorporated to promote active student engagement.

This is a National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable Tradebook Lesson Plan.

Young learners need the opportunity to engage in scaffolded research activities in a social studies classroom. This innovative instructional plan provides PreK-3 teachers a guide to introducing students to Harriet Tubman by reading aloud Before She Was Harriet, a 2018 Notable Trade book, and allowing students to gather a deep understanding of this historical figure through guided research over the course of two to three sessions.

This chapter is on positive education in primary schools (including pre-schools), and how programmes that use interventions from positive psychology (PPIs) can have positive effects (academic and for well-being), on children in this age group (up to 11 years). It explores some of the key challenges of implementing PPIs at younger ages and why, compared to secondary schools, limited studies of PPIs in pre- and primary schools exist. Based on the author’s personal experience of successfully delivering a multiple PPI (mPPI) in a primary school in the United Kingdom, the chapter also presents a case study. In particular, a mPPI known as Hummingbird Primary, adapted from the Hummingbird Project which has successfully been delivered in high schools; see Chapter 3. The case study presents an overview of the mPPI, the impact it had and some of the lessons learned. The chapter concludes with recommendations for educators wishing to implement PPIs in a whole primary school setting.

Consumption is a new central issue, globally, driven by more visible consumption concerns of citizens. For instance, entertainment and the environment rise as political issues, while workplace issues decline. To link individual choice with public and urban context, we outline a theory of consumption in specific propositions. They start with individual and personal influence characteristics in shopping and political decisions, then add socio/cultural characteristics. Three cultural types adapted from Elazar are Moralistic, Individualistic, and Traditional – which shift individual patterns. For instance moralistic persons favor more environmentally sensitive consumption, even boycotting cars, TV, and paper towels, backing green groups and parties. Such protest acts via personal consumption are ignored by many past theories. Individualists instead favor more conspicuous, status-oriented consumption, à la Veblen, or the modernism of Baudelaire and Benjamin. For traditionalists, consumption reinforces the past, via family antiques and homes, ritualized and less individualized. The three types help interpret differences in consumption politics by participants in different social movements, cities, and countries.

This paper seeks to describe the design, implementation, and lessons learned from an obesity prevention pilot program delivered in a low resource school in the USA.

A planned program evaluation was conducted to: document explicitly the process of designing and implementing the program; and assess the feasibility and acceptability of the program to inform future planning. Evaluation data were gathered using document review (i.e. minutes from meetings with research staff and school personnel), key informant interviews, and focus groups. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

A total of 113 African‐American students (47 per cent female) participated in the program. Over half were overweight or obese and mean nutrition and physical activity behaviors were below recommended guidelines. A participatory process involving school administrators, teachers, parents, and students resulted in the design of a program salient to the target population and responsive to the school's limited financial and human resources. The program was positively viewed by student and school staff alike. Challenges for implementing the program included: maintaining classroom management with very large class sizes and limited school staff, and difficulty in actively engaging parents in program implementation.

As a pilot program at a single school during one school year, the results may have limited generalizability. However, the paper supports the feasibility and acceptability of obesity prevention interventions in schools with limited resources.

School‐based programs can support nutrition education and increased physical activity opportunities, which may promote lifelong health behaviors. Future programs can increase the likelihood of behavior change and program sustainability by limiting class sizes, increasing parent involvement, integrating intrapersonal level changes with institutional factors, and developing community partnerships.

The research described provides insights into effective strategies and lessons learned for developing school‐based obesity‐prevention programs in schools with limited resources.

This paper aims to describe and evaluate the impact of a compassion-focused therapy (CFT) group for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID).

People with ID are commonly subjected to stigmatising experiences that can contribute to feelings of shame. CFT targets shame and self-criticism by helping people to cultivate self-compassion. There is evidence to suggest that CFT can be meaningfully adapted for people with ID. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a mixed-methods design, aiming to gain a rich evaluation of the CFT group. Eight adults with ID were referred by their local community psychology team. An 11-week group protocol was based on materials from previous research. The protocol included the development of a “compassion box”, aiming to make CFT concepts more concrete and tangible. Questionnaires measuring psychological distress, self-compassion and negative social comparisons were completed pre- and post-group. Feedback from participants and carers were collated and facilitators’ observations were recorded.

Questionnaire findings were mixed, and some participants found the measures difficult to understand. Participants’ qualitative feedback and facilitators’ observations suggested that the group created feelings of safety and connectedness whilst facilitating engagement and action with shame and self-criticism. Several participants highlighted the usefulness of the ‘”compassion box”, although some barriers were noted.

This paper provides a rich description of how group CFT can be adapted to meet the needs of adults with ID and is the first study of its kind, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to evaluate the incorporation of the “compassion box”.

With the turn of the century, the Earth's natural resources continue to be stretched as nonrenewable resources continue to dwindle and as the population continues to grow. Academia is no exception with human and teaching resources remaining a constraint for all universities including financial resources. Higher education (HE) leadership struggles to contain costs by reducing unnecessary expenditures while trying to ensure that quality remains a top priority. Innovative pedagogy is one way that institutions can help bridge both scarcity and quality and address the growing demand for quality education. New technologies, designing of new curriculum which is relevant and can address the realities of economic demands, have become a high priority in HE. Educators, policymakers and stakeholders have to embrace this transformational change for the progress of their institution. This book addresses such innovative changes that are being initiated by academics around the world. The focus of this book remains on innovative pedagogy, success stories of such interventions, impact on students while reinventing the learner-centered approach and its implication on the future. The authors of this book address the successes and the challenges they have faced.

This paper explores some misconceptions about children's advertising, in the context of food brands. It concludes that children are in essence ‘mini‐adults’, both in their approach to food, and to advertising generally. It illustrates children's sophistication about advertising, but concludes that it is essential to create a rounded ‘brand experience’ beyond any single communication channel.