Decision theory and artificial intelligence II: The hungry monkey

This paper describes a problem-solving framework In which aspects of mathematical decision theory are incorporated into symbolic problem-solving techniques currently predominant in artificial intelligence. The utility function of decision theory IS used to reveal tradeoffs among competing strategies for achieving various goals, taking into account such factors as reliability, the complexity of steps in the strategy, and the value of the goal. The utility function on strategies can therefore be used as a guide when searching for good strategies. It is also used to formulate solutions to the problems of how to acquire a world model, how much planning effort is worthwhile, and whether verification tests should be performed. These techniques are illustrated by application to the classic monkey and bananas problem.     

“Just Access”? Questions of Equity in Access and Funding for Assistive Technology

Assistive technology has great potential to contribute to health, functioning, and quality of life. To date, as exemplified in the Canadian context, variations and inequities in access to assistive technology are evident; the development of legislation, policies, and programs has not kept up with the increasing use of assistive technology. In this article, we apply ;Daniels’s (2008) theory of just health to argue that equitable access to assistive technology funding and services is necessary for justice. In doing so, we offer theoretical guidance for the development of legislation, policies, and programs to guide such access in health and social services.     

Balancing securitisation and education in schools: teachers’ agency in implementing the Prevent duty

ABSTRACT

Since the introduction of the Prevent duty across the UK, schools have had to balance the need to fulfil their responsibilities under the duty – often understood to include monitoring and surveillance – with their ultimate purpose to educate their students. This positions teachers within a particular set of tensions about their own beliefs about education, their values, and their roles and relationships with young people and communities. This article draws on interviews with classroom teachers and members of school leadership teams from 10 schools, in order to compare how teachers have understood and responded to those tensions. The article will focus on the various ways in which teachers frame the policy, and the ways in which they exercise agency in their responses. Drawing on an ecological approach to theorising teacher agency our data reveals how teachers develop different responses to anti-extremism policy depending on their role; their school contexts; and their own beliefs. Whilst in some important regards the statutory Prevent duty has ‘closed down’ some options, nevertheless teachers exercise agency to interpret and enact policy and, when translating the policy into a curriculum context, also make ‘leaps’ of interpretation as concepts such as fundamental British values are turned into lessons.     

TO TEACH IS TO LEARN: OVERCOMING TOKENISM WITH MENTORS

Active mentors, persons who are not simply role models, have been shown to facilitate and enhance career growth, yet the token role of women entering traditionally masculine professions was shown to inhibit sponsorships. An analysis of a sample of exit interviews from the first women cadets to graduate from West Point revealed that the marginal peer acceptance of tokens within a competitive, somewhat constrained atmosphere discouraged the development of these sponsorships. If women plan to play sustained roles in the professions, they must actively sponsor other women. A first step in this process is to be aware of the situational pressures, noted in the present paper, that are directed against sponsorships within a token group.