The title of this book, Very Short Reflections--for Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, Ordinary Time and Saints--through the Liturgical Year, accurately describes its contents. Chapter 1 presents a short reflection for every day of the Advent Season. Chapter 2 does the same for every day of the Christmas season. Lent is covered in chapter 3, the Sacred Paschal Triduum in chapter 4, and the fifty days of the Easter season in chapter 5. Chapter 6 covers Ordinary Time. And chapter 7 presents a short reflection for every solemnity, feast, and memorial of saints, whose special day falls during the liturgical year. The short reflections are based on sets of Mass texts--Entrance Antiphon, Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, Communion Antiphon, Prayer after Communion, and Prayer over the People--presented for every day of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, Ordinary Time and saints in The Roman Missal. The reflection identifies the theme of the day and presents how it is manifested in the Mass texts. These very short reflections are designed to expose to the reader the liturgical spirituality that emanates from the Mass texts.

This book discusses aspects of the theory and practice of qualitative research in the specific context of language and literacy education. It addresses epistemological perspectives, methodological problems, and practical considerations related to research involvements in areas of language education and literacy studies rather than generic issues of other fields of social sciences. The volume starts with Theoretical Considerations in the first part and raises some epistemological and theoretical concerns that are rarely debated in the specific context of research on language and literacy teaching. The second part, Methodological Approaches explores issues of the design and implementation of language and literacy education research within the framework of some of the major established qualitative research traditions. Finally, the part on Research in Action discusses practical aspects of a few actual instances of qualitative research on language and literacy education in different contexts.

First Published in 2004. The provision of effective career guidance has been presented as the answer to economic and social problems in young people, and has been seen by governments around the world as essential in ensuring economic competitiveness and prosperity. Policy discussions have centred on individuals' development of 'self-managed' careers within a global labour market, placing employability skills above all other concerns. This book goes beyond the rhetoric of careers guidance by exploring it from critical and radical standpoints. The contributors question the economic underpinning that has driven social inclusion agendas around the globe, arguing that career education and guidance needs to place greater emphasis on approaches that have a greater social awareness and within a global context. They discuss career guidance in consideration of a range of issues including social class, 'race' and gender and raise questions about the implications for policy and practice. Essential reading for students, researchers and academics and practitioners involved with careers education, this book will help the reader to improve their practice through a greater understanding of the theories and social and economic contexts involved

This fifth collection of poems, titled "Reflections," comprising one hundred poems of Dr. Ashok T. Chakravarthy, primarily concentrate on key universal issues of concern. The poems promote welfare-oriented universal concepts viz., universal peace and brotherhood, protection of environment, concern for nature, care for children rights, the priceless feelings for a mother and so on. The poet's quest for world peace is focused in quite a number of poems, and the feelings that peace remains an essential imperative to be inculcated in world citizens. Despite disappointments and conflicts still existing elsewhere, the poet takes it as his moral duty to promote his chosen concepts on environment protection, children welfare, nature and so on. The task to promote and protect universal culture does not lag behind. His thirst to contribute the best of poetry to safeguard universal values, ideologies, and religions is visible in his poems and stokes serene feelings in every reader. These recurring aspirations in the poet's thoughts and in particular the incessant longing to express them through poetry compositions is worth a rare phenomenon which ought to be recognized as a rare poetic talent. Most of the verses of Dr. Ashok T. Chakravarthy are literary kits that give good rhythm when tuned to music for enlivening the lyrical philosophy. The poet's pursuit to strengthen the ideals of peace in every world citizen, every nation and in every peace-yearning youth have carved a niche in the hearts of several citizens across the world. This particular volume invites a strong literary debate that will upsurge the advocacy for the changes it strives to uphold across global boundaries.