Philip Garner - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Philip Garner

9th ISCA Speech Synthesis Workshop, 2016

In our recent work, a novel speech synthesis with enhanced prosody (SSEP) system using probabilis... more In our recent work, a novel speech synthesis with enhanced prosody (SSEP) system using probabilistic amplitude demodulation (PAD) features was introduced. These features were used to improve prosody in speech synthesis. The PAD was applied iteratively for generating syllable and stress amplitude modulations in a cascade manner. The PAD features were used as a secondary input scheme along with the standard text-based input features in deep neural network (DNN) speech synthesis. Objective and subjective evaluation validated the improvement of the quality of the synthesized speech. In this paper, a spectral amplitude modulation phase hierarchy (S-AMPH) technique is used in a similar to the PAD speech synthesis scheme, way. Instead of the two modulations used in PAD case, three modulations, i.e., stress-, syllable-and phoneme-level ones (2, 5 and 20 Hz respectively) are implemented with the S-AMPH model. The objective evaluation has shown that the proposed system using the S-AMPH features improved synthetic speech quality in respect to the system using the PAD features; in terms of relative reduction in mel-cepstral distortion (MCD) by approximately 9% and in terms of relative reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) of the fundamental frequency (F0) by approximately 25%. Multi-task training is also investigated in this work, giving no statistically significant improvements.

Early Child Development and Care, 2018

The challenges of providing education for a heterogeneous student population (in respect of gende... more The challenges of providing education for a heterogeneous student population (in respect of gender, poverty levels, language and learning aptitude and level) have been major issues in refining Bhutanese policy and practice. These challenges are noted in respect of children with 'special needs' in the Bhutan Education Blueprint, 2014-24 (NSB/MoE/UNICEF, 2014), which indicated that 'government's initiatives to enhance educational access for children with special needs remains a formidable challenge for the education sector owing to the limited number of special schools, facilities, support services and capacity of the teachers' (p. 26). This literature review scopes some of the key issues implied by this current situation, using the existing literature on 'children with disabilities' CWD from both recognized academic sources as well as the so-called 'grey' literature. It points to an emerging recognition of both ongoing challenges and opportunities in Bhutan which parallel those in diverse international contexts.

The SAGE Handbook of Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, 2017

Purpose: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability characterised by d... more Purpose: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability characterised by difficulties in social interaction and social communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Despite its prevalence the world over, there is a paucity of research in some areas such as education, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper attempts to address the gap by exploring teachers' understanding of ASD in Nigeria. Method: Using an adapted version of the Knowledge About Childhood Autism Among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaire (Bakare et al, 2008), a survey was conducted among 177 mainstream primary teachers from Lagos State (112 from eleven urban schools and 65 from four rural schools). Results: The total mean score on the Adapted KCAHW questionnaire among all the participating teachers was 10.81 ± 4.13 out of a possible total of 16. The mean score for urban teachers was 11.21 ± 4.31, while the mean score for rural teachers was 10.11 ± 3.75. In total, 46% of the urban teachers and 31% of the rural teachers demonstrated a generally accurate knowledge of ASD, with 15% (23 urban teachers and 4 rural teachers) of the sample answering all questions correctly. Over 50% of urban teachers and almost 70% of rural teachers surveyed had only a low or moderate understanding of ASD. Conclusions: This research supports previous studies that identified low professional knowledge and understanding of ASD, and a need for improved professional education and training.

International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 1994

... evidence of considerable enthusiasm for learning activity ('I work hard in most of my le... more ... evidence of considerable enthusiasm for learning activity ('I work hard in most of my lessons because I enjoy them' E; 'I try hard to get ... out of the control of their teachers, can impinge upon their education ('My school hasn't got enough teachers, so everyone is too busy' E; 'When ...

Comparative Education Review, 1997

Children & Society, 2007

188 Philip Gamer to support this view has been gathered from children and teachers who have eithe... more 188 Philip Gamer to support this view has been gathered from children and teachers who have either attended or worked in 'disruptive units' or who are currently doing so in PRUs. Account is taken of their views in respect of four aspects of provision: resourcing and accommoda- ...

Differences terminology in the field of 'emotional and behavioural difficulties' have lon... more Differences terminology in the field of 'emotional and behavioural difficulties' have long been apparent - and problematic - for practitioners. This presentation explores aspects of this issue and in particular examines the ways in which the use of 'labels' can be both enabling and counterproductive in work with young people.

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs

ABSTRACT The number of students who are ‘at risk’ including those with special education needs an... more ABSTRACT The number of students who are ‘at risk’ including those with special education needs and or disabilities is increasing rapidly worldwide in all schools. This has prompted widespread debate regarding the impact of initiatives in Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting for this group of students. Teachers, parents and administrators need to have further information to enable them to contribute to the development of content, assessment and reporting processes in the curriculum that are inclusive, relevant, reliable and valid. This paper explores some of the issues and dilemmas raised by recent policy discussions regarding the inception of a first national Australian Curriculum. It draws purposively on literature relating to developments in England and Wales, where national curriculum provision has existed for over 25 years, as well as the responses of a group of stakeholders (teachers and leaders) from both England/Wales and Australian schools and settings. These data highlight both tension and opportunity in this area of work.

Teacher Development

Much has been written concerning the reflections of teachers about their professional role. This ... more Much has been written concerning the reflections of teachers about their professional role. This paper provides an example of a further means by which they can obtain insights into their work. Teachers on in-service education and training (INSET) courses in special educational needs (SEN) were asked to record their perceptions of what they saw as the key issues in working with children who have SEN by using drawings rather than words. The resulting 'concept maps' or 'mind maps' provide both information concerning how these teachers view their role and also the dilemmas concerned in doing their job effectively. The premise on which this method of data-gathering is based is that it provides an alternative means of uncovering the subconscious thinking of a group of teachers about the work they do, thereby helping them to develop new strategies to deal with the problems they encounter.