The politics of environmental education: a case‐study

ABSTRACT

The ‘Environment and School Initiatives’ (ENSI) project is an OECD curriculum development project based on a ‘process model’. Eleven OECD countries, excluding the UK, participated in Phase 1 (1986‐8). The author carried out a comparative analysis of case‐studies of this phase, then sought to gain government support for the participation of UK schools in the second phase of ENSI. This article tells the story of his efforts and the responses they met with. The narrative describes and analyses the complex roles and positions taken by government departments, charitable foundations and multinational companies. The negative outcome for the future of the project in England and Wales indicated that the British government were more interested in the construction of politically symbolic acts which publicly signify concern for the environment than with the promotion of effective and educationally worthwhile pedagogies for environmental education.     

Stimulating independent learning: a quasi‐experimental study on portfolio

A portfolio model was developed which can serve as an alternative to the literature study with practical processing, the predominant dissertation model used in teacher education courses in Flanders. Using a pre‐ and post‐test quasi‐experimental design with 174 teacher students and 44 supervisors, we examined whether the use of portfolio as a dissertation model has a greater effect on the students’ capacity for independent learning than the literature study with practical processing, using three questionnaires. The research shows that portfolio results in students acquiring greater metacognitive knowledge. It also appears that students only get the chance to use their metacognitive skills when supervisors give them sufficient autonomy. However, supervisors experience loss of control and therefore tend to restrict students’ autonomy. This leads us to the paradox of independent learning: students will only learn independently when they are given the opportunity to learn independently. Supervisors need to transfer learner control.     

Explaining school‐based curriculum satisfaction: a case study

This paper examines the contradictory effects of teaching multicultural education in two American white women's university classrooms. The authors use discourse analysis to understand the confusing results of teaching about difference. In this analysis, course readings and a field trip to an urban school are examined in regard to the instructors' intentions and students' responses. The authors understand the puzzling results of their teaching by examining the positivist dimensions of their pedagogy, including the belief in rational approaches to overcoming racism, sexism and other systems of oppression, the belief in the possibility of replacing 'bad ideas' with 'good' ones, and the perpetuation of knowledge grounded in a binary system of meaning-making and language use. The authors conclude with ideas for a postpositivist approach to knowledge, experience and action, that emphasizes the production of interpretations.     

The utilisation of a school self‐evaluation instrument

School quality care has become important in many Western countries. Expectations are high, but little is known about the nature and extent of the use of self‐evaluation instruments within schools. From this longitudinal study into the use of a Dutch school self‐evaluation instrument, it became clear that schools vary in the extent to which they are able to make use of self‐evaluation results. A minority of schools in this study were able to use the self‐evaluation results for developing measures at the school and classroom level to improve the quality of education. Potential causes for the findings and alternatives for promoting the utilisation of school self‐evaluation instruments are discussed.     

Towards self‐direction in study methods: The ways in which new students learn to study part‐time

This study examined the ways in which new students attempt to adjust to part‐time study. Data were gathered through interviews with 53 students enrolled in part‐time courses in Hong Kong. It was found that the data could be interpreted in terms of the construct of self‐direction. The novice students showed a surprising degree of determination towards personal autonomy. When it came to self‐management in learning, those least equipped for self‐management were the ones tending to show the greatest difficulties in part‐time study. Some students were able to find help from teaching staff, fellow students or friends in developing self‐direction. It would appear, though, that universities could do more to help students develop self‐managed learning capabilities, and if they did so would ease the transition towards becoming a successful part‐time student.     

Teacher reflections on ‘bumpy moments’ in teaching: a self‐study

This study recounts a practicing teacher's attempt to describe reflections during the course of teaching at the primary level. A self‐study was conducted to address teacher thinking during ‘bumpy moments’ in teaching, offering an insight into how we might capture the details of teachers' unseen reflections. Through an analysis of the many ‘bumpy moments’ in teaching, several important findings emerged about the nature of reflection and how reflection actually occurs in the classroom context. Results of this study have implications for future research, teacher education and improvement of the teaching practice.     

Teacher self‐regulation: examining a multidimensional construct

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the multidimensional nature of teacher self‐regulation. A nine‐factor structure was proposed: goal setting, intrinsic interest, performance goal orientation, mastery goal orientation, self‐instruction, emotional control, self‐evaluation, self‐reaction, and help‐seeking. Through a series of confirmatory factor analyses with different samples, this nine‐factor structure was supported. Reliability estimates were also satisfactory. Further validation evidence was provided through canonical correlation analysis between teacher self‐regulation and teachers’ sense of efficacy. Results indicated that the Teacher Self‐Regulation Scale can be utilised as a valid and reliable instrument to assess teachers’ self‐regulatory strategies.     

Explorations in using arts‐based self‐study methods

Research methods courses typically require students to conceptualize, describe, and present their research ideas in writing. In this article, the author describes her exploration in using arts‐based techniques for teaching research to support the development of students’ self‐study research projects. The pedagogical approach emerged from the author’s sociocultural theoretical perspective in using symbols and dialogue as mediating tools. Three arts‐based research projects were utilized to assist doctoral students in articulating research interests, framing research proposals, and reflecting on their development as researchers. Data included students’ implementation and assessment of projects; the instructor’s teaching logs; and students’ course evaluations. The projects served to illuminate the subtleties of research interests, self‐understanding and understanding of other’s research, and learning about self‐study by practicing it. Research methods instructors are prompted to consider what happens when students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of research using the arts and when they study the ‘so what’ of using them.     

Self‐determined blended learning: a case study of blended learning design

Higher education has been actively encouraged to find more effective and flexible delivery models to provide all students with access to quality learning experiences yet also meet institutional imperatives for efficiency and accountability. Blended learning, commonly defined as an integration of traditional face‐to‐face and online approaches to instruction (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004 Garrison, D.R. and Kanuka, H. 2004. Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. Internet and Higher Education, 7(2): 95–105.  [Google Scholar]; Graham, 2006 Graham, C.R. 2006. “Blended learning systems: Definition, current trends and future directions”. In Handbook of blended learning: Global perspectives, local designs, Edited by: Bonk, C.J. and Graham, C.R. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.  [Google Scholar]; Macdonald, 2008 Macdonald, J. 2008. Blended learning and online tutoring , (2nd ed.), Hampshire, UK: Gower.  [Google Scholar]), is now proposed as one solution that addresses both student learning and higher education organisational needs. Successful blended learning, however, is more than a simple integration of information and communication technologies with face‐to‐face approaches. This paper proposes, describes and evaluates a pedagogical approach to blended learning focused on learners and learning. First, we interrogate the literature related to blended learning to show how various constructions of blended learning may be driven by teacher‐centric or learner‐centric conceptions. Next, planning a learner‐centric blended learning design for a core unit in a first year higher education course is described. The design is then evaluated using a mixed methodology in which the students’ voices illuminate their experiences of blended learning unit design with regards to engagement, learning and self‐determination.     

The self‐taught agitator: Hitler 1907–1920

Developments of the last fifteen years in the relationship of free speech theory to nonverbal communication lead to the conclusion that many purely symbolic, emotive and victimless modes of nonverbal expression have won a firm place under the umbrella of First Amendment protection but that some nonverbal forms of communication, such as flag and draft card burnings, economic boycotts, and coercive persuasion generally, are still viewed as raising troublesome First Amendment questions.     

An evaluative case study of the dilemmas experienced in designing a self‐assessment strategy for Community Nursing students

The Dearing Report’s (1997 Dearing, R. 1997. Higher education in the learning society: report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. (Chair) [Google Scholar]) radical proposals challenged lecturers in higher education to develop innovative assessment strategies. This paper explores the dilemmas experienced by one teaching team in designing and implementing a student self‐assessment strategy within a community nursing degree programme. The paper reviews the impact on students’ sense of autonomy and critical thinking skills. In addition, it considers, in depth, the risks associated with developing and implementing a strategy involving self‐assessment. Drawing on a range of sources it examines the drivers for the initiative, the response from the range of stakeholders involved and the impact on the student experience. The academic team found that developing such a creative initiative is time consuming, provokes anxiety and requires extensive negotiation and collaboration between academic and practice colleagues. However, the adoption of a self‐assessment initiative has a significant effect on students’ critical thinking skills and warrants the effort.     

The trend of reading standards re‐assessed

For over a century there have been frequent criticisms of the standard of educational attainment in England and Wales and, in many instances, it has been alleged that a decline has taken place. In contrast, the little factual evidence that is available indicates a considerable improvement over this period, but a reversal of the trend may have occurred between the national reading surveys of 1961 and 1971. Findings from the Medical Research Council's National Survey of Health and Development suggest that figures from the 1961 national reading survey overestimated the standard of reading of 15‐year‐olds and that there was no significant decline during the 1960s. Demands for changes in educational policy and practice, which rest on the presumption of falling standards, have little justification.     

When rewards and sanctions fail: a case study of a primary school rule‐breaker

Positioning theory provides a lens through which to view the narrative accounts of working‐class parents as dynamic, intentional acts of positioning intended to gain the recognition of school personnel as full partners in the education of their children. Knowing that school personnel will not treat them with the kind of respect given middle‐class parents, but refusing to allow themselves to be viewed as if they were lower‐class parents, analysis of the accounts of working‐class parents reveals intentional acts of positioning that serve to: (1) fight against stereotypes, (2) guard against being made to feel inferior by maintaining vigilance and involvement, and (3) build cultural and social capital through dialog and deliberation. These acts of intentional positioning are also understood as knowledge‐generating activities where people come together in dialog to work toward a mutually acceptable solution. Implications for the development of dialog‐oriented parental involvement practices are offered.     

Premature closure and guided reinvention: a case study in a web‐based learning environment

Just as linguistic errors have provided insights into the nature of linguistic competence(s), detailed analyses of blind spots or marked trajectories in the reflection cycles of novice teachers may provide a window on their underlying beliefs, and thus on relevant zones of proximal development. In this paper we analyse a case study in an experimental web‐based learning environment in which a novice teacher demonstrably just reproduces the assumptions she started out with rather than re‐inspecting them. Having located a problem of motivation uniquely inside the learners’ heads, she pointedly ignores hints in the feedback that her own verbal and nonverbal behaviour in the classroom might be a relevant domain of enquiry. Our findings show the need for structural interventions within a priori hypothesized, linearly ordered, stages in reflection models. We report on two small‐scale experiments that implement suggested changes in the architecture of the web site which yield more context‐sensitive ways of scaffolding reflection. In conclusion we argue that detailed discursive accounts of successful and less successful reflection trajectories are needed to refine and further develop models in teacher thinking.     

Three mentoring team relationships and obstacles encountered: a school‐based case study

This case study is a continuation of a research project that investigated 149 mentoring teams in four school districts over a two‐year period. The primary goal in the first phase of the study was to identify mentoring teams that were regularly encountering problems, introduce intervention procedures, and assess the effectiveness of those procedures. In this phase, three teams were selected from the original study to represent four common problems encountered during formal mentoring: institutional barriers, issues of time, lack of emotional support, and poor interpersonal skills. Results indicate the need for a closer examination of the principal's role in the mentoring process, more attention to how mentoring coordinators and administrators use their time, a more rigorous mentor selection process, a more detailed evaluation of the teaching environment, additional support mechanisms, and more prevalent sharing of research.