Linking EfS and Biodiversity? A UK-wide survey of the status of education within local biodiversity action plans

This article explores the potential for developing education for sustainability (EfS) through biodiversity planning in the UK. The current status of education within local biodiversity action plans (LBAPs) is evaluated using the findings of a UK-wide survey of action plans conducted in April 1999. Links between environmental education, EfS and biodiversity education are identified and international and national statements of policy are referred to. The conclusions drawn from this article are that biodiversity practitioners have the tools to deliver EfS through implementation of LBAPs—the concept allowing close links to Local Agenda 21, formal education, business and industry and the community at large. Currently there is a disparity between what is said and what is done, i.e. education is recognised as an important element of biodiversity planning but policy is not always included to encourage practical action. Practitioners should be wary of simply 'rebranding' environmental education as EfS for the complexity of the sustainability issue requires a new and innovative approach to involving individuals and organisations alike.     

Health Curriculum and School Quality: International perspectives

The study looks at issues surrounding the definition, choice and implemen tation of the planned content of health education for primary schools, focusing on two countries in Africa and on one Indian state. It argues that health education is a vital component to achieving quality because it links home with school; 'needs now' with 'needs later'. Yet it is proves exceptionally difficult to plan and deliver such content effectively because curriculum planning bodies are geared to work with separate subjects rather than across the curriculum, with classroom content rather than wider learning experiences in and from school, and with textbooks and examinations rather than the physical and human environment of the school community. There is confusion as to the definition and purpose of health education, omission and overlap in planned learning opportunities and a wide gap between what is planned centrally and what is actually delivered in school. There is considerable awareness of the need to rethink approaches and a large number of separate proposals for action have emerged, aimed at improving content, methodology, materials and evaluation strategies. Yet many fundamental problems remain concerning the structure and purpose of planning bodies (notably the Curriculum Centres) and with overcoming a restrictive and conservative culture of schooling. Issues raised in this study have wide relevance, not only to other countries but also to the planning of other themes, such as environmental protection and conflict resolution.     

Perceived effects of action research on teachers' professional efficacy,inquiry mindsets and the support they received while conducting projects to intervene into student learning

Based on information gleaned from questionnaires and interviews with teachers who engaged in action research as a capstone to their Master's program during the years 1992 through 2001, and on data from these teachers' administrators and colleagues, six assertions are reported. (1) Teachers sustained the ‘inquiry mindset’ gained while learning the processes associated with conducting action research and continued using aspects of the process; however, conducting new projects was less likely. (2) Teachers' sense of professional efficacy was enhanced, even after many years had intervened. (3) Action research had immediate benefits for students but long-range benefits were not determined. (4) Though challenging, teachers perceived conducting action research was professionally valuable. (5) Teachers reported that administrators, although supportive, played passive roles, whereas colleagues were more collaborative during planning and implementing their projects. (6) Teachers described school environments conducive to conducting action research as ones that provide structures for teams to work on mutual goals supported by strong administrative leadership.     

Action learning and critical thinking: a synthesis of two models

Recent scholarship and the news media have identified a lack of critical thinking and ethical behavior in the business world. These deficiencies have led to faulty decision-making, ineffective planning, and frequent organizational dysfunction. This situation has focused attention on both practitioners in the field of business and on the university programs that educate them. A number of upper-tier universities have begun to address these important issues by exploring ways of revising their Master of Business Administration programs to place greater emphasis on their graduates' ability to think critically and consider ethical implications before and after taking action. The authors propose a potential means of addressing these issues in both the business and academic environments through a synthesis of two well-established models based on the constructs of critical thinking and action learning. This synthesis has the potential to produce symbiotic and synergistic effects that may provide educators and practitioners with a new tool for encouraging critical thinking and ethical behavior. The implications for future research and practice are also discussed.     

Moving from opportunism to expediency when introducing action learning into an organisation

During my first year of practice as a new action learning facilitator undertaking an ‘ILM Level 5 Certificate in Action Learning Facilitation’, an innovative Individual Service Fund pilot was launched by ‘Certitude’, the organisation for which I work. The aim of this pilot was to enable people with learning disabilities and mental health needs in London to have more choice and control over their support. By recognising the opportunity that this pilot provided, I was able to design, introduce and facilitate an action learning intervention to develop the confidence of leaders and managers involved in implementing the pilot's project plan and in turn explore my own emerging practice. This paper focuses on my journey from an opportunistic to expedient action learning facilitator; responsible for introducing, planning and establishing a new model of learning and development in Certitude.     

Preservice teachers' theory development in physical and simulated environments

We report a study of three prospective secondary science teachers' development of theories‐in‐action as they worked together in a group to explore collisions using both physical manipulatives and a computer simulation (Interactive Physics). Analysis of their investigations using an existing theoretical framework indicates that, as the group moved from physical experiments to the computer simulation, their attention shifted from planning their experiments to processing system feedback, which impeded the iterative refinement of their theories‐in‐action. The nature of the theories they developed also changed. Learners' attitudes toward science and prior experiences affected the exploration process in both environments. In particular, prior instruction in physics and an authoritarian view of science seemed to impede engagement in the development and testing of theories‐in‐action. Certain features of the computer system itself also impeded exploration. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 907–937, 2006     

Learning Organisations,Investors in People and New Labour's Learning Society

In this article I intend to explore two models of what constitutes a Learning Organisation. One model is a broader and developmental one which comprises: anticipating future problems; paying attention to the external environment; continuously seeking improvement; approaching problem solving through conceptual analysis and on an organisation-wide basis; rewarding initiative and creativity; defining jobs to encourage risk-taking, exploration, initiative and knowledge sharing. The second model is the much more functional and mechanistic one proposed under the Investors in People (IiP) with its emphasis on 'commitment, planning, action, evaluation'     

Towards Internationalisation in Teacher Education: An attempt to use English as the working language in a sociology course

This paper describes an action research enquiry conducted at the State College of Education, Vienna. The author's main concern was the implementation of a Sociology course using English as the language of instruction. The paper describes the context in which the project took place, the main ideas of action research, the stages in planning, the adjustments which had to be made and the methods of evaluation. The results show many benefits for the students, the institution and the author. However, the costs of implementation also have to be taken into account. A critical reflection is given which makes it clear that institutional support is absolutely necessary for long-term success.     

Maternal interaction,private speech,and task performance in preschool children

This study examined the correspondence between ontogenetic and microgenetic change in private speech, the association of private speech with task performance, and the relationship of maternal interaction during a teaching session to preschoolers' verbal self-regulation and success in independent problem solving. Thirty 4- and 5-year-olds were observed while their mothers assisted them in solving two challenging tasks. In three subsequent sessions, children's private speech and performance were tracked as they worked on tasks requiring skills similar to those taught in the mother-child session. Correspondences between age- and session-related trends in private speech and task performance appeared that are consistent with Vygotsky's assumption that private speech undergoes progressive internalization with increasing cognitive competence. Contrary to Vygotskian assumptions, utterances accompanying action were not replaced by those preceding action (planning statements) with advancing age and task mastery. Private speech predicted gain in task performance more effectively than concurrent performance. A global index of authoritative parenting was a better predictor of private speech and task performance than were microanalytic measures of scaffolding, suggesting that microanalytic indices may miss critical features of maternal teaching behavior that promote transfer of cognitive strategies from adult to child.     

Gender Transformative Learning and Environmental Action

A gendered critique of the theory and practice of popular education and of environmental policy and planning processes, gives visibility to the means by which women's world views and ways of knowing and doing motivate their environmental and educational work. With reference to experience in India, Bolivia, El Salvador, Brazil, and Canada, a case is made for the recognition of non-violent, but holistic resistance strategies. These are based on women's approaches to environmental action learning, to change attitudes, behaviour and responsibility for personal and social transformation and to inhibit the continued degradation of human support systems.     

Education and Training: Beyond the Great Debate

Abstract

Strategies in schools for developing students’ action‐planning skills are explored. The student skills required for effective action planning are defined, and means of developing them are identified. Attention is also paid to the nature of the teacher skills required to foster the development of the student skills, and the means of developing these teacher skills. Potential links with teacher appraisal schemes and with institutional development planning are noted.     

作为国家战略的高等教育国际化： 一项多国比较研究

生存环境恶化、公共卫生危机频发、地缘政治动荡以及逆全球化趋势等一系列人类共同面临的世界性难题给各国高等教育国际化进程带来考验。在此背景下，高等教育在全球、国家、高校等多个空间场域中被各种主体力量塑造，高等教育国际化的行动场变得愈发复杂。然而，过去十年来的全球趋势是国家的作用愈发凸显，越来越多的国家将高等教育国际化与外交战略、科技创新、经济发展和人才规划等方面统筹谋划，以立法、战略规划、资金支持等形式将高等教育国际化纳入国家战略，与世纪之交时以高校为主体主导国际化发展的偶发性、碎片化、边缘化特征有较大区别。本研究从国家战略的利益相关者、动因和实施路径三个维度比较了近十年来美国、英国、澳大利亚、德国、俄罗斯、日本、马来西亚、印度、土耳其等九国高等教育国际化的特点与发展趋势。研究发现：高等教育国际化的趋同性特点包括高等教育国际化作为国家战略与科技、人才战略成为一揽子战略方案，战略制定动因由“国际贡献”向“国家贡献”倾斜，世界一流大学建设成为战略行动新趋势等；各国政府在高等教育国际化战略中的功能、动因、行动路线上存在差异。研究对我国谋划高等教育国际化的国家战略具有借鉴作用。     

In and of the City: Theory of Action and the NYU Partnership School Program

This article explores the theory of action underlying New York University's (NYU's) Partnership Schools Program—explaining in the process what a theory of action is, and how it can be constructed for other innovations in other contexts. NYU's Partnership Program involves 23 schools, K-12, spanning several of New York City's most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. It operates on the basis of what the authors call “mutual self-interest” and exploits what they call “complementarity.” The authors illuminate the program's original as well as its evolving intentions, and the environmental conditions necessary to enact them and to sustain the program over a decade. They also describe the program's core design elements, with a view to how these may be replicated elsewhere. Finally, they look closely at the Partnership's theory of action in action, employing action research data to portray a meeting where professors and teachers discuss the teacher education residency experiment they have collaboratively launched.     

Toward Effective Teaching and Learning: stories of primary schools'environmental science interest and action

This article provides some stories of primary school teachers' and students' experiences of implementing new science teaching and learning strategies through an action research process that have also led to more environmental education occurring in the schools' curriculum. The stories have been constructed from the coordinators' journals, observations and interviews with the teachers and students in the schools. The teachers in the schools are consciously engaged in an action research-based model of curriculum change in science teaching and learning. The stories also acknowledge the critiques of critical theory in environmental education and the possibilities for a socially critical approach in environmental education within a context of the limited opportunities for both science and environmental education in primary schools.     

王阳明知行合一说的道德教育意义

王阳明知行合一说主要是针对明朝中期"不知而妄行"与"空想而不行"两种不良倾向,以及当时道德实践中先知后行、知而不行的弊病而提出的,其用意在于强调道德的实践性。王阳明知行合一说对于道德教育的意义有两点:一是人人心存善念,即澄清道德意念与纯化道德动机。二是人人践行善行,即以道德认知引导道德实践和以道德实践扩充"道德认知"。     

Promoting group talk and higher‐order thinking in pupils by ‘coaching’ secondary English trainee teachers

One hundred and eighty British secondary school pupils aged 11–12 and their six trainee teachers in five schools participated in an action research project, designed to improve the quality of children's group talk in English lessons, particularly their engagement in higher‐order thinking through ‘exploratory’ talk. The programme, supported by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), now Training and Development Agency, was devised by a team of mentors and an Initial Teacher Educator from Sussex University. It aimed to develop the trainees' skills both in planning challenging tasks for, and sustaining effective group talk, using ‘ground rules’ and varied teacher discourse strategies. The data include qualitative comparative analysis of discourse audiotaped before and after the intervention, taken from 66 pupils. Findings indicate a clear improvement in the quality of talk, in terms of pupils' collaborative engagement in higher‐order thinking. Further evidence from observations and interviews with all participants suggests confirmation of the programme's effectiveness in improving trainees' and pupils' skills in, and understanding of how to use group talk to reason.     

Managing Quality by Action Research—Improving Quality Service Delivery in Higher Education as a Marketing Strategy

ABSTRACT

This paper demonstrates how the use of self directed and self initiated research by staff in an International Office in one of Australia's largest universities can be a useful tool in improving the quality performance of service delivery to full fee paying international students as a deliberate means of improving the marketable image of the university, accepting that the university marketing strategy recognises that ‘word of mouth’ or informal marketing forms one part of the overall scheme. This paper describes two action research projects undertaken by staff in the International Office to engender improved quality of service delivery and subsequently an improved image of the university in the process of informal marketing. The results of the action research projects have produced specific outcomes, further planning and changes to management practices in the International Office, all related to improving the quality of services being delivered and the quality of management, a strategy that can be adopted in universities worldwide. Each research project was small, but facilitated changes or improvement to a target, strategically identified and discussed with management. These projects did not occur as strategic parts of an overall marketing plan, but were recognised as making contributions to effective outcomes of the existing marketing process. The paper then discusses the role of management in employee empowerment and the action research process arguing that management's role is to ensure that stimuli such as this are not Stifled.     

Teaching managing diversity via feminist theory

This paper explores a project to design and mount a unit on ‘managing diversity’. For its conceptual framework the unit draws on feminist theories of struggles for equity and social justice and the various policy approaches that workplace equality agents have correspondingly developed. Despite the emphasis on feminist theory, the paper makes no attempt to compare gender equity initiatives with strategies for managing diversity. Rather, some of the tensions are identified between the culturalist aims of the Managing Diversity movement and the redistributive goals that generated affirmative action and equal employment opportunities strategies; and it is suggested how an analysis of those tensions may promote increased student understanding of the topic. Secondly, it is assessed how a unit may juxtapose industrial relations and human resource management concepts to the benefit of curricula in both.In planning a new unit, moreover, it is not only the content which needs to be considered, but also the students' prior learning experience and the politics of persuading one's colleagues of the proposal's worth. Thus an account of these more pragmatic issues is integrated into the discussion.