Philosophical Walks as Place-Based Environmental Education

Place-based education has a long tradition in philosophy, and has been a cherished pedagogy for many in the field of environment studies. The practice of taking students outdoors to discover nature is first traced back to foundations in ancient Greece, in the writings of local chroniclers and in the teachings of Aristotle and the Stoics, and then into the Enlightenment and Progressive movement with Rousseau and Dewey. Contemporary bases are also surveyed in the pioneering work of Orr and Sobel, and the Heidegger-inspired writings of Ingold, Tuan, Relph and Bonnett. An instance of this immersive approach to teaching is then narrated, based on the author's repertoire in conducting place-based environmental education on the University of Toronto campus. Offering sketches of the different kinds of pedagogical interventions and resources used, it is hoped that this particular case will inspire readers to develop their own album of locally developed outdoor lessons. The ‘Philosopher's Walk’ depicted is a real place in Toronto (as in Kyoto), but it is also ‘imaginary’ in the sense of being a free-space for group or independent modes of critical and creative inquiry, adopting Goethe's and Hesse's concept of ‘pedagogical provinces’ for excursively playful self-discovery.     

Computer-Supported Training of Psycho-Diagnostic Skills

This paper outlines and discusses a self-contained multimedia-training program on psychological diagnostics. The program aims to play an intermediate role between theory and working practice, while offering students a simulated environment to prepare for practical work with real humans. The program simulates the entire diagnostic cycle in convincing, authentic cases while offering extended support facilities. Design principles of the program strongly rest on theories of constructivism and experiential learning; it combines freedom of movement for the students to allow explorative learning strategies, while it offers extended and intelligent feedback facilities that comment on the students’ performances. The functional program design is presented and substantiated from a pedagogical perspective. Preliminary results of a survey amongst students are presented and discussed.     

Pedagogical Renewal for Quality Universal Primary Education: Overview of Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article assumes that pedagogical renewal and teacher development are two sides of the same coin, and that the achievement of a universal primary education that is equitable and of acceptable quality in Sub-Saharan Africa will depend to a large extent on both. The need for pedagogical renewal stems from the evidence that (i) teaching is arguably the strongest school-level determinant of student achievement; (ii) teaching effect on student learning is reportedly higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than it is in high-income countries; (iii) learning achievement is considerably lower in the sub-continent’s schools; and (iv) the kind of teaching that takes place in these schools confines students to a passive role and only fosters lower order skills. An overview of experiences with pedagogical renewal highlights the challenges involved in adopting open-ended instructional practices on the sub-continent. It further points to bilingual education as one of the most promising strategies. Regardless of the route taken for renewing pedagogy, the professional development of teacher educators/trainers must be considered a critical enabling condition.     

Does equal access mean treat the same? From theory to practice in the classroom of English as an Additional Language learner in Ireland – towards a transformative agenda

While a substantial body of research exists on First- and Second-Language Acquisition (SLA), research on the language acquisition process that a language minority student goes through when they are acquiring a second language has been largely unexplored. Pedagogical practices that espouse language learning theories facilitate both the language development and integration of the language minority child into the classroom. This paper will look at various linguistic variables within the field of SLA which are of particular relevance to the language acquisition process of such students in an Irish context. By embedding these linguistic factors into pedagogical practices, educators can engage with a transformative framework which will not only aid their linguistic and cognitive development, but will also empower the students by developing their critical language skills and facilitate their ability to access the mainstream curriculum.     

Students' Consent to a Teacher's Pedagogical Authority

In this paper student comments are examined to identify a typology of demands for granting their consent to a teacher's pedagogical authority. The data for this study (136 written responses and 66 interviews) have been collected from students in a Finnish comprehensive school and examined by means of a theory-bounded content analysis. The results show that the students in this study expressed views which amounted to a typology of demands. If their demands are met, students will grant consent to their teacher's pedagogical authority and, consequently, allow the teaching, studying, and learning of the content under consideration. Securing students' consent to authority in the classroom will provide a new perspective on the phenomenon of a teacher's pedagogical authority. It is argued that a teacher's pedagogical authority and student consent to pedagogical authority are complementary ways of sharing power in the classroom and bringing about a pattern of empowerment.     

When Fact Conceals Privilege: Teaching the (Shared?) Reality of Disability

Disability studies in education scholars have discussed the need to engage students, and certainly preservice teachers, in critical discussion of disability as a concept. To better understand what such critical discussion entails, Ashley Taylor examines the pedagogical implications of promoting an understanding of disability as a shared experience of being human. In particular, Taylor is concerned with how the appeal to a shared experience of disability (which she calls “the shared reality view”) might contribute to or impede students' development of critical attitudes toward ableist social and educational practices. She describes two chief limitations of the shared reality view and argues that these complicate efforts to teach about disability in ways that avoid reinforcing students' existing beliefs. Taylor concludes by offering a pedagogical framework that retains valuable aspects of the shared reality view while avoiding its limitations.     

From a Language to a Theory of Resistance: Critical Pedagogy,the Limits of “Framing,” and Social Change

In this article, Rebecca Tarlau attempts to build a more robust theory of the relationship between education and social change by drawing on the conceptual tools offered in the critical pedagogy and social movement literatures. Tarlau argues that while critical pedagogy has been largely disconnected from its roots in political organizing, social movement literature has shifted away from a theory of educational processes within movement building. Specifically, she suggests that the currently dominant “framing perspective” in the social movement literature is incredibly limited in its ability to analyze the pedagogical aspects of organizing. Conversely, while scholars of critical pedagogy are extremely convincing when critiquing U.S. schooling, the field is weaker when theorizing about how teachers using critical pedagogy can link to larger movements for social transformation. Critical pedagogues need more organizational thinking and social movement scholars need a more pedagogical focus. Tarlau suggests three conceptual frameworks for moving forward in this direction: the notion of social movements as pedagogical spaces, the role of informal educational projects in facilitating the emergence and strength of social movements, and the role of public schools as terrains of contestation that hold the possibility of linking to larger struggles for social justice.     

Multimodal analysis for critical thinking

This paper proposes a pedagogical approach for teaching and learning critical thinking through multimodal analysis – that is, ‘multimodal analysis for critical thinking'. The approach builds on the conviction that students require competencies that move beyond traditional notions of literacy to meet the changing demands posed by media and technology in the twenty-first century. The approach takes a social semiotic view toward critical multimodal literacy, which aims to provide students with an analytical metalanguage for the systematic analysis of multimodal texts and videos. The pedagogical approach is facilitated through the use of purpose-built software applications with comprehensive analytical frameworks designed to support the systematic teaching and learning of multimodal analysis, with a view to developing the critical literacy skills needed for life in the digital age. The potential efficacies of the approach are illustrated via the exposition of software functionalities and the sample analyses of a printed text with image components, and a short advocacy video.     

Who’s asking the questions in classrooms? Exploring teacher practice and student engagement in generating engaging and intellectually challenging questions

Student engagement that leads to enhanced learning outcomes involves three interdependent facets: behaviour, emotion and cognition. As such, learning activities that encourage deep learning and the intellectual challenging of minds should provide opportunities for reasoning and critical and creative thinking. An approach that resonates strongly with student engagement involves fostering student voice in the classroom, and the generation and utilization of students’ questions is one means of achieving this. Implicit in this approach is the need for both teachers and students to pose questions that engage and intellectually challenge thinking. In this pilot case study, eight volunteer teachers from one school chose to investigate their own practice by either focusing on their own questioning skills to foster student engagement in the classroom or, on how they could support their students to generate intellectually challenging questions that lead to increasing student voice, engagement and deeper learning in the classroom. Key findings were that who does the questioning is not an either-or dichotomy, and that significant pedagogical shifting requires a long-term focus. This shift is influenced by teachers’ commitment to using questioning as a pedagogical approach for enhancing student learning.     

Peer-to-peer Teaching in Higher Education: A Critical Literature Review

The aim of my critical literature review is to identify studies where students are engaged as partners in teaching in higher education and to analyze how tutors and tutees benefit from peer teaching. Thirty studies were included for review. Thirteen countries are represented and two thirds of the studies conducted in the United States of America or the United Kingdom. There is a significant representation of studies from natural- and physical science. The dominating pedagogical belief and theory is social constructivism. The most frequent study design is the use of quasi-experimental pre- and post-testing. University teachers do not comprise the view of peer teaching necessarily resulting in greater academic achievement gains or deep learning. University teachers identify and esteem other pedagogical benefits such as improving students’: critical thinking, learning autonomy, motivation, collaborative and communicative skills. The main finding of this review is the clarification that the training of generic skills benefits from peer teaching.     

Educating for an Inclusive World: Lessons Learned From A Globally Networked Human Rights and Disability Course for Social Work and Law Students

This article examines an innovative model of online international education regarding disability through a human rights perspective piloted through a collaboration between Universidad LaSalle, Mexico, and University at Buffalo, United States. The course is organized around a pressing global human rights and development issue. Its objective is to promote effective practice with persons with disabilities through cross-national, cross-disciplinary, human-rights based education; strengthen students’ sense of global engagement; and foster cross-cultural expertise and competence with diversity. The implications for effective professional education in law and social work are discussed. The article also examines pedagogical strategies and presents case study materials, identifies key disability rights themes common to both nations and cultures, and explores how distance learning technology is implemented in the course. A preliminary assessment of this newly piloted approach is also presented, based on data from students, as well as the implications for teaching and practice.     

Using phenomenology to conduct environmental education research: Experience and issues

Recently the environmental movement has seen much success and progress under a newly-framed green paradigm. Yet, despite the proliferation of national attention to, and public interest in, the go-green mentality, environmental education still seems to be stuck within the old environmental paradigm. This critical essay shares lessons that environmental education can learn through incorporating a human benefits approach. Ultimately, this essay calls for a reflection on environmental education's presence within the budding sustainability movement and calls for the “humanization” of environmental education discourse and pedagogical practice.     

A balanced scorecard-based model for evaluating e-learning and conventional pedagogical activities in nursing

The evaluation of e-learning and conventional pedagogical activities in nursing programmes has focused either on a single pedagogical activity or the entire curriculum, and only on students’ or teachers’ perspective. The goal of this study was to design and test a novel approach for evaluation of e-learning and conventional pedagogical activities that considers students’, teachers’ and managers’ perspectives. A case study of the proposed approach was performed at a publicly funded nursing faculty with Slovenian and Italian students from 2009 to 2012. The case study was combined with focus group discussions, interviews, direct observation and survey. The proposed approach allows management to compare the value of different pedagogical activities through the students’, teachers’ and managers’ perspectives. The approach proved useful in the evaluation of pedagogical activities and provided valid arguments for long-term pedagogical process improvement.     

Teaching organized crime patterns: An active learning approach

In this paper the authors suggest how instructors can use small groups to facilitate critical thinking and an active approach to learning. This pedagogical method attempts to initiate problem-solving and decision-making strategies by emphasizing a cooperative classroom climate where students learn from each other. In our example, the instructor presents content information that enables students to perform four basic progressions which apply critical thinking strategies: (1) short classroom presentations, (2) investigative case studies, (3) moot court simulations, and (4) end of semester local organized crime projects. Students reported that overlapping pedagogical approaches created varied opportunities to learn and think critically.     

Helping Eastern students to master Western critical thinking

It is possible that some of the problems that confront Eastern learners when they are asked to engage in critical thinking come from the misleading association of the title with criticising negatively and even with disagreeing. In some other educational situations, careful choice of first language titles for concepts so that they do not introduce difficulties for learners has proved fruitful in easing acquaintance with a new concept. Since the definitions of critical thinking emphasise the central role of reasoning in this process and make no explicit mention of disagreement or fault finding, there seems potential in a pedagogical approach to the development of the ability for critical thinking which focuses on identifying, considering and presenting reasons—and perhaps renaming the process, even if only temporarily, accordingly. Such an approach has been devised, in response to the difficulties that Taiwanese students have met when engaging with critical thinking. It has been piloted on one class in an online discussion forum in English as a Foreign Language. The outcomes of this pilot are encouraging and are presented at this stage for that reason.     

A methodological framework for practice-based research in networked learning

This paper presents a methodological frameworkfor practice-based research in the field ofnetworked learning, based on the author'sapproach to carrying out a case studyevaluation of a networked professionaldevelopment initiative for information servicesstaff in higher education. The theoreticalcase for the framework is made with referenceto principles associated with constructivistprogramme evaluation as well as withinterpretivist and critical traditions inaction research. The purposes and politics ofthis approach, and the question of validationcriteria for claims about its effectiveness forbuilding theory, as well as for evaluating andimproving practice, are discussed. Issues todo with using computer-mediated communicationas a medium for participatory research are alsoraised. An overview is given of the way thisresearch approach was implemented in practice(including the use of a combination of on-lineand face-to-face data collection methods) andsome methodological issues that arose in thecourse of carrying it out are highlighted. Thepaper concludes by suggesting that as amethodology for evaluating, theorising andimproving practice, `networked action research'also offers an approach to pedagogical design,most obviously in the context of networkedprofessional development for educators andlearner support staff.     

Critical reading comprehension in an era of accountability

This paper argues for the need for critical reading comprehension in an era of accountability that often promotes reading comprehension as readily assessable through students answering multiple choice questions of unseen texts. Based upon a 1 year study investigating literacy in Years 4–9 the ways strong-performing primary schools develop serious and in-depth reading for learning are explored. School and teacher features which allow for the development of sophisticated pedagogical repertoires and space for critical reading comprehension, without losing the complexity of curriculum offerings, are outlined. How one experienced middle primary teacher operates strategically, ethically and critically in supporting her ESL students to learn to read is illustrated. The teacher’s work is situated within the complex accountability demands faced by classroom teachers. This was accomplished by a teacher whose pedagogical repertoire has been assembled across a career teaching in low-SES high ESL communities in a school with a balanced literacy program and high level of collegial support. Risks for schools and teachers whose circumstances work against their capacities for prioritisation and strategic decision-making are identified and discussed.     

Mainstream university pedagogy in feminist perspective

This article analyses university pedagogy by contrasting mainstream pedagogy and feminist pedagogical thought. The data consist of two textbooks, and we investigate what kinds of teaching, learning and knowledge the textbooks construct and what kinds of student and teacher positions they suggest. The inquiry shows that learning in the textbooks is seen as a strictly defined, hierarchical process and that ideal teaching stresses methods over content. The power of knowledge is not discussed, nor are gender, sexuality and other differences. Academics are seen as professional teachers who master teaching methods, and students are framed as customers. An assumed human sameness, marketisation of education, emphasis on vocational benefit and ‘pathos of the new’ were found to be themes guiding mainstream pedagogy. We suggest that feminist pedagogy can offer an alternative approach, one enabling a critical analysis of the power of knowledge and an awareness of differences among students.     

Engagement Beyond Interruption: A Performative Perspective on Listening and Ethics

This article presents an understanding of listening as a performative and pedagogical act. Moving beyond existing theories of listening in communication and education studies that frame listening as a selective and incremental act, this article considers listening in terms of a performance studies and critical education studies perspective. An argument for listening as an embodied act is developed through the consideration of 3 classroom interactions and the critical reading of existing education and communication studies literature on listening. Six implications of the respecification of listening as a mode of embodiment are offered for critical education studies.     

“What Do We Know about Elementary Social Studies?”: Novice Secondary Teacher Educators on Learning to Teach Elementary Social Studies Methods

This collaborative self-study examines the critical friendship of two doctoral students charged with teaching a methods course in elementary social studies. The authors formed a critical friendship in Fall 2010, initiated by participation in a teacher educator community of practice that encouraged collaboration. With limited experience in elementary education, the authors created a space to investigate the limitations and opportunities in teaching a course outside their educational expertise. The result was a space of support in three forms: pedagogical, affective, and intellectual. Pedagogical support was provided through the process of curriculum development and the sharing of classroom strategies, affective support resulted from the validation of feelings related to status and time, and intellectual support allowed the authors to uncover personal philosophies for teaching elementary social studies and to analyze how program structures influenced their instruction. Findings suggest that novice teacher educators could benefit greatly from critical friendships that may help them become more reflective and better navigate the process of learning to teach teachers. In addition, the authors found that critical friendships can minimize the feelings of being an outsider and allow for collaborative insights into the inner workings of teacher education.