Creating a “third space” in student teaching: Implications for the university supervisor’s status as outsider

The work of teacher education during student teaching typically takes place in two distinct “spaces”: placement sites and college/university settings. The program featured in this article is structured in ways that clearly mark out those two spaces. Yet this configuration led our university supervisors, whose work primarily took place in the field, to feel like “outsiders.” To redress this concern, a third learning space was incorporated into our student teaching seminar. We suggest that “third spaces” in combination with return-to-campus courses not only mitigates the peripherality of university supervisors, but also amplifies the influence of a teacher preparation program.     

Seeing one another as “other”

In this paper, the authors discuss two complementary life history research projects investigating prospective teachers' identities in relation to their race and social class. Drawing on the experiences of one student from each study, they show how both whites and students of color primarily thought about one another as “others”—people who fundamentally differed from one another and whom they understood through preconceived ideas about a group. The authors draw on a Bakhtinian notion of how a “surplus of sight” enables one to develop understandings of an “other” and also of oneself.     

Proving “The Girl Effect”: Corporate knowledge production and educational intervention

The Nike Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Nike, Inc., seeks to prove the “The Girl Effect,” its theory of change, through investments in adolescent girls in the Global South. The foundation defines it as the “unique potential of 250 million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world.” This article examines the elaborate, yet continually contested processes of attempting to prove “The Girl Effect.” It draws on ethnographic research in the U.S. and Brazil (2009–2010) to analyze how the Nike Foundation funds, produces, and distributes knowledge on the purported potential of particular adolescent girls to end poverty. It focuses on how the monitoring and evaluation practices of one grantee in Brazil were informed by and contributed to the foundation's broader project of proving “The Girl Effect.” The analysis explains how this occurred through processes of knowledge production and educational intervention that were predicated on an epistemological understanding of the trope of “Third World girl.” It provides insights into how the foundation extends it power and authority over new bodies, institutions, and geographies by asserting itself as an expert on adolescent girls and by influencing the development agendas of more powerful global institutions.     

“Strategy redundancy” and its impact on the effectiveness of technology-enhanced instruction: A case study

In this study, eight teachers and three college students involved in a graduate-level Internet course developed skill in using Internet tools and authoring webware materials. The course followed a traditional classroom-based format, but was supported by a webware package developed by the instructor (http://www.sover.net/~milcasa/503). A case study research methodology was utilized to investigate how the implementation of a “strategy redundancy” device, which consisted of the instructor's use of five teaching strategies and their mirroring in five of the features of the webware package, affected the participants′ learning outcomes. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from seven sources. A causal relationship was found between the “strategy redundancy” device and the effectiveness of the course. The need to emphasize the “quality” of the teaching/ learning experience, vis-à-vis the “cost savings” value of technology tools, and the need to conciliate constructivist and instructivist learning were highlighted.     

再论“‘形神统一’文化生命结构”及其方法论意义 ——古典中国哲学“形神之辨”的文化哲学精义

“形”、“神”和“形神之辨”是古典中国哲学的一对重要范畴和一个重要论题。其原义是用来对人体生命结构的哲学概括,同时也推衍于艺术、文学、建筑以及医学、武术等领域。随着国学热的兴起,学界对绘画、中医、养生、武术等领域的形神关系多有论述,但似乎尚未提升到文化哲学的高度。“‘形神统一’文化生命结构”这一概念的提出和论证,意在从哲学的视角揭示古典中国哲学“形神之辨”的文化哲学精义,对于当今的文化建设具有重要的方法论意义。     

Co-constructing efficacy: A “communities of practice” perspective on teachers’ efficacy beliefs

Teachers’ efficacy beliefs are critical to improving student learning, but we have yet to fully understand how these beliefs develop. The prevailing model of teachers’ efficacy development emerges from cognitive theories, but sociocultural theories may add insights to modeling the impact of teachers’ school contexts. This case study takes a “communities of practice” approach to explore the connections between teachers’ evidence-based decision-making practices and their efficacy beliefs. Findings, based on interviews with four teachers, indicate that teachers co-construct their efficacy beliefs in shared practices, suggesting the usefulness of communities of practice theory to more fully understand teachers’ efficacy belief development.     

“There's going to be community. There's going to be knowledge”: Designs for learning in a standardised age

Using the case of a secondary English department in Ontario, Canada, this article examines the constraints that academic departments face in transforming themselves from communities of practice into learning communities. This distinction between a community of practice and a learning community has taken on heightened importance as increasing curriculum standardisation and high stakes assessments further narrow the historically fragile opportunities for deep and collaborative teacher learning within the traditionally structured academic department. The paper proposes some theoretical considerations and concrete strategies to assist academic departments in overcoming constraints to learning within an era of increasing standardisation and accountability. It further explores how the international movement of educational post-standardisation promises greater opportunities for the development of teacher learning communities within academic departments.     

“童”与“军”之悖论——民国童子军发展历程探析

20世纪初,英人贝登堡创办了Boy Scout这一儿童组织,并强调"非军事化"的发展原则。民国时期,Boy Scout在传入中国后不仅被译作"童子军",其发展也自始至终存在着"童"与"军"的悖论。指出这一悖论,是为了更好地理解童子军训练本身的教育价值;对悖论何以产生的分析,又能进一步呈现童子军在中国的独特发展历程。     

“明清以来的地方意识与国家认同”学术研讨会述评

地方研究已是学界显学,本次研讨会则旨在从国家建构的维度,考察地方意识与国家认同的关系,着力从历史人类学、社会史、政治史、思想史、知识分子研究等方向展开跨领域对话,试图透过迥异的研究路径和研究议题,共同探讨现代中国的国家建构与国家认同之历史过程。与会学者主要探讨了何处是“地方”、谁之“地方”、何种“中国”、何以“中国”等议题。首先,“地方”的意涵和所指是多样化的,不仅指行政区域,也指地理和文化空间,是从乡村、县、省到南方、北方、东北、西北等地域的动态概念。其次,参与并建构地方意识与国家认同的历史主体是多元的,故国家的知识精英和制度文化、地方的宗教专家和社团组织,以及中国边缘和外部世界所想象的“中国”也是多元的。最后,与会学者从地方与国家关系、种族/民族、赋役制度、礼仪宗教、战争、工业资本主义等多重视角,热烈地讨论了多样化“地方”背后的同一性,以及中国何时、如何成为民族国家等问题。这些多元性非但不会妨碍我们理解“中国”,而且是理解的前提和开端。     

“Free Primary Education” in Lesotho and the disadvantages of the highlands

This article explores the effects of national policies associated with “Education for All” on a disadvantaged region, the highlands of Lesotho. Since 2000 a programme of “Free Primary Education” has improved the position of the highlands in access to primary schooling; nevertheless, highland primary schools compare poorly with those in the lowlands on various indicators of pupils’ outcomes and school resources. They are also found to have relatively difficult relations with local communities. The paper reflects critically on the management of the “Free Primary Education” initiative and the implications for educational opportunity and for community empowerment in the highlands region.     

The challenge of repositioning: Teacher learning in the company of others

In this article, the author uses positioning theory to better understand the complexity of teacher learning about culture in the company of diverse colleagues. Analysis of a yearlong dialogic professional development experience among high school English teachers revealed that although an African American male's storyline informed the group of otherwise white teachers, his position as cultural “expert” limited his and his colleagues ability to reposition themselves. Teacher educators working with increasingly diverse teacher cohorts must consider how best to maximize learning opportunities, open communication, and free participants from subject positions (such as “expert”) that may inhibit overall group learning.     

“Evaluation gone Awry”: The teacher experience of the summative evaluation of a school reform initiative

Written as four scenes that span a five-year period, this article examines the summative evaluation of an organized school reform programme in the United States from the teacher perspective. The study provides fine-grained details of how the evaluation of the particular reform effort went “awry” in the view of some teachers who directly participated. The inclusion of two teacher narratives particularly demonstrates how practitioners' intents and desires became overtaken by evaluators' stances and theoretical frames. The international value of the research is that it discusses problems of summative evaluators entering longitudinal reform endeavors too late in the change process, difficulties relating to non-participant observation, issues associated with not negotiating final evaluation reports, and failure of evaluation studies to enter into human subjects agreements with teachers. Lastly, the lack of congruence between formative planning and evaluation and summative evaluation constitutes an overarching theme.     

新型城镇化与“胡焕庸线”的突破可能性

“胡焕庸线”从1935年提出至今已有80年。迄今为止,我国人口分布不平衡的格局并未发生很大变化。在新的历史条件下,一些影响人口分布的关键因素正面临着从量变到质变的转化。其中,自然条件对“胡焕庸线”突破的可能性影响不大,而经济技术条件加速变化和社会政策的战略要求可能会改变“胡焕庸线”的固有格局。在这一进程中,新型城镇化既是实现“胡焕庸线”突破的目标,即实现人口分布在空间上相对均衡、产业在区域间发展均衡、公共服务城乡均等化,同时新型城镇化也是“胡焕庸线”可能突破的重要动力。以新疆为例的分析,佐证了西部地区通过新型城镇化突破“胡焕庸线”的可能性。为此,有关方面应积极搭建人口流动通道,逐步实现人口分布在空间上的均衡;应加大产业发展力度,逐步实现产业在区域上的均衡;应推进公共服务一体化,逐 实现区域宜居水平的平衡。     

College students’ conceptions of context-aware ubiquitous learning: A phenomenographic analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ conceptions of context-aware ubiquitous learning (u-learning). The students participated in a u-learning exercise using PDAs equipped with RFID readers. The data were collected from individual interviews with each of the students by a trained researcher, and the responses of the interviewees were further analyzed using the phenomenographic method. The analysis revealed five categories of conceptions of u-learning, including “u-learning as the application of technology,” “u-learning as a platform for attaining information,” “u-learning as a timely guide,” “u-learning as increase of knowledge” and “u-learning as active learning.” There conceptions are viewed as a hierarchy, from less advanced to more sophisticated. An in-depth analysis of the students’ conceptions of learning indicated that students held multiple conceptions of u-learning. This study further suggests that inquiry practices (such as allowing open-ended exploration for the learning topic) should be addressed in u-learning activities, as these practices may foster more sophisticated conceptions of u-learning.     

Examining the practice of beginning teachers’ micropolitical literacy within professional inquiry communities

This paper investigates beginning teachers collaboratively making sense of and responding to the micropolitical environments of their schools. Drawing on a qualitative multi-case study conducted within the context of a university-sponsored, inquiry-based induction program, this research employs a community of practice frame to examine how novice teachers came to practice “micropolitical literacy.” The paper identifies four dimensions of micropolitical discourse that surfaced in the situated setting of the inquiry groups. The analysis further illustrates how beginning teachers, while participating in inquiry groups, coconstructed understandings of the organizational structures and professional cultures of their schools.     

“教育现代化”的可能诠释:知识社会学路径的话语研究

"教育现代化"是当代中国教育研究的重要领域和学术产品,同时也是一个中国意义上的独特学术命题。在现有研究历史中,西方现代化理论和中国现代化研究都出现了一些试图从话语、意识角度对该领域进行分析的萌芽,还尚未有对中国教育现代化进行该种诠释的尝试。福柯意义上的话语研究以及卢克曼等人的知识社会学的融合,对中国教育现代化的诠释而言,是一种可能的路径。在此框架下,可以提出一个包括定位、立场、内容以及方法的可能的教育现代化诠释范式。     

Preservice teacher inquiry: Creating a space to dialogue about becoming a social justice educator

In this paper, we reflect on our experience with an experimental inquiry component within a teacher education program in a large urban city on the West Coast of the United States. This learning space, which is referred to as “Inquiry,” promotes the integration of theoretical and practical knowledge through reflection and dialogue. We highlight how this inquiry-oriented process enabled preservice teachers to reflect on and dialogue about existing ideals of social justice and equity with regard to teaching diverse learners. This process acknowledges that alternative learning spaces in teacher education programs that address ways of observing, questioning, and inventing may well be a valuable strategy in the development of social justice educators. While the process is a valuable one, we offer a critical analysis of our own processes. In particular, we discuss the need for the creation and implementation of strategies that help pre-service teachers build their capacity to teach in diverse urban classrooms.