Haciendo que hacer - cultivating a Mestiza worldview and academic achievement: Braiding cultural knowledge into educational research,policy, practice

In this article Francisca E Gonzalez shifts the focus from a deficit view of cultural knowledge to an imaginary of the formation of identities and integrity braided with the law, policy, and social formations. In this way, cultural practices cultivate a unique worldview with implications for K-12 educational excellence and academic achievement. Gonzalez situates her research within the national discourse on educational reform so as to direct educational researchers', policy makers', and educators' thinking of young Mexicanas as pensadoras who interrogate the social order, and who give meaning to learning, knowing, and power. She describes a study intended to explore the development of womanhood among young Mexicanas beginning with an explanation of a theoretical lens, a looking prism of critical race feminisms and Latina critical theory interpretive frameworks. Then she explains the study's multimethodological approach of trenzas y mestizaje, the braiding of theory, qualitative research strategies, and a sociopolitical consciousness. The article then details young Mexicana meanings of gendered cultural socialization, educacion, and success as cultural epistemologies and pedagogies, what the young Mexicanas called haciendo que hacer. Gonzalez explains this as the teaching and learning of sociocultural foundations and the cultivation of academic achievement. In closing, Francisca elaborates on how a braiding of different ways of knowing, teaching, and learning brings cultural knowledge to the fore of discourses on human rights, social justice, and educational equity including the formulation of holistic educational policies and practices.     

Learning Technologies and the Issues for Management Education

abstract

Innovation in teaching and learning is an important feature of current general educational developments at all levels. This article will explore the literature regarding the development of new delivery systems, in particular those which are technology based, and will seek to identify the critical issues and implications involved in using emerging technologies in open learning. However, the author's specialism is post experience management development and thus the focus of the article is directed primarily towards the implications for learning in this area.     

Is the classroom obsolete in the twenty-first century?

Abstract

Lefebvre’s triadic conception of spatial practice, representations of space and representational spaces provides the theoretical framework of this article, which recognises a productive relationship between space and social relations. Its writing stems from a current and ongoing qualitative study of innovative teaching and learning practices in new technology-rich flexible learning spaces, characterised by large open spaces, permeable boundaries and diverse furnishings emphasising student comfort, health and flexibility. Schooling in the twenty-first century, certainly in the developed world, is required to ensure that children and school-leavers have appropriate life-long skills in preparation for participation in the twenty-first century knowledge economy. This world is characterised as complex and dynamic, deeply influenced by globalisation and the revolution in digital technology. Developing these skills calls into question ‘outmoded’ transmission models of teaching and requires teachers and school leaders to approach their work in radically new ways. Open school design encourages flexibility in learning and teaching, and allows collaborative, team teaching, with designers claiming significant educational benefits. This arrangement of multiple classes using innovatively designed, technology-enriched common space, facilitated by multiple teachers, working in collaborative teams, is far-reaching in its likely implications for community expectations and responses, relationship-building, assessment, student learning, teachers’ work and initial teacher education.     

What Can Research Tell us about Teacher Education?

If it is true that educational research should not merely offer us better understandings of educational processes, but also offer us suggestions for good practice by ascertaining 'what works' most effectively in diverse contexts, then there are potentially four ways in which such research could be of use to those engaged in teacher education. This paper explores three of them-those which it argues are of most use to teacher educators. From research into the processes of teaching and learning we have learned a great deal about the complex nature of teachers' expertise and the extent to which it is determined by highly specific contexts. In seeking to understand more about the processes involved in learning to teach we have come to recognise the strength of the personal agendas that beginning teachers bring with them and the active role they play in negotiating their own learning. On this basis research offers teacher educators a number of suggestions for good practice: about the ways in which we should expect beginning teachers to make use of research-based generalisations; about how we can help them gain access to the wealth of expertise embedded in the practice of experienced teachers; and about how we can encourage them to subject their own preconceptions to serious critical evaluation.     

Perspectives from graduate students on effective teaching methods: a case study from a Vietnamese Transnational University

Abstract

Vietnam is emerging as an accelerated economic and political society with an increased global presence; thus, increased attention has been given to producing qualified college graduates who can contribute to the growing global economy. Yet challenges exist due to lack of educational infrastructure and ineffective teaching practices. As a result, the Vietnamese government embraces international collaborations in higher education as a way to address educational needs; however, although research exists on policy implications and government priorities, very little is known about how students perceive the teaching methods provided at these collaborative transnational universities. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine graduate students’ perceived effectiveness of teaching methods at Vietnamese-German University (VGU), a predominantly technology and engineering university that is an international collaboration between Vietnam and Germany. We seek to answer the research question of, ‘how is the use of student-centred practices effective in an international learning environment?’ Findings from graduate students indicate that collaborative learning, specifically through group work and modified flipped classrooms, are effective ways to maximise student learning. Implications for practice and future research are discussed as ways to emphasise the benefits of student-centred teaching and learning at transnational collaborative universities.     

Questions of chemistry

The research reported here derives from the general field of learner-centred teaching and learning, with specific reference to undergraduate chemistry. It documents the use of student-generated questions as diagnostic of their willingness to engage in classroom interactions. It explores four ways of gathering students' written questions and their relative effectiveness. It examines students' capacity to design and present 'quality questions' during phases of their learning and the extent to which these questions are indicative of particular styles of interaction in the classroom, both with tutors and with other students. The results are drawn from data collected through written questions posted into a question box, the 'hits' recorded on a computer software system, and through one-to-one interviews with a sample of 32 students. The results provide an opportunity to discuss the quality of interactions within fairly formalized systems of teaching and learning of chemistry in a university setting and to suggest further research required in this field.     

Literacy,achievement and success in a Māori tourism certificate programme: reading the world in order to read the word

ABSTRACT

This article critiques international assessment of adult literacy using research findings from students completing a Māori tourism certificate who achieved significant gains in assessment. It is argued that the focus of literacy assessments potentially forces educators to narrow their teaching and learning approaches, manoeuvring them into teaching toward singular or convergent literacy. This leads to utilising teaching and learning strategies drawn from the cultural and social capital of the dominant culture, which is problematic for students without abundance of such capital.

Blending Kaupapa Māori research theory with appreciative inquiry, research revealed that students made significant gains in assessment scores because their educators acknowledged and utilised ways in which they made sense and meaning of their world. Educators drew upon the social and cultural capital of students and engaged them as partners in culturally based teaching and learning processes. Relating to students’ multiple literacies, and the contexts with which they bring meaning to their world in this way, is referred to as drawing from divergent literacies.

This study proposes a need to develop and research alternative ways for improving convergent literacy outcomes. It is suggested that multiple interventions using multi-modal and 360° approaches need to occur simultaneously for best outcomes.     

Stand-alone computers supporting learning dialogues in primary classrooms

This paper focuses on three distinctive ways in which educational software can support learning dialogues in primary classrooms. After a re-capitulation of published research on Initiation, Discussion, Response, Feedback (IDRF) exchanges, where the computer is used to stimulate discussion and then direct it through using feedback, we ask if there are other ways in which educational software and pedagogy can combine to support learning dialogues. We describe the effect of combining preparation for exploratory talk at the computer with group strategy games played against the computer and then we discuss, with examples, the role of software (in this case Bubble Dialogue) that allows groups to externalise their thoughts in order to reflect upon them. We argue that these three types of educational activity exemplify distinctive ways in which the computer enters into and supports educational dialogues.     

E‐learning: you don't always get what you hope for

Despite substantial growth in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) throughout western societies, there is much evidence of technology‐led innovations within Higher Education (HE) failing to achieve the anticipated transformations in learning and teaching. This paper reviews evidence from research and evaluation studies relating not only to e‐learning, but also to wider HE practices. It argues that the use of ICT does not, in itself, result in improved educational outcomes and ways of working. It considers contextual factors that are of greater significance in determining how and why e‐learning is used in HE. Students' engagement with e‐learning relates to their expectations and conceptions of learning and to assessment demands. Academics need to re‐assess their own beliefs and practices concerning teaching and assessment and their impact on the experience of learners. Both teachers and learners need to understand why e‐learning activities are to be undertaken and the rewards expected to be derived.     

Parents' views on nursery education: Perceptions in context

The analysis describes the broad consensus which is currently emerging about the nature of the educational changes which are necessary for the creation of a 'learning society' and contrasts this vision with the contemporary reality of an education system which is every day more constrained by formal assessment. The implications of these tightening bonds for the development of universities in the third millennium are explored in terms of research evidence which documents the impact of conventional forms of assessment on student learning. The argument is made that this emphasis on 'categoric' assessment if fundamentally incompatible with aspirations towards the creation of a 'learning society'. This is partly because institutions must necessarily give their attention to obtaining high scores and cannot risk the substantial changes in the reorganisation of teaching and learning that an 'empowering' educational environment would arguably require and partly because of the power of the prevailing assessment discourse to define priorities. The article uses Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' to examine these contemporary tensions in higher education, their origins and potential significance for the creation of a 'learning society'.     

Adapting Social Work Education to Student Diversity

ABSTRACT

Basic differences in temperament, learning styles, motivation, and interaction styles have major impacts on people yet receive little attention in social work education. Faculty must understand the different ways students learn and be receptive to new patterns of teaching in order to achieve educational excellence. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one tool that identifies specific preferences among individuals that explain difference in learning styles. This paper discusses educational considerations in implementing a “type-sensitive” curriculum in social work education, including strategies for using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to differentiate learning styles and strategies for facilitating educators' and students' ability to appreciate these differences. It examines the ways in which differences in type can complement each other in the educational process. Understanding difference can provide insights into personal, academic, and professional performance, as well as an appreciation of the diversity of client types.     

Field Instruction and the Mature Student

Abstract

As increasing numbers of mature students enter schools of social work, it is a challenge and an obligation for field instructors to discover ways to recruit and sustain them in the educational endeavor. Building upon three theoretical perspectives-Freire's pedagogy of the oppressed, Knowles's andragogy, and Schon's reflective learning and teaching, this paper highlights ways in which field instructors can build upon the strengths of mature students to enhance their development as professional social workers. It discusses “parallel process”, “learning styles”, and “contracting” as proactive strategies to fully engage mature students in attaining a graduate degree.     

Curriculum online? Exploring the political and commercial construction of the UK digital learning marketplace

Government support for the production and consumption of educational software is now a key element of New Labour's education technology drive. At present much attention is being directed towards marketing ‘digital learning’ to an educational sector traditionally wary of technological innovation. In an effort to understand the social shaping of this current phase of policy‐making, the present paper examines the political and commercial discourses surrounding digital learning and associated initiatives such as Curriculum Online and the Digital Curriculum. After analysing a range of political and commercial texts produced from 2000 to 2005, the paper explores the dominant themes emerging from these discursive constructions—considering in particular the limitations of the often ambiguous yet structured ways in which digital learning is being shaped by its key actors.     

Infusing Mentoring and Technology within Graduate Courses: Reflections in practice

This article provides an overview of relevant connections that can be used to strengthen an instructor's mentoring abilities, specifically those connections between adult development, technological interaction elements, use of course management software, and corresponding mentoring practices. From a context supported by literature within adult development and computer-mediated communication, the authors examined a series of courses at a large university and how mentoring and instruction were infused. In this article, mentoring refers to a collective process that guides and facilitates a learner's educational growth. The unique nature of adult learners and their educational needs emphasises the need for a facilitative rather than a didactic approach in technology-supported courses. Various facets of interactions and the concept of transactional distance provide an additional framework from which to examine professional practice. The authors recommend further refinement and development of the mentoring practices that infuse emerging technologies and facilitate the teaching and learning process.     

Humanising Writing centre Practice: Peer tutor Reflections at a University of Technology

Abstract

Traditionally, universities of technology (UoTs) have focussed on education to prepare students for the workplace. The Durban University of Technology (DUT) is currently undergoing a pedagogical transformation with the inclusion of a general education curriculum that aims to prepare students for an increasingly complex globalised work environment. This critical paradigm shift in curriculum design foregrounds new ways of teaching, thinking and learning based broadly on humanistic principles. Writing centres in universities are positioned to sustain a teaching and learning environment in which students grow as critical citizens. This article reports on research that explored – through the thematic analysis of tutor reflections – how a humanising pedagogy underpins a responsive writing centre practice within the changing South African context. Thematic analysis of the tutors’ reflections revealed their self-awareness of the significance of communities of practice in their work. These communities of practice could be seen to cultivate a humanising pedagogy within writing centre work, which might contribute to the aesthetic, socio-political and cultural environments in which students live and work.     

Attachment and the child in school. Part I

Abstract

Using the framework of Attachment Theory and related research and the research and experience of the author, a particular pattern of behaviour is described which can be identified in the classroom. This pattern, known as the Anxious Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment Pattern, is described from a teaching and learning perspective and is illustrated with examples from educational practice. Possible opportunities for intervention are discussed aimed at facilitating change in the pupil and enhancing emotional well being and educational opportunity. This article will be followed by another (Part II) describing other patterns of attachment which have been identified, with the aim of extending the teacher's understanding of the meaning of pupil behaviour and increasing the resilience potential in the learning situation.     

Technology,teachers, and the search for school reform

Educational technologists have increasingly moved away from direct involvement in the world of the classroom teacher in recent years. The assumptions that technologists and teachers make about educational technology and about teaching now diverge markedly. At the same time, new reform proposals have suggested ways to restructure schools that would enhance the role of teachers as instructional decision-makers and offer them more control over their professional work life. Elements of the reform agenda are characterized, and ways are described in which educational technologists might work together with teachers in pursuit of reform goals. These include: (1) preparation of models for teaching-with-technology; (2) design of intelligent software; (3) creation of technologically based tools to support teachers' professional work and development; and (4) improvement of research about technology in education. Note:An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Dallas, Texas, February 4, 1989.     

Technology-assisted Learning

Information technology provides potential advantages for educational provision in terms of flexible access, decreased need for on-site teaching accommodation and enhanced explanations by the use of special electronic effects. However, in order for students to gain the maximum benefit from the use of technology to assist in learning, there are specific issues that must be addressed by those designing and providing this type of education. This paper highlights some of these issues. These include clarification of the teacher's role, the skills required and parameters which must be considered in facilitating information technology, assisted learning and the planning required to ensure that a coordinated educational experience is offered.     

The Making of a Social Work Instructor

Abstract

Concern regarding students' negative attitudes toward research, as well as the impact such negativity can exert on student learning, abound within the social work literature. Given its focus on the role cognition plays in determining behavior, Bandura's self-efficacy model provides a fitting conceptual framework for clarifying how student attitudes might be facilitating or inhibiting their acquisition and use of research skills. This article presents the key concepts and assumptions encompassed within Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and illustrates how these ideas might be applied to the teaching of research.