Mathematics teachers’ self-captured video and opportunities for learning

Numerous video-based programs have been developed to support mathematics teachers in reflecting on and examining classrooms interactions without the immediate demands of instruction. An important premise of such work is that teacher learning occurs at the time that the video is viewed and discussed with teachers. Recent advances in technology, however, offer new approaches for the use of video with teachers. We claim that these new technologies provide important opportunities for teacher learning prior to the viewing and discussion of video with colleagues. In particular, we believe that important teacher learning can occur from the activities of (1) capturing video from one’s own classroom and (2) selecting clips to share with others. The goal of this article is to introduce key strategies that three groups of middle and high school mathematics teachers use prior to, during, and after instruction as they engage in this work. We believe that increased attention to these strategies is necessary in order to better understand how to support teacher learning in the context of new digital technologies.     

When the black box springs open: practical work in schools and the nature of science

The aim of this paper is not to bury practical work in school science but to (once again) reconsider it. We draw on three main areas of discussion: accounts of science and ‘school science work'; teachers and others’ views of the nature of science; and our own data on teachers’ reactions to ‘critical incidents’ and practicals which go wrong. We use this as a basis for re‐thinking the role of practicals. An account of practical work is suggested which has as its main feature diversity rather than a single model or template. Within this diversity we believe that teachers should be open and honest with pupils about which type of practical work they are doing and why. We advocate that students should be made aware of the different kinds of practical work they do and the purposes of this practical work. In short, teachers should explain to students what type of practical work they are doing and why. Our second message is that teachers’ views about the nature of science both inform and are informed by their classroom practices and experiences‐‐especially during lab‐work. To encourage, promote and support critical reflection of these classroom practices and experiences is therefore a vital part of teacher professional development; this in time will promote science curriculum development.     

Providing Space for Teacher Renewal: The role of the facilitator in school-university partnerships

This article uses the process of a teacher renewal partnership programme to explore the role of the university academic as a facilitator of change. Responses to a series of interview questions relating to change were used to explore and examine the dimensions of the facilitator's role. Facilitators report that the role is complex, often uncertain and requires an understanding of the school and its culture and schools' and teachers' previous experiences in professional development programmes. The findings from this article suggest that an effective facilitator creates, for the teachers involved, a space for discussion, reflection and challenge and that this space provides for and legitimates teacher renewal.     

Relationships in the workplace: Doing what comes naturally?

In this paper I explore the connection between workplace relationships and teacher development. Using a conceptual framework built on Brim and Wheeler's (1966) ideas on self-socialization and Erickson's (1963) theory of psychosocial development I draw on information gathered in year one of a 2-year qualitative study of teacher socialization to explore the following questions: With whom do beginning teachers form relationships in their new professional contexts? What is the nature of these relationships? What functions do they serve? Are some relationships more important at some times than others? How do certain relationships facilitate or constrain the various aspects of teacher development? Can facilitating relationships be contrived? Can contrived relationships be facilitating? And, finally, what role does context play in all of this?The focus on relationships grows out of a need to understand better the role of the “other” in the professional growth process. By examining information gathered through conversations with 13 new teachers I will uncover and explore some of the issues pertaining to professional relationship formation and development particularly in relation to teacher socialization and the psychosocial aspects of teacher development. These insights will be used as a basis for a discussion of formalized induction programs which feature forms of institutionally imposed collaborative arrangements. Drawing on some of the recent work on teacher culture and collegiality (Hargreaves, 1990; Little, 1990; Rosenholtz, 1987, 1989), Barth's (1990) ideas on school improvement through the creation of a “community of learners”, and on Noddings' (1986) and Gherke's (1987) notions on the building of caring and helping communities, I will discuss the limitations of some of the recent trends in professional development for new teachers. I will recommend an alternative approach to new teacher induction, one that takes into account the individuality of the teacher, the school culture, and the socialization process. In essence, I will argue for a “natural” and integrated approach to teacher induction.     

The role of the English learner facilitator in developing teacher capacity for the instruction of English learners

As a field, we have a limited understanding and a dearth of empirical research concerning the role of high school instructional coaches focused on English learners (ELs). This paper examines one EL facilitator’s work as an instructional coach and resource for supporting mainstream content teachers as they learn to meet the needs of adolescent ELs in one high school. This analysis is grounded within an examination of the influence of school structure and organization on the EL facilitator’s work and her role as a resource. Drawing on sociocultural learning theory, as well as literature on teacher leadership and instructional coaching, case study data from a year-long qualitative research project are analyzed. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

Visual methods in researching the arts and inclusion: possibilities and dilemmas

The use of visual methods has become increasingly significant to ethnographic research. The possibilities and challenges I experienced using visual research methods in the school ethnography are examined. This paper explores some of the ethical, practical and methodological issues that arise from the use of video, photographs, pictures and images developed by participants in a UK, Midlands primary school with resident artists, teachers and primary school aged children. The use of visual methods in school ethnographies open up many possibilities and specific issues with regards to the research process. Visual methods offer distinct insight into researching the arts and inclusion.     

Settings for School Improvement

The last two decades have witnessed tens of thousands of attempts to improve schooling for primary and secondary school students. Some attempts are highly local; others range in scope from small (a cluster of schools) to very large (a nationwide school system). Many school reform efforts have simultaneously built upon and contributed to our knowledge base about school improvement, but we have much to learn if we are to make school improvement systematic and sustainable. The area of school reform provides a case in point for this conference's theme-- Celebrating the Past: Envisioning the Future . It also provides an excellent vehicle for celebrating the life and work of Professor John Elkins. Through his work and example, John has helped lead the way in exploring how we can improve literacy outcomes, particularly for students whom schools have failed to teach adequately--diverse students, students with disabilities, and students with few economic resources. In this paper I will briefly review some of the findings from research and practice in school reform, with a special focus on literacy outcomes and in schools with students at risk. We know quite a few very useful things. But what has been missing from the discussion about school reform is a seminal concept first articulated by Seymour Sarason 30 years ago in a little-known classic, The Creation of Settings and the Future Societies. I will describe the concept of "settings," show video examples of effective settings for school improvement, and argue that without these settings systematic and sustainable school improvement is unlikely.     

以其昏昏使人昭昭——行动学习给党校教学改革的启示

在行动学习中,促进师是一个重要的角色,它的作用在于促进小组成员围绕目标以更具效能的方式思考与对话,从而促成小组成员找出问题答案,而他本身并不一定要知道答策。促进师所起的作用正好与孟子所言“以其昏昏使人昭昭”相吻合。随着时代的发展,党校仍然以灌输式教学为主,教师总是充当“标准答案发布者”显得有些勉为其难。党校应从教学机构向教学培训机构特变。教师在课堂上可以采用以学员为中心的、发挥学员主体地位的教学培训方式。要完成上述转变,党校教师应学会以促进师这一角色出现于课堂上。     

Non‐optimal uses of video in the classroom

This paper examines some instructional practices concerning the non‐optimal uses of video, films and other mass media in the K–12 classroom. Based on a six‐year process of observing and interviewing teachers regularly in two school districts in Massachusetts, USA, this paper presents a typology of seven common patterns of non‐optimal media use, instructional practices that diminish or weaken the value of film and video viewing as a learning tool. A telephone survey was conducted with a purposive sample of 130 middle‐school and high‐school teachers to provide additional evidence concerning teacher perceptions of the frequency of their colleagues' non‐optimal use of video. Teachers in the USA report that their colleagues frequently use media for non‐educational purposes, including to fill time, to keep students quiet, as a break from learning, or as a reward for good behavior. The implications of non‐optimal media use are considered in light of renewed interest in integrating media literacy into K–12 instruction.     

Video diary: a method for exploring learning dispositions

This paper presents an innovative method for qualitative research in education. The video dairy technique was developed and used alongside other qualitative methods to map the socio‐cultural landscape of primary‐school children's learning dispositions prior to their transfer to secondary school. The larger project comprised a case study of a group of children transferring from one Year 6 classroom to their local comprehensive secondary school, with particular reference to their learning of mathematics. Theoretically framed by Pierre Bourdieu's sociological tools, the study explored the impact of three fields—school, family and peer group—upon children's learning dispositions and trajectories at this school interface. The alternative perspectives afforded by the diary entries highlighted the inter‐relatedness of the three fields of interest, often in ways that had not been anticipated or considered. I will explain practical aspects of the process and consider some of the challenges that might be experienced by researchers using video diary techniques.     

Recontextualizing the role of the facilitator in group interaction in the outdoor classroom

The traditional role of the facilitator in outdoor education is frequently seen as outside the group of participants, either in a position of power over the participants or detached and passive. Following an ethnographic study at a residential outdoor centre, an in-depth analysis of the facilitation process was carried out, which revealed that the facilitator is always part of the group, and that the type of influence that the facilitators have on the outdoor learning process depends on the way that they approach their role within the group. For the purpose of this paper, the term ‘facilitator’ is used to refer to both centre staff as well as visiting teachers accompanying the school groups. This paper addresses critical questions regarding the effectiveness of the outdoor learning process when a position of power is adopted. The paper will also show the impact that recognizing the facilitator as a member of the group has on the learning experience in the outdoor classroom.     

Making facilitation work: the challenges on an international DBA action learning set

This account relates my experiences as facilitator of an action learning set on a DBA cohort comprising international students and myself. It outlines the reasons for my selection as facilitator and describes my initial expectations and assumptions of action learning. I chart the difficulty in separating the ‘what’ of my own research from the ‘how/why’ of the action learning set. The account discusses my experiences as a new facilitator and my attempts to engage fellow students in the set in order to gain a collective benefit. I reflect on the challenges encountered in progressing the action learning set caused by a lack of common understanding within the set of the expectations and potential benefits of an action learning approach, and also the feasibility of maintaining a successful action learning set separated by geography, time zones, and language. The account also discusses the practical, technology-supported approaches to facilitating the action learning set.     

一个关于工作场所学习的建议性概念框架:对人力资源开发理论建设与研究的启示

人力资源开发领域的学者和实践者都非常关注工作场所学习。关于正式培训和非正式学习,一直以来形成了大量的研究和讨论。本文从人力资源开发角度,结合已有的大量文献,提出了一个工作场所学习的概念性框架,框架包括三个互相作用的变量:学习的场所、在发展和传授学习经验时所制定的计划的程度和学习过程中培训者、推动者和其他人的角色。本文还讨论了这一框架对人力资源开发领域中理论建设和研究的启示。     

Explaining Behavior Through Observational Investigation and Theory Articulation

Conducting observational investigations of behaviors and processes is an important method for generating scientific knowledge. This article describes a methodology for assisting students in the processes of observational inquiry and theory articulation and its instantiation in a set of digital video tools. We describe a high school biology curriculum where students use these tools to investigate video clips of animal behavior and develop theories about how and why these behaviors evolved. We focus our discussion on an investigation model that scaffolds students through the processes of observing and explaining video as data and the computational and curricular supports that were designed to make these processes explicit. We conclude with a presentation of preliminary results to illustrate the types of explanations that emerged from working with the software and curriculum and a discussion of issues that emerged during the course of the research.     

School bullying and bare life: Challenging the state of exception

Despite a vast amount of research into school bullying and the widespread implementation of anti-bullying policies and programs, large numbers of students continue to report that they are routinely subjected to bullying by their peers. In this theoretical article, I argue that part of the problem is that there has been a lack of critical discussion of the theoretical foundations upon which such studies are based. Drawing on recent theoretical contributions within the field of school bullying, the work of anthropologist James C. Scott, and the work of philosophers Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben, I take particular issue with the notion of power that has long been a foundational pillar of bullying definitions. Utilizing a Foucauldian understanding of power, I argue that rather than focusing on the power imbalance involved in bullying relations, focus instead needs to shift onto the role that bullying plays in power relations. Reimagining Agamben’s figure of homo sacer as a victim of school bullying, I consider the ways in which some individuals are reduced to bare life and forced into a state of exception whereby social laws are no longer deemed applicable. The article concludes with a discussion of how this state of exception might be challenged.     

The Factory: an Experimental Studio for Discovering the Other

This article discusses the idea of otherness in design education and introduces a new approach that merges the potentials of collaborative and individual design. The aim is for each individual student to discover how others design to criticise and derive their own ways of designing. Therefore, the discussion here focuses on the process of becoming aware of other designers and the importance of being with others while designing. I call this state the Field of Otherness. It is something that cannot be described or taught; it is a relative and indeterminate zone based on the existence of others. It is a set of potentials in which designers oscillate and their design aspects merge into a multiplicity. In this article I argue that by discovering others, designers encounter each other in the Field of Otherness and this enables them to design diversely. To broaden the discussion within this context, an experimental one‐day project called the Factory is explored. The main idea of the project was to introduce students to the Field of Otherness, in which they would design by continual ‘as ifs’ and oscillations to meet the other; who is precisely unfamiliar, unexpected, unknown and inexperienced. Interviews with students three months after the project are used to investigate the effects. These interviews can also be seen as fragments of the otherness experience of the students.     

Instructional systems design and public schools

A great deal has been written in the last several years about the use or lack of use of instructional systems design (ISD) in public schools. The general discussion has revolved around why ISD has not been accepted by public schools; why instructional design experts have not been hired by public school systems; and primarily what an educational technologist can do to change the situation. The focus of most discussions by educational technologists is: how can schools and teachers alter their practice to benefit from ISD? In this article, we maintain that one reason why ISD has not been adopted in schools is that there may not be a fit between the philosophies, needs, resources, and constraints of schools and the benefits of adopting ISD. We also argue that for ISD to have a significant influence in public schools, it must be accepted by teachers. The general question we ask in this paper is this: are we attempting to redesign schools and classrooms to accommodate our technologies with insufficient attention to the perceived needs of clients and to the consequences of adopting ISD? Our approach to answering this question was to search the literature to uncover perceived inconsistencies between ISD theory and practice on the one hand and teacher needs, wants, and practices on the other.     

Mentoring and Argumentation in a Game-Infused Science Curriculum

Engaging in argumentation from evidence is challenging for most middle school students. We report the design of a media-based mentoring system to support middle school students in engaging in argumentation in the context of a game-infused science curriculum. Our design emphasizes learners apprenticing with college student mentors around the socio-scientific inquiry of a designed video game. We report the results of a mixed-methods study examining the use of this media-based mentoring system with students ages 11 through 14. We observed that the discourse of groups of students that engaged with the game-infused science curriculum while interacting with college student mentors via a social media platform demonstrated statistically significant higher ratings of cognitive, epistemic, and social aspects of argumentation than groups of students that engaged with the social media platform and game-infused science curriculum without mentors. We further explored the differences between the Discourses of the mentored and non-mentored groups. This analysis showed that students in the mentored groups were invited, guided, and socialized into roles of greater agency than students in the non-mentored groups. This increased agency might explain why mentored groups demonstrated higher levels of scientific argumentation than non-mentored groups. Based on our analyses, we argue that media-based mentoring may be designed around a video game to support middle school students in engaging in argumentation from evidence.     

Facilitating reflection in theological education: some reflections

Over time my teaching role has evolved into one of facilitating adult learning. Recent studies that I have undertaken in higher education have met a felt need for further critical reflection on this approach. The discovery, through discussion and reading, of a language that enables me to conceptualise and investigate issues in teaching and learning has been a major part of this process, as has peer supervision. Engaging in this process in turn has encouraged continuing reflection in and on my practice.

My teaching area is theology, which involves critical reflection on experience and practice, and this has deeply influenced the way in which my teaching role has developed. Shared reflection in class interrelates with personal reflection, and has the potential to promote ongoing or lifelong learning. The facilitator's role in this setting combines caring and challenge, with the possibility of conflict management as well. It is hoped that aspects of my experience and practice in facilitating reflection in theology will be seen to have relevance to other areas of teaching.