Preservice teachers' perceptions about using mobile phones and laptops in education as mobile learning tools

The purpose of this research was to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions about using m‐phones and laptops in education as mobile learning tools. A total of 1087 preservice teachers participated in the study. The results indicated that preservice teachers perceived laptops potentially stronger than m‐phones as m‐learning tools. In terms of limitations the situation was balanced for laptops and m‐phones. Generally, the attitudes towards using laptops in education were not exceedingly positive but significantly more positive than m‐phones. It was also found that such variables as program/department, grade, gender and possessing a laptop are neutral in causing a practically significant difference in preservice teachers' views. The results imply an urgent need to grow awareness among participating student teachers towards the concept of m‐learning, especially m‐learning through m‐phones.     

Tracing pathways to higher education for refugees: the role of virtual support networks and mobile phones for women in refugee camps

In this paper, we explore the role of online social networks in the cultivation of pathways to higher education for refugees, particularly for women. We compare supports garnered in local and offline settings to those accrued through online social networks and examine the differences between women and men. The paper draws on complementary original data sources, including an online survey of the Somali Diaspora (n?=?248) and in-depth interviews (n?=?21) with Somali refugees who do or have lived in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya. We find an important interplay of local and global interactions, mediated by mobile technology, that participants identify as critical to their access to higher education. Our analysis relates these interactions to shifting social norms and possibilities for refugee women’s education. Our findings directly address the use of information and communication technology in expanding opportunities for higher education for women in refugee camps.     

Learning to be a group facilitator in outdoor education: using self-awareness to overcome fears and be fully present

ABSTRACT

Facilitating groups in outdoor education can sometimes be very challenging, and self-doubt and the fear of facilitating inadequately add to difficulties that facilitators must sometimes manage. In this paper, I will explore some of the ways by which facilitators contribute to the difficulties they experience and, furthermore, to explore some solutions. Negative self-talk can sabotage our best intentions as facilitators, by reducing the levels of free attention that are needed to facilitate well. I draw on the findings of a naturalistic inquiry conducted with 7 facilitator educators and 104 graduates of facilitator education programmes. Data collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and qualitative surveys were analysed using the constant comparison method. . Based on my research findings, I contend that outdoor education programmes do not need perfect facilitators. Rather, facilitators who can be authentic, self-aware and fully present for their groups will improve outdoor education programs.     

Postliteracy in the digital age: The use of mobile phones to support literacy practices in Namibia and Tanzania

This article focuses on individuals emerging from traditional oral cultures with limited education and few economic resources who use mobile telephones to maintain their writing and communication skills, despite the scarcity of reading materials, or a lack of social, economic, political, and cultural incentives. Drawing on two case studies—one of previously disenfranchized citizens participating in a national dialogue in Namibia and one of entrepreneurial women in Tanzania—the authors examine postliteracy practices in adults’ everyday lives, probe these innovative uses of mobile applications, and thus aim to understand the context of the mobile literacy environment. They find that for individuals with limited literacy skills, these phones and applications can offer a vital resource for postliteracy practices, one that gives them a better chance of maintaining and enhancing their previously acquired literacy skills.     

Attitudes and coping practices of using mobile phones for teaching and learning in a Uganda secondary school

This study investigated the opportunities for learning afforded by access to mobile phones, and the associated challenges created by their use in a peri-urban private secondary school in Uganda. The study was motivated by availability of phones with facilities to connect to the Internet and to access free open education resources (OERs), which if used appropriately, could support changes in pedagogy required to promote learning in rural schools in Uganda. Information was collected using interviews, observations and focus group discussions with parents, students and their teachers between June 2014 and July 2015. Results show a slow positive change in attitude amongst teachers and parents that phones are useful in learning; an increased enthusiasm and eagerness among students, and more engaging and interactive lessons. Some teachers found challenges in accessing education resources due to poor Internet connectivity, while others required skills and knowledge about appropriate OERs that promote interactive learning. The study recommends re-skilling of teachers to use mobile phones to access the Internet, use of OERs and ICT interactive pedagogies especially in schools with limited access to computers and Internet connectivity.     

关于我国户外运动发展历程及发展路径的探析

本文采用文献资料法,总结回顾了建国以来我国户外运动的发展历程,并针对其发展过程中存在的问题提出相应对策,旨在对我国户外运动的发展提供一些有益参考。     

Learning about the past: exploring the opportunities and challenges of using an outdoor learning approach

This paper examines the potential of outdoor learning for supporting children’s understanding of and attitude towards history. A class of primary school children participated in an intensive experiential, residential history programme. A range of data was collected before, during and after the residential programme, and the findings suggest that the experience had a positive impact on the children’s attitude towards history and enabled many of the children to be able to easily recall highly specific factual knowledge. However, the children’s understanding of history as a provisional construct was not developed, as it was not a strong feature of the programme. Nor was the experiential nature of the experience fully exploited. Overall the study suggests that such a programme has the potential to support children’s learning of the past, but a deeper understanding of history, drawing on the benefits of outdoor learning pedagogy, needs to be planned for more explicitly.     

Analysing attempts to support outdoor learning in Scottish schools

The new ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ in Scotland outlines a policy vision of a more integrated and holistic form of education; a commitment which offers considerable prospects for increased levels of outdoor learning in schools. With reference to Fullan’s theorizing on achieving educational change, this study investigated four main implementation areas, namely: policy aims, partnerships arrangements, and associated professionalism and sustainability issues. Evidence was collected through a series of 16 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders at national, local authority, and school level. Despite increased agreement on aims, it was found that improving the frequency and quality of outdoor learning in schools was adversely influenced by the patchwork nature of partnership support at national and local authority levels. This has curtailed the prioritizing of outdoor learning in schools and of teachers being supported when trying to make use of their increased curriculum decision-making responsibilities. Thus, only limited evidence was found of policy-related innovation and considerable evidence of policy stasis. As such, building national capacity is proving difficult. It is concluded that further research on how some atypical schools have managed to develop their programmes offers the best prospects for understanding the complexities of achieving greater levels of outdoor learning.     

Effective teaching and learning strategies in outdoor education: findings from two residential programmes based in Australia

This paper aims to contribute to on-going discussion about the teaching and learning strategies used in effective outdoor education programmes. A naturalistic inquiry was conducted with two schools that participated in 28-day outdoor education programmes facilitated by the same outdoor provider in Australia. Data were collected through five semi-structured interviews with the school teachers and programme leaders and five focus groups conducted with the students. The Life Effectiveness Questionnaire was also administered to 261 students pre- and post-programme and results confirmed that the outdoor education programmes were producing desired improvements in the students’ perceptions of their general life skills. The findings of the qualitative analysis confirmed the importance of carefully sequenced activities, a facilitative teaching style, and active engagement as teaching and learning strategies. More research is needed to confirm the teaching and learning strategies that should be prioritised in the education of future outdoor education leaders.     

Experiencing spiritual aspects outdoors in the winter: a case study from the Czech Republic using the method of systemic constellations

The article focuses on spirituality on two semantic levels: the first one analyses participants’ experiences during a winter expeditionary course on snowshoes and considers the question of whether residing in the winter landscape with a community of other people may acquire a spiritual dimension in spite of the non-religious environment. The second level verifies whether the trans-rational method of systemic constellations may be used as a research tool, that is, as a specific source for data collection (different from other sources and methods). The research applied a phenomenological approach to the analysis of unstructured interviews (n = 12) and constellation insights; the result confirmed indisputably that certain kinds of experiences obtained in a completely non-religious environment (namely, during a winter expedition on snowshoes in the mountains) can be considered spiritual. The answer to the second question is also positive, since the application of systemic constellations results in different data in comparison with their verbal acquisition. Symbolic images that point out the system and its unaccepted elements deepen the understanding of both the individual and the nature of their spiritual experience.     

The National Park System and Environmental Education

Abstract

The Watershed Learning Center (WLC) was developed by the Brandywine Valley Association (BVA) to provide outdoor environmental lessons to schools on their own properties or on sites close by. Teachers are trained to take over the lessons by observing BVA instructors and attending workshops. The program was evaluated to discover how the WLC was introduced and expanded in the schools, the program's impact on students, and the effectiveness of the teacher training for program take-over and continuation. The accomplishments and challenges of the WLC program are described and insights provided that can serve as a model for replication.     

中小学安全教育的成效、原因及措施分析--以长治市为例

在党中央、国务院和中共山西省委、省政府高度重视中小学安全教育的背景下,在长治市率先创建全国本质安全型城市的独特条件下,长治市中小学汲取过去血的教训,在创建本质安全型教育的过程中,取得了安全教育的阶段性成果。这些成绩来之不易,既离不开以人为本、科学发展、安全发展的政策支持,又有赖于长治市中小学及时转变安全教育理念,认真落实安全教育措施等。     

中小学安全教育的成效、原因及措施分析——以长治市为例

在党中央、国务院和中共山西省委、省政府高度重视中小学安全教育的背景下,在长治市率先创建全国本质安全型城市的独特条件下,长治市中小学汲取过去血的教训,在创建本质安全型教育的过程中,取得了安全教育的阶段性成果。这些成绩来之不易,既离不开以人为本、科学发展、安全发展的政策支持,又有赖于长治市中小学及时转变安全教育理念,认真落实安全教育措施等。     

An evaluation of an outdoor education programme for students with emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

A case study examined the value of outdoor education for two groups of pupils from Year 9 and 10 with severe behavioural difficulties placed in an independent residential school. The methods included systematic observations of their behaviour and recording of their academic performance over the duration of the programme; participant observation field notes kept by the researcher; and interviewing of all participating pupils and staff to elicit their perceptions of the utility of the programme. The analysis suggested that the programme was successful in promoting positive behaviour and academic gains for most pupils, and that by the end both pupils and staff held a positive perception of outdoor education. Although outdoor education may not form a solution to dealing with 'problematic' behaviour, it represents a powerful, albeit underused, tool for reducing disaffection, promoting inclusive practice and decreasing the risk of permanent exclusion for this vulnerable group of pupils.     

英国研究生资助体系的形成、发展及启示

英国的研究生资助体系起源于一战期间的国家需要,最终形成于20世纪60年代,在组织和制度上依托于科研资助机构,保证了人才培养和科学研究的紧密结合。21世纪以来,英国逐渐提高了研究生资助标准,形成了公开竞争、整体拨款、研究账户、项目助学等多种资助方式,对我国研究生教育改革具有借鉴意义。     

A means of personalising learning: incorporating old and new literacies in the curriculum with mobile phones

This article explores a notion of ‘personalising learning’ which puts the learner at the centre, supported by mobile technology and teacher mediation. It reports a small study in the Northern Territory of Australia, with indigenous students who were given mobile camera phones to capture aspects of their everyday lives and bring them into school. It found that they created a range of narratives that linked their traditional literacies with ‘new literacies’. The article argues that, using tools like these, students can contribute to their curriculum. However, it raises issues of cultural differences between teachers and students, and the importance of developing critical literacy in conjunction with new communication forms and other new literacies. Finally it points to the important role of teachers in leading change in school cultures, and particularly assessment, that will allow these personal contributions to learners' curricula.     

It depends on the priorities: the presence and profile of outdoor education on school websites

School websites are one way in which school leaders inform the public about their school’s vision, values, achievements and the learning opportunities on offer in a way that highlights its distinctiveness in the most positive light. If outdoor education is perceived as a valued learning context and/or helps to differentiate one school from another, it is likely that it would be reflected on a school’s website. An interpretive thematic analysis of the websites of 20% of the secondary schools in New Zealand suggested that outdoor education has a presence in schools, although the magnitude of this presence depended on the priorities school leaders wished to promote. The positive outcomes and opportunities afforded by outdoor education were portrayed to emphasize a school’s appeal. However, policy and design constraints of websites restricted teachers’ input into their content, making it somewhat challenging to gauge the relationship between the presence of outdoor education on a school website and the quality of its pedagogical practice.     

Enough of Ronald and Mickey: focusing on learning in outdoor education

Fifteen years ago Loynes expressed concern that market-place values were detrimentally impacting on the provision of outdoor education experiences. As tertiary educators with an interest in the impact of globalization on outdoor education, we have sought to extend Loynes’ use of McDonaldization by drawing on Bryman’s conceptual framework of Disneyization in order to more deeply understand patterns of contemporary consumption. We draw on field visits to investigate the degree to which these two concepts have permeated the provision of recreational providers that serve schools. We contend that there is evidence that Loynes’ concerns remain valid, but we suggest that more recent discourses around ‘place’ may offer viable and supportable alternatives to ‘consumption-oriented’ outdoor education practice.     

Challenges and opportunities in mainstreaming environmental education into the curricula of teachers' colleges in Ethiopia

Lack of environmental awareness is one of the underlying causes of severe environmental degradation in Ethiopia. As teachers' colleges are a seedbed of such awareness, assessment of college curricula should shed light on the possibilities they offer to develop capacities to address environmental degradation. This small‐scale study is based on the assessment of the curricula of the Kotebe and St Mary's teachers' colleges, Ethiopia, and the knowledge and opinions of a sample of teaching students on pertinent environmental issues facing the country. Comparative analysis of data generated through questionnaires and interviews was undertaken across college, curricula and gender categories. The results suggest: a ‘paradigm shift’ from a core‐focused to a pedagogical‐focused curriculum in the last three decades; a declining trend in the provision of outdoor environmental education; inadequate levels of factual knowledge amongst current college students; and variations in knowledge levels and attitudes among the respondents taking different curricula. If the work of teachers' colleges is to support wider efforts throughout Ethiopia to address the causes and effects of environmental degradation, the findings of the study underscore the necessity of revisiting the composition of course categories and maintaining the existence of outdoor environmental education in the current college curricula.     

基层电大学习支持服务系统的构建与实践

功能完善的学习支持服务系统是远程开放教育成功的基础,直接影响远程开放教育的质量。本文重点分析了中山电大学习过程支持服务系统的现状,提出了进一步完善的对策及建议。