Policy rhetoric and the renovation of English schooling: the case of Creative Partnerships

My critical evaluation of the government's White Paper, Learning to Succeed: a new framework for post-16 learning, which was published in the Journal of Educational Policy (2000, 15(2), 237-246) has provoked a critique by Pat Ainley, which is the main purpose of this section of the journal on Documents and Debates. He claims that my article suffers from two sins of omission: first, I am apparently unaware that the new legislation excludes higher education; and second, I have apparently failed to see that the Learning and Skills Council may become a new Leviathan rather than a new enlightenment. Both criticisms are, in my opinion, wide of the mark for the reasons given below, and this response ends with some comments on Pat Ainley's contribution.     

Reviews

Reviews in this articles: Resolving University Contradictions The Changing University?, Tom Schuller (Editor) Staff Development for What? Directions in staff development, Angela Brew (Ed.) Are Adults Moving Centre Stage? Adults in Higher Education—International Perspectives in Access and Participation, Pat Davies (editor)     

Q-Sorting Gloria

The authors assessed differences in viewers' perceptions of a client (Gloria) as a function of treatment (i.e., client-centered, gestalt, rational-emotive) received. The stimulus material used was the film series, Three Approaches to Psychotherapy. Gloria was perceived differently as a result of the type of treatment received, although some of the differences were not statistically reliable. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Relationship Between Client-Learning Style and Preference for Counselor Approach

A client-counselor matching model based on Kolb's experiential learning theory was examined. A questionnaire, which included Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and four counselor approach profiles, was completed by 205 counseling clients. The clients indicated which counselor they preferred. The following four preference patterns were predicted: concrete learners—experiential approach, abstract learners—rational approach, active learners— behavioral approach, and reflective learners—client-centered approach. The results did not confirm the hypothesized four-way model, although limited support for the matching concept was evident when only two counselor approaches were considered. Clients who preferred directive counselors were more abstract learners. Clients preferring nondirective counselors were more concrete learners. Overall, clients preferred the rational counselor approach. A nonclient comparison group (n = 75) preferred the client-centered approach.     

Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Stephanie Prestage and Pat Perks, Adapting and Extending Secondary Mathematics Activities Deborah Eyre and Hilary Lowe (eds), Curriculum Provision for the Gifted and Talented in the Secondary School Sally L. Smith, The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exceptional Learners Donald McIntyre, Colour Blindness — Causes and Effects Christine Macintyre, Play for Children with Special Needs: Including Children aged 3–8 Cathy Nutbrown (ed.), Research Studies in Early Childhood Education Chris Abbott (ed.), Special Educational Needs and the Internet — issues for the inclusive classroom     

Teaching Your Child to Read: A Critique of Some Recently Published Material

Moves to involve parents more fully in the process of teaching reading to their children have been generally universally welcomed. Publishers have seen this area as one for development and a number of materials aimed at parents are now on the market. As yet, however, there has been little critical appraisal of such material and Pat Pinsent's review here will be widely welcomed by teachers and parents alike. She uncovers some rather worrying features in the material she examines, particularly the implicit assumption in the materials that they will themselves teach children to read. As Pat points out, becoming a reader is a rather more complex business than this.     

Book Reviews

Ted Goodhew, T.R.I.S.T. Advisory Teacher, Berkshire County Council, ‘New Directions in Pastoral Care’, Edited by Peter Lang & Michael Marland, 1985 Blackwell —

Professor R. F. Dearden, University of Birmingham, Profiles and Records of Achievement, Patricia Broadfoot (ed) 1986 Holt, Rinehart and Winston £6.50 paperback

Pat Salder, Education for Capability, Ed Tyrrell Burgess N. F. E. K./Nelson 1986 £10.95

John Alcock, University of Warwick, Solo Monologues for Drama,John Goodwin and Bill Taylor 1985 Edward Arnold Ltd £2.15

Caroline Lodge, White Hart Lane School, London, Sharing,Beryl Heather FPA Education Unit 1984 52pp £3.50     

REVIEWS

Understanding school exclusion – challenging processes of docility Charlie Cooper Starting with Choice: Inclusive strategies for consulting young children Mary Dickens, Sue Emerson and Pat Gordon‐Smith Living Phonics Book 1: the alphabet and key digraphs By Jennifer Warland Dyslexia in Secondary School: A Practical Handbook for Teachers, Parents and Students Jenny Cogan and Mary Flecker Stepping out: Using Games and Activities to Help Your Child with Special Needs Sarah Newman (illustrated by Jeanie Mellersh) From Goals to Data and Back Again: Adding Backbone to Developmental Intervention for Children with Autism Jill Fain Lehman and Rebecca Klaw Gifted and Talented Children in the Early Years Hannah Mortimer Inclusive Teaching, Inclusive Learning: managing the curriculum for children with severe motor difficulties Pilla A. C. Pickles Children at the Margins: supporting children, supporting schools Tom Billington and Michael Pomerantz (eds)     

C. H. Patterson on Client-Centered Supervision: An Interview

C. H. Patterson is interviewed regarding the client-centered practice of supervision; theory, components, the question of developmental stages, the supervisory relationship, and roles are elucidated.     

The Cambridge B.Ed.

This article was written in January 1970 for The Cambridge Review and appeared in the issue of 29 May 1970. The author had University readers chiefly in mind; the stress would have been differently placed had it been written in the first place for the present journal, but it seemed best to keep the article in its original form apart from small corrections. It is printed here with the kind permission of the Editors of the Review.     

Literacy& numeracy: I.T. in Search of Solutions

Abstract

The ever‐changing face of information technology can either excite or frustrate educators. The rate of change in the delivery and deployment of computer models, specifications, operating systems and most importantly, well written software, has been a consistent dilemma. Despite vast improvements in how computers work, taking into account their speed, functionality and inherent multimedia capabilities, software packages dedicated to children who have learning difficulties usually do not keep the same frenetic pace, bar a few exemplary packages. Most classroom teachers have little spare time to constantly upgrade their skills, let alone their hardware, in order to continually research and keep abreast of new educational software. There are few opportunities for providing up‐to‐the‐minute professional development in our schools for literacy teachers. So many are working with students who are at risk or who are not coping in the mainstream classroom. Time, funding and even teachers’ energy levels do not permit them the luxury of purchasing and implementing new programs. Even if it were the case, the time to fully explore the new software, acquire and begin to master it is still an area of need.     

A changed language of education with new actors and solutions: the authorization of promotion and prevention programmes in Swedish schools

This article demonstrates how changes in the language of Swedish education policy have opened up a new social perception of education, in which space has been created for new actors, models and solutions in terms of managing activities in schools. Specifically, it seeks to illustrate how various promotion and prevention programmes have been authorized and disseminated without critical inquiry or resistance in the education sector. To this end, we analyse how the specific, essentially contested concepts of health, value base and communication have been employed in authoritative national documents over the two last decades. For our analysis, we draw on speech act theory, with a focus on linguistic performativity, as we have been interested in analysing how concrete authoritative actors have ‘performed’ various arguments. The analysis helps us to understand how the linguistic force originating from authoritative agencies can be used by different actors as a way to legitimize their arguments and actions. The results demonstrate how different national authorities, as a consequence of their use of the three concepts analysed, have contributed to the establishment of promotion and prevention programmes in education.     

Developing a new industrial engineering curriculum using a systems engineering approach

This paper reports on the development of an engineering curriculum for a new industrial engineering programme at a medium-sized private university in the northeast United States. A systems engineering process has been followed to design and develop the new curriculum. Considering the programme curriculum as a system, first the stakeholders have been identified, and some preliminary analysis on their needs and requirements has been conducted. Following that, the phases of conceptual design, preliminary design, and detailed design have been pursued during which different levels of validation, assessment, and evaluation processes have been utilised. In addition, a curriculum assessment and continuous improvement process have been developed to assess the curriculum and the courses frequently. The resulting curriculum is flexible, allowing the pursuit of accelerated graduate programmes, a second major, various minor options, and study-abroad; relevant, tailored to the needs of industry partners in the vicinity; and practical, providing hands-on education, resulting in employment-ready graduates.     

Quantification of Helicobacter pylori levels in soil samples from public playgrounds in Spain

Helicobacter pylori are ubiquitous Gram-negative bacteria with a high estimated level of infection in the world populations, but a majority of the infected persons are asymptomatic. This pathogen has been classified by the World Health Organization as a class I carcinogen and recognized as the causal agent of most peptic ulcers and chronic gastritis that might lead to stomach cancer. Although not all the transmission pathways of these bacteria into humans have been properly identified, enough data have suggested that the oral-oral or fecal-oral ones are the main infection routes. Helicobacter pylori have been detected in non-treated water and in drinking water, which suggested that water might be an important infection source. As childhood is the critical period of infection, the aim of the present work was to examine the presence of Helicobacter pylori in soil samples from public playing areas of Spanish parks.     

Research into the School as an Organization. I: A Presentation and Discussion of Research Literature with a Bearing on the School as an Organization

Berg, G. 1982. Research into the School as an Organization. I: A Presentation and Discussion of Research Literature with a Bearing on the School as an Organization. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 26, 95‐117. Only to a limited extent has the school as an organization been the subject of any really systematic research, whether on the part of educationalists, sociologists or general organizational theorists. In this article a number of research projects focusing on the school as an organization are described and discussed. Previous research in this field has been either functionalist or structuralist in approach. Nevertheless, certain concepts are common to the analyses of all the researchers referred to here: all describe the school as an organization in terms of professionalism and bureaucracy. We would add that the school can also be described as a coercive organization.     

Friluftsliv and adventure: Models,heroes and idols in a Nansen perspective

Abstract

With the ambition of penetrating into the very core of the Norwegian and Nordic friluftsliv: An ecologically responsible life in the open air-in nature, people will have to become acquainted with Fridtjof Nansen—with the thinker as well as the practitioner. Outdoor life with natural and strong links to the national friluftsliv—tradition was his ideal, and quite a lot of people in the years after him have been fired with his enthusiasm for the wonderful experiential and health—giving meetings with nature. Obviously, he has been a hero and an idol for generations of people. His reputation as an arctic explorer, as scientist and sportsman, as an internationalist and a humanitarian, have been emphasized by a great many books and articles about him. The main purpose of this article is to shed more light upon his thinking about friluftsliv, to show and explain its focus, its models and paragons.     

Learning approaches and cultural influences: a comparative study of Confucian and western-heritage students

With the advent of increasingly multinational student cohorts in many higher education institutes, the possible influence of ‘national culture’ on students’ learning approaches has become a focal point of attention. In particular, the claim that Asian (Confucian) students adopt (primarily) surface learning approaches has attracted much debate despite, or perhaps because of, relatively little empirical research on the matter. Similarly in Ireland, while much concern has been voiced regarding the existence of a culture of surface learning in higher education, few studies have been conducted on the matter. The purpose of this research is to strengthen our understanding of these two areas through empirical evidence. This study examines the preferred learning approaches of students (n?=?327) from 37 nationalities studying in a higher education institute in Ireland. Two hypotheses are tested: Confucian Asian students will have higher surface strategy learning scores than western students (Hypothesis 1) and Irish students will have higher surface learning scores than other western students (Hypothesis 2). The results indicate important differences in preferred learning approaches according to nationality and cultural cluster, where Hypothesis 1 is rejected and Hypothesis 2 is supported. The study is of particular interest to HE management and educationalists working with students entering higher education from diverse national backgrounds. Recommendations are made at an institutional level as to how HE management might address student surface learning approaches.     

A solution to exclusion

Abstract

A total involvement project in a mainstream upper school KEYW ORDS was initiated by a local education authority (LEA) as part of their behaviour restructuring of support for pupils with behavioural and emotional management; difficulties. The project was intended to meet the needs of a particular exclusion; LEA school which had a history of excluding difficult pupils. Initial evalu-behaviour ation of the project indicated that exclusion numbers have been support reduced, the school’s behavioural management structure has been improved, and a higher quality of support for pupils is offered at earlier stages. The project has highlighted a number of factors which are exemplars of good practice and has recently attracted research funding for a more structured evaluation via the DfES Best Practice Research Scholarship scheme. This account traces the early stages of the project, up to the first-phase evaluation, and is illustrated with examples of pupil case studies.     

Book Reviews

Dealing with Dyslexia (Second Edition) Pat Heaton & Patrick Winterson July 1996 London Whurr Publishers Ltd $40.00 (approx.)

Dyslexia ‐ How Would I Cope? Michael Ryden 1989 London Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 13 Brunswick Centre, London WC1 N1AK $18.00

Paperback, Size 21cm. x 13.5cm., 64pp.

‘This book doesn't make sens cens sns scens sense’ ‐ Living and Learning with Dyslexia Jean Augur First printed 1981, Reprinted 1995 London Whurr Publishers Ltd June Pollard, 2 St. Lois Street, Toowoomba Qld $25.00

Paperback, Size 21cm. x 14cm., 127pp.

Psychological Assessment of Dyslexia Martin Turner 1997 London, UK Whurr Publishers Ltd $52.00

Soft cover, well bound, 15 x 23cm, 364 pages with black and white tables throughout, ISBN 1–897635–53–2.

Dyslexia: Parents in Need Pat Heaton 1996 London, UK Whurr Publishers Ltd $38.50

Dyslexia, Speech and Language: A Practitioner's Handbook Margaret Snowling & Joy Stackhouse (Eds.) 1996 London, UK Whurr Publishers $48.00

Soft cover, well bound, 15 x 23cm, 267 pages, ISBN 1–897635–48–6.