Writing Trojan Horses and War Machines: The creative political in music education research

North American music education is a commodity sold to pre‐service and in‐service music teachers. Like all mass‐produced consumables, it is valuable to the extent that it is not creative, that is, to the extent that it is reproducible. This is demonstrated in curricular materials, notably general music series textbook and music scores available from a rapidly shrinking cadre of publishers, as well as rigid and pre‐determined pedagogical practices. Distributing resources and techniques that produce predicable, consistent, and repeatable goods and services, the economy of music teacher preparation and development must necessarily exclude creativity, which consequently must be viewed as not only inefficient but unprofitable. More than undesirable, however, creativity is constructed as dangerous as it injects difference in a system that relies on sameness. Because of its implications for music education discourse and practices, I focus my discussion on research in general and feminist critique in particular in music education. Reading through Monique Wittig's ‘The Trojan Horse’ as literary war machine, I argue that creative writing and academic research are not mutually exclusive, and that it is only through infusing the literary or creative in scholarly writing that interlocking systems of oppression may be altered and difference implicated in music education. My analysis of Roberta Lamb's (1995) research piece, ‘Tone Deaf/Symphonies Singing: Sketches for a Musicale’ depicts it as Trojan Horse, albeit one that Lamb herself, most likely as a function of editorial imperative, hobbles.     

浅议创新型教师的素质

实施创新教育是时代的要求,创新型教师的培养是新世纪高等师范院校急需研究和解决的一个重要课题,创新型教师的素质主要分为创新教育基础、创新教育能力、创新教育精神.     

Observing young children's creative thinking: engagement,involvement and persistence

This paper looks at young children's creative thinking as inferred through observations of their activities. A total of 52 episodes of child-initiated and adult-initiated activities in 3- to 4-year-olds in an English Children's Centre were analysed using the Analysing Children's Creative Thinking (ACCT) Framework. Results showed that activities such as gardening and construction were as valuable for supporting creative thinking as ones traditionally associated with creativity, for example, music and painting. Outdoor play of all kinds and socio-dramatic play were particularly effective contexts. All adults played a significant role in facilitating children's initial engagement in activities, and at supporting their speculative thinking and use of prior knowledge. Teachers were often more successful than other adults in supporting the acquisition of new knowledge. Child-initiated activities featured the highest levels of involvement, and were associated with trying out and analysing ideas, flexibility and originality, imagining and hypothesising. This was particularly evident in group or pair play. Children were also more persistent in child-initiated activities. Evidence of risk-taking behaviour was low, although more apparent in child-initiated activities than adult-initiated activities, or activities in which adults were present.     

论创新教育在声乐课堂教学中的实施

在高师院校声乐课堂教学中，实施创新教育是培养具有创新意识和创新能力音乐教育人才的必然选择。教师必须更新教育观念，革新旧的教学方法，着力培养学生的创新意识和创新思维，强化学生的心理素质和个性品质，从而提高学生的整体素质。     

How children's creative visual imagination and creative thinking relate to their representation of space

This article explores how creative visual imagination and creative thinking can help children to construct mental models of space. A mixed-method study, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches and involving 98 five-year-old children (54 girls and 44 boys) demonstrated that creative visual imagination, rather than creative thinking, is linked with the knowledge and understanding of space. These results support the notion that creative visual imagination contributes to improvements in children's understanding of basic astronomical concepts. Interestingly, creative thinking was not associated with understanding and knowledge of cosmic phenomena in models taking into account creative imagination. The qualitative analysis showed differences in children's representations of space. We discuss the consequences of these findings for science education, particularly the teaching of elementary astronomy.     

Readiness for school of children having attended language immersion kindergarten in their teachers' and parents' opinions

In multicultural societies, much attention is given to children's language learning possibilities. In Estonia, the early language immersion programme for kindergarten children was started in the year 2000. The programme, while considered to be successful, has raised the question of whether the children participating in it are adequately prepared for school. The objective of the present study is to observe the readiness for school of those children who have participated in the early language immersion programme, taking into consideration the objectives of the curriculum and their teachers' and parents' assessments. The method of this study was a questionnaire employed over a three-year period (2009–2011) involving the teachers and parents of those children who were beginning their primary school education. The results of the study revealed that, according to the assessments of their teachers and parents, the readiness for school of the children having completed the early language immersion programme was very good. Data prove that language immersion programmes provide children with enough preparation to make a smooth transition from kindergarten to school life.     

实验教学在提高学生创新实践能力中的价值新探

知识经济需要有创新实践能力的人才,21世纪的大学教育模式重视学生创新实践能力的培养.该文结合作者多年的信息技术实验教学实践和思考,以及国外大学在创新思维和操作实验教学方面的新举措,探讨了实验教学在提高学生创新实践能力中的重要价值.     

英语教学中创造性思维的培养

知识经济的浪潮已经到来,而知识经济的核心就是创新,英语是基础学科,必须重视在英语教学中培养学生的创造能力。根据创造性思维的特点,运用一句多译、一时多变、同义多形、一句连锁等教学策略,对学生进行创造性思维的培养。     

The Effect of Integrating Movement into the Learning Environment of Kindergarten Children on their Academic Achievements

The aim of this study was to test the notion that integrating movement into the learning environment contributes to the academic achievements of kindergarten students. One hundred and sixty 4–6 year-old kindergarten students participated in the study for 145 days, which included pre- and post-intervention tests in language, mathematics, and non-verbal intelligence. The three interventions consisted of (a) a mindful movement—integrating movement in academic learning, (b) a movement for its own sake—allowing children free movement without providing academic instruction, and (c) a control condition—children engaging in their regular academic environment activities. The findings revealed that the mindful movement intervention resuted in the highest improvement in the academic achievement tests. Children engaging in movement for its own sake did not differ from the control condition. The findings support the notion that mindful movement enhances kindergarten children’s academic achievements. Possible explanations for this outcome are discussed.     

Action learning and the creative industries: the efficacy of an action learning set in building collaboration between a university and creative industries

In the UK, the creative sector has been identified as a key strand in the economic recovery strategy. Composed of mostly micro and small enterprises often grouping together for particular commissions and projects, there is a tendency to operate primarily through a series of networks made up of peers. This paper presents the outcomes of a ‘peer-to-peer business programme’, or action learning set, involving 10 participants from the creative sector over a period of 6 months. The programme was based on a ‘Six-Squared’ model where participants would address their own needs alongside participating in, and developing further understanding of, action learning sets in order to establish sets with others. Assessment of outcomes indicated that the programme allowed participants to develop new skills with peers, network and strengthen relationships and collaborate in a university programme. The paper concludes by suggesting that, within the context of a growing and vibrant creative industries sector and increasing pressures on universities to engage with the business community, it is essential to develop flexible, peer-led and innovative models of collaboration.     

应用型本科工程类创新人才培养的探讨

基于创新人才科学内涵的认识,文章阐述了应用型本科工程类创新人才应具备的5个特征,提出培养此类人才的基本途径：树立以人为本的教育观念和“大工程观”教育观念;构建应用型工程创新人才培养的课程体系;构建应用型人才工程实践创新教学体系;建设具有创新精神和强工程教育能力的师资队伍;促进产学研密切结合;开展科技创新活动与创业教育活动等。     

Interpreting young people's self-expression through characters and relationships in collaborative creative writing

White Water Writers is an intervention that offers school pupils the opportunity to collaboratively write a novel in a week. The current study uses thematic analysis to interpret the voices of young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities through the characters and relationships created in this fictional writing. The main themes derived from the data were: heroism and villainy, associated with characteristics such as responsibility and control; fictional powers, linking to personal agency; social relations, including positive relationships with peers and authority figures; and anthropomorphism, for exploring new emotions and interactions between humans and animals. This suggests that creative writing may be a useful lens through which to explore young people's views of their lived experiences.     

Risking creativity: building the creative context

In this lively account of a special school's involvement with the government‐funded Creative Partnership programme, Maria Balshaw provides a helpful overview of that programme and demonstrates the exciting potential for inclusive practice when schools work in partnership with creative professionals.     

机构设计树与机构创新设计

在研究机构创新设计的基础上,结合树形结构的相关理论,提出了机构设计树的新概念,并详细地阐述了机构设计树的特点,以及机构设计树在机构创新设计中的应用。实例证明,机构设计树不仅是一种由基本运动链向具体机构转化的分析工具,而且还提供了一条由基本运动链设计出不同机构的捷径。     

平台爬坡模式——面向21世纪课堂创新教育模式研究

创新教育是我国学术界与教育界极为关注的重大研究问题，而课堂教学又是实施创新教育的主阵地。因此，建立课堂创新教育的新模式非常必要。建立课堂创新教育模式应遵循这样两个原则即平台原则和爬坡原则。平台原则认为，培养学生创新能力的基础是必须建立一系列科学的创新平台；爬坡原则认为，提高学生创新能力的途径是必须建立一系列科学的扑坡途径，该途径是学生创新能力逐步提高的必以之路。根据这两个原则建立起来的课堂创新教育模式即平台爬坡模式，该模式包括创新平台的内部结构和不同爬坡途径。平台爬坡模式的建立，一方面有利于培养和造就高素质的创新型人才，对于培养和促进学生的发展具有重要作用；另一方面有利于创新教育的发展，对于全面推进素质教育具有重要作用。     

Digital technology and creative arts career patterns in the UK creative economy

In this article, we ask what role both digital and artistic human capital play in the creative economy by examining employment patterns of digital technology (DT) and creative arts and design (CAD) graduates. Using student micro-data collected by the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) in the United Kingdom, we investigate the characteristics and location determinants of these graduates. The article deals specifically with understanding how digital and creative skills in the UK are embedded across industries, or are concentrated in creative sub-sectors. Furthermore, it explores the role that these graduates play in each of the different sectors and their financial rewards. Findings suggest that digital technology graduates tend to concentrate in the software and gaming sub-sector of the creative industries, but also are likely to be in embedded creative jobs outside of the creative industries. DT and CAD graduates are more likely to be in a creative job than other graduates. Although they are more likely to be in full-time employment than part-time or self-employment, DT graduates suffer from a higher level of unemployment than CAD graduates.     

Primary pupils' creative writing: enacting identities in a Community of Writers

This paper focuses on a Community of Writers creative writing project where 25 primary school pupils from lower socio‐economic backgrounds took part in creative writing workshops over a 2‐week period at a higher education institution. Using practitioner enquiry and discourse analysis, this paper views identity as participation in ‘figured worlds’ and highlights the relationship between the children's creative writing outputs and their shifting identities (Holland et al., 1998 ). A case is made that children's authentic creative writing can be nurtured by a community that promotes intertextuality and ‘hybridity’ (Bakhtin, 1981 ) as well as balancing pedagogical ‘structure’ and ‘freedom’ (Davies et al., 2012 ) in order to provide textual space for writers to enact different identities. At a time when the global figuring power of performativity (Ball, 2003 ) actively restricts the ways in which teachers and children interact, this paper also presents an informed argument for the value of school–university research partnerships.     

Promotion of literacy skills in early childhood: a follow-up study from kindergarten to Grade 1 / Fomento de habilidades de lecto-escritura en la primera infancia: estudio de seguimiento desde la educación infantil al primer curso de educación primaria

Several researchers have shown that invented spelling activities in kindergarten foster preschool children’s early literacy skills. However, few studies have assessed its impact on learning to read and write in the first year of primary school. Our goal was to analyse the impact of an invented spelling programme with kindergarteners on their literacy skills until the end of Grade 1. A follow-up study was conducted with 45 five-year-old Portuguese children attending two classes of two schools in Lisbon. The teaching effect was controlled as children from each class were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental/control) — equivalent on letter knowledge, cognitive abilities and phonological awareness. The participants were assessed in kindergarten with a pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test (spelling; reading; phonemic awareness) and at the end of Grade 1 (spelling; reading). The experimental group participated in invented spelling sessions, while control children participated in storytelling activities. Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. The experimental group scored higher, not only in kindergarten but also in the follow-up year for all literacy measures.     

Does poor school performance cause later psychosocial problems among children in foster care? Evidence from national longitudinal registry data

Research has shown that children in foster care are a high-risk group for adverse economic, social and health related outcomes in young adulthood. Children's poor school performance has been identified as a major risk factor for these poor later life outcomes. Aiming to support the design of effective intervention strategies, this study examines the hypothesized causal effect of foster children's poor school performance on subsequent psychosocial problems, here conceptualized as economic hardship, illicit drug use, and mental health problems, in young adulthood. Using the potential outcomes approach, longitudinal register data on more than 7500 Swedish foster children born 1973–1978 were analyzed by means of doubly robust treatment-effect estimators. The results show that poor school performance has a negative impact on later psychosocial problems net of observed background attributes and potential selection on unobservables, suggesting that the estimated effects allow for causal interpretations. Promotion of school performance may thus be a viable intervention path for policymakers and practitioners interested in improving foster children's overall life chances.