Development from within academe: Eschewing imperialism,managerialism and missionary zeal?

Abstract

In the current turbulent environment as we face pressures for efficiency and commercialization, good intentions will not be sufficient. Reflection on what the future holds for us is timely. In this article two case examples of academic development, drawn from the experience of staff at The Australian National University's Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, are presented and analysed. A key issue for the field of academic development emerging from this critical examination of the cases is how units and those working in them are positioned in relation to academic colleagues, academic practitioners, and senior officers who are university leaders and managers. Through the case studies and discussion the article explores issues of our location; it concludes that reflection on our models and theories, and critical rethinking of our practice, are essential first steps in deciding on our own professional development.     

The New Right and the national curriculum: State control or market forces? 1

This paper takes as its starting point an apparent tension within the Education Reform Act between its imposition of a national curriculum and its stress elsewhere on parental choice and market forces in determining the shape of the school system. The paper then explores differences within the New Right over the issue of the school curriculum, but also points to ways in which neo‐liberal and neo‐conservative positions may ultimately be reconcilable. However, it also suggests that neither position may prove entirely attractive to the government's industrial sponsors who wish the curriculum to be more responsive to the needs of industry. The paper then draws on the findings of a recent research project on school choice to consider some possible consequences of allowing market forces to determine the nature of the curriculum. In conclusion, it stresses the importance of seeing the national curriculum within its broader structural context and notes that there are important lessons to be drawn from the approaches taken by both the tendencies identified within New Right thinking about the curriculum.

     

Disability,the arts and the curriculum: Is there common ground?

This paper reports on the findings of a study that sought to examine firstly, the themes expressed in the art of disabled people in Greece and Cyprus and in interviews with these artists, and secondly, the ways that such art can serve the school curriculum. To this end, an electronic archive of the life stories and art of interest was analysed. The findings suggest that both the art and the interviews cover issues that are directly related to disability, and issues of general interest. A detailed analysis of two cases seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of the relevance of disabled artists and their work within the curriculum. The discussion focuses on issues emerging from the analysis, such as the potential of this art to enrich the school curriculum and promote inclusive education, and identifies the study’s contribution to the international literature about disability, the arts and the curriculum.     

The carrot,the stick,or the relationship: what are the effective disciplinary strategies?

The effectiveness of various management strategies has been of central concern in academic and educational debates on the role and nature of classroom discipline. Educational theorists and researchers have put forth a range of different models, each of which incorporates the use of a number of strategies. This article reports on a study that seeks to investigate the gamut of these strategies pragmatically and considers their affects on a range of factors, such as levels of student responsibility, misbehaviour, relationship with teachers, and connection to school. Analysis of the results offered in this article supports the judicious use of a combination of strategies involving the use of hinting, involvement, discussion, and recognition and rewards. The discussion focuses primarily on the benefits that can be achieved through a regulated process of positive discipline strategies, through which teachers and students can develop mutual respect and trust.     

Schools, teachers, and curriculum change: A balancing act?

Educational change is a fact of life for teachers across the world, as schools are subjected to constant and ubiquitous pressures to innovate. And, yet, many school practices remain remarkably persistent in the face of such innovation. This paradox of innovation without change is perplexing for policymakers and practitioners alike. This paper investigates the gap between policy and practice, between innovation and the changes in social practices that occur in response to such innovation. It draws upon empirical data from two case studies in Scotland??schools responding to new curriculum policy??exploring contrasting approaches to the management of innovation. One is a laissez faire approach, and the other a more directive managerial strategy. Through an analytical separation of culture, structure, and agency, derived from the social theory of Margaret Archer, the paper sheds light on the social processes that accompanied innovation in these two settings demonstrating how teacher culture and differing management styles impact upon externally initiated policy.     

Common curriculum, core curriculum or common curriculum standards—finding a solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina

The article addresses the issue of possible curriculum models in post-conflict countries, taking as an example the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1996 and 2004. Following the Dayton agreement, the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided between 13 ministries administering different Bosnian, Serb and Croat cantons. Despite the functioning of some central/federal bodies with education responsibilities, such as the Ministry for Civil Affairs, the divided system of education governance created significant obstacles to the establishment of “national” quality and access frameworks encouraging national unity and mobility. Over the last ten years, developing a basic education “core curriculum” has been a major emphasis of reform efforts. This article focuses on issues such as the relative benefits of a common curriculum, a core curriculum and a curriculum framework in addressing identified deficiencies in existing curricula and contributing to societal renewal and development.

The Flipped Classroom in Training and Development: Fad or the Future?

This article provides an overview of the characteristics of the flipped classroom, discusses the foundations of this innovative instructional model, and analyzes the possibility of adoption and application to corporate learning platforms. The article assesses whether the flipped classroom is simply a temporary trend in education and learning or has the potential to truly revolutionize instructional design and delivery in the realm of training and development.     

The mentoring dilemma: guidance and/or direction?

Abstract

How effective is your mentoring programme? How does the nature of a mentoring programme influence outcomes? By looking beneath the process and practice, an examination, analysis and classification of the nature of current real‐life mentoring practice is made and a template for the identification of your own project is presented.     

The treasure house of a nation? Literary heritage,curriculum and devolution in Scotland and England in the twenty-first century

In January 2012, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond announced a radical measure that would see every Scottish school student study a Scottish text from a prescribed list. In 2010, Michael Gove announced that ‘Our literature is the best in the world’ and that every pupil should study particular authors. The ‘cultural heritage’ model of English is increasingly dismissed by teachers and students However, it is this ‘cultural heritage’ model which is preserved in the discourse of politicians. This paper explores the role that literary heritage texts play in the discourse of education policy in the context of devolution in twenty-first century Britain and considers the drivers and differences which can be seen in England and Scotland.     

The global–local negotiation: between the official and the implemented history curriculum in Israeli classrooms

ABSTRACT

Globalisation and technological advances in the twenty-first century have caused a blurring of national lines, which in the past were the basis of a nearly indisputable model of civic identity. This process has led to a noticeable trend of the globally oriented pressures within the national curricula, on top of the existing locally oriented demands. By employing an interpretative, qualitative methodology, this study offers a multidimensional analysis of the tensions and power relations within the global–local nexus in history teaching. We reveal and discuss Israeli teachers’ perceptions and behaviours regarding the tension between the global and local inclinations within four major themes: teachers’ entrepreneurial performance, critical views of the existing curricula, the presence of Israeli–Palestinian conflict throughout teaching involvements, and the meaning the teachers attribute to Holocaust in their teaching. The context for this study is Israel: a developed OECD country locked into an intense and long-standing ethnic and political conflict. The tension between the ‘global’ and the ‘local’ in the Israeli education system, studied through the prism of teachers themselves, provides a thought-provoking case study.     

International elite,or global citizens? Equity,distinction and power: the International Baccalaureate and the rise of the South

The 2013 UN Human Development report predicts the middle classes of ‘The South’ a five-fold increase by 2030. Globalisation has resulted in national conceptions of business: education and identity being in flux. Emerging middle classes of the South are already embracing international forms of education for instrumental reasons of advantage and distinction. The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum continues to experience a strong growth in this area and appears to offer a globalised and international form of education, which may offer the chance of educating a global citizen, despite the fact that it is much valued for the relative advantage it may offer. This article reviews the data surrounding the rise of the South and explores the identity of the IB, as it exists in international schools, particularly the dilemma between its internationalist and the globalist outlook. The theory of Pierre Bourdieu facilitates a critical examination of the role of global citizenship education in this paradigm, and the instrumental role it may play in conferring symbolic capital and distinction on this form of social reproduction. Finally, Global Citizenship Education in IB curricula represents a pastoral (religious) component as is common in elite school systems, yet in its globalised form: secular and inclusive whilst equitable and distinct.     

The west,the rest and the knowledge economy: a game worth playing?

The unprecedented geopolitical and economic shifts across the world have triggered much debate over the re-thinking of internationalisation of higher education (IoHE). This article discusses how a deeper understanding of the knowledge economy paradigm contributes to re-thinking IoHE, and how it reshapes the relations between the west and the rest in the international education industry. In the global knowledge race, the rules are set by the knowledge economy agenda, but these rules could be changed through appropriate IoHE strategies. The knowledge economy promotes a predominantly western-oriented knowledge paradigm, and IoHE contributes to its dissemination. For this reason, it is important to consider how the western theoretical underpinnings of IoHE and the knowledge economy are transformed and integrated in a given local context and if this game is worth playing.     

Large-scale curriculum reform in Finland – exploring the interrelation between implementation strategy,the function of the reform,and curriculum coherence

The study aims to gain a better understanding of the national large-scale curriculum process in terms of the used implementation strategies, the function of the reform, and the curriculum coherence perceived by the stakeholders accountable in constructing the national core curriculum in Finland. A large body of school reform literature has shown that a central determinant for the effectiveness of curriculum reform is the way in which the reform is implemented. Accordingly, implementing curriculum reform always entails translation of the new ideas into new educational practices, which involves complex sense-making processes from those involved. Altogether, 117 stakeholders accountable in constructing the national core curriculum in Finland completed a survey. The results showed that the effect of the implementation strategy for the perceived curriculum coherence was mediated by the perceived educational impact of the reform both for the school and society. The mediated interrelation between the top-down–bottom-up implementation strategy in the curriculum process, and the estimated coherence in the written core curriculum implies that the objects of the activities, namely elaborating and focusing on the educational impact of the decisions, is a crucial determinant for achieving curriculum coherence, and further, facilitating sustainable school development at the local level.