Excellence and relevance-two sides of the same coin

Direct Government funding of higher education research began in 1965 with the establishment of the Australian Research Grants Committee. The emphasis was on (pure) basic research and excellence was the sole selection criterion. The emphasis shifted in 1988 with the establishment of the Australian Research Council and the enunciation by Government of a research policy which focused on the relevance of research to Australia's social and economic development. The Council's 1992 Mission Statement identified the five major benefits which the council's programs should deliver to the community. Two structural priorities, international links and higher education-industry links, were identified and new programs established. A third, research training, was given additional emphasis in an existing program. Thematic priorities will be addressed in all programs following an analysis of the balance of funding between research and research training strategies being developed jointly by researchers and research users.     

The social meanings of the C-Card scheme: the importance of friends and peers

This paper draws on findings from an analysis of interviews with young people aged 14–18 years, to explore the peer influences in young people's informal social networks which can affect their access to sexual health services. The research focuses on the social meanings of a C-Card condom distribution scheme in North East England. Such schemes are widespread in the UK as a way of providing access to condoms and sexual health advice for young people in health and community settings. Focusing on one aspect of a broader study, the paper outlines the important social, emotional and practical resources provided by young people's chosen friendship groups in the process of acquiring a C-Card, which offers a route to accessing sex and relationships advice and condoms. Informal peer networks inform attitudes and expectations which can influence gendered patterns of behaviour. Through a focus on the educational possibilities of the C-Card scheme, the study suggests a need to revisit the dynamics of young people's peer relationships and harness their potential to influence sexual attitudes and behaviour in positive ways, rather than simply seeing these always as a source of negative pressure.     

Using the sensory garden as a tool to enhance the educational development and social interaction of children with special needs

This study summarises the findings based on two case study sensory gardens in the United Kingdom, in terms of the educational development and social interaction of children with special needs and the staff who care for them. The aim was to observe and record the users' behaviour when engaging with features in the sensory garden. The data collection included interviews with teachers and therapists, and behavioural observation, which was used in conjunction with affordance theory. The study was supported with a few noteworthy incidents that the author recorded as anecdotal evidence. A selection of photographs was chosen to illustrate these incidents.     

On the dual nature of mathematical conceptions: Reflections on processes and objects as different sides of the same coin

This paper presents a theoretical framework for investigating the role of algorithms in mathematical thinking. In the study, a combined ontological-psychological outlook is applied. An analysis of different mathematical definitions and representations brings us to the conclusion that abstract notions, such as number or function, can be conceived in two fundamentally different ways: structurally-as objects, and operationally-as processes. These two approaches, although ostensibly incompatible, are in fact complementary. It will be shown that the processes of learning and of problem-solving consist in an intricate interplay between operational and structural conceptions of the same notions.On the grounds of historical examples and in the light of cognitive schema theory we conjecture that the operational conception is, for most people, the first step in the acquisition of new mathematical notions. Thorough analysis of the stages in concept formation leads us to the conclusion that transition from computational operations to abstract objects is a long and inherently difficult process, accomplished in three steps: interiorization, condensation, and reification. In this paper, special attention is given to the complex phenomenon of reification, which seems inherently so difficult that at certain levels it may remain practically out of reach for certain students.     

The same but different: The use of the personal Home Page by adults with Down Syndrome as a tool for self-presentation

Recent research has suggested that people with learning disabilities can manage their identities and define the circumstances under which they will present a self-image that is the same or different to other people with learning disability. This paper reports a survey of personal Home Pages written by people with Down Syndrome and investigates the extent to which they use the pages to accept or deny membership of the Down Syndrome group. Opportunistic sampling of the pages listed by five Web Crawlers revealed twenty personal Home Pages of adults with Down Syndrome. Thematic analysis of the content, form and language of the pages revealed similarities and differences in the way the page owners expressed and perceived their self-identity. The results suggest that the personal Home Page has the potential to allow adults with Down Syndrome to express multiple identities: identities that are the same and different to other people with Down Syndrome.     

Life at the margin: education of young people,social policy and the meanings of social exclusion

This paper explores the term ‘social exclusion’ in the context of new social and education policies being constructed in the UK. It examines the links with terms such as ‘poverty’, ‘deprivation’ and ‘equality’ and the implications of policy developments for those identified as socially excluded. Tensions and contradictions appear to be emerging between the UK government's stated policy intentions to address social exclusion, and local knowledge and experience. Issues of power, market power, participation and inclusiveness are explored specifically in the context of education. The paper draws on research being undertaken in a deprived inner-city area with voluntary sector organizations that provide education for marginalized young people.     

Two sides of the same coin: video annotations and in-video questions for active learning

Educational technology research and development - Video in education has become pervasive. Globally, educators are recording instructional videos to augment their students’ learning and, in...     

物质概念三种涵义的区别及意义

物质有分别指谓具体物质形态、物质世界、客观实在等三种涵义。区分这三种涵义、对于划清辩证唯物主义与唯心主义、旧唯物主义的界限、批判不可知论有重要意义。     

发展观的历史演进及科学发展观的时代意蕴

西方近代发展观以进步理念为基本特征,以理性为发展动力,以人本主义为价值理想。马克思主义在科学分析的基础上接受了进步主义历史观,以实践为动力,对人本主义的抽象性、空幻性进行了批判和改造。在当代,进步论的发展观受到挑战,人本主义的发展理念呈现出内在矛盾。科学发展观因回应着时代变化具有了新的内涵,实现了社会主义发展观中继承与创新的统一,科学性与价值性的统一,目的合理性与过程合理性的统一。     

Peer development as an alternative to peer observation: a tool to enhance professional development

Many higher education institutions worldwide require that all academic staff undergo a peer observation of teaching each academic year. Within one department in a university in the South of England, questions have arisen about the value and purpose of the traditional ‘peer observation’ process, and as a result a new voluntary system of ‘peer development’ has been introduced. This paper explains the rationale underpinning the new peer development process, and explores its worth and value to those who have participated in it as a mechanism for professional development. Reflections on the process are considered, along with what can be done to improve the new system.     

The geopolitics and meanings of India's massive skills development ambitions

This paper interrogates the drivers and meanings behind the dramatic rise of technical and vocational education and training in the policy and political agenda of India. What are the assumptions about the existing traditions and character of India's culture or cultures of skills development? Is the massive planned expansion of skilled people in India simply more of the same, or is there a new paradigm involved? How central will be the role of the private sector and of public private partnerships in the new skills training environment? And how inevitable was it that India should embrace a national vocational qualification framework?     

Instructional development as a social movement: An illustration of analogical theorizing

Instructional development, a service activity in which a faculty member and an instructional designer work in close cooperation to redesign an existing course or to design a new one. represents the typically elusive subject of educational research: a human process. This article examines the application of naturalistic inquiry to such a research topic and suggests that such inquiry needs to be informed by research traditions in sociology and anthropology that have long used these methods. Drawing on social-movement theory, an example is presented of analogical theorizing, illustrating how socialmovement theory developed in other areas can be applied to the exploration of instructional development.     

Days of Future Passed 1 : Staff development and the use of scenarios as a strategic tool

Staff development often seems to be an undervalued area within teacher education centres. Using scenario thinking as a tool is a good means to stimulate both staff development and anticipation of the future. At the Windesheim teacher education centre the scenario tool was used to look at future developments in teacher education and to reflect on the learning process of the members of staff. The scenario tool is a structured way to do this. The advantage of the method is that it gives the possibility to think free of internal problems. The method, applied to looking at the future, also draws upon the 'zone of proximal development' to develop new knowledge about that future. In reflections members of staff confirm these effects. It was concluded that staff development has to become a more important issue in teacher education centres.     

Inclusive Classroom Profile: a pilot study of its use as a professional development tool

Research has highlighted that children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) might be at risk of receiving less-than-outstanding experiences in settings typically rated as outstanding. There are still significant barriers to the implementation of high-quality inclusive practices in early years settings: inadequate preparation of early educators for implementing inclusive classroom practices, and a lack of reliable and valid measures for assessing the quality of inclusive practice. The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) was designed to measure the quality of inclusive classroom practices that can support the developmental needs of children with SEN in early childhood programmes. This paper describes the first study that explored the feasibility and usefulness of the ICP measure for quality improvement. The usability of the ICP was explored in the context of a partnership between a team of early years inclusion advisors and inclusive settings in one local authority in south England. Early years advisors received training for using the ICP and performed follow-up feedback visits to settings. Advisors achieved reliability proficiency and rated the ICP measure and training programme positively. Future research needs to investigate how the ICP might support quality improvement through designing and piloting the effectiveness of a multi-component professional development programme.     

Understanding classroom practice: ethnographic reflection as a methodological tool for professional development

To identify the possibilities for collaborative professional development; a research-driven model was adopted to assist an English First Additional Language teacher to appreciate how he could teach effectively by using an approach that takes into account the students' culture. Using critical observation and stimulated recall discussion, this study examined how his teaching addressed the requirements of the curriculum policy. Evidence points to a reluctance to consider this policy. The teacher's disposition posed challenges to the research process. We suggest that such research could be used effectively if policy were to clarify how a ‘new field’ could contribute to the public good and teachers' development of a ‘new habitus’. In conclusion, we explain how the envisaged outcomes of policy are underpinned by a notion of cultural harmony that has to inform teaching.     

When bodies matter: significance of the body in gender constructions in physiotherapy education

This article examines which bodily performances indicate the significance of gender in the skills training of physiotherapy students. It is based on a qualitative study of first-year students' skills training in a Norwegian physiotherapy education programme. The study draws inspiration from Paechter's theory of the communities of masculinities and femininities, which argues that the material body is significant in gender construction. These findings indicate how, both historically and contemporarily, gender norms are strongly interwoven into students' bodily performances during their professional training. This bodily performance conforms to heteronormativity. Based on these findings, we argue that within critical educational studies of gender there is a need for theoretical frameworks that include a focus on the material body as a site of gender performance.     

Conceptualising food research in higher education as a matter of social justice: philosophical,methodological and ethical considerations

Globally, food concerns in higher education have emerged as an issue of critical importance. Food acquisition struggles and high rates of food insecurity among students have been documented, yet food within higher education continues to be an under-researched area of study. This paper calls for advancing research that critically engages with food concerns in higher education. The argument is made that food concerns should be viewed as a social justice matter, and a case is made for conducting research on food concerns by adopting an alternative approach to research in this area – a transformative paradigm. The paper advances new insights for the philosophical, methodological and ethical dimensions to researching food in higher education as a matter of social justice. The argument is made that a transformative approach to research is conducive for examining the experiences of those who are marginalised within the context of higher education and confront food challenges.     

Action research as a tool of professional development of advisers and teachers in Croatia

Whilst educational action research is not unknown in Croatia, its use is not widespread. In part, this might be because action research assumes a high level of autonomy for practitioner–researchers, and a constructivist view of knowledge, neither of which are traditional characteristics of the Croatian system. This article reports on a capacity building programme in which 18 senior advisers from the Education and Teacher Training Agency developed action research projects in Croatian schools. The article outlines the context of the programme, describes the programme itself, and presents an analysis of the advisers’ action research projects. This shows that action research was used by advisers, supporting teachers, to effect change in schools. The principles of action research were generally understood, and produced evidence of practical change, collaboration and mutual understanding. Although action research is generally understood as a ‘grassroots movement’ this article suggests that action research can lead to desirable change, even when imported from elsewhere. Thus action research holds one answer to the question, how to promote beneficial life‐long learning among education professionals.