Conversations With Environmental Educators: A Conversation With Four Classroom Teachers

Abstract

With the ultimate goal of providing safe, high-quality experiential educational opportunities, decision making on the part of the outdoor instructor has become a critical component in successful programming. Within the outdoor pursuits setting, decisions can be categorized by specific situations and by the person or group affected by the decisions. In addition, decisions can be classified according to the frequency and severity of the consequences of a wrong choice. Correct decision making can be hindered by a variety of situations, such as stress and adversity, which are often present in the outdoor setting. Despite these problems, a number of techniques, such as consensus decision making, can aid the outdoor instructor in making correct decisions.     

Reflective Teachers and Teacher Educators in the Pacific Region: Conversations with us not about us

This article reports on a study of Pacific primary school teachers’ and university lecturers’ reflections on their involvement in the in-service Bachelor of Education degree programme offered at the regional University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji. Two rich sets of data have emerged from this study. Firstly, there are a number of critical reflections by ourselves as teacher educators concerning levels of equitable student access and participation in our degree as it is reconceptualised for distance and flexible delivery to increase levels of teacher professionalism across the Pacific region. Secondly, there has emerged a set of statements from teachers themselves about: teaching and learning; professional development opportunities; and what it means to be a professional educator in the Pacific region. This later data suggests an alternative set of voices in what has largely been a “conversation between us about them” conducted by Ministries of Education, Curriculum Development Units, USP, other educational bodies and the media in the Pacific, but particularly Fiji, about teachers and teachers’ work. Critical reflection upon our own practice as teacher educators and the voices of experienced teachers are particularly pertinent not only as we seek to reshape a degree programme to suit the needs of the region’s primary school teachers but also as “rethinking” debates about the purposes of education in the Pacific region are on-going yet exclusive.     

Reflective Teachers and Teacher Educators in the Pacific Region: Conversations with us not about us

This article reports on a study of Pacific primary school teachers’ and university lecturers’ reflections on their involvement in the in-service Bachelor of Education degree programme offered at the regional University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji. Two rich sets of data have emerged from this study. Firstly, there are a number of critical reflections by ourselves as teacher educators concerning levels of equitable student access and participation in our degree as it is reconceptualised for distance and flexible delivery to increase levels of teacher professionalism across the Pacific region. Secondly, there has emerged a set of statements from teachers themselves about: teaching and learning; professional development opportunities; and what it means to be a professional educator in the Pacific region. This later data suggests an alternative set of voices in what has largely been a “conversation between us about them” conducted by Ministries of Education, Curriculum Development Units, USP, other educational bodies and the media in the Pacific, but particularly Fiji, about teachers and teachers’ work. Critical reflection upon our own practice as teacher educators and the voices of experienced teachers are particularly pertinent not only as we seek to reshape a degree programme to suit the needs of the region’s primary school teachers but also as “rethinking” debates about the purposes of education in the Pacific region are on-going yet exclusive.     

Difficult Conversations

It takes more than diversity of campus populations for individuals to interact in meaningful ways with others of different backgrounds. Debra Miretzky and Sharon Stevens share their experience launching a series of campus conversations focused on raising personal awareness and building relationships across difference.     

如何开启职场对话

职场对话不只是简单的对话而已。它可以帮助你建立良好的人际关系,从而为职业的可持续发展奠定坚实基础。那么,怎样开启一段成功的职场对话呢？请看本期工作职场。     

两棵树的对话

看!两棵树正在森林中对话。"伐木工人就要来了。"一棵树说道。另一棵树说:"以前这里有很多树,到处充满生机。如今,树木被砍伐,一切荡然无存。"不久,两棵树被无情地砍下。现在,树木用来造纸,制作家具、生活用品等等,自然灾害也越来越严重。如果问我什么是环保?或许就是少砍一棵树、节约一张纸那么简单。     

家庭日常会话中的简短反馈语

该文从语言文化差异以及语用学的角度,对三个三代同堂家庭在近四万字的谈话中所用的反馈语进行比较分析,发现以英语为母语的西方家庭和中国移民家庭在会话中使用的反馈语有明显差别;在家庭成员中,不同辈分的人使用的反馈语也有不同的特征。     

两棵树的对话

看！两棵树正在森林中对话。“伐木工人就要来了。”一棵树说道。另一棵树说：“以前这果有很多树,到处充满生机。如今,树木被砍伐,一切荡然无存。”不久,两棵树被无情地砍下。现在,树木用来造纸,制作家具,生活用品等等,     

两棵树的对话

看！两棵树正在森林中对话。“伐木工人就要来了。”一棵树说道。另一棵树说：“以前这果有很多树,到处充满生机。如今,树木被砍伐,一切荡然无存。”不久,两棵树被无情地砍下。现在,树木用来造纸,制作家具,生活用品等等,     

Conversations with Technical Writing Teachers: Defining a Problem

This article brings to light a topic that surfaces regularly among technical writing practitioners and theorists but is rarely addressed in the literature of the field. Stuart Selber deals with it in his 1997 essay “Hypertext Spheres of Influence” (see especially page 30), but a check of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) Bibliography for the last two years produced only one recent article obviously devoted to it (see Mitra). The topic centers around this question: Is teaching technology problematic for technical writing instructors? Voices are heard here of 64 ATTW members who were queried on their roles as teachers of technical writing in relation to the demands made upon them to also be teachers of technology skills. Answers are presented and examined in terms of “teacher lore”, the informal sharing of teacher experiences and opinion/feeling about those experiences. The article concludes with a call for more research to clarify the roles teachers of technical writing should be playing in an age where technological determinism—shown by a tendency to turn a technical communication course into a software tools course—can be seen as a threat to effective teaching of complex workplace rhetoric.     

Characteristics of Counselor Educators

Counselor educators of 1964 are described comparatively through use of data obtained from a U.S. Office of Education directory of counselor educators and membership directories of APGA and APA. Highest degree groups were used for most comparisons, but ACES regional and professional membership groups were also used. PhDs outnumbered EdDs appreciably and Masters plus Others fell far behind both. Three ACES regions outranked the two others significantly on proposition of PhDs. APGA membership was higher than APA with EdDs ranking first on the former and PhDs on the latter. Employment, certification, and licensure and professional interest data showed PhDs more psychologically oriented than EdDs. Overall, the group represented education more than psychology and limited commitment to and interest in counseling and counselor education.