Debatable topic or not: Do we have the right to argue?

Are certain controversial issues, even though being part of the public debate, more open to discussion than others? We asked 80 French 6, 8, 10 and 12 graders respond to two letters. These letters dealt with either integration of immigrant students at school, or the right to smoke in public places. In France, there is a politically “correct” (officially dominant and valued) social position regarding immigration which could limit a person's willingness to discuss the issue. In contrast, the smoking issue is widely open to discussion, and most ideas and opinions related to it are socially acceptable. The analysis of certain textual operations characterizing the referent degree of openness to discussion (counter-argumentation, conditional modifiers, …), as well as the number of arguments produced, demonstrated the referent influence on the argumentative text. The non debatable referent, target of reigning socially dominant and politically “correct” position, resulted in an impoverished discourse containing few arguments (primarily ones that support the dominant opinion) in which the speaker distanced himself/herself from his discourse by the use of enunciative position (I think that…) and restrictions (only in a case where…). Referents open to discussion, not limited by social pressure, were conducive to a rich and nuanced discourse. In this case, the arguments were numerous and varied, and the speaker openly took a stand and expressed personal value judgments.     

Grouping for reading instruction: does one size fit all?

Twenty-nine third-grade teachers and selected students from their classes participated. Study 1 used teacher interviews and classroom observations to examine teachers' perceptions and practices for grouping for reading instruction; Study 2 examined the impact of these grouping practices on the academic progress, social progress, and attitudes about reading of students representing a range of achievement levels, including students with learning disabilities. Results indicated that, overall, teachers used whole class instruction for reading and the same materials for all students, including students with learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities made little academic progress and their attitudes about reading did not improve over time.     

Epitypification: should we epitypify?

Epitypification can solve many taxonomic problems and stabilize the understanding of species, genera, families or orders. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how to epitypify. A few examples where taxa have been epitypified are considered and the benefits and disadvantages of epitypification are discussed. We also outline some examples oftaxa which need to be epitypifled with reasons.     

How to make the neighbourhood school a school for all?

A new special education strategy was launched in Finland by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The new Basic Act was enacted in 2010 and the new national core curriculum concerning three‐tiered support for pupils in 2011. Since the 1990s, teachers across Finland have participated in developing Finnish basic education towards greater inclusion. The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the implementation of the Finnish educational reforms. In this study, teachers' perceptions of good inclusive teaching arrangements were analysed and compared with the theories of inclusive education. There is still a lack of information available on the implementation of inclusive education practices, and especially about teachers' experiences of teaching in inclusive classrooms. In 2010, basic education teachers (N = 327) in Lapland, Finland, were asked to describe their experiences and perceptions of inclusive teaching arrangements. The results indicated that teaching practices have become more diverse, flexible and differentiated, enabling teaching of diverse groups. More and more teachers preferred teaching in teams and planning their work together, showing that changes in schools change the teacher's profession too. In this study, a framework for inclusive schools was constructed through implementing the indexes of inclusion created by Booth and Ainscow.     

Conclusion: what have we learned?

The results of the nine studies reported on in this special issue suggest quite clearly that a book-based program consistently accelerates the language acquisition of school children in situations where (1) they are learning a second language; (2) they have minimal access to interesting reading materials; and (3) their teachers are themselves teaching in a second language. In this closing chapter, a set of generalizations derived from these studies is presented. More specifically, three areas are discussed: (1) the link with other empirical studies; (2) theoretical issues raised by the results of the studies; and (3) policy questions raised by the results of the studies.     

“Pupils should have respect for you,although I have no idea how to achieve this?”: The ideals and experiences shaping a teacher’s professional identity

The aim of the study was to understand the development of professional identity of prospective teachers, their ideals and experiences during interactions with their surrounding learning environment, including university studies and pedagogical placement during their 5-year studies. We also aimed at understanding how students with different motivational pathways to teacher education may be supported to explore teaching as a possible career choice. The findings reported in this article emerged primarily from interviews with 13 student teachers at the end of their teacher education programme. Survey responses collected during earlier stages of the study were utilised to provide data about the student teachers’ professional development prior to the point of the interviews. The findings of the study point to various concerns and dilemmas, which in turn suggest that student teachers take different identity development routes. The study identified four possible “identity routes” to becoming a teacher. The implications of different identity routes on teacher education are discussed.     

Do new information and communications technologies have a role to play in the achievement of education for all?

Many commentators have suggested that the use of new information and communications technologies (ICTs) has significant potential in providing access to, and improving the quality of, teacher education. Such an idea is particularly relevant for the Global South, it is argued, where tens of thousands more qualified teachers are required if universal primary education (UPE) is to be achieved. This article explores six arguments commonly used to critique the relevance of ICT for development, encompassing technical, cost, philosophical, cultural and pedagogic issues. The arguments are categorised as the ‘technological’ view; the ‘donor’ view; the ‘anthropological’ view; the ‘standard’ view; the ‘individual’ view; and the ‘transmissional’ view. Drawing on empirical research into ICT and teacher education in sub‐Saharan Africa, including the work of the Digital Education Enhancement Project, six responses are used to review these arguments (‘developmental’, ‘democratic’, ‘cultural’, ‘deep’, ‘community’ and ‘pedagogic’). The author concludes that these contemporary data offer new ways of thinking about such debates and concludes with recommendations for policy makers, educators and the donor community.     

Now that we have all these people,what are we supposed to do with them? a field guide to workforce optimization by Ken Johnson

Ken Johnson has been helping people realize their job performance potential for 20 years. He switched from being a department manager to a career in training in 1989, completing his master's degree in instructional systems design in 1992. Today he works with people in 16 countries, applying the real‐world lesson that employee development must show its clear tie to bottom‐line results if it is to survive in the boardroom. Now That We Have All These People, What Are We Supposed to Do with Them? (ISBN: 1‐4196‐9167‐8) is published by Booksurge.     

Toleration and Recognition: What should we teach?

Generally we think it good to tolerate and to accord recognition. Yet both are complex phenomena and our teaching must acknowledge and cope with that complexity. We tolerate only what we object to, so our message to students cannot be simply, 'promote the good and prevent the bad'. Much advocacy of toleration is not what it pretends to be. Nor is it entirely clear what sort of conduct should count as intolerant. Sometimes people are at fault for tolerating what they should not, or for tolerating what they should find unexceptionable. So virtue does not always lie with toleration. Tolerance can also seem condescending; should we therefore replace it with recognition? But recognition may not be able to coexist with the disapproval that makes toleration necessary. However, not everything about toleration and recognition is controversial; there are fixed points from which students can grapple with the issues presented by both.     

How should "unresponsiveness" to secondary intervention be operationalized? It is all about the nudge

In the fourth session of the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Responsiveness-to-Intervention Symposium in 2003, Good, Vellutino, and Torgesen presented papers that addressed the question, "How should unresponsiveness to secondary intervention be operationalized in an RTI approach to LD identification?" In this commentary, I highlight important areas in which ideas converge across the three presentations. I argue that it will be important, as the field begins to grapple with a definition of "unresponsiveness" to secondary intervention, that we also specify who should get the intervention, what the intervention should consist of, when the intervention should occur, how long the intervention should last, and by whom the intervention should be applied. Only then can we accurately assess the merits of competing definitions of unresponsiveness.     

Embracing and harnessing diversity in the US workforce: what have we learned?

Cultural diversity in the US includes race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of culture. American ethnic and racial minorities currently account for 31% of the US population, and growing. Their career development issues include the barriers they regularly encounter, such as discrimination; inequitable access to resources; and language, religious, and cultural differences. Career counselors and vocational psychologists in the US have been actively studying these issues for many years and have some successes to report.     

Education for Learning to Live Together: what can we learn from the South African experience?

In 1994, South Africa moved away from its cruel and divided past to a future where its citizens would learn together, work together and grow together. In short we had to learn what it meant to live together by unlearning the ideas introduced by apartheid that permeated every aspect of our society. This required a new Constitution, brave and exemplary leadership by Nelson Mandela and others and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Desmond Tutu.
None of these efforts, as important as they may have been, could ever be sufficient to sustain change. Ordinary people who have no positional authority are those who will sustain change. Roughly one quarter of the South African population is at school and these are people who will take the message of reconciliation into the future.
In this article we describe attempts to redefine what is good. In particular what kind of teacher, learner and curriculum we will need to form the basis of a transformed and admirable society, one in which we will know how to live together.     

On the relationship between society and higher education: what path should we take?

Abstract

The current network society, with its primacy of information and communication technologies, is challenging the higher education model. The needs and expectations of today’s students differ from those of students in the past, and educational practices should adapt to modern times. But what changes will we see in the relationship between societal transformation and the higher education system? In this research paper, we set out a quantum-based approach in order to analyze this relationship and to advance the understanding about the role that distance education will play in the future. Under this perspective, we provide an illustration that allows for the representation and evaluation of future scenarios.     

Improving outcomes for young children: can we narrow the gap?

This article explores the considerable developments in both early years policy and in the provision of services for young children in England since 1997, noting the role that such services have had in informing the broader Every child matters agenda. Many challenges remain, however, not least the numbers of children and families who still live in poverty and the continuing gap between those children who do well and those who do not. In examining how this gap can be narrowed, through intervention and support during the early years, the work of the Narrowing the Gap project is described, a project that continues with the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children’s Services (C4EO). Whilst high‐quality early years services provide a very positive start in life for young children, reducing inequality remains the key priority.