Early education and day care: in search of a policy

This paper examines policy issues in the provision of services for children under five and their families. It argues that services have developed in response to political and economic factors rather than in response to the needs of children and their parents. It shows how the separate strands of development that have led to the current confused situation reflect different ideological and philosophical approaches which tend to militate against a more coherent and co‐ordinated service provision. In the absence of a national policy on services for children under five, the paper examines the attempts by some local authorities to rationalize their own services on a local basis. It considers some of the areas in which a policy is required, including the organizational structure of services, flexibility and responsiveness of nurseries and centres to the needs of families, the quality of day care and education, the involvement of parents, equal opportunities, the relationship between the vouluntary and statutory sectors, pay and conditions of pre‐school workers, and initial and in‐service training.     

Teaching as a Cultural and Relationship‐Based Activity

The process of teaching is not selfless, as some suggest. Rather, in its best manifestations it is an ideologically and culturally loaded activity in which teachers and institutions seek to perpetuate a certain integrated view of the world for their own benefit, for that of their learners, and for society more generally. This takes place most effectively when positive teacher–student relationships underpin face‐to‐face educational exchanges in which teachers engagingly make the case for the existential significance of their subject matter.     

The problem of bullying in schools and the promise of positive behaviour supports

Bullying in schools is recognised as a global problem. In the USA, school shootings and increasing school aggression focused research on the causes of bullying and interventions that could reduce or eliminate bullying behaviours. A variety of bullying programs have generated mixed results with some actually increasing bullying behaviours. There are consistent limitations on the research, including problems of definition, scope, generalisability, complexity and philosophy and model, but slowly, consensus on these issues is being reached. Positive behaviour supports (PBIS) in schools provides a framework for comprehensive behavioural management. PBIS is being implemented across the USA as part of a national response to intervention (RTI) model. PBIS might offer an opportunity to address some of these persistent problems and to avoid others altogether. This literature review considers the nature of the problems limiting success of bullying prevention programs and will offer recommendations for potential solutions within a PBIS framework.     

The development of recordkeeping systems in the British Empire and Commonwealth, 1870s–1960s

¹ 1. Use of the term ‘recordkeeping’ should not be taken as an endorsement of the Records Continuum as elaborated by Frank Upward and his collaborators. View all notesThis essay demonstrates that initiatives in the imperial periphery, not least in Western Australia, played a significant role in the development of recordkeeping systems in the British Empire and Commonwealth. Local circumstances, including the adequacy of local revenues and the availability of skilled staff, played their part in shaping the systems. Nonetheless, there are overarching patterns. The need to maintain security provided a potent driver for the creation of confidential registries. The need to carry out basic functions influenced the design of recordkeeping systems far more than any shared ‘imperial imaginary’. The diverging work patterns of colonial capitals and of district administrations tended to produce distinct recordkeeping systems. The development of integrated registry systems may have played a part in the development of the Secretariat as an institution of colonial government.     

Rhizocurrere: a Deleuzo-Guattarian approach to curriculum autobiography

This paper introduces rhizocurrere, a curriculum autobiographical concept I created to chart my efforts to develop place-responsive outdoor environmental education. Rhizocurrere brings together rhizome, a Deleuze and Guattari concept, with currere, Pinar’s autobiographical method for curriculum inquiry. Responding to invitations from Deleuze, Guattari and Pinar, to experiment, I have adapted their ideas to create a philosophical~methodological concept that draws attention to relationships between my pedagogical and curriculum research and the contexts that have shaped my life~work. This paper outlines rhizocurrere, its parent concepts and how I have enacted my attempts to think differently about curricula and pedagogy. The central question is not ‘what is rhizocurrere?’ but rather ‘how does/could rhizocurrere work?’ and ‘what does/might rhizocurrere allow me to do?’     

Widening participation to doctoral education and research degrees: a research agenda for an emerging policy issue

Widening participation is on the political agenda but, to date, policy, practice and research has focused on undergraduate education. This article identifies an emerging widening participation focus on doctoral education. Using England as a case study, the article examines this development within the context of the long-standing concern with equity in education, before reviewing the relatively small literature addressing who participates (and why) in doctoral and more general postgraduate education. An analysis of Widening Participation Strategic Assessments produced in 2009 by 129 English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) reveals an emergent institutional awareness of this new development. Finally, a research agenda for widening participation to research degrees, focusing on research students, HEIs and policy-makers, is outlined. The conclusion calls for this agenda to be pursued at institutional, national and cross-national levels so that future policy can be made and implemented on the basis of a robust evidence base.     

Revisiting the Pink Triangle Exercise: An Exploration of Experiential Learning in Graduate Social Work Education

The pink triangle exercise is an example of an experiential learning exercise that creates cognitive dissonance and deep learning of unrealized internalized biases among social work students. Students wear a button with a pink triangle on it for 1 day and write a reflection paper. The exercise increases self-awareness, cultural competence, and the understanding of abstract concepts. An analysis of reflection papers over three annual courses revealed consistent themes, which were presented back to students. The thematic analyses, an application of the process of experiential learning, and the implications this exercise and type of learning are presented.     

An fMRI study of multimodal semantic and phonological processing in reading disabled adolescents

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated multimodal (visual and auditory) semantic and unimodal (visual only) phonological processing in reading disabled (RD) adolescents and non-impaired (NI) control participants. We found reduced activation for RD relative to NI in a number of left-hemisphere reading-related areas across all processing tasks regardless of task type (semantic vs. phonological) or modality (auditory vs. visual modality). Moreover, activation differences in these regions, which included the inferior frontal gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, and the occipitotemporal region, were largely independent of in-scanner performance in our auditory semantic task. That is, although RD participants and NI participants differed in performance in visually presented conditions, they did not differ significantly in the auditory condition, yet similar patterns of reduced activation were observed in these regions across conditions. These findings indicate a neurobiological marker in RD that is independent of task, modality, or performance. These findings are discussed in the context of current neurobiological models of RD.     

Computers

COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS FOR AN INFORMATION AGE, by Gary Shelly and Thomas J. Cashman (Brea., Calif.: Anaheim Publishing, 1984—price not given, paper)

COMPUTERS: THE NON-TECHNOLOGICAL (HUMAN) FACTORS–A RECOMMENDED READING LIST ON COMPUTER ERGONOMICS & USER FRIENDLY DESIGN, edited by John L. Burch (The Report Store, 910 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 503, Lawrence, KS 66044–$34.95, paper)

HOW TO PREVENT COMPUTER CRIME: A GUIDE FOR MANAGERS, by August Bequai (New York: John Wiley, 1983–$27.95)

VIDEO DISPLAYS, WORK, AND VISION, by the National Research Council (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1983—price not given, paper)

MEMORIES THAT SHAPED AN INDUSTRY: DECISIONS LEADING TO ISM SYSTEM/360, by Emerson W. Pugh (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1984—price not given)

HIGH-SPEED COMPUTING DEVICES, by Engineering Research Associates, Inc. (Los Angeles: Tomash Publishers–distribution by MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.—price not given)

THE COMPUTER COMES OF AGE: THE PEOPLE, THE HARDWARE, AND THE SOFTWARE, by Rene Monceau (Cambridge: - MIT Press, 1984—price not given)

FIRE IN THE VALLEY: THE MAKING OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTER, by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine (Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, Calif. 94710–$9.95, paper)

EXECUCOMP: MAXIMUM MANAGEMENT WITH THE NEW COMPUTERS, by F. Warren Benton (New York: John Wiley, 1983–$19.95)

ONLINE COMMUNITIES: A CASE STUDY OF THE OFFICE OF THE FUTURE, by Starr Roxanne Hiltz (Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, 1984—price not given)

INTRODUCTION TO LOCAL AREA COMPUTER NETWORKS, by K.C.E. Gee (New York: Wiley/Interscience, 1983–$16.95, paper)

LOCAL AREA NETWORKS: ISSUES, PRODUCTS, AND DEVELOPMENTS, by V.E. Cheong and R.A. Hirschheim (New York: Wiley/Interscience, 1983–$29.95)

BUSINESS DATA COMMUNICATIONS: BASIC CONCEPTS, SECURITY, AND DESIGN, by Jerry Fitzgerald (New York: John Wiley, 1984–$30.95)

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, edited by Forest W. Horton and Donald A. Marchand (Information Resources Press, 1700 N. Moore St., Arlington, VA 22209–$48.80 including postage)

ELECTRONIC ILLUSIONS: A SKEPTIC'S VIEW OF OUR HIGH-TECH FUTURE, by Ian Reinecke (New York: Penguin Books, 1984–$7.95, paper)