Britain and European Integration through British History Schoolbooks Published between 1961 and 1971

The article considers the presentation of the relationships between Britain and the integrating continental countries in 29 textbooks published between 1961 and 1971. From the failure of EDC, through the start of WEU, the image of the Community is analysed, then the relationship EEC/EFTA, the delayed entry of UK into EEC, widely attributed to an alleged veto by general De Gaulle. Illustrations are also analysed and commented upon. The study reflects an Anglocentric image, not exempt from jingoism; an image that has deeply changed after 1971, leaving the traditional Anglo‐French hostility behind.     

Do touch: Sponges

Excerpted from Do Touch: Easy, Hands-On Learning Experiences for Young Children, by La Britta Gilbert. © 1989 Gryphon House, PO Box 275, Mt. Rainier, MD 20712.     

PE is not for me: when boys' masculinities are threatened

This study used hegemonic masculinity theory to examine the intersection of masculinities and school physical education from the perspectives of boys who embodied masculinities that were marginalized. Over a 13-week period using present-focused, student-centered, qualitative methodological approaches, we observed, interviewed, and worked in small groups with 5 middle school boys from two schools. We identified three significant themes that merge the stories and experiences of masculinity hierarchies in sport-based physical education. First, we found that four social practices (content, pedagogies, teacher-student relationships, and peer cultures) in these physical education settings privileged some masculinities over others. Second, we examined the role that embodiment played, both in how the boys wore their oppression and in how their bodies resisted marginalizing situations. Third, we describe the contrasts these boys drew between physical activities experienced in sport-based physical education and physical activity experiences in other areas of their lives. We used Connell and Messerschmidt's (2005) reconceptualization of the theory of hegemonic masculinity for understanding how competitive sport-based physical education functioned to oppress boys with masculinities that were deemed abnormal. Additionally, we introduce feminist poststructuralism as a possible theoretical lens for interpreting boys' bodies as also being active agents in social practices rather than being only passive objects who are oppressed and dominated.     

Examining organizational learning in schools: The role of psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning

This study draws upon theory and methods from the field of organizational behavior to examine organizational learning (OL) in the context of a large urban US school district. We build upon prior literature on OL from the field of organizational behavior to introduce and validate three subscales that assess key dimensions of organizational learning that build upon and extend prior education research: psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning. Data from 941 teachers across 60 schools in this urban district suggest that organizational learning is an underlying condition which is expressed by teacher perceptions of subfactors of psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning. Implications for adopting the conceptual framework and methods employed in this research for studying organizational learning and school change are discussed.