Christian lay understandings of preimplantation genetic diagnosis

Focus groups were used to analyse Christian lay public understanding of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a relatively new biomedical practice. The paper explores how this often controversial genetic technology was contextualised and interpreted through the intersection of religious values and beliefs, secular and cultural knowledges, and lived experience and emotion. For the lay people in our study, PGD often created moral dilemmas that could not necessarily be resolved through Christian beliefs and teaching, but which required the expression of empathy and compassion. The findings emphasise the heterogeneity in individuals' interpretations of scientific issues and reinforce the need to consider public understanding of science and technology in terms of public concerns and meaning.     

Community polarization over educational programs can be avoided

The series of events involved in implementing an innovative educational project in a fairly conservative community are outlined with particular reference to parental dissemination procedures, the role of the media, and staff response strategies. Shortly after the project's inception, two challenges against the use of an affective curriculum were mounted by a couple of opposition parents. The attempts were considered unsuccessful and several operating assumptions for new programs were described.     

Air Mail: NPR Sees "Community" in Letters From Listeners

This study of National Public Radio's "letters from listeners" segments applies two theoretical frameworks–imagined community and news work–to suggest that the practice of "imagining community" is a distinct practice of journalism. The findings suggest that NPR producers use letters segments to encourage listeners to feel as if they are part of a community. In selecting and packaging those comments, producers construct an imagined community that reflects the producers' own journalistic values, such as balance, accountability, and accuracy. The conclusion suggests that community-imagining might be especially difficult and abstract for large news media organizations serving massive and dispersed audiences.     

Pedagogies and Literacies,Disentangling the Historical Threads: An Interview with Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis

ABSTRACT

In this discussion with educational researchers and New London Group conveners, Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis, we discuss the origins, life, and future of the New London Group‘s multiliteracies framework. We reflect on the initial goals the group had over 20 years ago for more equitable schooling opportunities, and what is yet to be done to reach these ideals. We consider how Cope and Kalantzis‘ work in schools since that time, and in the literacy field more generally, has been informed by multiliteracies, specifically how issues of equity, consequences of traditional views of language and literacy, and advancing technologies continue to necessitate shifts in educational policy and practice that will allow for teachers to engage in flexible, responsive, and transformative teaching.