Teaching in linguistically diverse classrooms: difficulties in the implementation of the language-in-education policy in multilingual Kenyan primary school classrooms

Kenya’s language-in-education policy supports mother-tongue education as the ideal approach to developing language and literacy skills of young learners. The policy has been informed by findings of various past national education commissions as well as international declarations such as the UNESCO declaration on the use of Vernacular Languages in Education of 1953, the World Declaration on Education for All of 1990 and the Dakar framework of 2000. The country’s Constitution of 2010 re-affirms this policy. However, available reports indicate that little progress has been made in implementing the use of Kenyan mother tongues in education. This paper reports on impressions gained in the process of collecting and analysing data for a doctoral study still in progress. Preliminary findings indicate that in most urban and peri-urban schools, where the learner population is highly multilingual, the policy has been implemented in such a way that in effect either the notion of ‘mother tongue’ seems to have been redefined or the term is used in an unconventional way. Even in rural areas where, comparatively, there is minimal diversity, practical aspects of the use of mother tongue in education seem not to be in accordance with policy provisions. Learning materials and assessment systems are not suitably structured to enable mother-tongue education to take place. The paper (1) gives an impression of the status quo regarding use of language in multilingual primary school classrooms in Kenya, (2) considers the different interpretations given to the term ‘mother tongue’ in current classroom practices and (3) provides pointers to the gap between de jure and de facto policy, which may eventually be helpful in improving the implementation of the current language-in-education policy, in such a way that it will strengthen mother-tongue literacy and facilitate eventual transfer to English as medium of instruction.     

A Qualitative Inquiry of the Counseling Dissertation Process

The authors in this consensual qualitative research study explored the dissertation experiences of 42 graduates (27 counselor educators, 13 counselors, 2 administrators) from 4 midwestern states. Identified domains included impact of environment, competing influences, personality traits, chair influence, committee function, and barriers to completion. An emergent theory reflected the interconnectedness of the dissertation process across internal, relational, and professional factors. Implications related to motivation, personal traits, and identification of barriers in the dissertation process are provided.     

Storytelling as dialogue: how teachers construct professional knowledge

This study shows how a group of English language lecturers use storytelling as a form of professional dialogue. The aim of the study is to highlight the dialogic role of storytelling in supporting the construction of lecturers' professional knowledge and not to identify lecturers' professional knowledge. In a professional development project, 12 lecturers created digital stories about their experiences of professional development. These stories were shared with colleagues who then responded with their own digital stories. A narrative framework was used to analyse stories for the types of connections lecturers made between stories. Five dialogic processes were identified: connecting, echoing, developing, questioning and constructing. Excerpts of stories are used to demonstrate how lecturers construct professional knowledge through storytelling. The study concludes by outlining the potential and limitations of storytelling as an approach to professional development and proposes further research into the dialogic capacity of storytelling in a professional development context.     

Understanding students' interactions: why varied social tasks matter

Many social interactions between school‐age children contain both competitive and cooperative elements. In order to gain a better understanding of how students at risk for emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) negotiate social exchanges in cooperative and competitive‐related tasks in comparison with non‐EBD students: (a) prosocial; (b) negative; and (c) conflict behaviours were assessed. Fifty‐seven children at risk for EBD and 57 comparison children participated in three different social tasks with non‐target partners. Both students and teachers completed a standardised behaviour checklist. Social ability and sex differences were considered. Results are discussed from a social‐cognitive framework, and practical implications will be highlighted.     

Baseline Assessment and Progress during the First Three Years at School

An analysis of data involving over 1,000 pupils in 62 classes focused on the progress made during the first 3 years of schooling in England. The pupils started school at the age of 4 and they were assessed on entry to school. They were then assessed 1 year later and again 2 years after that. Building on work reported in an earlier paper this study considered: ? The adequacy of the baseline assessment for 4-year-olds in predicting later progress. ? The differences between classes in value-added terms. ? The long-term impact of being part of a class that made rapid academic progress during the 1st year at school. ? Differences between pupils who started school in different terms. ? Differences between pupils of different ages. Overall, the analysis supported the view that effective early provision has a positive impact on children's academic progress to the age of 7.     

Backs to the Wall: Supporting Teacher Professional Development With Technology

This paper describes the development and initial piloting of a technology based model for professional development, qesn.connection (www.qesn.meq.gouv.qc.ca/connection), designed to provide short-term and sustained support to school teams in the area of curriculum reform in Québec, Canada. The model responds to a design request from the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec to offer school teams tools and strategies, via distance, for team building and school based decision making. The launch topic to accomplish this is the integration of technology in the classroom, to be followed by the implementation of a reformed curriculum. Two pilot schools offer support and feedback on the model and areas for further research and evaluation.     

Letter to the Editor

Juliette Goldman and Christine Collier have recently proposed that the editor of Sex Education should adopt a policy of replacing the phrase ‘opposite sex’ with ‘other sex’ in all published articles, on the grounds that the word ‘opposite’ has connotations of hostility or adversity. In this brief reply I argue that their reasoning does not stand up to scrutiny and that their proposal ought therefore to be rejected.     

What Your Patient Reads: Creating a Value-Added Tool for Physicians

Through a number of media sources, today's consumers have unprecedented access to health information of varying reliability and authority. Empowered by this information, patients are more involved in their health care decisions and more willing to question physicians' advice. This poses a challenge for physicians who must now find time to read mass media health reports in addition to medical research. In order to help physicians with this task, librarians at the University of Manitoba Health Sciences Libraries created What Your Patient Reads – one-page summaries of health-related media reports supplemented with references to evidence-based medical literature.     

Reflections on a Job-Shadowing Experience

Various studies from the past 30 years indicate that the number of new, qualified catalogers is dwindling. This article explores the reasons why library students are being deterred from specializing in cataloging and suggests methods to improve the situation. One highly recommended solution is for library schools to promote job shadowing. Shadowing is a career exploration tool that can be beneficial for both students and practitioners. Both authors have experienced the benefits of shadowing and offer their perspectives on being a shadow and a host.     

The ideological significance of discursive form: A response to Solomon and Perkins

In responding to Solomon and Perkins, this article begins by noting that a significant change in rhetorical scholarship results from recognizing that speeches are not the only discursive forms that produce effect. It then examines the ideological significance of forms to illuminate the potential of feminist studies in order to identify elements of language that are ostensibly as neutral and opaque as discursive forms. The article contends that recognizing discursive form as active rather than passive gives full measure to its power and to the power of those who see through the conventions and deconstruct them. It also contends that recognizing the ideological significance of form has political as well as critical consequences. Furthermore, it shows that acknowledging the ideological qualities of form juxtaposes theory with analysis, history with subjectivity, and language with practice. The article concludes by noting that the potential for bringing about such juxtapositions in our field remains untapped.