School Design: A Classificatory Framework for a 21st-Century Approach to School Improvement

As attention turns from restructuring to school design as a means of securing school improvement, a bewildering range of design programmes/models are available. How are schools to make informed choices about their relative merits? This article suggests a classification, based on 10 criteria, by which to categorize their features, and to draw comparisons between them. The particular design adopted by the case school is described and analysed in terms of the classificatory framework, and its implementation by the perspective of the school leader/change agent. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the usefulness of the framework as a heuristic “device” for characterizing school design models (SDM) and their implementation. It is argued that refinement of the classificatory framework would result from similar case studies and the perspectives of others – besides the school leader/change agent – involved in their implementation.     

The internship component of a teacher education program: Opportunities for learning

Abstract

Many preservice teacher education programs in recent years have increased the amount of time student teachers spend in field placements by adding an “internship “ component. An internship is typically longer than a practice teaching session and is designed as a bridge between being a student teacher and having full teaching responsibilities. This study explored the effect of an internship that had three key features: the interns were free to choose the nature of their field experience, no formal evaluation was involved, and the interns were attached to the school (or other institution) as a whole rather than a particular staff member. Under these conditions, the interns could (a) go more deeply into a specific teaching area; (b) gain greater knowledge of school culture; (c) become more familiar with school‐wide programs and activities; and (d) learn more about their distinctive interests and abilities as teachers.     

A School—University Collaborative Journey Toward Relevance and Meaning in an Urban High School Physical Education Program

The promise and potential for collaborative teams of school and university colleagues to address substantive issues in physical education were the focus of an international conference and a series of high-profile articles in the late 80s and early 90s. However, school-university partnerships have seldom focused on school reform. Few scholars address secondary school physical education, save for the occasional article describing its eminent demise. Successful implementation of innovative practices, such as curricular and instructional revisions, requires significant investments in teacher development. This paper details a specific collaborative effort in physical education that makes a case for systematic long-term commitments to improve young people's physical education experiences. Stories from a 4-year collaborative highlight the complexities and challenges faced by any subdisciplinary group that commits to connecting professional preparation and practice for the benefit of our respective constituencies.     

Students’ Use of Multimedia Activities in an Open University Introductory Science Course

Surveys of students studying an introductory science course at a distance indicated that they had very favourable attitudes to CD‐ROM multimedia activities that are an integral part of the course teaching package. The research reported here focused on how students actually studied as they worked through the activities. Most students worked on the activities at the place indicated in the course materials and they generally studied them in one session. The majority made notes and were satisfied with their value, though only a small number used on‐screen facilities for making their notes. The instructions for navigating through the sequences left only a small number of students unsure of how to proceed. A small number of students also reported being unable to answer the questions in the activities. The Approaches to Studying Inventory (Richardson, 1990) was included in the survey, and it was found that students who adopt a predominantly ‘meaning orientation’ to studying had significantly more favourable attitudes to the multimedia activities than those who adopt a predominantly ‘reproducing orientation’. The latter students had a significantly higher preference for printed material rather than multimedia activities. The limitations of the surveys are identified and suggestions are made for future evaluation and research into students’ experiences in using multimedia activities, and for setting it in a broader framework of students’ patterns of study and learning     

The roles of professional and trade associations

Under the former Communist regimes, trade associations were often effectively instruments of government. They now have to acquire a new role in the emergent democracies. But trade associations have few resources, are difficult to manage, and are subject to legal restraints. Yet these groups have an enormous job: to act on behalf of their members, to represent them to the government and other groups, and to achieve what they as an industry want and need. This requires that members reach a common position and provide support and assistance. It also requires that the association delegate some activities to commercial operators. A variety of book trade associations is described. Clive Bradley has been chief executive of the British Publishers Association since 1976 and director of the Confederation of Information Communication Industries since 1984. A barrister who studied law at Cambridge and Yale Universities, he has made special studies of the laws of copyright and industrial relations and of European law. This article was adapted from a presentation given at the seminar “East Meets West: Copyright and the Publisher in a Market Economy”, held in Hamburg in March 1991.     

Rethinking “Difficult” Conversations in Communication Instruction From an Intercultural Lens: Pedagogical Strategies for “SWAP-ping” the Communication Classroom

Intercultural communication offers both theoretical and pedagogical implications for communication instruction. As such, we interweave theories and concepts of intercultural communication and instructional communication in (re)thinking “difficult,” “sensitive,” or “uncomfortable” classroom conversations that involve privilege, power, and intersecting cultural identities (e.g., racism). In juxtaposing these areas side by side, we first interrogate why intercultural and instructional communication scholars have neglected what the other takes as central: pedagogy and diversity. In particular, we ask: Why are certain conversations deemed “difficult” in the mainstream communication classroom? To whom are they difficult conversations? Why might these conversations feel “uncomfortable or risky”? Second, we crystalize how intercultural communication makes strides toward feeling/thinking/understanding difficult conversations in ways that promote social justice by proposing a pedagogy of “SWAP-ping” the communication classroom.     

Making the “minority” voice heard: Critical communication pedagogy and dissent

ABSTRACT

Courses: Intercultural Communication, Argumentation and Advocacy, Communication and Education

Objectives: This activity is designed to help students to problem-pose and think critically about policies/laws that influence education. Students will be exposed to U.S. policy and will be able to articulate a critical dissent of such documents.