Raising leadership criticality in MBAs

In a world of supercapitalism, the tensions between business and public interests are expected to rise, thereby calling corporations to assume new roles in society. In response to this trend, corporations will be in demand of an innovative kind of leadership exercised at all levels by a new breed of ethical, reflective and creative decision-makers. Among the qualifications involved in developing the leadership skills of these decision-makers, the MBA stands out as a world’s leading one. However, empirical research conducted in English and French business schools indicates that MBA curricula are not typically designed to provide participants with a broader understanding of leadership that could fully engage them in their learning experiences. To improve this situation, MBA lecturers and curriculum developers need to broaden their educational agenda by means of a reconceptualisation of leadership studies. Drawn from the empirical findings mentioned above and the work of Barnett on criticality, this paper proposes a pedagogical framework for leadership studies that involves three levels of leadership criticality combined with the three domains of critical beings. The objective is to provide a basis for the development of appropriate learning activities that will encourage MBA participants to strive towards developing themselves as critical beings namely, to think and act in such a way that the societal imprint of corporations will be more ‘attuned’ with the ideals of democracy, social justice, and sustainable development.     

Just4Me: pedagogical and functional design of a PLE for self-managed learning in different contexts / Just4Me: diseño pedagógico y funcional de un PLE para la autogestión del aprendizaje en distintos contextos

Abstract

This article provides the foundation and describes the pedagogical and functional design of a PLE within the Just4Me project. This environment integrates tools and functionalities to support learning across and throughout life.

The main goal of the pedagogical design is to encourage self-managed learning, regardless of whether it occurs in formal or informal settings. It aims to integrate learning experiences developed within different contexts.     

An Approach to Introducing Environmental Education into the Science Methods Course in Teacher Education

This approach attempts to use environmental education as a thread in the science methods course in teacher education for lower secondary level (12‐14) in the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The framework of the approach, which stresses the for’ component of environmental education is discussed and some of the strategies and activities used are presented, for instance production of concept maps on environmental issues and a role‐play about traffic restrictions in the historic city of Santiago. Some of the difficulties that student teachers encounter in translating this approach to the practical level are also discussed.     

2+2 Statewide Articulation Policy,Student Persistence,and Success in Florida Universities

The reported study in this paper examined the continuing viability of Florida's 2+2 articulation agreement by comparing academic success and persistence among Florida public community college graduates (n = 1,738) and native (n = 874) juniors at three universities. Discriminant analysis yielded statistically significant differences. Transfer students graduated with fewer lower level courses in upper division and fewer cumulative credit hours than native students. Discriminant analysis did not yield appreciable differences in the final grade point averages of student graduates, indicating that community college transfer students performed just as well academically as native students. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that a greater percentage of transfers dropped out prior to graduation. These findings support the conclusion that community college transfers are academically competitive, but they may benefit from retention services and programs that engender student engagement.     

Getting the most from your conference experience

Attendance at professional conferences is encouraged by most child care centers as a way for staff to improve their competence while meeting state requirements. Countless hours are devoted to planning, executing, and evaluating conferences to ensure that conference attendees will be able to keep abreast of new developments and will be able to more effectively meet the needs of young children and receive personal inspiration. Such organizations as the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association for Childhood Educators provide many conferences on national, regional, state, and local levels. Additionally a number of seminars and workshops are offered by publishers, agencies, and individuals.Donna M. Bagley is Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, University of Missouri — St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. and Ione M. Garcia is Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education, Illinois State University, Normal, IL.