Institute notes

International Review of Education -     

Transactive Teaching in a Time of Climate Crisis

This article discusses three problems that need to be tackled when the climate crisis becomes ‘a sustainability issue’ to be taught in schools. The article highlights, first, how knowledge concerning sustainability in schools risks being reduced and made into knowledge about ‘things’. Secondly, it also discusses how students in such a context risk being treated as instruments for ways of being in the world, rather than being subjects with ethical and political concerns for the world in which they live ‘here and now’. Thirdly, as we explore through some empirical examples, such reduction and instrumentalism objectifies both students and nature, which makes an adequate response to the crises obsolete. As an alternative, the article develops a notion of grievability and its importance for adequately responding to all living beings within a project of sustainability. To this end, it develops suggestions for a transactive teaching approach in a time of climate crisis.     

Biology and Health Education

The Health Promoting Schools in Europe initiatives have highlighted the importance of health education in schools. Although health education is inter-disciplinary, biology teachers have an important role in teaching about health and in the formation of policy. Health education needs therefore to be part of initial teacher education programmes for those who are preparing to teach biology in secondary schools. Student teachers in England and Sweden have been involved in a pilot study that is investigating two aspects of teaching health education. The first element of the study has used questionnaires and small group discussions to explore biology student teachers’ perceptions of teaching about health as part of biology. In the second phase student teachers have been investigating secondary pupils’ understanding about aspects of health. In this paper we report on the initial findings and consider the implications of these results for the teaching of biology in secondary schools.     

Counselling in order to develop tolerance between hearing people and deaf people in bicultural working groups

When hearing people and deaf people work together, two languages and two cultures come into contract. The purpose of this study is to describe some necessary prerequisites for social interaction in bicultural groups between hearing people and deaf people working together. The method used was one in-depth interview. The result indicated the need for counselling on an individual level as well as on a group level. On an individual level the motivation for contract and positive attitudes toward on another were most frequently reported. On the group level the ability to collaborate and hearing colleagues' competence in sign-language were most frequently reported. A combined counselling and guidance model was suggested on both levels. Furthermore, regarding the working group, group therapeutic approaches were also needed. Counsellors proficient in sign-language were suggested.     

Invention characteristics and the degree of exclusivity of university licenses: The case of two leading French research universities

This paper examines the determinants of university exclusive versus non-exclusive licenses. We specifically focus on the effect of the characteristics of the licensed invention (i.e. stage of development, specificity and appropriability). We rely on a unique and original dataset of 91 inventions contained in 62 intellectual property licensing contracts executed in the period of 2005–2014 by two leading French research universities. We cannot find a significant relation between the characteristics of the invention and the degree of exclusivity. In particular, as opposed to theoretical predictions, embryonic inventions are not significantly linked to more exclusive licenses and generic inventions are not significantly linked to non-exclusive licenses. Furthermore, inventions that are both generic and embryonic are not significantly linked to exclusive licenses per field of use. These results, although still exploratory, contribute to feed the discussion about the performance of university-industry technology transfer since they suggest that performance might be improved by taking more into account the characteristics of the licensed invention.     

The shared principalship: invitation at the top

A school principal’s workload is recognised as being heavy, with an imbalance between demands and resources. This paper contributes to the development of collective leadership. The principalship constellations of six schools in Sweden were studied with the aim of strengthening the current knowledge about structures and experiences of shared principalship. The empirical basis is qualitative data from interviews with principals and vice-principals. The analytical focus was on how the sharing structures were organised and how the shared principalship was experienced. The results point to a considerable variation in the organisational structures of shared principalship. Despite the type of model, form and constellation, the principals and vice-principals voiced a striking sense of relief in not feeling alone in their duties, as problems and troubles became manageable. An intensified interaction level in the principalship constellation created opportunities to develop competence. Theoretically, this study broadens the invited leadership concept to include horizontal invitations across unit boundaries between principals in different units within the same school. The knowledge contribution of this study is useful in discussing the legal possibilities for shared principalship, which may be especially relevant in times when the Swedish school system is being criticised for not delivering good student outcomes.