The unexpected journey: renewing our commitment to students through educational action research

This article presents four cases of journeys of discovery and renewal, and the unexpected learning that results from exploring our practice with others. The authors are three classroom teachers – Steve, Stephanie and Bennyce – all of whom took part in a year-long action research sequence and the two professors – Helen and Mary – who co-taught these courses. Taking part in this process, whether as teachers or students, we gained new insights into important relationships that are too frequently taken for granted in busy teaching days, and discovered, in doing so, a renewed commitment to both our students and to the power of action research to bring about change     

Putting words in their mouths: The alignment of identities with system goals through the use of Individual Learning Plans

This article analyses the role of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in teachers' work in the Skills for Life sector. It shows how ILPs, originally a means of formative assessment, have become part of a system of performance indicators and function as a key mediating mechanism between local interactions and system goals. The article draws on theoretical perspectives from the new literacy studies and the sociology of science to reveal the pivotal role of texts in projects of social ordering. The methodology is a version of institutional ethnography, whereby an artefact (the ILP) is tracked as it circulates across the different sites of its production and use. Documentary and interview evidence are used. The article concludes that, in its current form, the ILP shapes teaching and learning relationships and aligns both tutor and student identities. Permissive guidance, combined with a core curriculum, the demands of audit and inspection, positions tutors uncomfortably as active mediators between student experience and the policy discourse.     

Temporary migration and the institutionalization of strategy

This paper analyzes temporary migration, migration undertaken as a sojourn. Stressing migrant motivation, this paper shows that the institutionalization of intention, or what is here termed strategy, is an important aspect of all migrations. Using this perspective to distinguish between permanent and temporary migration, the author then analyzes the structural patterns and institutionalized sequence common to most temporary migrations. Four aspects of the sequence are discussed: (1) The structural conditions in societies in which temporary migration is most common, (2) Recruitment patterns and network formation linking home and host societies, (3) Patterns of settlement in host societies, and (4) Patternsof return migration. For each aspect, the paper shows that the institutionalization of motives is an important level of migration often left unanalyzed by theorists using social-psychological or macro-level push-pull theories of migration.     

Physiological responses to maximal intermittent exercise: differences between endurance-trained runners and games players.

Six games players (GP) and six endurance-trained runners (ET) completed a standardized multiple sprint test on a non-motorized treadmill consisting of ten 6-s all-out sprints with 30-s recovery periods. Running speed, power output and oxygen uptake were determined during the test and blood samples were taken for the determination of blood lactate and pH. Games players tended to produce a higher peak power output (GP vs ET: 839 +/- 114 vs 777 +/- 89 W, N.S.) and higher peak speed (GP vs ET: 7.03 +/- 0.3 vs 6.71 +/- 0.3 m s-1, N.S.), but had a greater decrement in mean power output than endurance-trained runners (GP vs ET: 29.3 +/- 8.1% vs 14.2 +/- 11.1%, P less than 0.05). Blood lactate after the test was higher for the games players (GP vs ET: 15.2 +/- 1.9 vs 12.4 +/- 1.7 mM, P less than 0.05), but the decrease in pH was similar for both groups (GP vs ET: 0.31 +/- 0.08 vs 0.28 +/- 0.08, N.S.). Strong correlations were found between peak blood lactate and peak speed (r = 0.90, P less than 0.01) and between peak blood lactate and peak power fatigue (r = 0.92, P less than 0.01). The average increase in oxygen uptake above pre-exercise levels during the sprint test was greater for endurance-trained athletes than for the games players (ET vs GP: 35.0 +/- 2.2 vs 29.6 +/- 3.0 ml kg-1 min-1, P less than 0.05), corresponding to an average oxygen uptake per sprint (6-s sprint and 24 s of subsequent recovery) of 67.5 +/- 2.9% and 63.0 +/- 4.5% VO2 max respectively (N.S.). A modest relationship existed between the average increase in oxygen uptake above pre-exercise values during the sprint test and mean speed fatigue (r = -0.68, P less than 0.05). Thus, the greater decrement in performance for the games players may be related to higher glycolytic rates as reflected by higher lactate concentrations and to their lower oxygen uptake during the course of the 10 sprints.     

Supporting Personalized Learning through Individualized Learning Plans

Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs), an effective strategy to promote students’ college and career readiness, are increasingly used in US school systems as a mechanism to encourage students’ career exploration and identification of career goals. After describing features of ILPs, we provide an example of the ILP process developed and implemented in the junior high schools in McLean County (Illinois) Unit District No. 5. Based upon this experience, we share important factors for school leaders that can affect successful implementation in their schools.