Flight turbulence: the stormy professional trajectory of trainee early years’ teachers in England

This paper documents trainees’ ‘flight turbulence’ as they negotiate the complexities that lie between ‘the self’ and the securing of Early Years Teaching Status in England. Early Years Teachers, besides teaching, are expected to lead improvements to the quality of provision. However, drawing on interview data, an impasse is discerned where ideas meet instrumental policy in practice. Trainees are often unable to reshape the meeting of theory, policy and practice, and struggle in finding teaching approaches which they are comfortable with ethically. Drawing on Holland et al.’s concept of ‘figured worlds’, it is suggested that the development of theory-informed practice should not be seen as a solitary task for the student but as a dialogic though difficult conversation involving the student, university staff and placement practitioners. Dialogism is seen as requiring persistence but as offering opportunities for beginning early years’ teachers, with support from teacher educators and experienced practitioners, to negotiate the challenging spaces between policy, theory and beliefs as they seek to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct ethical professional identities for themselves.     

Support Teams in New Zealand Schools: A National Survey of Establishment and Practice

Two and a half years after the initial funding allocation for teacher release hours to establish Support Teacher positions in New Zealand schools, 63 (91%) of the schools with a Support Teacher funding allocation completed a questionnaire on the establishment of the position in the school. Information derived from the questionnaire included qualifications and experience of teachers appointed to the role of Support Teacher, and detail regarding the establishment, practice, and degree of adherence to the Support Team model of operation. Significant difficulties with Support Team establishment and program adherence are reported, notably in selection, training, organizational support, and form of service delivery. The results are discussed in terms of the speed of drift from the model, differences between primary and secondary schools in implementation of the program, the importance of training, and the presence of an active Support Team Management Committee in ensuring effective service delivery.     

Learning through boundary‐crossing: further education lecturers learning in both the university and workplace

This paper reports on a research project that sought to gain a deeper understanding of the contribution that universities make to the professional learning of teachers. The particular case studied was a group of learners who were engaged in an in‐service teacher education course for further education (FE) whilst also working as lecturers in FE colleges in Scotland. The paper develops the narrative of learning across boundaries (Saunders 2006 Saunders, M. 2006. From ‘organisms’ to ‘boundaries’: The uneven development of theory narratives in education, learning and work connections.. Journal of Education and Work, 19: 1–27. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]) drawing on the work of Engeström (1987 Engeström, Y. 1987. Learning by expanding: An activity‐theoretical approach to developmental research, Helsinki: Orienta‐Konsultit. [Crossref] [Google Scholar], 2001 Engeström, Y. 2001. Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualisation.. Journal of Education and Work, 14: 133–56. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]). The claim made is that the learning that takes place across the boundary of the workplace and university has the possibility of helping learners to resolve issues that the workplace alone does not provide them with the resources to resolve.

Cet article fait un compte‐rendu sur un projet de recherche dont le but était d'approfondir les connaissances sur la contribution des universités à la formation professionelle des professeurs. Le cas particulier qu'on a étudié était un groupe d'apprenants qui ont suivi un cours de formation d'enseignement professionnelle en travaillent commme professeurs dans des centres d'enseignement professionnel. L'article se déroule la narration d'apprentissage à travers les frontières (Saunders 2006 Saunders, M. 2006. From ‘organisms’ to ‘boundaries’: The uneven development of theory narratives in education, learning and work connections.. Journal of Education and Work, 19: 1–27. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]) et d'après les recherches d'Engstrom (1987 Engeström, Y. 1987. Learning by expanding: An activity‐theoretical approach to developmental research, Helsinki: Orienta‐Konsultit. [Crossref] [Google Scholar], 2001 Engeström, Y. 2001. Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualisation.. Journal of Education and Work, 14: 133–56. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]). On prétend que la connaissance qu'on a produit à travers des frontières du lieu de travail et de l'université pourrait aider les étudiants à résoudre des problèmes qu'ils ne pourraient pas résoudre en travaillant seulement.

Este trabajo presenta un proyecto de investigación que ha buscado una comprensión más detallada sobre la contribución aportada por la universidad al aprendizaje profesional del profesorado. El trabajo ha estudiado un grupo de alumnos que participaron en un curso avanzado de educación mientras trabajaban como profesores en institutos de enseñanza en Escocia. El estudio desarrolla la temática del aprendizaje a través de límites (Saunders 2006 Saunders, M. 2006. From ‘organisms’ to ‘boundaries’: The uneven development of theory narratives in education, learning and work connections.. Journal of Education and Work, 19: 1–27. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]) inspirándose en el trabajo de Engeström (1987 Engeström, Y. 1987. Learning by expanding: An activity‐theoretical approach to developmental research, Helsinki: Orienta‐Konsultit. [Crossref] [Google Scholar], 2001 Engeström, Y. 2001. Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualisation.. Journal of Education and Work, 14: 133–56. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]). La reivindicación hecha es que el aprendizaje que tiene lugar a través del límite del lugar de trabajo y la universidad tiene la posibilidad de ayudar a los alumnos en resolver asuntos en que el lugar de trabajo por si solo no puede proveerles con los recursos para su resolución.

Dieser Artikel berichtet die Resultate eines Forschungsprojektes, dass zu verstehen versuchte, was Universitäten zum professionellen Lernen von Lehrern beitragen. Ein Gruppe von Studenten wurder untersucht, die in Schottland an Berufsschulen unterrichteten und gleichzeitig an einem Weiterbildungskurs fuer Lehrkräfte an der Universität teilnahmen. Der Artikel ist auf der Arbeit von Engström basiert und konzentriert sich auf Lernen, das über Grenzen hinweg stattfindet (Saunders) (in unserem Fall Arbeitsplatz und Universität). Wir behaupten, dass das solches Lernen grössere Moeglichkeiten bietet, Probleme zu lösen, als Lernen, welches nur am Arbeitsplatz stattfindet.     

What’s in a word? Practices associated with ‘feedforward’ in higher education

Abstract

The term ‘feedforward’ is increasingly employed in higher education, and this paper focuses on the way in which it fits into contemporary debates about feedback and its impact on practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate the practices academics associate with feedforward and the ways in which their intentions and understandings varied. The term resulted in practices being framed as a process and prompted academics to consider the points in the future when students were expected to deploy information and improve. Three future horizons were identified: the ‘within-module’ future horizon dominated, while the challenges of ‘beyond-module’ and ‘beyond-programme’ horizons became apparent. Written comments, guidance, formative assessment and design practices were associated with feedforward, comprising both transmission and student-focused approaches. It is concluded that the modular system restricts longer-term future horizons and sustainable practices, and more must be done to address the divide between theoretical and practitioners’ perspectives.     

Admiration,attraction and the aesthetics of exemplarity

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to show that an aesthetics of exemplarity could be a useful component of projects of moral self-cultivation. Using Linda Zagzebski’s exemplarism, I describe a distinctive, aesthetically-inflected mode of admiration called moral attraction whose object is the inner beauty of a person—the expression of the ‘inner’ virtues or excellences of character of a person in ‘outer’ forms of bodily comportment that are experienced, by others, as beautiful. I then argue that certain moral traditions deploy inner beauty within their practices of moral self-cultivation—a good example being Confucianism. Advocates of exemplarist moral education should therefore take seriously the ways that an aesthetics of exemplarity can play roles within projects of moral self-cultivation.     

沪港澳中学数学课堂教学之比较

沪港澳中学数学课堂的主要共性有:指令性讲解为主;较为重视课堂练习;强调问题之间的内在联系;强调讲清概念;强调对算法的讲解、练习以及总结.主要差异有:上海课堂的效率最高,并有一定时间为学生提供探究性学习的机会;香港课堂练习时间最多,但练习的问题中,重复性和低复杂性的问题最多;澳门课堂练习时间最少,而练习的问题复杂性较高等.