Thriving in-between the cracks: Deleuze and guerilla science teaching in Singapore

The radical philosophies of difference articulated by Deleuze and Guattari are just beginning to impinge the field of education although less so within science education. One common thread among the numerous concepts and neologisms (especially the rhizome) that have been coined is the necessity for thinking and acting in what they call ‘experimental’ modes, which shifts our focus onto the eternal process of becoming rather than merely (re)producing states of being. I reflect upon these seemingly utopian ideas in the light of recent educational changes in Singapore aimed at preparing competent citizen–workers for the knowledge economy and globalization. In particular, this paper shows how one elementary science teacher adopted guerilla tactics while negotiating these sometimes conflicting transitions in policies. I argue that neither mandated, top-down reforms nor drastic experimentation by individuals alone are most productive but rather working in the ephemeral in-between spaces of the rhizome, which Deleuze and Guattari had all long championed.

Conceptualising education quality in Zambia: a comparative analysis across the local,national and global discourses

Building on the Education for All movement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development re-emphasises quality education as a discrete goal. Contextualising the discussion surrounding this goal in Zambia, this study examines how education quality is conceptualised by educational stakeholders at local, national, and global levels. Triangulating teacher survey and interview data with policy documents from the government of Zambia and UNESCO, we found simultaneous convergence and divergence regarding the concepts of education quality espoused at each level. Convergence was shown in the critical influence of the economic tradition within education and the perceived role of schools in fostering resilient individuals and communities. Divergence was observed through the varying meanings assigned to similar concepts and the dissimilar influences of the humanistic and organisational management traditions at different levels. We discuss the implications of our findings for fostering collective efforts among key partners toward the achievement of quality education in Zambia.     

Stigmatised learners: mature-age students negotiating university culture

Research on the socially-situated nature of learning shows how practices and identities are affected by participation in communities, but very little is known about how mature-age students experience the relational dynamics of university. Based on data from a qualitative study of first-year students, we consider written accounts by older learners to examine how they negotiate the culture of higher education. We found that mature-age students encounter a university culture dominated by younger students, who draw separating boundaries between the social and the academic and stigmatise older students because of their academic practices. Drawing on Lave and Wenger’s learning theory, we examine the way mature-age students negotiate the process of becoming legitimate members of the learning community, and the resistance they face in doing so. Knowing how mature-age students learn, and how to support them, depends on examining their negotiation of university culture, as well as their differing aspirations and needs.     

The effect of sodium pentobarbital on attraction in the albino rat

Two “target” rats, one drugged and one undrugged, were tethered on opposite sides of an open arena in which single, undrugged “subject” rats were allowed to roam free. On the last 2 days of testing, the S rats spent significantly more time in physical contact with the undrugged target rat than with the drugged target rat. Prior adaptation to the arena of S rats had no effect on the relative preferences for the target animals.     

Using Stakeholder Input to Guide Cultural and Contextual Adaptations for a Universal School-Based Intervention

The Urban Review - Strong student–teacher relationships foster students’ social, emotional, and academic development, particularly for students from marginalized racial/ethnic groups....     

Faculty and instructional designers on building successful collaborative relationships

Employing phenomenological techniques this qualitative study investigates perceptions of collaborative relationships between instructional designers and faculty at an R1 university. While past research has considered the growing involvement of instructional designers in course development, and knowledge and skills expected from an instructional designer, little attention has been paid to what constitutes an effective collaboration and how it can be developed from the perspectives of both instructional designers and faculty. Based on semi-structured interviews of faculty and instructional designers, the following four thematic categories were uncovered: (1) reasons for collaborative efforts; (2) structure of collaborative relationships; (3) supports of and barriers to collaboration; and (4) essential competencies and strategies for instructional designers and faculty in a collaborative partnership. Our findings support the existing research on the importance of collaboration between instructional designers and faculty, and spotlights instructional designers in the higher education setting. They also outline key elements of an effective relationship, including understanding the role of an instructional designer, trust and rapport building (and its components), administrative support and faculty buy-in. Suggestions are made for to how overcome potential barriers to ensure an effective and collaborative partnership. Implications and future directions for research and training programs are discussed.

     

The relationship between working memory and writing in younger and older adults

This study investigated therelationship between working-memory (WM) spanand writing performance in three age groups(mean of ages of 15, 30, 77 years). Asexpected, older adults' performance wasinferior to younger adults on measures ofverbal and visual-spatial WM and structuralcomplexity in writing. More important, WM spanmoderated structural complexity in writingacross age and those effects remainedsignificant when short-term memory, readingcomprehension, word knowledge, spelling andhandwriting speed were partialed from theanalysis. Overall, the results support thenotion that age-related changes in textgeneration are moderated by limitations in ageneral WM system.