The role of the English learner facilitator in developing teacher capacity for the instruction of English learners

As a field, we have a limited understanding and a dearth of empirical research concerning the role of high school instructional coaches focused on English learners (ELs). This paper examines one EL facilitator’s work as an instructional coach and resource for supporting mainstream content teachers as they learn to meet the needs of adolescent ELs in one high school. This analysis is grounded within an examination of the influence of school structure and organization on the EL facilitator’s work and her role as a resource. Drawing on sociocultural learning theory, as well as literature on teacher leadership and instructional coaching, case study data from a year-long qualitative research project are analyzed. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

Trainee teachers in unpaid teaching posts: volunteering,risk and vulnerability

This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of a little-known category of in-service trainee teachers in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector in England: those who meet the practical teaching requirements of their course mainly through unpaid teaching as ‘volunteers’. The paper reports findings from mixed-methods research which used surveys, interviews and focus groups involving trainee teachers within a large FE–HE partnership. Themes relating to motivations to volunteer, the development of teacher identity within marginal roles, and the risks associated with unpaid teaching are discussed. For increasing numbers of trainees, unpaid teaching provides an opportunity for career entry. However, the quality of teaching experience gained is mixed, with some trainees receiving high levels of support, whilst others experience marginalisation and limitations on their developing teacher identities. The paper highlights the specific challenges to professionalism posed by unpaid teaching within the FE and Skills sector, and relates these challenges to a broader context of insecurity and risk. As work experience becomes an increasingly valuable commodity, this paper illustrates the pressures individuals face as they exchange payment and security for the opportunities volunteering provides.     

How open is open enough?: Melding proprietary and open source platform strategies

Computer platforms provide an integrated architecture of hardware and software standards as a basis for developing complementary assets. The most successful platforms were owned by proprietary sponsors that controlled platform evolution and appropriated associated rewards.Responding to the Internet and open source systems, three traditional vendors of proprietary platforms experimented with hybrid strategies which attempted to combine the advantages of open source software while retaining control and differentiation. Such hybrid standards strategies reflect the competing imperatives for adoption and appropriability, and suggest the conditions under which such strategies may be preferable to either the purely open or purely proprietary alternatives.     

From academia to media: staging the public career of critical literacy

This paper explores some of the processes through which an educational policy agenda can be generated in the media sphere. It casts light on the roles of journalists and various types of expert in these processes as they pertain to critical literacy. I argue for the usefulness of cross-field performance as a concept which helps to illuminate the special place of individuals who position themselves across journalistic, academic and political fields. The analysis is supported by examination of patterns in newspaper reporting and academic publication, which suggests that contestation of critical literacy serves as a staging device for a team of policy entrepreneurs, whose performances work to discredit and exclude other players.     

The authenticity premium: Balancing conformity and innovation in high technology industries

Research on categories and markets suggests that audiences rely on categorical distinctions to make sense of market offerings. Market offerings that deviate from category norms risk devaluation. Although literature in this area has led to valuable insights, scholars have begun to question whether there has been an overemphasis on conformity, leaving existing theories ill-equipped to account for innovation. Within this context, we argue that research on authenticity in cultural sociology offers a useful platform for theorizing. We draw on the work of Peterson (1997), who underscores the importance of signals in evaluation. Objective features of market offerings (e.g., quality) matter, but particularly for innovations, these features are not readily visible. Because authentic producers are typically thought to be more committed, capable, and intrinsically motivated, when visibility of such objective features is lacking, authenticity may serve as an alternative indicator of value. Appearing authentic requires signaling believability with respect to category norms, while also being distinctive. Using data on 684 firms from five high technology sectors, we explore the relationship between authenticity and investor perceptions of value. Focusing on three different proxies for signals of authenticity—networks, governance, and narratives—we find a curvilinear association between conformity/distinctiveness and Tobin's q. Consistent with our view of authenticity as a signal, we also find that this relationship flattens as firms gain better track records and face stiffer competition.     

马欢欢 这是我们追逐的梦想

女子水球半决赛之后,马欢欢倒在游泳池边上。所有人都在想在上海举行的决赛上会不会缺席这位最出色的选手。但是,尽管处于昏迷的边缘,马欢欢仍然努力去控制痛苦与喜悦。她的两次进球和巨大贡献,为中国赢得了参加决赛的资格,也使自己成为世锦赛上最有价值的选手。     

Golf styles and centre of pressure patterns when using different golf clubs

When using a driver, the centre of pressure of a golfer shows a pattern that is characteristic of one of two distinct swing styles: the "front foot" style or the "reverse" style. The aim of this study was to establish whether these two swing styles are also evident when using other clubs, and if so, to determine whether golfers use the same swing style when using different clubs. Forty-six professional, amateur, and recreational golfers performed swings to hit a ball into a net placed 3 m away. Ten swings were performed for each of the driver, 3-iron, and 7-iron while standing on two force plates. The position of the golfer's centre of pressure parallel with the line of shot and relative to the feet was quantified at eight swing events that were identified from 200-Hz video. Cluster analysis confirmed that the front foot and reverse styles were evident in all three clubs, and most of the golfers (96%) used the same swing style for all three clubs. Golfers that used the reverse swing positioned their centre of pressure nearer to their toes at ball contact compared with golfers that used the front foot swing.