Who’s asking the questions in classrooms? Exploring teacher practice and student engagement in generating engaging and intellectually challenging questions

Student engagement that leads to enhanced learning outcomes involves three interdependent facets: behaviour, emotion and cognition. As such, learning activities that encourage deep learning and the intellectual challenging of minds should provide opportunities for reasoning and critical and creative thinking. An approach that resonates strongly with student engagement involves fostering student voice in the classroom, and the generation and utilization of students’ questions is one means of achieving this. Implicit in this approach is the need for both teachers and students to pose questions that engage and intellectually challenge thinking. In this pilot case study, eight volunteer teachers from one school chose to investigate their own practice by either focusing on their own questioning skills to foster student engagement in the classroom or, on how they could support their students to generate intellectually challenging questions that lead to increasing student voice, engagement and deeper learning in the classroom. Key findings were that who does the questioning is not an either-or dichotomy, and that significant pedagogical shifting requires a long-term focus. This shift is influenced by teachers’ commitment to using questioning as a pedagogical approach for enhancing student learning.     

Strategic CRM: Improving the Business of Academic Libraries

An argument can be made that libraries are businesses, with users as their customers. Given the increasing scarcity of funding and pressure for proving value, academic libraries could benefit from leveraging certain business practices to increase user satisfaction. Creating a comprehensive strategy for building long-term user relationships can solidify support for libraries by engaging with all stakeholders to improve their library experiences. The Customer Relationship Management philosophy described here provides an opportunity for institutions to show their total value to all users and stakeholders and in doing so, improve the business of academic libraries.     

A Gendered Look at Educational Reform

This article looks at women teachers' involvement in educational reform from a gendered perspective. Using qualitative data collected in interviews with secondary level educators, the authors show how women teachers' beliefs and actions towards reform efforts were influenced by their gender identity. Socialization of women as nurturers and caretakers created in many women particular notions regarding the appropriate role they should play as teachers. When an educational reform effort 'fitted' with these conceptions, women teachers became advocates for and participated in the reforms. The support and commitment by women teachers in turn facilitated the success of the reforms. However, it was also found that the overrepresentation of women in a reform effort had the potential of creating negative political ramifications. When the character or profile of the reform took on a gendered identity, it ran the risk of facing resistance by men teachers in the school, ultimately thwarting implementation.     

Alternatives to the Traditional Sixth Form: a Preliminary Report

Recent years have seen the emergence of new types of provision for the 16‐19 age group in both the schools and further education sectors. This paper briefly outlines the various institutions now in operation and the rationale behind each type. A four‐year research project aims to survey and then evaluate the alternative arrangements for this age group. The project's first phase, which concentrated on the collection of background information and the definition of evaluation criteria, is described. Some preliminary findings are presented, together with the major issues arising from meetings and questionnaires.     

A design framework for online teacher professional development communities

This paper provides a design framework for building online teacher professional development communities for preservice and inservice teachers. The framework is based on a comprehensive literature review on the latest technology and epistemology of online community and teacher professional development, comprising four major design factors and three contextual factors. The design factors include learning goals, communication tools, participant structures, and member responsibilities; the contextual factors are culture, politics, and economics. Finally, the role of universities and implications of the design framework for teacher professional development in the new culture of learning are discussed.