‘Emplaced Transcendence’ as Ecologising Education in Michael Bonnett's Environmental Philosophy

At the 2019 Annual Conference of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, Michael Bonnett was an invited speaker, giving a paper entitled ‘Transcendent nature, sustainability, and ‘ecologising’ education’. In this keynote, Bonnett shared portions of his forthcoming book, Environmental Consciousness, Nature, and Philosophy of Education: Ecologizing Education (London, Routledge). A day earlier at the conference Jeff Stickney gave a paper entitled ‘Informal place-based learning in environmental sustainability education: Seeing anew the Cloister oak tree at New College through Heidegger & Wittgenstein's Philosophies.’ Here we offer a section of Stickney's paper discussing Bonnett's environmental philosophy, focusing on a central aspect of his work: aesthetic and place-based education as a way of connecting more deeply with ‘nature’. Instead of delivering his paper at the conference, Stickney led participants on a walk across the Oxford campus, talking about the place and seeking to enhance appreciation of the evergreen oak tree in the cloister by entertaining different philosophical perspectives while those gathered drew the tree. The exercise was meant to illustrate what aesthetic, emplaced transcendence might actually look and feel like, in practice. Bonnett humbly agreed to write a brief response for this Special Issue.     

Three Educational Scenarios for the Future: lessons from the sociology of knowledge

This article draws on social realist approaches in the sociology of knowledge and in light of them constructs three scenarios for the future of education in the next decades. The primary focus of the article is on one of the most crucial questions facing educational policy makers — the relationship between school and everyday or common sense knowledge. The different possibilities for how the school/non-school knowledge boundaries might be approached are expressed in three scenarios —'boundaries treated as given', 'a boundary-less world' and the idea of 'boundary maintenance as a condition for boundary crossing'. The curriculum implications of each are explored and the article makes the case for the third scenario. The factors likely to make one or other scenario dominate educational policy in the next 20–30 years are also considered.     

Qualifications Frameworks: some conceptual issues

The aim of this article is to contribute to realising the progressive and democratic opportunities that National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) can offer. In doing so it will be critical of many of the ways that NQFs have been interpreted to date and the claims that have been made for them. The article has six sections. Section 1 considers some of the reasons for the recent growth of interest in NQFs. Section 2 is concerned with the widely shared goals of NQFs and some of the contradictions and problems that they involve. Section 3 discusses the very different forms that NQFs can take. Section 4 examines a number of issues that underlie all approaches to qualifications but are made more explicit by qualification frameworks and concludes by questioning the much lauded claim that NQFs can promote and accredit informal learning. The concluding section considers the longer term implications for the future of NQFs of the earlier analysis.     

Problem solving in schools and beyond: Transitions from the naive to the neophyte to the master

Techniques emerging from the considerable research on cognitive aspects of survey methodology include various forms of probing and cognitive interviewing. These techniques are used to examine whether respondents' interpretations of self-report items are consistent with researchers' assumptions and intended meanings given the constructs the items are designed to measure. However, although informal procedures are common, such developments have not been systematically applied in educational research. We describe how information derived from the systematic application of cognitive pretesting can contribute to determining the validity—designated cognitive validity—of self-report items. Examples are presented from prominent motivation-related instruments that assess real-world instructional practices, mastery classroom goal structure, and student self-efficacy. The implications and pragmatics of adopting this approach are discussed.     

Allgemeinbildung: readiness for living in risk society

Sociologists increasingly note that one lives in a risk society, characterized by the unpredictable consequences of techno‐scientific innovation and production and by increasing complexity. Life in risk society, particularly in truly democratic societies, increasingly requires competencies not only to understand and change one's own circumstances but also to participate in collective decision‐making and to care for others who, for various reasons, have less control over their circumstances. It is argued that Allgemeinbildung encompasses exactly the kind of competencies that are required by risk society. Concrete case materials are presented to illustrate participation in risk society by adults and educational contexts that allow children to develop Allgemeinbildung.     

Student sexual orientation,promiscuity and urban acculturation as factors that influence teacher judgments about HIV+ students

Attributions toward HIV⁺ adolescents made by teacher education students who graduated from rural or urban high schools were examined. Participants read vignettes in which level of promiscuity and sexual orientation were varied, then completed a rating scale that reflected various attitudes toward HIV⁺ students. The vignette student labeled promiscuous was blamed and judged more personally responsible for contracting the disease than the non‐promiscuous student. Participants who reported graduating from urban high schools indicated more positive affect and positive attitude toward integration, but also higher levels of fearfulness, than did those from rural high schools. Sexual orientation and the participant's high school location interacted on the need for reporting/precautions variable. Those from urban high schools indicated a higher need for reporting and safety precautions than did those from rural high schools when the HIV⁺ student was labeled heterosexual. School Psychologists should be aware of the varied factors that are involved in teacher judgments concerning HIV⁺ students. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 173–182, 2003.     

Assessing the Barriers and Changes of Cross-Cultural Supervision: A Case Study

This article examines conflicts and communication problems that can occur in cross-cultural supervisory relationships when cultural issues are not addressed. Recommendations for cross-cultural supervision are discussed.