Taiwanese science and life technology curriculum standards and earth systems education

This research examines whether UK primary teachers are aware of the potential of highly able young 'scientists' and whether they differentiate their teaching accordingly. The support that the National Curriculum gives to highly able children is also examined. A questionnaire was chosen for initial data collection, followed by a semi-structured interview with teachers who sent children to master classes. Analysis would indicate that teachers recognize that children who are scientifically highly able have the capacity to use higher order thinking to perform all aspects of science investigations. There does, however, seem to be a mismatch between theory and practice. The data from the questionnaires suggest that teachers do use a variety of methods to differentiate their science teaching. There was, however, no correlation between teachers' opinions related to scientifically able children's investigative skills and the associated methods of differentiating their teaching. The interview data reinforced this further as many able children had been given limited experience of science investigations in mixed ability groups.     

Researching without representation? Language and materiality in post-qualitative methodology

The article imagines a materially informed post-qualitative research. Focusing upon issues of language and representation, under the influence of Deleuze’s Logic of Sense, it argues for research practices capable of engaging the materiality of language itself. It proposes the development of non- or post-representational research practices, drawing on contemporary materialist work that rejects the static, hierarchical logic of representation, and practices such as interpretation and analysis as conventionally understood. The article explores the ontological and the practical implications of this state of affairs, via a re-reading of a fragment of what would have been called data. Offering relief from the ressentiment and piety that have characterised qualitative methodologists’ engagements with scientific method, the ‘post’ could therefore be read as signalling the demise of qualitative research. Or at least, as inaugurating a qualitative research that would be unrepresentable to itself.     

The Risk of Delivering Disturbing Messages to Zoo Family Audiences

One of the roles of the modern zoo is to provide environmental education. Zoo visitation comprises primarily family groups seeking to spend time together. There is potential for tension between message and audience expectation as zoos seek to raise awareness of the effects of irresponsible human behavior on the environment. This may unsettle family visitors. This study explored levels of tolerance of the zoo audience to a disturbing exhibition covering broad environmental themes. Results showed that participants were prepared to reflect on the content and at times feelings were sufficiently strong for zoo visitors to challenge one another's beliefs. The delicate positioning of zoos as environmental education providers is discussed.     

Theory generation and practice improvement: a mental health service perspective

This article presents findings from four problem-based research sites that comprise a larger action research project within primary care mental health services. The projects explored in this article are ongoing and involve working with small networks within specific areas: a GP practice counseling service, a Community Mental Health Team, a GP attached social worker scheme and a rural health cross-disciplinary team. By taking a constructivist approach, and through use of grounded theory techniques, the findings share some common features with Action Research and demonstrate two key aims of problem-based methodology, mainly practice improvement and theory generation (Robinson, 1993). First, they illustrate that a particular understanding of mental health service users can be reached from exploring the way in which they are excluded. Four excluded identities are presented (absent, mediated, difficult and elusive). Secondly, within the understanding that the success of problem-based research can be determined by the effectiveness of actions taken in the local setting (Edwards & Talbot, 1994), the article explores how reflection of user perspectives can move the research forward. Actions taken to improve the service include incremental changes and new initiatives, as well as the development of new avenues of research, thus adding to other action research within healthcare services (Hart & Bond, 1997).     

An analysis of the rhetoric and practice of educational partnerships in the UK: an arena of complexities,tensions and power

The article presents a critique of the discourse of ‘systematic review’ in education, as developed and promoted by the EPPI‐Centre at the University of London. Based on a close reading of the exhortatory and instructional literature and 30 published reviews, it argues that the approach degrades the status of reading and writing as scholarly activities, tends to result in reviews with limited capacity to inform policy or practice, and constitutes a threat to quality and critique in scholarship and research. The claims that are made for the transparency, accountability and trustworthiness of systematic review do not therefore, it is argued, stand up to scrutiny. The article concludes that systematic review is animated, not just by dissatisfaction with the uncertainties of educational research (a dissatisfaction that it shares with the ‘evidence‐informed movement’ with which it is associated), but by a fear of language itself.     

Time Management

Time management is an essential component of leadership. Leaders need to develop strategies to maximize time in order to achieve personal and organizational goals. While there are numerous time saving methods, leaders will need to test and determine which patterns are most effective for their personal style. There are some organizational strategies that will benefit the individual leader as well the organization such as planning, goal setting, delegation, decision authority, and work life balance. By managing time, the leader is accounting for the important commodity of time within an organization.     

Leadership Reflections: Leadership Skills for Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a process that infuses knowledge and decision making across an organization. It not only encourages decision making based on data but also fosters communication among personnel for informed practices and processes. The social connections within an organization facilitate the formal structure and encourage personnel to share expertise, insights, and past experiences to inform decision making. Such a highly interactive organization requires leadership that supports and encourages knowledge management practices. A successful knowledge management organization depends on certain leadership characteristics in order to foster interactions that contribute to the processes. A variety of characteristics and patterns will offer leaders understanding on how to lead within a knowledge management library.     

Leadership Reflections: Advisory Bodies

An important component of librarianship is the connection between a library and its community. Advisory committees or boards are a valuable tools for a leader to manage this connection and provides a leader with external expertise that can make a significant impact on a library community. However, advisory bodies need to be established for specific purposes and require a significant time commitment to ensure that members are contributing in a meaningful way. There are cautions in working with advisory bodies but the benefits of tapping into the potential benefits are worth the time and effort in working with community volunteers.     

Leadership Reflections: Leadership Paradoxes

Leadership faces a number of paradoxes that can be challenging and confusing, particularly as individuals take on new leadership roles. Employees want leaders to be decisive but participatory in decision making, focused on big pictures but contribute to detailed discussions, and engage but not micromanage. It is confusing as mixed messages are given to leaders and the opinions of employees vary, creating a situation in which it is difficult for leaders to fully understand employee expectations. Leaders not only need to understand these paradoxes but develop methods to balance employee expectations and communication strategies that help employees appreciate the balancing act that each leader must develop.     

From Local to Global: A Comparison of Hong Kong Library Association Mentoring Programme and International Librarians Network

In today's world, sharing and connecting get easier every day with the rapid development of and ubiquitous access to the World Wide Web. It enables one to acquire information about their profession and connect with people anytime, anywhere. While celebrating this wide availability of information and connectivity, one-to-one personal sharing is not to be dismissed. Instead, we should make the best use of it in developing our profession. Both the Hong Kong Library Association Mentoring Programme and the International Librarians Network are newly launched mentoring programmes addressing the increasing demand for connecting and networking LIS professionals both locally and globally. This paper aims to compare these two mentoring programmes in terms of the successful factors of and learning support given to the Hong Kong LIS community, as well as the effectiveness of these personal sharing platforms. Their strengths, similarities, and impact to the LIS community will be discussed.