Teachers as writers: learning together with others

In the context of renewed interest in teachers' identities as writers and the writers as artist‐educators, this paper reports upon the findings of “Teachers as Writers” (2015–2017). A collaborative partnership between two universities and a creative writing foundation, the study sought to determine the impact of writers' engagement with teachers on changing teachers' classroom practices in the teaching of writing and, as a consequence, in improving outcomes for students. The project afforded opportunities for writers and teachers to work together as learners in order to improve student outcomes. The study involved two complementary datasets: a qualitative dataset of observations, interviews, audio‐capture (of workshops, tutorials and co‐mentoring reflections) and audio‐diaries from 16 teachers; and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 32 primary and secondary classes. The findings reveal that the teachers' identities and assurance as writers shifted significantly. The Arvon experience also led to pedagogic shifts which the students reported impacted positively upon their motivation, confidence and sense of ownership and skills as writers. However, these salient dispositional shifts did not impact upon the young people's attainment. The professional writers gained new understandings which substantially altered their conceptions of writers' potential contribution in schools.     

Learning and identity in overlapping communities of practice: Surf club, school and sports clubs

Large numbers of children and young people spend their weekends and holidays engaged in the activities of over 300 surf clubs across Australia each summer. Long term membership in these clubs, beginning from as young as five years of age, forms a significant part of children's and young people's development yet surf clubs have yet to receive recognition from researchers in either the education or physical education fields as significant learning sites. Within the context of growing recognition of learning as an ongoing, multidimensional and life-long process this represents an oversight in the literature that this paper sets out to redress. Employing the concepts of communities of practice and situated learning (Lave & Wenger 1991, Wenger 1998) it examines four young people's experiences as members of a Victorian surf club as a community of practice. It also compares the experiences of these young people in the surf club with those arising from membership in their schools and sports clubs.     

Sex and Schooling: The sexual activity of young people and its implications for education

New Zealand has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy among the developed Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. There is evidence both that the age of sexual activity is falling, and that an increasing proportion of students are sexually active while at school. These quantitative changes are accompanied by other transformations in patterns of sexual behaviour. It seems that middle-class girls are asserting their right to be sexually active while some working-class girls, particularly those from the Polynesian communities, are separating their relations of friendship and sexual interaction with boys. It is suggested that this may be based on a refusal to accept oppressive forms of relationships and the male rules that define them. Some implications of these findings for family strategies of reproduction and school policies are discussed. The analysis draws on a longitudinal programme of research concerned with the progress of students at secondary school.     

微笑前行

一个小镇姑娘如何成长为乡村乐坛的奇迹 　　1.RD:不久前你还在靠做女招待为生. 　　M:如果我不得不回去,那我也会过得不错的.我是个超级优秀的招待,因为我把它看做是个挑战. 　　……     

CIO省钱有道

据行业组织Business Roundtable对110名美国CEO进行的调查显示,今年美国的经济增幅只有可怜的1.3%.这是自9·11事件后及2002年网络泡沫破裂后,CEO们预测的最低幅度的增长率.     

The effects of the kinesthetic-tactile component of the VAKT procedure on secondary LD students' reading performance

Multisensory instructional approaches have been used in teaching handicapped children for many years, but have never been adequately validated. Using a multiplebaseline design and direct measurement of words read and spelled as the dependent variable, this study evaluated the effects of the kinesthetic-tactile component in VAKT instruction. The results indicated that the three secondary LD students read more words correctly after VAKT instruction than after VA instruction, and retained more VAKT instructed words at one-week, three-week, and six-month retention probes. The instruction did not differentially affect the speiling of words. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Applying effective instructional strategies for teaching dyslexic students in a remedial college algebra course

For many secondary and postsecondary students with dyslexia, passing required algebra courses presents a formidable challenge. Although dyslexic students do have specific and sometimes severe learning deficits that can affect their chances of success in algebra, they can succeed if given appropriate and effective instruction that meets their special and individual needs. This article briefly describes the application of effective instructional practices to the teaching of remedial algebra that have been used with dyslexic students in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Project Success program.     

Assessment Planning for Distance Education Library Services: Strategic Roadmaps for Determining and Reporting Organizational Performance and Value

ABSTRACT

Through a review of the literature, the author sought to identify what assessment planning practices exist in libraries, how the assessment planning process works in libraries, and what components constitute a library assessment plan. The findings suggest that, while libraries determine and report a great many aspects of organizational performance, general assessment planning (which encompasses total organizational impact and value) is not frequently used or integrated into the library's comprehensive strategic planning process, and it does not always effectively cover the scope of the assessment activities and information needed by organizational leaders and administrators to develop effective strategic plans and decisions. This lack of integration creates disconnects between the library's ability to determine and report organizational value and the library's need to provide accountability evidence to stakeholders and use the performance measurement results effectively in executing strategic planning and decision making. Using the findings of the review, the author proposes an alternative set of assessment planning components and focus areas.     

Bourdieu on Education and Social and Cultural Reproduction

Bourdieu's work has attracted considerable interest and, not withstanding criticism of his style and obscure theoretical formulations, has introduced some powerful concepts into social theory. This paper examines Bourdieu's contribution to the sociology of education and especially his account of socially differentiated educational attainment. Particular attention is given to issues of structure, agency and habitus, the cultural autonomy of the school, arbitrary and necessary school cultures, and the distinction between primary and secondary effects on educational differences. Some specific criticisms, for example Elster's charge of a double account of domination, are also addressed. Bourdieu's concentration on habitus as the most significant generator of practice is held to be a theory of socialisation and the paper examines the nature of the explanation of social practice provided by such theories. The argument concludes with a plea for critical tolerance with respect to Bourdieu's work but with a suggestion that his account of socially differentiated educational attainment in terms of habitus is finally inadequate.     

The importance of awareness and communication for the inclusion of young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in mainstream schools and colleges

Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash both belong to the Children's Hospice South West Research Group, based at the University of Exeter. In this article, they report one aspect of a research project designed to determine the adequacy of support for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in the education system. They describe here a set of findings drawn from interviews with parents whose children attended LEA-maintained mainstream schools and colleges of further education. They focus particularly on parents' perceptions of the levels of awareness of their children's needs and concerns and the consequent impact upon their successful inclusion in mainstream education. The findings show clearly that awareness of the needs and difficulties of these young people was seriously lacking. The issue of poor communication, both between school and home and between education and health agencies, was a central concern. Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash discuss the influence of two models of disability (the medical model and the social model) upon educational practice with regard to these young people. Despite the difficulties reported here, some encouraging and helpful reports of good practice also emerged from the interviews, indicating that inclusion for these young people is not an impossible goal.