Teaching imaginary children: University students’ narratives about their Latino practicum children

This study investigates the dialogic processes involved in how teachers talk about their students and what consequences their ways of talking (i.e., “narratives”) may have for their guidance. We take a sociocultural perspective on learning as transformation of students’ subjectivity. Teaching, as a process of guiding and facilitating learning, cannot be effective if the teacher does not actively seek how the student perceives and understands reality. We borrow and adapt from Bakhtin (1999) four narrative ways of talking about others: objectivizing, subjectivizing, problematizing and finalizing. The presence of these narratives in web discussion postings of our pre-service teachers about the Latino children they worked with in a community center are analyzed. We then compare their ways of talking about children with print- and web-based discussions about children made by in-service teachers, model teachers and our pre-service teachers in a school-based practicum. Using mixed quantitative and qualitative methodologies, we found an overwhelming predominance of objectivizing and finalizing in our pre-service teachers’ narratives about the children with whom they work that seems to define a certain pedagogical regime that we call here “teaching imaginary children/students.” This “way of talking” about children seems to be characterized by unchecked speculations guiding instruction that are not tested by finding out from the children themselves how they understand the instruction and the world. These speculations, in turn, can lead to a dogmatic approach towards children.     

Henry Barnard—Educator of Teachers

Palestinian youth face developmental, cultural, and political barriers that impede them from fully engaging in civic life. Non-traditional, youth-centered pedagogies of engagement, like community-based service-learning (CBSL), have shown promise to motivate marginalized populations and provide space and roles for them to form individual identities while developing civic skills. Using data collected through focus group interviews, this paper reports how West Bank youth who participated in a non-governmental organization's CBSL leadership program were impacted.     

Survey on Teaching Contemporary British Fiction

The teaching of contemporary British fiction in English departments in the United Kingdom is reviewed. The study primarily focuses upon evaluative engagement with current teaching. The literary and theoretical texts taught on courses are considered, as are the use and availability of different kinds of supplementary literary‐critical materials. Data collection was through semi‐structured interviews and a survey of online material. The periodisation and focus of general contemporary British fiction teaching is emerging from a more diffuse field where postmodern, gendered and post‐colonial readings still tend to shape courses and modules. A new post‐1970s idea of the contemporary is rapidly emerging.     

Determinants of expected vs. actual match outcome: an examination of the German Bundesliga

Within society, there are many publications regarding expectations of firm performance. These include analysis, industry insiders and ranking service. Within sports, bookmakers provide betting odds that reflect the expected outcome of matches and are determined by several factors. The purpose of this study is to analyse the determinants of expected match outcome (i.e. betting odds) and compare them to those of actual match outcome. Data from the 2010/2011 season of the German Bundesliga (soccer) are made available that are combined with betting odds for each match. Regression results show that several factors, such as difference in standing between team and opponent, difference in competitions played, difference in points earned over the last five matches, differences in standing last season and home advantage significantly influence expected match outcome. On the contrary, actual match outcome is only determined by the latter two factors.     

发展中国家研究型大学的作用:引领国家和全球知识经济发展

研究型大学是各国学术系统的核心部分.研究型大学的发展可以推动各国知识经济的成功.国际顶尖期刊的编辑、作者和评阅人都来自研究型大学,同时,研究型大学能够获取全球知识信息,汇聚各类学者团体,资助教师参与国际专业学术机构和国际会议,并位于互联网革命的中心,因此,开展国际学术知识交流和参与到国际学术网络中是发展中国家研究型大学的核心使命.研究型大学作为“知识的仓库”和“批判中心”,面临着全球化带来的机遇和挑战.在高等教育国际化进程中,发展中国家的研究型大学面临着语言的困境,并且亟需改善学术职业的条件.从卓越的研究型大学的典型特征来分析,各国应该思考如何改善研究型大学的基础设施和智力氛围以使其迈向成功.