Investigating teachers' ‘take-up’ of reflective practice from an In-service professional development teacher education programme in South Africa

One of the key phases in ‘the action research cycle’ is reflection (Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988; McNiff, 1988). The extension of teachers' reflective capabilities is one of the stated goals of the University of the Witwatersrand's teacher education programmes. In this article aspects of the findings of a 3-year research project, which investigated teachers' ‘take-up’ from a mixed-mode, inservice professional development programme initiated by the university in 1996 are discussed. The research team has described the overall project as ‘a practice-based case study of cases’. Data sources included classroom observations, videotapes of some of the lessons observed, interviews with teachers, written teacher narratives and questionnaires, and samples of learners' work- all obtained from working with the same sample of primary and secondary school teachers of English, Mathematics and Science for each of the 3 years of the project. The authors engage with what counts as ‘evidence’ of the reflective practices of teachers and consider what factors might enable or constrain the development of reflective capability by teachers working in underresourced, multi-lingual contexts. They reflect on their practices as teacher educators and outline some changes to the programme that could assist teachers to become more reflective practitioners in their classrooms and schools.     

Book review

BLACK STUDIES IN THE UNIVERSITY: A SYMPOSIUM. Ed. Armstead L. Robinson, Craig C. Foster, and Donald H. Ogilvie. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1969; pp. xi + 231. $1.75 (paper).

THE BLACK PANTHER SPEAKS. Edited by Philip S. Foner. Philadelphia: The J. B. Lippincott Company, 1970; pp. xxx + 274. Paper $2.95.

THE RHETORIC OF BLACK POWER. By Robert L. Scott and Wayne Brockriede. New York: Harper and Row, 1969; pp. viii + 207. Paper. $2.75.

RHETORIC OF BLACK REVOLUTION. By Arthur L. Smith. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1969; pp. vii + 199. Paper $2.95.     

A qualitative comparison of perceived stress and coping in adolescents with and without autistic spectrum disorders as they approach leaving school

During the research reported in this article, differences in perceived stress and coping between adolescents with and without autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) were examined by a series of interviews. Emphasis was placed on examining the issue with regard to the prospective transition at the point of leaving secondary education. Ten pupils with autism and seven without any identified disorder were interviewed. The participants with ASD indicated worry about specific objects and social relations; demonstrated a lack of external expression of their stress; and indicated a reliance on self, rather than others, for help. Those with ASD also indicated more concerns regarding items not affecting their education and were self-admittedly poor at dealing with both current and future stress. Participants without a disorder were far more concerned with their education and outlined different methods of stress management. James Browning, an Educational Psychologist in training, Dr Lisa A. Osborne, a Research Fellow in the Learning and Adaptive Behaviour Group, in the Department of Psychology at Swansea University, and Professor Phil Reed, the Director of the Learning and Adaptive Behaviour Group, in the Department of Psychology at Swansea University, suggest that these differences should be addressed and argue that the further incorporation of techniques to improve coping with stress may ease the transition from school for students with ASD.     

Integrating problem- and project-based learning opportunities: assessing outcomes of a field course in environment and sustainability

Improving student competencies to address sustainability challenges has been a subject of significant debate in higher education. Problem- and project-based learning have been widely celebrated as course models that support the development of sustainability competencies. This paper describes a course developed for a professional Master’s program in environment and sustainability that employs such a model. Additionally, the course was designed to offer value-added opportunities by introducing attributes of interdisciplinary training, service learning, academic research, and professional practice. Results from the course assessments by students, faculty, community clients and organizational partners show this model provided a range of learning, professional and practical outcomes for course partners. The value-added benefits include strengthening sustainability competencies and professional skills for students; longitudinal research opportunities for teaching faculty; real-time assessments of farming practices for community clients; and a heightened regional profile for the non-profit biosphere reserve organization supporting course delivery.     

Reading assessments for students with ASD: a survey of summative reading assessments used in special educational schools in the UK

Schools have an obligation to assess the literacy skills of their students, and the provision of reading instruction to students includes the ability to measure progress in this area. However, the design of reading tests includes the ability not only to read words, but also the ability to verbalise them. This presents a particular challenge for practitioners working with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who can be nonverbal in many cases. How this issue is generally overcome is currently unknown. A survey was developed, in the form of an online multiple‐choice questionnaire, in order to determine which tests are currently being used in the UK to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students, and to examine the opinions of the education practitioners who use them, in relation to their suitability. Using the schools web directory, e‐mail invitations were sent to 1,050 special educational needs schools across the UK, and 70 schools responded to the invitation. Respondents suggested that the majority of practitioners hold little faith in the ability of current reading assessments to provide an accurate picture of reading ability for students with ASD, and this holds particularly true for nonverbal pupils with ASD. One purpose of education assessment is to establish a baseline of students’ ability in order to plan for lifelong learning and achievement. If there is an inability on the part of schools accurately to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students with ASD, then it would be fair to assume that this could have a negative impact on the provision of learning opportunities for this population.