Issues in Implementing Boys’ Programme in Schools: Male teachers and empowerment

In recent times the neologism ‘boyswork’ has surfaced in Australian educational discourse. The term usually refers to programmes which are introduced into schools specifically for boys. Such programmes may represent either a backlash politics, which argues that schools no longer cater to the needs of boys, or a (pro)feminist politics, which contends that the creation of a more just society will entail boys acknowledging and acting to undermine their privileged positioning within existing gendered relations of power. The former politics emphasise the importance of having male teachers working with boys and suggest that many of the problems associated with boys, for example, their behaviour, can be remedied through attempts to empower boys by improving their self-esteem. This article provides a profeminist response to these arguments and draws on interview data obtained from teachers and boys in two Australian State High Schools were (pro)feminist boyswork programmes were conducted on the issue of ‘gender and violence. It is argued here that men do need to be working with boys on gender issues. However, this is not because men can do this work better than women, but rather because men have a responsibility to challenge the existing gender order. One way in which male teachers can do this is by exploring with boys the relationships between dominant forms of masculinity and violence. The article also argues that whilst this exploration should be conducted respectfully, the empowerment of boys should not be the focus of such programmes.     

Australian occupational therapists' use of an online evidence-based practice database (OTseeker)

INTRODUCTION: Online databases can support the implementation of evidence-based practice by providing easy access to research. OTseeker (http://www.otseeker.com), an electronic evidence database, was introduced in 2003 to assist occupational therapists to locate and interpret research. OBJECTIVES: This study explored Australian occupational therapists' use and perceptions of OTseeker and its impact on their knowledge and practice. METHODS: A postal survey questionnaire was distributed to two samples: (i) a proportionate random sample of 400 occupational therapists from all states and territories of Australia, and (ii) a random sample of occupational therapists working in 95 facilities in two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales). RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 213 participants. While most participants (85.9%) had heard of OTseeker, only 103 (56.6%) had accessed it, with lack of time being the main reason for non-use. Of the 103 participants who had accessed OTseeker, 68.9% had done so infrequently, 63.1% agreed that it had increased their knowledge and 13.6% had changed their practice after accessing information on OTseeker. CONCLUSION: Despite OTseeker being developed to provide occupational therapists with easy access to research, lack of time was the main reason why over half of the participants in this study had not accessed it. This exploratory research suggests, however, that there is potential for the database to influence occupational therapists' knowledge and practice about treatment efficacy through access to the research literature.     

Using Peer Feedback to Improve Students’ Scientific Inquiry

This article examines a 7th grade teacher’s pedagogical practices to support her students to provide peer feedback to one another using technology during scientific inquiry. This research is part of a larger study in which teachers in California and Washington and their classes engaged in inquiry projects using a Web-based system called Web of Inquiry. Videotapes of classroom lessons and artifacts such as student work were collected as part of the corpus of data. In the case examined, Ms. E supports her students to collectively define “meaningful feedback,” thereby improving the quality of feedback that was provided in the future. This is especially timely, given the attention in Next Generation Science Standards to cross-cutting concepts and practices that require students discuss and debate ideas with each other in order to improve their understanding and their written inquiry reports (NGSS, 2013).     

Lights,Camera, Action: Facilitating the Design and Production of Effective Instructional Videos

This paper outlines a rudimentary process intended to guide faculty in K-12 and higher education through the steps involved to produce video for their classes. The process comprises four steps: planning, development, delivery and reflection. Each step is infused with instructional design information intended to support the collaboration between instructional support staff and faculty to produce video that will be meaningful to students and support their success in a class. In outlining this approach, the paper also explores technological and pedagogical considerations related to each of these steps that can help faculty and staff determine how best to incorporate video into online classes. Finally, supported by research on best video practices and with examples from our own experiences as instructional designers and instructors, the paper outlines how these steps relate to four broad categories of video: introduce, model, explain/inform and feedback.     

The role of Aboriginal literacy in improving English literacy in remote Aboriginal communities: an empirical systems analysis with the Interplay Wellbeing Framework

Indigenous language endangerment is critical in Australia, with only 120 of 250 known languages remaining, and only 13 considered strong. A related issue is the gap in formal education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared with other Australians, with the gap wider in remote regions. Little empirical research exists in Australia to explore the role of developing Aboriginal literacy through bilingual education to address these combined issues. As a ‘shared space’ collaboration between remote communities, government, and scientists, the Interplay Wellbeing Framework and associated Survey were designed to represent community values and priorities in a quantifiable system to inform policy and practice. A cohort of 842 Aboriginal people aged 15–34 years from four remote communities completed individual surveys designed and administered by Aboriginal community researchers. We applied structural equation modelling to this data to understand the role of cultural indicators on education outcomes. Results confirmed the importance of strong relationships between community and schools. Furthermore, learning about culture and learning literacy in ones first language in schools to develop Aboriginal literacy, is established as a necessary step to improve English literacy in remote schools. This suggests bilingual education and strengthening culture and community involvement in schools are necessary to improve both education outcomes and language preservation.     

When is the personal professional in public child welfare practice? The influence of intimate partner and child abuse histories on workers in domestic violence cases

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to examine children's services workers' (CSWs') personal histories of abuse and their influence on professional responses to allegations of domestic violence. METHOD: Using an anonymous questionnaire, data were collected from CSWs in two large urban counties in Southern California who participated in a domestic violence training program (n=303). It was hypothesized that CSWs' responses to domestic violence cases would be affected by personal histories of abuse and the degree to which the CSWs identified with battered women. RESULTS: Approximately one-half of the respondents reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. One-third of respondents reported physical abuse, and 22%, sexual abuse during childhood. The experience of childhood sexual abuse, especially for female CSWs, was associated with increased support for removal of children whose mother is being abused. Those CSWs with a history of partner violence who identified with battered women were less likely to approve of removing children from the battered mother than were CSWs without partner abuse history or identification with battered women. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for expanded training efforts that recognize the ongoing impact of victimization on CSWs' professional functioning.     

State of rhetoric: neoliberal discourses for education in state of the state addresses and gubernatorial press releases

ABSTRACT

Policy elites use rhetoric in speeches and press releases to provide framing that is intended to influence public opinion. These rhetorical events can be treated as instances in which speech usefully promotes particular discourses. Indeed, elected officials are able to influence how individuals think about problems and solutions through speeches and press releases. Two important rhetorical events in which political elites advance frames for social issues are annual state of the state addresses (SoSA) given by U.S. governors and gubernatorial press releases that inform media reporting about state policy. This study employed policy discourse and rhetorical analyses to examine SoSAs and press releases as rhetorical events within the context of educational policy. Our findings show that governors framed the roles of state government, governors, and educational stakeholders within a discourse that perpetuates a neoliberal version of education. In this framing, governors situated education’s purpose as being workforce and economic development, ignoring its role in addressing social issues and preparing informed, engaged participants for democratic society. Given that individuals make decisions about how to address social issues and understand public institutions based on framing provided by political elites, these findings raise implications for state educational policies and the public purposes of education.     

Utopia Explored: Three Recent Fictionalizations of Fruitlands for Young Readers

Three recent novels for children offer fictionalizations of the year that Louisa May Alcott spent at the utopian community of Fruitlands: Little Women Next Door, by Sheila Solomon Klass [New York: Holiday House, 2000]; Becoming Little Women, by Jeannine Atkins [New York: Putnam, 2001]; and Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect, by Gloria Whelan [New York: HarperCollins, 2002]. This essay explores the strikingly different ways in which three different authors approached the project of presenting to children the inspiring but ultimately disillusioning story of a real-life dream of a utopian community that failed to come true.Claudia Mills is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado and the author of many children’s books, most recently Makeovers by Marcia and Ziggy’s Blue Ribbon Day (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005).     

Mentors' perceptions of their roles in mentoring student teachers

Mentoring may be seen as a process that helps student teachers become professional teachers. In this context, a variety of significant roles played by mentors have been identified in the literature. This paper reports on mentors' perceptions of the most important roles selected from a given list, as revealed through questionnaire and interview data. This analysis forms part of a large‐scale evaluative project of a school–university partnership scheme initiated by the University of Hong Kong. The findings indicate overwhelming attention given to the role of ‘provider of feedback’, which stresses the provision of pragmatic advice given to student teachers according to their personal strengths and weaknesses. However, for those mentors whose perception of the most important role had changed over time, the direction of change was towards roles such as ‘counselor’, ‘equal partner’ and ‘critical friend’, which emphasize a more relational aspect of working together with student teachers to achieve professional development.