A “suitably dead” woman: Grieving Andrea Dworkin

This article investigates the discursive register through which lives become grievable by focusing on a case study of the discourses surrounding the death of radical feminist, Andrea Dworkin. I argue that Dworkin becomes embroiled in an interlocking nexus of illicit subject positions that set the terms of her grievability and obstruct recognition of her as a rational being by framing her (1) as the quintessential emotional and irrational woman who is not worthy of the respect typically offered to the dead and (2) in relation to her wild, unruly, and excessive body, which is conflated with her feral work.     

Presidential policy and information dissemination: An analysis of the Reagan moratorium on government publishing

In 1981, President Reagan declared a moratorium on the production of new government-financed pamphlets, periodicals, and audiovisuals. This study examines the impact of that action on the format and content of printed publications, issued during the freeze, by the Department of Health and Human Services. Analysis of those publications distributed to Government Printing Office depository libraries during the moratorium reflected: (1) no significant reduction in the number of documents produced, (2) a shift toward smaller, less-costly print formats, and (3) no significant reduction in the release of publicity/advertising materials. Changes observed in the quantity, format, and content of Department of Health and Human Services publications issued during the moratorium were not those expected given the presidential guidelines.     

Teaching with student response systems in elementary and secondary education settings: A survey study

This study examined how 498 elementary and secondary educators use student response systems in their instruction. The teachers all completed an online questionnaire designed to learn about their goals for using response systems, the instructional strategies they employ when using the system, and the perceived effects of response systems. Participants in the study tended to use similar instructional strategies when using the technology as have been reported in higher education. These include posing questions to check for student understanding and diagnose student difficulties, sharing a display of student responses for all to see, asking students to discuss or rethink answers, and using feedback from responses to adjust instruction. A latent class analysis of the data yielded four profiles of teacher use based on frequency of use and breadth of instructional strategies employed. Teachers who used the technology most frequently and who employed broadest array of strategies were more likely to have received professional development in instructional strategies and to perceive the technology as more effective with students.     

Sociocultural Perspectives on Transition to School from Pacific Islands Early Childhood Centres

Sociocultural theories of learning and development underpin a number of studies of young children's experiences as they move from early childhood education centres to school settings. This paper summarises research designed to investigate children's transition to primary school from Pacific early childhood centres in New Zealand. The study records experiences of transition to school of families from each of five Pacific groups (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, and Tonga). The emphasis is on language and children's other experiences as they move from Pacific Islands early childhood centres into English-language primary schools. Findings from in-depth interviews with children, parents, early childhood teachers, and school teachers are summarised, and brief reference is also made to analyses of the content of the 19 participating schools' charters. The paper draws on sociocultural perspectives to comment on aspects of facilitating transition. Les the´ories socioculturelles d'apprentissage et de de´veloppement soutiennent un certain nombre d'e´tudes sur les expe´riences des petits enfants pendant qu'ils se de´placent des centres d'e´ducation de la petite enfance a ¤ un cadre d'e´cole. Cet article re´sume la recherche conc¸ue pour e´tudier la transition des enfants a ¤ l'e´cole primaire des centres d'e´ducation de la petite enfance d'iles Pacifiques en Nouvelle-Ze´lande. Cette e´tude enregistre des expe´riences de transition a ¤ l'e´cole des familles de chacun de cinq groupes Pacifiques (iles Cook, Nioue´, Samoa, Toke´lao, et Tonga). L'emphase est sur la langue et les autres expe´riences des enfants pendant qu'ils se de´placent des centres d'e´ducation de la petite enfance d'iles Pacifiques dans les e´coles primaires de langue anglaise. Des re´sultats des entrevues de´taille´es avec des enfants, avec des parents, avec des enseignants spe´cialise´s dans l'e´tude la petite enfance, et des enseignants d'e´cole sont re´sume´s, et on fait une re´fe´rence bre ¤ ve aux analyses du contenu des chartes des 19 e´coles qui participent. L'article tire sur des perspectives socioculturelles pour faire des observations sur des aspects de la facilitation de la transition. Las teori´as socio-culturales del aprendizaje y el desarrollo apuntalan un nu´mero de estudios sobre las experiencias de nin ¨ os pequen ¨ os cuando pasan de los centros de educacio´n para la primera infancia al medio de la escuela. Este ensayo resume la investigacio ´n disen ¨ ada para investigar la transicio´n de los nin ¨ os a la escuela primaria de centros preescolares del Paci´fico en Nueva Zelanda. El estudio registra experiencias de la transicio´n a la escuela de familias de cada uno de cinco grupos del Paci´fico (islas Cook, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, y Tonga). El e´nfasis esta´ en el lenguaje y las otras experiencias por las que pasan los nin ¨ os al desplazarse de los centros pre-escolares de las Islas del Paci´fico a las escuelas primarias de lengua inglesa. Se resumen aqui´ los resultados de entrevistas detalladas con los nin ¨ os, los padres, los maestros de la primera infancia, los ensen ¨ antes de escuela y se hace breve referencia a los ana´lisis del contenido de los estatutos de las 19 escuelas que participan. El ensayo utiliza las perspectivas socioculturales para comentar sobre los aspectos de la facilitacio´n de esta transicio´n.     

What did PISA and TIMSS ever do for us?: the potential of large scale datasets for understanding and improving educational practice

ABSTRACT

There appears to be something of an intellectual and philosophical gulf between education researchers who seek insights from statistical analyses of complex data-sets such as those provided by the OECD (PISA), and others who seek to develop rich, contextualised socio-historical understandings that can shed light upon why particular classroom practices operate and are sustained within a given milieu. This paper outlines these different perspectives, with particular reference to non-cognitive factors. Detailed analysis of the roots of high academic achievement, and associated challenges to student wellbeing, in many East Asian countries, is provided. The important influence of broad political and societal factors is highlighted by reference to cross-cultural differences across a large number of countries. The paper concludes by stating that while data from large datasets can assist in gaining greater understanding of cross-cultural differences, to be meaningful, such analyses should be incorporated within complex ecosystemic accounts.     

Shifting the blame in higher education – social inclusion and deficit discourses

The principles of social inclusion have been embraced by institutions across the higher education sector but their translation into practice through pedagogy is not readily apparent. This paper examines perceptions of social inclusion and inclusive pedagogies held by academic staff at an Australian university. Of specific interest were the perceptions of teaching staff with regard to diverse student populations, particularly students from low socio-economic (LSES) backgrounds, given the institution's reasonably high proportion of LSES student enrolment (14%). A mixed-method approach was utilised: (i) in-depth interviews with a representative sample of academic staff and (ii) an online survey targeting all academic staff across the institution. The results point to the dual responsibilities of students and institutions in enacting inclusivity in order to move beyond reductive standpoints that simply apportion blame.     

Case studies of teachers' understandings of the pedagogy of classroom talk: some critical moments explored

This case study research is informed by Vygotsky's view that talk is essential to organise our thoughts and extend our thinking and that, as Barnes suggested, the teacher needs to use the social situation effectively in the classroom to promote talk for learning. This article focuses on pedagogy and teachers' understandings of how talk works in the classroom, as I sought to illuminate teachers' intuitions and insights and their views of what they find challenging in organising classroom talk. Three case studies of ‘critical moments’ in a lesson suggest that teacher knowledge about talk is located in concrete practices. The three teachers viewed a recorded lesson and chose a moment they defined as ‘critical’ because the moment helped them to learn something about the way they use talk in the classroom. They then discussed this moment with me. These collaborative but critically evaluative processes are particularly useful for exploring and probing teachers' knowledge about talk for learning, an area of pedagogy that has proved so resistant to change over quite a long period. These three teachers suggest that such talk is becoming more marginal under the impact of performativity and the new cultural restorationist English curriculum.     

A critique of the Capability Approach’s potential for application to career guidance

In this article, we provide a balanced critique of Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) with reference to its potential to inform career guidance theory and practice. There are varying understandings and interpretations of the CA. Some see capabilities as universal, whilst others favour a more relativist view. The CA is also vulnerable to misunderstanding. Critiques based on misunderstanding are easily dismissed, so our focus is on substantive conceptual and practical critiques. Three main challenges are explored: conceptual debates about the nature of freedom and justice; limitations arising from the disciplinary origins of the CA; and challenges in operationalising the CA.