Mindful hands,gestures as language: listening to children

This paper explores ideas of language as a cognitive tool and the role of gesture in expressing children's interests and levels of knowledge. The context is a group of three‐year‐old children who participate in a weekly music session with a trained musician. The authors present drawings from photographs of children's hands and interpret them, using contextual information, to explain how the positioning of the children's hands reflects their internalized understandings and can be viewed as a rich symbolic language. A discussion of the early childhood curriculum and the use of finger plays has been included to suggest that gesture was initially viewed as part of ‘the whole child’ but, today, activities like finger plays have become ritualized exercises. It is suggested that if adults do not listen to the language of hands they are depriving themselves of a valuable window into children's thinking and learning.     

KEY INFORMANTS' PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER LEARNING IN SCOTLAND

ABSTRACT:   This article outlines the policy context for teachers' learning and continuing professional development in Scotland and considers this in relation to the perspectives of key informants gained through interview. The analysis draws on a triple-lens conceptual framework and points to some interesting contradictions between the policy text and the expressed aspirations of the interviewees. Current policy and the associated structural arrangements are viewed as broadly positive, but interviewees express concerns that an unintended emphasis on contractual arrangements might inhibit the more transformative elements of professional learning.     

Rethinking Learner-Centred Education: Bridging Knowledge Cultures

Abstract

This article argues that learner-centred education needs to shift from a discussion only on pedagogical activities such as group-work and other cooperative learning strategies. It suggests that the focus of learner-centred education should be on the cultural world of the African child and how this influences the way in which he/she learns Western science. The African child often experiences cognitive dissonance/perturbation when learning Western science. The article draws on insights from the theory of collateral learning which was originally developed by Jegede. It argues that unless policymakers and teachers take into consideration the cultural frameworks of learners, there will not be a sound basis for improving school science and school mathematics in South Africa. Spending more on resources and increasingly testing learners, as is currently done in South Africa, will not improve school science in South Africa. Improving school science in part depends on rethinking leaner-centred education, which means critically looking at the important role that cultural frameworks of learners play in learning Western science.     

Propriety, process and purpose: considerations of the use of the telephone interview method in an educational research study

While the use of the telephone has increased as a means of collecting research data in a range of areas, there are few examples of studies where telephone interviews have been conducted to collect qualitative data. The field of educational research is no exception to this. This paper focuses on a study carried out in Higher Education (HE) investigating student withdrawal. It explores the ethics of interviewing by telephone a group of former students; issues that arose in the carrying out of the research, particularly relating to the quality of the data; and the impact of the study’s purpose on its conduct. The paper discusses the value of telephone interviewing to collect qualitative data and offers some practical suggestions for future use.     

A critical reflection on the multiple roles required to facilitate mutual learning during service-learning in Creative Arts education

In this article, I critically reflect on my own learning during a community-based, service-learning pilot project, highlighting the multiple roles that were required of me as facilitator. I provided opportunity for student teachers in a Creative Arts module to engage with youth from a local township community. The purpose of the participatory action research was to explore how this process enhanced reciprocal learning. Data were generated through multiple qualitative methods in four cycles of interactive activities. Adapting to the challenges of community-based learning necessitated that I was flexible enough to know when to don the hat of educator or research designer and when to be less directive to promote professional development and intercultural competencies. I learned to value relational platforms, enable diverse modes of communication and find workable strategies for mutual learning. By sharing my lessons learned, I hope to provide a better understanding of the facilitator’s multiple leadership roles.     

Preparing for the First Birth: Mothers' Experiences at Home and in Hospital in Australia

The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of a group of first-time mothers who had given birth at home or in hospital in Australia. Data were generated from in-depth interviews with 19 women and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. One of the categories to emerge from the analysis, “Preparing for Birth,” is discussed in this article. Preparing for Birth consisted of two subcategories, “Finding a Childbirth Setting” and “Setting Up Birth Expectations,” which were mediated by beliefs, convenience, finances, reputation, imagination, education and knowledge, birth stories, and previous life experiences. Overall, the women who had planned home births felt more prepared for birth and were better supported by their midwives compared with women who had planned hospital births.     

Developing board strategic capability in sport organisations: The national–regional governing relationship

It is well established that the strategic function is a central role of the non-profit sport board. Little is known, however, about board strategic capability in any context. This study investigated how boards of national sport organisations might develop their strategic capability. “Interpretive” action research focusing on the case of Tennis New Zealand (TNZ) found that the board's strategic role is significantly impacted by its inter-organisational relationships. In particular, the board's ability to enact its strategic priorities could be enhanced by creating a more collaborative partnership with its regional entities and engaging in a power-sharing approach that seeks to develop regional capability.     

Lessons from the Nursery: Children as Writers in Early Years Education

This paper considers the rationale of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) for changing approaches to the teaching of writing in the early years. Existing pedagogy and practice are summarised and mapped against the NLS requirements. It is suggested that there are tensions both in ideology and practice which are particularly striking for the Reception year. Research in early years classrooms in three primary schools in Southern England draws attention, in particular, to the ways in which the NLS is prompting changes in contexts for writing and in the nature of teacher intervention, with an increasingly early emphasis on the didactic teaching of writing conventions. The paper concludes that developmentally appropriate, affirming strategies need not contravene the educational ideals of the NLS, providing the professionalism of early years practitioners is genuinely nurtured and respected.     

Looking for Professor Right: mentee selection of mentors in a formal mentoring program

Finding a suitable mentor is crucial to the success of mentoring relationships. In the mentoring literature, however, there is conflicting evidence about the best ways to support the pairing process in organisational mentoring programs. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the pairing process in an academic mentoring program that has implications for building a mentoring culture in higher education. The program which began with a pilot and has continued for five years with one hundred and twenty one participants, was conducted with mentees selecting their own mentor from a pool of mentors who volunteered to be part of the program. In the pilot program, where mentors and mentees first met as one group, some mentees reported that the process of selecting and approaching a mentor was uncomfortable and intimidating. Nine of twenty-three potential mentees did not form mentoring relationships. Analysis of subsequent program evaluation data pointed to the importance of two factors in the pairing process: personal connections and facilitation of the selection process. This study at a research-intensive university demonstrates that when the pairing process is tailored to individual mentees, they are comfortable selecting a mentor and to then develop a successful mentoring relationship.