Unsettling orthodoxies: education for the environment/for sustainability

In this paper I employ Foucault's notion of governmentality to reflect on a debate that occurred in the pages of this journal some 10 years ago. I argue that their exchanges indicate ways in which various positions are engaged in a struggle for dominance in this field, and how particular strategies are used to legitimate and maintain these positions. My purpose is not to propose a new orthodoxy – or even to critique those we have – but rather to raise questions about how the unquestioned ‘that‐which‐is’ of orthodoxies comes to be, and their effects. I also suggest that as environmental educators and researchers, we need to work harder to unsettle more often the taken‐for‐granted in environmental education so that we remain alert to our own easy acceptance of orthodoxies. Without this, we risk our exhortations to those we seek to educate – to think critically, to question assumptions, and so forth – becoming empty rhetoric if we are not practising these ourselves – examining our own, as well as others', assumptions and practices.     

Understanding how educational maths apps can enhance learning: A content analysis and qualitative comparative analysis

Educational applications (apps) are ubiquitous within children's learning environments and emerging evidence has demonstrated their efficacy. However, it remains unclear what the active ingredients (ie, mechanisms), or combination of ingredients, of successful maths apps are. The current study developed a new, open-access, three-step framework for assessing the educational value of maths apps, comprised of type of app, mathematical content and app design features. When applied to a selection of available maths apps previously evaluated with children in the first 3 years of school (the final sample included 23 apps), results showed that practice-based apps were the most common app type tested (n = 15). Basic number skills, such as number representation and relationships, were the most common area of mathematics targeted by apps (n = 21). A follow-up qualitative comparative analysis showed observed learning outcomes with maths apps were enhanced when apps combined the following: a scaffolded and personalised learning journey (programmatic levelling) and explanations of why answers were right or wrong (explanatory feedback), as well as praise, such as ‘Great job!’ (motivational feedback). This novel evidence stresses the significance of feedback and levelling design features that teaching practitioners and other stakeholders should consider when deciding which apps to use with young children. Directions for future research are discussed.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Educational apps have been shown to support maths attainment in the first 3 years of school.
• Several existing frameworks have attempted to assess the educational value of some of these maths apps.
• Emerging experimental evidence also demonstrates the benefits of specific app design features, including feedback and levelling.

What this paper adds

• Practice-based maths apps are the most common type of app previously evaluated with young children.
• These evaluated maths apps have mostly focused on basic number skills.
• The combination of explanatory and motivational feedback, with programmatic levelling (either dynamic or static), was a necessary condition for enhancing learning outcomes with maths apps.

Implications for practice and policy

• The inclusion of feedback and levelling in maths apps should be considered by app developers when designing apps, and by educational practitioners and parents when deciding which apps to use with their children.
• Further consideration is also needed for the development of educational apps that include a broad range of maths skills.

     

A Training Performance Indicator Model For Monitoring the Effectiveness of High–Risk Training: Report of a Study in Progress

High–risk operations, including the nation's commercial nuclear power industry, are devoting extensive resources and leadership to improve human performance through training. The evaluation of the effectiveness of this training is the focus of on–going research. This report summarizes the methodology of a research study in progress at one nuclear utility and de scribes a training performance indicator model that was developed during the study. The model organizes the types of performance indicators currently thought to be worthwhile in monitoring training effectiveness. The model contains twelve categories of indicators. Each category is described and illustrated in this report.