The rocky terrain between delocalized and localized,duplication and originality: learning to write and learning to teach academic English

In recent years, a discourse is emerging in education that emphasises the study of the impact of in-service teacher education on student outcomes (more often than not student outcomes are seen in the form of test scores of academic achievement). Implicit in this discourse is the view that the impact of in-service teacher education is directly observable on students' outcomes, suggesting that the variables in a school or classroom are connected in some kind of a causal link. However, it is problematic to view variables in a social setting such as a school or a classroom as being in causal relationships because social settings are complex so that it is not possible to control the variables or the outcomes. Hence, one cannot convincingly study the outcomes without also studying the process and its complexity. In this article, I describe an action research study undertaken to study the impact in the classroom, of new teaching strategies introduced as part of an in-service teacher education programme in Karachi, Pakistan. By describing this study I mean to suggest that action research is an appropriate methodology to study the impact of in-service teacher education.     

Developing holistic practice through reflection,action and theorising

This article outlines how I, as a primary teacher engaging with a self-study action research process, have come to a deeper understanding of my practice. It explains how I have also come to an understanding of why I work in the way I do; of how this understanding influences my work, and the significance of this new understanding. My work as a teacher frequently includes doing collaborative digital projects with my class. As I engaged in research on my practice, I initially experienced difficulties problematising this work. I struggled to achieve clarity not only with engaging in critical thinking but also with articulating my educational values. I found Mellor’s idea about ‘the struggle’ helpful as he explains how ‘the struggle’ is at the heart of the research process. My new understanding around these collaborative projects emerged in terms of holistic practice; clarifying my ontological values and learning to think critically. I am now generating an educational theory from my practice as I see my work as a process for developing spiritual and holistic approaches to learning and teaching. I conclude by outlining what I perceive to be the significance of my work and its potential implications for education.     

屏性视觉媒介的自身特质及其伦理价值反思

分析视觉主导的文化,分析异彩纷呈的图形图像,离不开它的主流承载媒介——屏性媒介。与传统纸质媒介不同,屏性媒介具有混合性、整合性、技术性、直观性、浅白性、新感性等多项视觉特质。由此引发的价值建构、人的主体性合理关照、文化隐喻的深度考量和伦理价值的设计与规范等问题亟待我们对其进行深度反思。屏性媒介主导下的视觉艺术形式只有超越现实的功利境界和审美境界,在媒介素养教育中将技术理性和人文理性结合起来,寻求功利审美伦理和谐统一,才能使屏性媒介为人类和社会发挥应有的作用。     

高校图书馆员信息素养状况的调研——基于辽宁省的调查

文章以问卷的形式对辽宁省高校图书馆员信息素养状况进行了调研,并运用SPSS对调研数据进行统计学分析,得出信息素养各层面密切相关;信息素养水平与年龄及职称无关联,但具有显著的学历、所从事的工作的差异性。在此基础上提出了从国家层面加强对信息素养教育的监督与管理;加强高校图书馆员的学历教育;加强学习,提高图书馆员整体信息素养水平等建议。     

BLOGS BOTHER ME

This paper grew out of the authors’ interest in updating the journalism curriculum at AUT (Aukland University of Technology) to better reflect the impact of online media, including social media, on the work of journalists. The challenge for journalism educators is to remain relevant in rapidly changing news and education environments. Our study suggests that while the vast majority of students have some engagement with social media, particularly social networking, and are aware that it can be a powerful tool for journalists, they are still not entirely comfortable with its techniques and they are not experimenting with social media as a production platform as much as we first thought. In short, it appears that they do not have command of professional fluency with social media tools. In response to these findings we have begun to introduce some social media tools and processes directly into the units we teach, in particular: digital story-telling techniques; the use of Twitter and location-based applications; encouraging the ethical use of Facebook etc. for sourcing stories and talent for interviews; podcasting, soundslides and video for the Web, Dreamweaver, InDesign and PHP-based content management systems. We do not see the work to date as the end-point of the changes that we know are necessary, but we are acutely aware of the limitations (structural, institutional and financial) that suggest we should continue with this small-steps approach for the foreseeable future.     

LibGuides and Web-Based Library Guides in Comparison: Is There a Pedagogical Advantage?

This study investigates whether the platform used to deliver a tutorial matters in online information literacy instruction and assesses the overall quality of an information literacy tutorial assignment given to an undergraduate survey class. The study asks whether there is any pedagogical advantage between information literacy tutorials created in the LibGuides library guide creation software and tutorials created as Web pages. This research question is relevant to current studies of online information literacy tutorials, particularly given the increasingly dominant but under-researched position of LibGuides in the academic library world for delivering guides and tutorials. Two separate groups of students completed LibGuides and Web page versions of the same information literacy tutorial assignment in a university undergraduate communication course. Survey results of these 89 students indicated that both the LibGuides and Web page platforms deliver online instruction content effectively and achieve learning objectives almost equally well. Results also indicated content areas within the assignment that could be strengthened.     

Near Field Communication: Introduction and Implications

Near field communication is an emerging technology that allows objects, such as mobile phones, computers, tags, or posters, to exchange information wirelessly across a small distance. Though primarily associated with mobile payment, near field communication has many different potential commercial applications, ranging from marketing to nutrition, transportation, gaming, and health care. In libraries, near field communication could enhance outreach and existing services such as self-checkout. More importantly, near field communication also serves as a new way to link physical materials with digital information, potentially transforming the way users interact with the information environment. This introduction to near field communication will address its background and functionality, its current and anticipated commercial applications, and its potential effect on libraries, librarians, and library patrons. The authors of the article will also discuss the time frame for mainstream adoption, and the privacy and security concerns of this new technology.     

体育与艺术：身体美学下的审美体验

以身体美学为核心对象,从个体内部的审美素养与外部的媒介传播出发,纳入审美偏爱的调节效应,对个体体育艺术审美体验的作用机制进行系统剖析。研究发现,审美观念、审美知识与审美能力是主体感受体育艺术审美活动的基本素养,其与外部传播媒介会共同促进个体在体育艺术审美过程的感知体验。研究认为,正视个体对体育艺术活动的客观表达可以弱化人们的主观认识与评价,有效促进审美主体在审美过程中的情感体验;提高审美素养将有助于个体在体育艺术活动审美中产生更丰富的体验感,进而获得满足感、愉悦感。     

Formal Teacher Competence and its Effect on Pupil Reading Achievement

The main aim of this study was to investigate the impact of formal teacher competence on pupils' reading achievement. The data comes from the Swedish participation in PIRLS 2001 in grade 3. Information was obtained from pupils (n = 5271) and teachers (n = 351). The analyses were conducted using 2-level structural equation modeling. Teacher competence was operationalized with multiple observed indicators and defined as a latent variable. Two measures of achievement were used: PIRLS 2001 reading test results and teacher judgement of pupil performance in the Swedish language. The results reveal that teacher competence was positively and similarly related to both achievement measures. No selection effects in terms of pupil socioeconomic status were found. The current study provides evidence for a strong impact of teacher competence on pupil reading achievement.     

PISA and scientific literacy: similarities and differences between the nordic countries

In this paper we have set out to search for similarities and differences between the Nordic countries concerning patterns of competencies defined as scientific literacy in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study. The first part focuses on gender differences concerning the two types of competencies, understanding of scientific concepts versus skills in scientific reasoning, based on analyses of sum scores of groups of items. The second part focuses on differences and similarities between countries based on item‐by‐item analyses. Correlations between each Nordic country (as well as the Nordic group as a whole) and every other country have been used to look for a Nordic pattern. In the last part cluster analysis has been used to see how countries establish clusters and whether these clusters represent meaningful groups in a geographical, cultural or political context.