Inventing and commemorating Queen Elizabeth School,Ilorin, in Nigeria (1956–2016)

ABSTRACT

This article explores the establishment of Queen Elizabeth School (QES), the first government secondary school for girls in Northern Nigeria in 1956, and commemorations in 1961, 1981 and 2016. Connecting past and present, several invented traditions were deployed to socialise students, secure QES’s reputation and status, and foster national unity among Nigeria’s diverse peoples. In 1961, British Woman Education Officer Kathleen Player, the foundation principal, highlighted QES’s alignment with the traditions of the British Public school and its commitment to ‘unity in diversity’ following Nigeria’s independence in 1960. She was honoured during QES’s twenty-fifth anniversary in 1981, and new traditions promoted institutional and national loyalties. However, the 2016 commemoration coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of Sir Ahmado Bello, the Premier of Northern Nigeria (1954–1966). In this context, Player’s legacy and the colonial past were marginalised in favour of Bello as founder of QES and symbol of national unity.     

试论高校校长选拔体制的改革

高校校长选拔体制沿用党政干部选拔体制的做法,没有体现出高校作为高级人才培养和知识创造机构的固有特征,难以使高校成为教育家们实现教育理想的舞台。阻碍教育家们进入高校领导领域的主要原因,是人们对于高校性质、宗旨及职责的模糊或浅显认识。以聘任制代替任命制,既不会违背党管干部的原则,又是高校校长成为教育家的理想途径。     

Teachers on Reddit? Exploring contributions and interactions in four teaching-related subreddits

Abstract

The website Reddit has received scant attention from educational researchers despite the presence of numerous teaching-related subreddits that host thousands of threaded conversations. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial comparison of discussions occurring in several different affinity spaces on Reddit. Because of the lack of relevant prior research, there was no baseline for what to expect in Reddit discussions, so all posts and responses in four different teaching-related subreddits over the course of a full year were analyzed to answer three research questions: How much did individuals contribute to different subreddits? What content interactions occurred in different subreddits? What social interactions occurred in different subreddits? Comparative quantitative analysis revealed substantial differences among the subreddits in terms of levels of voting and network characteristics. Results suggest that Reddit hosts diverse spaces that could present benefits and challenges for educators. These findings are addressed in relation to the extant literature and implications for educational practice and future research.     

Collaboration between teacher educators and schools to enhance development

The article focuses on school-based development and how collaboration between teacher educators and leaders and teachers can promote development in teacher education, in school and in the collaboration site in school where both parties meet. The data were collected in Norway through qualitative interviews with groups of teachers and leaders at three schools, and with a group of teacher educators. With the Cultural Historical Activity Theory as the framework, central concepts within this theory have been key elements in the study. The findings reveal that collective collaborative learning is a positive form of enhancing the professional development of teachers and that both structure and culture should interact when fostering development in school. The study also shows that the development of teacher educators’ research competence can enhance development and learning both in teacher education and in school, and also improve the developmental transfer between these two arenas.     

Changes in the World Created by the Journal of Science Education and Technology:Future Directions and New Initiatives

This paper deals with the mission of the Journal of Science Education and Technology; the people who are helping to further this mission; our review philosophy, policies, and electronic review process; and important information for authors, readers, practitioners, students, and administrators to know. It also includes announcements about new features in the Journal, and two book series: Innovations in Science Education and Technology and Classics in Science Education and calls for papers and book ideas to be submitted to cohenka@aol.com.     

Reflective Teaching in the Early Years: A Case for Mentoring Diverse Educators

Student diversity in classrooms is on the rise and with it, a need for teachers who recognize the needs of diverse student populations. Teacher retention is a national crisis, with teachers of color at especially high risk for leaving the teaching profession early. This case study describes a collaborative mentoring approach used by a primary grades Latina teacher and two university professors. This approach focused on reflective discussion of classroom events and addressed the challenges of teaching for understanding in an age of accountability and changing demographics. Findings indicate that the beginning teacher’s enthusiasm combined with the expertise of teacher educators benefited the teacher, the students, other teachers in the school, and the participating university professors. Implications of this case study point towards the need to mentor diverse educators in the early years.     

论近代知识分子的文化转型——以晚清民国教育家群体为例

清末民初是中国社会化的转型期，中国教育近代化是在中与西、新与旧的氛围中展开的。在教育科学及思潮的传播变迁过程中，近代教育家充当了自身从传统到现代型的转换及西方教育思潮传播的双重角色。这一角色统一存在于中国教育近代化的一百多年历程中。     

Preparing Teacher Candidates to be “Effective” in the Classroom: Lessons Learned from National Teachers of the Year

Defining what it means to be an “effective teacher” is a difficult, but necessary, undertaking, as research reveals a correlation between teacher qualities and student success (Buchel and Edwards 2005 Buchel, T., and F. Edwards. 2005. Characteristics of effective clinical teachers. Resid Educ. 37 (1):30–5. [Google Scholar]; Darling-Hammond 2000 Darling-Hammond, L. 2000. Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy. Seattle: University of Washington Press. doi: 10.1086/ahr/106.2.595-a.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Lupascu, Pânisoa, and Pânisoar 2014; Stronge 2007 Stronge, J. H. 2007. Qualities of effective teachers. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. [Google Scholar]). The literature on this topic clearly demonstrates that there is no consensus on exactly what traits and characteristics truly define an effective teacher. Given this lack of agreement, the question for teacher educators becomes how do we prepare teacher candidates to be effective in the classroom when researchers, policymakers, and administrators can’t agree on the traits that encompass what the system has come to deem an “effective” teacher?

Throughout this article, we share our findings from an exploratory case study of National Teachers of the Year. Through an analysis of personal teacher of the year narratives and nomination letters, we learned that even in the ever-changing world of education, specific characteristics and philosophies which support and exemplify outstanding teaching have remained constant over the years. Award winning educators agree that teacher effectiveness is realized only through the intersection of curriculum, relationships, collaboration, engagement, and a commitment to further one’s learning. In this article, we offer insight into each of these ideological constants and discuss the implications they have for today’s teacher education programs.     

高职院校思想政治教育工作者素质探讨

高职院校思想政治工作的成效与思想政治工作者素质密切相关,本文分析了高职院校思想政治工作者素质现状,指出高职院校要更好的改进和实施思想政治工作,必须从内在的提高教育者自身素质和外在加强思想政治工作队伍建设两个方面着手来提高高职院校思想政治工作的实效性。