Complicating ‘student behaviour’: exploring the discursive constitution of ‘learner subjectivities’

When educators consider ‘student behaviour’, they usually think about ‘problem behaviour’ such as disruption or defiance. This limited and limiting view of ‘student behaviour’ not only fails to acknowledge children as educational actors in a wider sense, but also narrowly positions educators as either in control or out of control of their classroom. Mainstream educational psychology’s responses to ‘challenging behaviour’ point educators to numerous ways to prevent its occurrence, through, for example, changing their disciplining approaches and techniques. However, much of the advice directed at improving student behaviour fails to interrogate the core notion of ‘student behaviour’ itself, as well as the conceptual baggage that it carries. The focus is squarely on eliminating ‘problem behaviour’ and often resorts to a pathologisation of students. Meanwhile, when considering ‘student behaviour’ through a Foucauldian post-structuralist optic, behaviour emerges as something highly complex – as spatialised, embodied action within/against governing discourses. In this opening up, it becomes both possible and critical to defamiliarise oneself with the categorisation of ‘challenging behaviour’ and to interrogate the discourses and subject positionings at play. In this paper, we pursue this task by asking: what happens with the notion of ‘behaviour’ if we change focus from ‘fixing problems’ to looking at the discursive constitution of ‘learner subjectivities’? What does it become possible to see, think, feel and do? In this exploration, we theorise ‘behaviour’ as learning and illustrate the constitution of ‘learner subjectivities’. Drawing on two case scenarios, we explore how children accomplish themselves as learners and how this accomplishment links the production of subjectivity and embodied action, and illustrate how ‘student/child behaviour’ appears significantly different to what mainstream educational psychology would have us see.     

Critical thinking as room for subjectification in Education for Sustainable Development

Issues of sustainability are complex and often steeped with ethical and political questions without predefined or general answers. This paper deals with how secondary and upper secondary teachers discuss these complex issues, by analysing their aims for Education for Sustainable Development. With inspiration from discourse theory, their articulations about students as political subjects are analysed. Critical thinking emerged as a nodal point in teachers’ discussions. In this study, critical thinking is articulated as having various qualitative meanings related to different epistemological views. On one hand, critical thinking is articulated to invite room for subjectification; but on the other hand, room for subjectification is challenged when critical thinking is articulated through the educational aims of qualification and socialisation. A consequence of changing epistemological view might be that political and ethical issues take a back seat.     

The problems with a ‘fact’-focused approach in environmental communication: the case of environmental risk information about tidal flat developments in Japan

One of the main approaches used in communicating environmental issues to citizens is conveying ‘factual’ information about a particular environment. However, despite previous research and recommendations made by critical environmental educators, there still seems to be a belief that the more ‘factual’ information one can convey, the more citizens will become aware of the issue, and this will prompt them to change their behaviours. In this article, I will argue that continuing with a ‘fact’-focused practice in Japan and elsewhere could be problematic for three key reasons: (1) it ignores diversity in the ‘facts’ provided to people; (2) it reinforces the ‘hierarchy of knowledge’; and (3) it ignores the ‘myth of nature’ among information receivers and senders. Key recommendations for incorporating a critical environmental education approach include utilising locally available environmental information on contentious environmental issues; investigating particular terminology used and missing information (including tacit knowledge); and encouraging critical learning about statistics and pictorial representations.     

Incorporating a transformational learning perspective in action learning sets

A field study focused on learning capabilities within action learning sets was used to evaluate potential opportunities between action learning and transformational learning. The use of action learning as a methodology for the acquisition, sharing and transfer of information while integrating an added perspective for transformational learning within the action learning set was investigated. There could be occurrences of transformation within action learning and critical action learning sets. However, there could be the added possibility of using action learning as a potential vehicle for an enhanced or more specific focus on transformational learning. It is useful to explore this potential, especially when there is an increased awareness regarding associations between action learning and transformational learning. Within such learning environments, there could also be the increased potential for outcomes that transform an individual, group or organization. The use of transformational elements based on discussions and resulting themes that occur within action learning sessions are discussed with the aim of encouraging personal development, enhancing skills and engaging in adult learning that could lead to organizational development. Recommendations for these environments are also presented.     

外语专业研究生与非外语专业研究生评判性思维能力培养研究

评判性思维能力乃研究生创新能力的重要基础,是其从事科学研究必备的基本能力。在历时一年的研究调查中发现,研究生教育的培养方式能够促进学生评判性思维的提高,同时,外语专业研究生与非外语专业研究生评判性思维能力培养过程的差异性导致了他们之间评判性能力存在差异。     

综合英语人文化课堂教学模式探讨--以综合英语第五册第一课《七月四日》为例

综合英语作为英语专业的核心课程,既要训练学生的综合语言技能,又要培养学生的人文素养。该文探讨提出人文化课堂教学新模式：课堂教学进行人文内容拓展结合课外人文教学的研究型任务拓展,进而深化英语专业改革。     

如何培养本科翻译专业学生的批判性思维--以两堂汉译英翻译赏析课为例

近年来,不少外语界专家认为外语专业的学生缺乏批判性思维。在本科笔译教学中,笔者发现刚接触翻译的学生尤其如此。他们容易相信网上的译文,把外教和教师的话当做权威,做翻译的过程中缺乏批判性思维。因此,该文中探讨两节汉英翻译赏析课中如何采用案例教学和数据驱动方法帮助学生培养批判性思维。     

大学英语专业学生批判性思维能力的培养

当今世界,各国对创新型人才的竞争愈演愈烈。创新型人才的显著特点是具有批判性思维。长期以来,我国大学英语专业教学存在的重知识传授、轻思维能力培养的倾向,直接影响着创新型英语人才的成长。为了提高我国的国际竞争力,满足社会发展对创新型英语人才的需求,大学英语专业面临着一场以培养学生批判性思维能力为核心的教学改革。这场教学改革成功的关键在于：坚持“以学生为本”的教育观;营造自主学习的育人环境;调整课程设置与拓展教学内容;加强学生批判性思维能力的训练。     

An interview with Professor Barbara Comber

As part of this special issue on ‘Literacy for social justice’, and at this moment of post-pandemic transitions in education, we invited Professor Barbara Comber to reflect on the needs for and trends in critical literacy education, both in her local context, in Australia, and internationally. In September 2022, we met with Barbara online to discuss her thoughts about what critical literacy educators need, how scholars and educators can work together to produce change, and where we can see hope in critical literacy and social justice education right now, as part of promising anti-racist, decolonizing, and intersectional literacy frameworks and practices.     

Assessing and developing critical-thinking skills in higher education

Generic skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and communication are essential for students' success in higher education and their careers. This article presents findings from an international study of students' (n ≈ 120,000) generic skills from six countries using a performance-based assessment. Results indicate that higher education students, on average, gain generic skills between entry and exit. However, learning gain is less marked than could be expected and varies significantly among country samples. Various background variables such as gender, ethnicity, parental level of education, and primary language are also explored. The authors conclude that it is feasible to reliably and validly measure generic skills in a cross-cultural context and that assessment of these skills is an essential component of best practices in higher education.