Resisting Erasure and Developing Networks of Solidarity: Testimonios of Two Puerto Rican Scholars in the Academy

In this article, we share findings from a critical qualitative study aimed at better understanding the ways that language, history, and geography mediate our work and identities as educational researchers. As scholars whose particular sociocultural and political histories are often absent in scholarly discussions about language and education, we use the intergenerational sharing of testimonios as both methodology and narrative development to gain a deeper understanding of experiences involving the learning and use of English that influence our academic careers. We theorize our experiences as resisting erasure and contribute to Latina epistemology scholarship and critical educational research about Puerto Ricans in the United States. Moreover, we forward the concept of funds of knowledge as a professional practice. Telling our stories and developing mentoring networks is necessary for our individual and collective functioning and well-being as scholars; it cultivates solidarity as a means of thriving in the academy.     

宋人哲理诗：巅峰前的创新

宋人哲理诗的巧妙和方法是大大有别于西方哲理诗的“中国式哲理诗”的新样式，它以“哲理之理”和“事理之理”入诗，使得诗歌突破了“以情动人”的唯一表达模式，实现了“以理服人”的含蓄化，这是宋代诗人才气的表现，也是他们在唐代诗歌艺术巅峰面前的创新。     

Perceptions of optimal conditions for teaching and learning: a case study from Flinders University

Effective teaching and learning in higher education is an important focal point of literature around the globe. Various models are presented as desirable and fostering optimal conditions for teaching and learning. However, each model must be examined within the context of its institutional culture, mission and strategic plan to ascertain if it meets the envisaged goals. The Reinventing Teaching Project survey conducted at Flinders University in 2009 provided a unique opportunity for academic staff and students across all faculties to respond to a survey that explored their perceptions of optimal learning conditions and assessed if the campus environment was conducive to effective teaching and learning practices. The exploratory study was designed to gather qualitative and quantitative data on the motivation of teachers and learners to engage with learning and learners (or not). The results of the survey present valuable insights into what teachers and learners consider to be important attributes of optimal teaching and learning and indicate a number of similarities and differences among teacher-student perceptions. This paper identifies and discusses some of the pertinent outcomes of the study to provide a framework for other similar studies.     

Using Rasch Measurement Theory to Examine Two Instructional Approaches for Teaching and Learning of French Grammar

ABSTRACT

A new model of reflective practice for student teachers on school placement was implemented into a teacher education program. The model aimed to encourage critical reflection that challenged hegemonic assumptions and power relations. In contrast to this, the analysis of the student teachers’ reflections revealed a desire to fit in and conform. Reflections portrayed student teachers’ allegiance to conventional practices rather than a critique of them. Issues associated with power relations remained uncontested. The authors explore possible reasons for these low levels of critique and examines the normative effect of cultural practices on student teachers’ reflections.     

“War Through Children’s Eyes” in the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] Collection

In 1981, Hoover Institution Press published a collection of testimonies of Polish citizens and their children deported to the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1941. War Through Children’s Eyes contained English translations of compositions, interviews, and testimonies from the Polish Government Collection at the Hoover Institution Archives. In the 1980s efforts were underway in Poland to collect similar personal stories of survivors of Soviet deportations, including children’s testimonies. The result was the creation of the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] and the KARTA Center in Warsaw. The archive, legalized after the fall of Communism in 1990, is a major primary source collection dealing with the history of former Polish eastern territories. The paper discusses parts of the Archiwum Wschodnie collection focusing on the testimonies of children deported to the Soviet Union. The trauma of war and displacement is examined through personal stories and testimonies of deportees.     

Indigenous knowledge and the machinist metaphors of the bricoleur researcher

This paper explores the intersection between critical methodologies and Indigenous knowledge. It is especially concerned with the ways in which the metaphors associated with the bricoleur researcher – tools and production – conceptualize Indigenous knowledge to that of an ecology and environmental work. This limits the appreciation for and engagement with narrative, and the ways in which “ecological” knowledge is embedded in narrative practices and interpretive processes. The author puts the work of Anishinaabe novelist and theorist Gerald Vizenor in conversation with the writings of J. Kincheloe as a way not only to contrast the central metaphors in critical and Indigenous methodologies, but similarly to highlight the differences between a bricoleur language of research and an Aboriginal language of survivance.     

Re-presenting the ‘forgotten estate’: participatory theatre,place and community identity

In this article, we discuss the work undertaken in the first phase of a participatory theatre project which took place on a council housing estate in the Midlands of England, in which residents were invited to share their memories for a production which would present the history of the estate. This community is often characterised as deficient, ageing, welfare-oriented, low in educational attainment and aspiration. Interviews and field notes suggest that there was not a great amount of hope within the community for the success of a participatory arts project such as this. However, the performance attracted a large number of participants who performed to full houses over five nights. Using a place-based approach, we argue that a model of open participation led to the presentation of alternative, more positive, narratives of this community as a place to live.     

论利奥塔的后现代科学哲学

在后现代主义科学哲学的视域中 ,利奥塔通过对科学知识与叙事知识流变的历史考察 ,揭示了知识合法化的危机 ,构建了后现代的实用知识观 ,从而展现了现代科学哲学发展的困境和后现代科学哲学的前景。     

Children with Down Syndrome Sharing Past Personal Event Narratives with Their Teacher Aides: A Pilot Study

Personal narrative ability is crucial for social–emotional well-being and classroom participation. This study investigated the ability of 10 school-age participants with Down syndrome to share past personal experiences with their teacher aides in their school environment. To participate, children were required to speak in short sentences and be largely intelligible to unfamiliar listeners. Personal narratives were elicited using photo prompts, comprising a set of the child’s own photographs and a standard set of photographs and accompanying verbal prompts, utilising a clinical language sampling protocol. Personal narratives were analysed on quality, syntactic complexity, verbal fluency and intelligibility. Examiner behaviour was evaluated for measures of syntactic complexity, mean turn length in utterances and number of utterances. Results indicated significant difficulties in producing quality personal narratives in both photo conditions. Examiner behaviour was negatively correlated to the participants’ spoken language performance. Clinical implications are highlighted.