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.     

Equality or equity: Gender awareness issues in secondary schools in Pakistan

This paper focuses on gender awareness issues as a dimension of addressing the wider issue of the quality of education in Pakistan from the perspective of social justice. In Pakistan classrooms, boys and girls learn separately and therefore teachers and others tend to think that there are no gender issues once access is achieved and the learners are in the classroom. However, beyond access there are several factors that compromise quality of education and raise issues for gender equity as an element of social justice. These issues are examined in the context of a professional development intervention on promoting gender awareness among secondary mathematics teachers in disadvantaged schools in rural Pakistan.     

Mentor, Mentee and Mathematics: A Story of Professional Development

In this paper, I critically examine my role as a mentor to a group of mid-career mathematics teachers, to better understand how mentoring practices influence teacher learning. The teachers taught mathematics to Grades 5 or 6. They planned and taught lessons to promote conceptual understanding of mathematics through the use of discussions, and reflected on their own and pupils' learning in the process. The study lasted for a year. It draws on qualitative data from sources such as semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and teachers' reflective journals. As a mentor/researcher I found that in the case of mentees' perception of the mentor as a problem solver or evaluator of performance learning was inhibited, whereas mentor and mentee relationships established on mutual trust supported mentees' personal and professional growth. The close work with the teachers also gave me insights into aspects of learning influenced by teachers' beliefs and understanding of mathematics and of how learning takes place. The study has implications for other such teacher education initiatives, particularly in the context of developing countries like Pakistan. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Teachers as agents of peace? Exploring teacher agency in social cohesion in Pakistan

This paper studies an under-researched area – teachers’ role in peacebuilding in conflict-affected contexts – through exploring teacher agency for social cohesion in Pakistan. Insights are sought into teachers’ perspectives on the major drivers of conflict in society and the role of education and teachers in social cohesion and mitigating inequities in education. A 4Rs framework of redistribution, recognition, representation and reconciliation was employed to analyse data gathered from: interviews with and classroom observations of teacher educators; focus-group discussions with and a questionnaire completed by pre- and in-service teachers; and analysis of teacher education and school curriculum texts. While teachers expressed a nuanced understanding of the conflict drivers in society and appreciated the significance of education in peacebuilding, they subscribed to assimilationist approaches to social cohesion, which were aligned with curriculum texts and promoted official nation-building agendas. Additionally, teachers saw issues of social cohesion as peripheral to the core academic curriculum. Teachers’ identity was integrally linked to their religious affiliations.     

How does rocket propulsion work?

The most common answer to the above question is — hot jet of gas comes out of the nozzle of the rocket engine at high speeds and as a reaction the rocket moves (is propelled) in the opposite direction [1]. But is this answer right? Let us explore what goes on inside a rocket engine and arrive at the right answer.     

How teachers become action researchers in Pakistan: emerging patterns from a qualitative metasynthesis

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how teachers become action researchers in the context of Pakistan in view of the attempts by the Ministry of Education to reconceptualize teachers as researchers. A metasynthesis of 20 action research theses by MEd students of a private university as part of their program requirements illustrates that teachers found action research to be both complex and messy. The dual role of the teacher and researcher was difficult to balance, and teachers carried the double burden of bringing about change and creating valid knowledge in schools where the prime concerns were syllabus completion and the passing of examinations. Supervision support to enhance skills of reflection and observation is required. The study shows that teachers can learn to undertake action research provided they are offered strong support. The way forward for these reform efforts is to educate the relatively small number of teacher educators in action research to enable them to offer support to pre‐service and in‐service teachers. An additional means to bring about this change is to encourage the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to enforce the curriculum guidelines that include action research in the teacher education curriculum.