Feminist tales of teaching and resistance: reimagining gender in early childhood education (Reggio Emilia,Italy)

ABSTRACT

This article investigates whether the memories of women’s movements that grew out of the Italian Resistance to the Nazi-Fascist Regime during the Second World War have left any legacy to women teachers in early childhood education. The article focuses on the case of internationally renowned and high-quality schools for young children, the municipal schools of a northern Italian town called Reggio Emilia. In contrast to much of the literature on gender and early childhood education, this paper reveals that many women teachers in these schools think of themselves as agents of social change, and that this is tied to their memories of the Italian Resistance.     

Old Symbols for New Journeys: Re-Imagining Transdisciplinary Collaboration for Learning and Transformative Practice in Education

Abstract

The community engagement project described in this article took the form of the re-invention and re-interpretation of a historic symbol (Diana the elephant) on the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University (NWU), South Africa. In 2015, the Faculty of Education Sciences invited staff and students to reinterpret the elephant (a symbol of education, longevity, wisdom, care, stamina, memory) in a new and more multicultural, multilingual, inclusive and environmentally conscious South Africa. The participatory process described, and the related outcomes, involved learning by students and academics across disciplines (the conceptualisation, design, engineering and creation of the structure) and collaboration between academics, children and adults from the community, all with a strong servicelearning dimension in relation to teacher education.     

Sweat lactate response during cycling at 30°C and 18°C WBGT

Sweat lactate reflects eccrine gland metabolism. However, the metabolic tendencies of eccrine glands in a hot versus thermoneutral environment are not well understood. Sixteen male volunteers completed a maximal cycling trial and two 60-min cycling trials [30°C?=?30±1°C and 18°C?=?18±1°C wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)]. The participants were requested to maintain a cadence of 60 rev?·?min^?1 with the intensity individualized at ～ 90% of the ventilatory threshold. Sweat samples at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60?min were analysed for lactate concentration. Sweat rate at 30°C (1380±325?ml?·?h^?1) was significantly greater (P<0.05) than at 18°C (632±311?ml?·?h^?1). Sweat lactate concentration was significantly greater (P<0.05) at each time point during the 18°C trial, with values between trials tending to converge across time. During the 30°C trial, both heart rate (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60?min) and rectal temperature (30, 40, 50 and 60?min) were significantly higher than in the 18°C trial. Higher sweat lactate concentrations coupled with lower sweat rates may indicate a greater relative contribution of oxygen-independent metabolism within eccrine glands during exercise at 18°C. Decreases in sweat lactate concentration across time suggest either greater dilution due to greater sweat volume or increased reliance on aerobic metabolism within eccrine glands. The convergence of lactate concentrations between trials may indicate that time-dependent modifications in sweat gland metabolism occur at different rates contingent partially on environmental conditions.     

‘Wounded memory’, post-war gender conflict and narrative identity: reinterpreting Reggio Emilia Schools’ origin stories

In this article, memory is examined as it relates to origin stories of the Reggio Emilia approach – an internationally renowned Italian education programme – and to the articulation of women’s experiences of gender and their narrative identity in this very particular context. The article shows that a number of women who partook in the founding of the Reggio Emilia schools suffer from what Ricoeur terms ‘wounded memory’, which occurs when public recognition and legitimisation of one’s own narrative is actively marginalised, suppressed or erased in historical, official and institutional accounts. The author describes this experience and feeling shared by the Reggio Emilia women who were interviewed and argues that this ‘wounded memory’ can be linked to a wider concern with gender inequality. The article concludes by presenting some of the missing accounts of leadership, creativity and initiative that were gathered among these women whose memory has been wounded.     

Adult Attachment,Cognitive Appraisal,and University Students' Reactions to Romantic Infidelity

This study examined the relationships between adult attachment, cognitive appraisal, and university students' behavioral and emotional reactions to infidelity situations in romantic relationships. Results based on 173 university students suggested that both attachment and cognitive appraisals significantly predicted distinct types of infidelity reactions and that participants' cognitive appraisal mediated the effects of attachment on behavioral and emotional reactions. Counseling applications for university counselors are discussed on the basis of attachment perspectives and cognitive appraisal models.