Critical Imagination: Serious play with narrative and gender

Narrative is one of the primary ways of human knowing, both of the physical and social worlds and of the self. Feminist post-structuralist theory can give teachers insights into the ongoing processes by which children construct feminine and masculine gender identities through narrative. It can provide a framework within which they might begin to make a wider range of narrative positionings available to both girls and boys. The cognitive, ethical and imaginative implications of this process for classroom practice can be taken up in the work of critical imagination. Three strategies are suggested for teachers: the deconstruction of lived and told storylines; the development of a reflective ethical practice congruent with post-structuralist understandings of the self and the world; and the writing/telling/adapting of multitudes of stories that interrupt binary thinking.     

An integrated model of professional expertise and its implications for higher education

The nature of professional expertise has been widely debated in the literature. However it has been examined primarily from a dichotomy of perspectives—either from an experiential or a cognitive focus, without the attempt to integrate these, and other aspects of expertise into an integrated and coherent model. This article presents the conclusions and a model of professional expertise emerging from a study set in the context of medical imaging in Auckland, New Zealand. The aims of this study were to: (a) evaluate the contrasting models of professional expertise; (b) demonstrate that the theoretical knowledge base and cognitive development of professionals cannot be separated from practice, and that current models of expertise inadequately integrate these dimensions; and (c) advance an integrated model of expert professional practice, which was refined through empirical research in the field of medical imaging. The study used a case study research method, and gathered data using interviews and critical incident recording from expert professionals over an extended time frame. This method was employed in order to uncover the interaction of significant factors characteristic of professional expertise. This required an in‐depth approach and the extensive collection of contextually relevant data to enable the understanding required. Findings showed that while expertise is situated in the context of practice, it incorporates several dimensions working together in an integrated, seamless fashion through the medium of the individual practitioner. The participants identified and illustrated that expertise in medical imaging is a synthesis of a particular knowledge base, the cognitive processes, personality and internal processes of the practitioner. It manifests through, and builds on, interpersonal relationships with patients and other professionals, and is expressed through the actual doing of professional practice. It is through the reflexive examination of practice and management of change that professionals may transform these integrated aspects into the qualitative state of expertise. The study has implications for future research in other domains of professional expertise, and for the design and implementation of programmes of professional education, both formal and continuing professional development.     

You Never Show You Can't Cope: Women in school leadership roles managing their emotions

In Australia, as elsewhere, education systems and schools are being reformed and restructured. Leadership in times of change is a highly emotionally charged activity. People working in leadership positions are constantly being assailed by the emotional demands placed on them by their peers, students and members of the community. Drawing on the experiences of a group of women in leadership positions in primary and secondary schools in Queensland, Australia, the author illustrates the emotional labour of these women negotiating the demands of continual change. In this article it is argued that the emotions of people working in leadership positions are regulated by emotional rules that are implicit within the organisational ethos of the education system and the school itself. Their emotional responses are shaped by the contextual exigencies in which they work. In the final part of the article the author proposes that there is a need to understand how women are negotiating the emotional terrain that is a consequence of change in their schools and poses some questions that could be used to guide future research activities.     

EFFECTIVENESS OF USING GAMES IN TERTIARY-LEVEL MATHEMATICS CLASSROOMS

The primary focus of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of games when used in tertiary-level mathematics classes in the United Arab Emirates. Our study incorporated a mixed-method approach that involved surveys (to assess students?? perceptions of the learning environment and attitudes towards mathematics), interviews, observations of classes and narrative stories. A sample of 90 students from 3 tertiary-level institutions in Abu Dhabi participated in the study. In-depth qualitative data provided information about the introduction and use of games in mathematics. A narrative, based on classroom observations of students playing Jeopardy!-type mathematics games, provided insights into games in action in the classrooms. The data were analysed to examine students?? interactions during the games and to triangulate, clarify and explain students?? responses to the learning environment and attitude questionnaires. To examine pre?Cpost differences in students perceptions of the learning environment and their attitudes, 2 questionnaires were administered to students before and after the introduction of games. Pre?Cpost differences for 3 of the 6 learning environment scales (Teacher Support, Involvement, Personal Relevance) and both attitude scales (Enjoyment of Mathematics Lessons and Academic Efficacy scales) were statistically significant. Information obtained from interviews with students and teachers were used to explain the pre?Cpost differences.     

Policy as Dialogue: Feminist administrators working for educational change

The focus of this paper is upon the way in which feminist educators as administrative 'leaders' conceptualised policy within what could be described as the 'masculinist' bureaucratic culture of an Australian state bureaucracy. The paper arises out of a larger research project focusing upon the ways in which change was viewed by women who have moved from voluntary and reform oriented work in teacher, curriculum and parent organisations into senior administrative positions in the late 1980s. This paper considers how they strategically addressed issues about the production of policy within a culture which was informed by particularly technicist views of bureaucratic rationality whilst negotiating the personal contradictions and tensions of being administrators and feminist educators working for more equitable forms of education.