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Moving forward with early childhood care and education (ECCE) post-2015 in the Asia Pacific region: an analysis of global and national policy goals
No full textThis paper presents a thematic analysis of documents produced during a recent ‘Regional Policy Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)’, attended by over 200 participants including representatives from key international donor organisations and high-level officials from over 30 countries across the Asia Pacific region. The paper begins by providing a brief overview of international developments in ECCE over the past two decades, highlighting a growing argument that points to the need for a shift in policy and programming agendas away from target setting at international levels, towards the promotion and support of localized, contextually grounded approaches to supporting policies and programmes in ECCE. In an attempt to find ways of establishing empirical support for this argument, the paper explores the extent to which key messages delivered by international donor organizations and representatives at the Policy Forum can be seen to reflect the current activities and concerns of countries within the region (as expressed through individual country reports presented during the forum). Based on results of this analysis, the paper concludes with recommendations for balancing the ‘local’ and ‘international’ influence on policy making and agenda setting as countries in the Asia Pacific region move forward with provision of formalized ECCE post-2015
Middle Saxon settlement and society: the changing rural communities of central and eastern England
No full textThis book explores the experiences of rural communities who lived between the seventh and ninth centuries in central and eastern England. Combining archaeology with documentary, place-name and topographic evidences, it shows the way in which the settlements in which people lived provide a unique insight into social, economic and political conditions in 'Middle Saxon' England. The material derived from excavations within currently-occupied rural settlements represents a particularly informative dataset, and when combined with other evidence illustrates that the seventh to ninth centuries was a period of fundamental social change that impacted rural communities in significant and lasting ways. The transformation of settlement character was part of a more widespread process of landscape investment during the 'Middle Saxon' period, as rapidly stratifying social institutions began to manifest power and influence through new means. Such an analysis represents a significant departure from the prevailing scholarly outlook of the early medieval landscape, which continues to posit that the countryside of England remained largely unchanged until the development of historic villages from the ninth century onward. In this regard, the evidence presented by this book from currently-occupied rural settlements provides substantial backing to the idea that many historic villages emerged as part of a two-stage process which began during the 'Middle Saxon' period. Whilst it was only following subsequent change that recognisable later village plans began to take shape, key developments between the seventh and ninth centuries helped articulate the form and identity of rural centres, features that in many instances persisted throughout the medieval period and into the present day
Losing the whole child? A national survey of primary education training provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
No full textInternational concerns about the performativity agenda in schools gives rise to concerns about the neglect of a holistic approach to teaching and learning. Whilst schools in England and Wales are legally obliged to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of children, little is known about how initial teacher training providers prepare trainees to do so. This project aims to address this gap in the literature. This paper details the findings of phase one of a National Survey which investigates trainers’ approaches to delivery and their views on the place of SMSC in primary schools. Findings suggest that trainers value SMSC, but time devoted to it is relatively low and policy changes are perceived to threaten SMSC’s security. The paper argues that it is vital that trainers empower trainees to understand the importance of holistic themes of their respective curricula, informed by critical engagement with theory, in order to avoid them being overshadowed by the performativity discourse
Understanding receptivity to informal supportive cancer care in regional and rural Australia: a Heideggerian analysis
No full textThe concept of receptivity is a new way of understanding the personal and social factors that affect a person living with and beyond cancer, and how these factors influence access to formal supportive care service provision and planning. This article contributes to new knowledge through applying the concept of receptivity to informal supportive cancer care in regional Australia. Literature indicates that a cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience, particularly in regional communities, where survival rates are lower and there are significant barriers to accessing services. Heideggerian phenomenology informed the design of the study and allowed for a rich and nuanced understanding of participants lived experiences of informal supportive cancer care. These experiences were captured using in-depth interviews, which were subsequently thematically analysed. Nineteen participants were recruited from across regional Victoria, Australia. Participants self-reported a range of stages and types of cancer. Significantly, findings revealed that most participants were not referred to, and did not seek, formal supportive care. Instead, they were receptive to informal supportive care. Understanding receptivity and the role of anxiety and fear of death has implications for partners, family, community members, as well as professionals working with people with living with and beyond cancer
Creative Little Scientists: exploring pedagogical synergies between inquiry-based and creative approaches in early years science
No full textIn the light of the European Union's interest in creativity and innovation, this paper, drawing on data from the EU project Creative Little Scientists (2011–2014), explores the teaching and learning of science and creativity in Early Years education. The project's conceptual framework, developed from detailed analysis of relevant literatures, highlighted the potential existence of a number of pedagogical synergies between inquiry-based science and creativity-based approaches in Early Years education. The science and creativity literature reviews were thus re-examined to identify synergistic features of teaching and learning in the Early Years. These were seen to include: play and exploration, motivation and affect, dialogue and collaboration, problem-solving and agency, questioning and curiosity, reflection and reasoning, and teacher scaffolding and involvement. Field work undertaken over a 4-month-period in 48 sites across the 9 partner countries provided the opportunity to examine the existence of these synergies in Early Years settings and primary classrooms with learners aged 3–8 years. Qualitative in nature, the fieldwork was framed by a case study strategy encompassing multiple methods of data collection: sequential digital images capturing interactions; observations supplemented by audio recording; timelines; and interviews with teachers and groups of children. The data set comprised 71 cases in early science (and mathematics), with 3 episodes of activity per case encapsulating creativity in these domains, resulting in 218 episodes for analysis. A deductive–inductive analytical approach was undertaken in two phases with cross-case analysis both within and between countries. The paper exemplifies the pedagogical synergies innovatively identified in the conceptual framework and documented in the fieldwork, and highlights the potential for creativity in exploratory science contexts. Additionally, it highlights differences between practice observed in preschool and primary settings and advances a new conceptual definition of creativity within Early Years science education
Opportunity-centred entrepreneurship
No full textThe second edition of Opportunity-Centred Entrepreneurship focuses on the practical elements of opportunity creation, recognition and exploitation. It aims not simply to analyse what constitutes entrepreneurship, but also to enable you to develop your own entrepreneurial skills.
By taking a practical approach, this book connects the theory and practice of entrepreneurship in useful and insightful ways that can be applied in the real world.
It focuses on learning for, rather than about enterprise.
Key features:
• Unique focus on entrepreneurial opportunity creation and personal development
• Revised and restructured content, providing detailed and current case studies and examples
• Includes an introductory section on finance, with examples of cash flow, profit & loss, and balance sheets
• Can be used for self-study, group or class-based learnin
Exploring the 6-part-story method as performative reflection: reflections on embodied storytelling
No full textThe place and purpose of story and narrative at the heart of reflective practice, focusing specifically on the use of the 6-Part-Story-Method (or 6PSM) – a dramatherapeutic approach to storytelling
Cathedral engagement with young people
No full textThe Archbishops’ Commission on Cathedrals (1994) identified education as among the crucial purposes of cathedrals. This chapter analyzes the websites of fifteen cathedrals within the most urban dioceses of the Church of England and the Church in Wales in order to ascertain the variety of ways in which cathedrals are advancing the educational work of the Church in urban areas. The analysis distinguishes between four primary areas of activity, characterized as concerning school-related education, faith-related education, visitor-related education, and music-related education. Each of these four areas is illustrated by a case study profiling current practice
Ministry of the cathedral prayer board: Studying ordinary prayer
No full textAlthough church congregations in England and Wales continue to decline, churches and cathedrals are reaching out in new ways to respond to the spiritual quest of those who choose to visit these ancient buildings. In this environment the prayer board at Bangor Cathedral has attracted increasing interest in recent years. This study presents an analysis of 1,000 prayer requests posted on this prayer board, drawing on two fields of theory. The first field of theory concerns ordinary theology as defined by Jeff Astley. The second field of theory concerns an analytic framework for identifying the constituent components of ordinary prayer, distinguishing between prayer intention, prayer reference and prayer objective