University of Guelph hosted OJS journals
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Student-on-teacher violence in South Africa’s Tshwane South District of Gauteng Province: Voices of the victims
No full textSchool violence is a growing concern globally and schools in South Africa find it difficult to manage the problem of learner behaviour. Despite various educational policies and frameworks developed to prevent school violence, the system continues to fail teachers. Due to violence, schools are no longer safe places for teachers and learners. In South Africa, teachers are regularly exposed to physical violence and verbal attacks by learners. Recent media reports about teachers being attacked by learners clearly show an intent to inflict severe physical harm on the teacher. This qualitative study was conducted in one province in South Africa underpinned by the National School Safety Framework. This qualitative study aimed to understand the lived experience of teachers who had experienced violence against them by learners. The findings revealed that teachers are experiencing social, emotional and psychological trauma. Many teachers cannot perform their duties fruitfully and are constantly anxious to go to school. Emanating from this study, the following recommendations have been proposed: the Department of Education in South Africa should enforce its numerous policies and guidelines to protect teachers against violence. Social and psychological support services should be made available to teachers who have experienced violence. A stricter disciplinary code of conduct should be implemented in all schools for learners
Implementing competence about vision disturbances in Tanzania’s teacher education: A contextual analysis
No full textAround the world, schoolchildren suffer from vision disturbances that may challenge their ability to learn to read and write. Often teachers lack the competences to identify and help children who struggle with vision problems. This study is a part of a Norwegian-Tanzanian research project with intentions to strengthen teachers’ competences on identifying and improving pupils’ vision problems. With a qualitative research design, we analyse how contextual factors of task, time, scale and direction provided possibilities and barriers for implementing the new competence in Tanzanian special needs teacher education, and for scaling up the competence to mainstream teacher education. The task, timing, and direction of the capacity building meant that the efforts were well received in special needs teacher education. The core ideas of the competence building corresponded with the national education strategies for inclusive education and may spread awareness on learning difficulties amongst teachers. Teachers’ knowledge and awareness of vision disturbances and other learning problems may contribute to enhancing inclusive educational goals. However, further scaling up of the competence to ordinary teachers and into mainstream classrooms is hindered by factors related to task and scale, in particular a dual-track educational system and lack of teacher competencies.
Farmer-Led Learning: Innovative Best Management Practices in Ontario
No full textAs rising fuel prices and climate pressures threaten the profitability, productivity and longevity of Ontario’s potato sector, diverse actors (public, private, academic, farmer) are discovering innovative, sustainable Best Management Practices to address these challenges. Limited research examining the multi-dimensional motivations and behavioural drivers impacting farmers’ ability and willingness to apply these BMPs has limited their uptake, contributing to the continued use of conventional methods. Examining transition pathways for Ontario’s potato sector, this study works with potato producers (smallholder, organic, conventional) in Southern Ontario to identify innovative BMPs, and the factors which motivate farmers to apply them. Conceptualizing ‘BMPs’ only as in-field practices, research ignores how wider systemic actions across the value chain enable and support farmers’ uptake of alternative methods. Survey results captured baseline socio-demographic information and provided data to understand challenges, approaches, and limitations farmers face when exploring alternative production methods. Findings show farmers are most concerned about changing climate conditions and rising costs, and feel most limited by encroachment of government regulations. Triangulating survey results with observations from initial field-visits, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation, our research illustrates the wide diversity of approaches applied by farmers to address issues of sustainability, while also showing how complex social and structural constraints guide, shape or limit both the approaches available to individuals, and their desire to apply alternative practices. This research exposes structural and social factors limiting sustainable transitions in Ontario’s potato sector, highlighting potential areas for future research, policy support and farmer-led action
Regenerative agriculture: increasing plant diversity and soil carbon sequestration on agricultural landscapes
No full textSoil carbon sequestration is a proposed method of mitigating climate change by removing atmospheric carbon dioxide and depositing it in soil. Sustainable agricultural systems such as regenerative agriculture are capitalizing on the opportunity for soil carbon sequestration to be a positive outcome of new land management practices. Regenerative agriculture is a soil-focused approach to farming with the goal of supporting soil health by increasing biodiversity and soil-focused practices. This article explores the possibility of regenerative agriculture’s land management practices to impact soil carbon sequestration via the promotion of plant biodiversity restoration. Examining studies testing the effects of three sustainable practices on soil carbon storage: agroforestry, crop diversification, and crop rotation, as well as native restoration efforts, a positive relationship is found between plant diversity and carbon sequestration. Agroforestry benefits carbon sequestration through stable deep-rooting systems and carbon storage in biomass. Crop diversification and rotation practices encourage nutrients to cycle into the soil and diversify soil microorganisms. The overall effectiveness of these practices in different environments, upper limits to carbon sequestration, and increased nitrogen requirements are possible limitations to these practices. However, the opportunity for plant diversity to restore soil health and carbon storage is critical. With Canada’s commitments to its 2030 emissions reduction targets, increasing sustainable agricultural action may present an opportunity to reduce carbon dioxide emissions substantially while remedying issues of biodiversity and food insecurity
« Peut être une image d’un chien ou d’un livre » : l’inaccessibilité des flux de médias sociaux des bibliothèques publiques
No full textThis research investigates the accessibility of Ontario public libraries’ social media feeds. Social media plays an important role in how public libraries engage with their communities. This patron engagement outside of library-maintained websites, raises questions around accessibility for persons with disabilities. Given the increasing usage of social media as a communication mechanism, how accessible are Ontario public library social media feeds? Of specific interest here is the use of alternative text (alt text) attributed to images posted on Ontario public libraries’ social media posts. Findings indicate a dearth of alt text on social media feeds. Suggestions are made for creating good alt text in order to create a more equitable environment.Cet article explore l’accessibilité des flux de médias sociaux des bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario. Les médias sociaux jouent un rôle important dans la façon dont les bibliothèques publiques communiquent avec leurs communautés. Cet engagement des usagers en dehors des sites Web gérés par les bibliothèques soulève des questions sur l’accessibilité pour les personnes en situation de handicap. Compte tenu de l’utilisation croissante des médias sociaux comme moyen de communication, quel est le degré d’accessibilité des flux de médias sociaux des bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario? Le texte alternatif utilisé pour décrire une image dans les messages de médias sociaux des bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario est d’un intérêt particulier. Les résultats montrent un manque de textes alternatifs dans les flux de médias sociaux. Les auteurs proposent des suggestions pour créer de bons textes alternatifs afin de créer un environnement plus équitabl
Il Fait Plus Chaud : une Taxonomie Raffinée Pour Evaluer la Réponse Des Bibliothèques Publiques à la Crise Climatique
No full textAs Canada’s climate warms at double the rate of the rest of the world, Canadian libraries have an important responsibility towards guardianship and activism on the climate crisis. Libraries are often appraised on their climate change goals by inward-facing factors, such as building standards and collections. While these remain important, this paper proposes a taxonomy that develops assessment further outward in the direction of community activism and climate justice, and tests that taxonomy against the environmental sustainability indicators published by Ontario public libraries. Alors que le climat du Canada se réchauffe deux fois plus vite que celui du reste du monde, les bibliothèques canadiennes ont une responsabilité importante en matière de tutelle et d’activisme face à la crise climatique. Les bibliothèques ont longtemps été évaluées sur leurs efforts en matière de développement durable en fonction de facteurs internes, tels que les normes de construction et les collections. Quoique ceux-ci demeurent importants, cet article propose une taxonomie qui développe une évaluation plus externe comprenant l’activisme communautaire et la justice climatique, et teste cette taxonomie par rapport aux indicateurs de durabilité environnementale publiés par les bibliothèques publiques de l’Ontario
Towards a context-relevant, institution-based ICT integration model of teacher education curriculum at diploma level in Zimbabwe
No full text 21st Century requirements for teaching and learning, driven by ICT advancements have opened doors for the development of models to guide and enhance ICT integration. Some countries have adopted international models and others have adapted them to suit their own environments. Zimbabwe still remains silent on what model it is using as there is no clear framework (policy related to ICT in education). In this paper, the authors focus on the Zimbabwean teacher education landscape in the absence of neither a distinct localised model nor an international one. Using literature review, document analysis and reviews of a proposed model, by six teacher educators from three secondary school teacher education colleges in Zimbabwe (carried out through semi structured interviews) this paper seeks to propose a framework for the integration of ICTs in teacher education curriculum. Drawing from literature around the Zimbabwean ICT landscape and its ICT policy framework, models proposed in the broader African and global contexts, we argue for a context-relevant and institution-based model of ICT integration for the teacher education curriculum in Zimbabwe. This proposed model privileges the localised contextual issues and takes a critical view of models which assume similarity of conditions across countries and institutions. Moreover, the model has relevance for ICT integration in the teacher education programmes of countries facing political and socio-economic challenges similar to those which Zimbabwe is facing
African identity and curriculum transformation at universities in South Africa
No full textThis paper argues for the notion of African identity to be placed at the centre of creating a new African university as part of the education decolonisation project. Defining the African university does not mean a total negation of Western ideas and epistemologies, but rather the foregrounding of African identity, traditions and culture. The paper recognises that Africa is part of a global economy, hence African university curricula must (among other phenomena) be responsive to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), pandemics and climate change. Drawing on recent African identity-driven curriculum transformation developments at four South African universities, the paper recognises differences in institutional initiatives, some with detailed curriculum transformation plans and others with no clear plans. Based on a literature review and document analysis methods, the results suggest that progress in curriculum transformation is mediated by context and history, as well as differences in institutional commitment to the decolonisation education project. The authors suggest that – with support from government and policymakers – a clear and detailed programme of curriculum transformation is needed, underpinned by a moral imperative to foreground African identity in the transition to the new African university