5112 research outputs found
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Sustaining the teaching profession:innovating the ‘golden thread’ in university-led teacher education
No full textThis paper examines the implications of England's ‘golden thread’ policy framework for teacher education, which describes a state-mandated, linear model of professional learning from initial teacher training and education through to continuing professional development. Our collaborative retrospective analysis of three empirical studies within a university-led teacher education partnership critically examines the experiences of student teachers, early career teachers and mid- to late-career educators. The findings reveal that the policy network of the golden thread, as operationalised through the initial teacher training and early career framework and national professional qualifications, promotes a reductive, compliance-oriented model that marginalises professional agency, critical inquiry and ontological development. In contrast, by considering international movements in many nations towards the kinds of reductive models that dominate in England, the paper argues that to tackle recurrent issues of teacher recruitment and retention, meaningful teacher education must transcend technocratic prescriptions and embrace complexity, reflexivity and co-construction across career stages—a rich tapestry, instead of a single, golden thread. An effective counterweight to performative policy regimes, therefore, requires an original reconceptualisation of the golden thread, in England and beyond, so that a rich, co-constructed and dynamic tapestry supports teachers not only to survive but to thrive in increasingly complex educational environments.</p
Racism as systemic, endemic, and pernicious:some reflections on an anti-racist, critical pedagogic intervention in higher education
No full textRacism is deeply embedded within higher education. Racism in higher education is, after all, a microcosm of the racist systems and structures that constitute wider society. Indicators of racism in higher education, including the awarding gap between white and BAME students, suggest that little progress has been made in the removal of racism from UK universities since the first comprehensive studies into the awarding gap were conducted. In what follows, we reflect upon an anti-racist educational workshop and intervention that were developed to begin to address, directly, the systemic, endemic, and pernicious nature of racism in higher education. In addressing racism, a balance must be struck between challenging and engaging higher education staff, while at the same time, avoiding alienating the audience. We suggest that it is the structural and systematic nature of racism that should be emphasised by anti-racist educators, along with the wider social, political, historical, and economic basis that perpetuates racism. Our reflections are informed by Critical Race Theory, Critical Pedagogy, Marxism, Critical Theory, and the Black Radical tradition. In this conceptual piece, we argue that only by gaining a wider understanding of racism in its broader socio-political context can educators begin to tackle racism within HE
Closing the artificial intelligence skills gap in construction:competency insights from a systematic review
No full textThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the construction industry is transforming traditional practices and demanding a new set of competencies from professionals. However, a comprehensive understanding of the specific skills required remains limited. Addressing this gap, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis is conducted in this study to identify and synthesise the AI-related skillsets essential for construction professionals to effectively integrate AI into project delivery. Employing the PRISMA framework and scientometric analysis using VOSviewer, the study analysed 17 key publications sourced from multiple academic databases. The findings reveal eight core AI skill domains: Data Literacy and Management, AI and Machine Learning Fundamentals, Programming and Computation, Digital Collaboration Tools, AI-Driven Decision Making, Cybersecurity Awareness, Change Management and Adaptability, and Communication and Collaboration. The study also highlights a global disparity in research contributions, with notable under-representation from Africa and North America. These insights underscore the urgent need for targeted training, policy development, and collaborative research to bridge the AI skills gap in the construction sector. In addition, the study reveals that, the underdevelopment of AI skills among construction professionals is shaped by a complex interplay of educational, cultural, infrastructural, economic, policy-related, and industry-specific factors. This review provides a foundational roadmap for developing initiatives aimed at equipping construction professionals with the competencies necessary to thrive in an AI-enhanced built environment
Wittgenstein and arguments from design
No full textAmong the most popular arguments for God are those from design, which draw from science to argue that the universe is so finely tuned for life that it implies the existence of a designer. Wittgensteinians reply that although such arguments can convince a person that a creator exists, they do not necessarily lead to a religious belief. Wittgensteinians explain that a belief is religious because of what it is like, not what it is about, and what it is like is an aspect of a form of life. Convincing a person that a creator exists is not the same as changing their life religiously. Since arguments from design focus on the former over the latter, they often fail to develop religious beliefs. If this is convincing and such arguments aim to develop religious beliefs, supporters should reconsider the design of arguments from design. That said, Wittgensteinians are vocal in their complaints about the failures of arguments but quiet when asked to specify what a successful argument would look like. In this paper, I motivate the Wittgensteinian case against arguments from design and then outline what a successful argument needs to achieve and how it could be achieved. In doing so, this paper highlights the importance of changing lives alongside minds and encourages reflection on how arguments from design can be designed to do so
How to engage students with (open) science:make it relevant, in-depth, and proactive
No full textCritically engaging undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students in science means, according to the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes, developing their relational and extended abstract level scientific literacy. Consequently, we invite the reader to join us - four fellow educators - on a journey as we share and reflect on three case studies from our teaching practice where we have facilitated scientific literacy: i) introducing students to open science through the use of existing datasets to explore sensitive topics, ii) evaluating the evidence behind bold media claims, and iii) discussing publication bias and its influence on evidence synthesis. In practice, educators can adopt these case studies; but we go further in reflectively outlining a useful set of commonalities and practices across them that can be used by educators in developing relevant, in-depth and proactive teaching and learning activities to promote relational and extended abstract level scientific literacy
Mind The Gap Screening at London Metropolitan University
No full textBlog post previewing the 30th October event at the London Metropolitan University for a FACE screening of Ricardo Barker’s latest feature, Mind The Gap (2025
Holistically healthy humans:championing mental and physical wellbeing in education
No full textHumans are at the heart of education and learning environments are active organisms. From an ecosystems perspective, each setting has unique dynamically interacting elements—students, educators, policies, resources, and wider community—with the potential to create optimal conditions for humans to learn, be healthy and thrive. The promotion of good health and wellbeing in education was declared a universal strategic goal by the United Nations in their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). Certainly, wellbeing is seen as both a requirement for learning and a product of a well-functioning education system. Holistic wellbeing is conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct encompassing physical and mental health and socio-emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Existing literature suggests the interconnectivity of these elements and their combined contribution to optimal human wellness (Mullins-Owens, 2016). A healthy settings framework (World Health Organisation, 2025) envisages health as something created and experienced by people within the spaces of their everyday life, including heath promoting schools (HPS), and provides a relevant context to explore our Research Topic. In the current climate both global and local factors pose significant challenges for schools and other learning settings, and health and wellbeing concerns are growing. In the UK, school leaders are grappling with funding deficits alongside a teacher recruitment and retention crisis (McLean et al., 2024); while the education workforce from early years to higher education (HE) face unprecedented strain with high levels of stress and burnout common (Jayman et al., 2022; Solvason et al., 2025). Nonetheless, education settings are uniquely positioned to promote, nurture, and support holistic wellbeing, and our Research Topic brings together international research to investigate this central theme from a broad perspective. There is a strong emphasis on salutogenic approaches that focus on strengthening social and individual resources and harnessing these assets to help create holistically healthy education ecosystems in which everyone can thrive