23,141 research outputs found
Underneath the Observational Snapshot: Looking For Sense and Meaning Behind the First Impressions of a Learning Interaction
No full textEducation practitioners, including Ofsted inspectors and Teacher Educators, try to make sense of behaviour in the classroom by observing the interaction of teachers and learners. They make judgements about what is good teaching, what is bad learner behaviour and what are inclusive and effective learning experiences. This article argues that such observations are inadequate for assessing and evaluating learning behaviour and insufficient to enable teachers to develop their own personalised teaching and learning strategies and their confidence as professional teachers. The article was written in response to examples of Further Education (FE) teachers describing the college classroom as a war zone and a battlefield (Lebor, 2013). The author argues that such metaphors reinforce the notion that teachers and learners are situated at opposing sides of an education institution with differing interests. They also ignore the position of the teacher as being a learner too. The author advocates using an existentialist approach to understanding and reflecting on the learning process. She models strategies she has used herself to attempt to step outside the conventional paradigm of learning in college and create a new framework for reflecting on what is good behaviour from a teacher and good behaviour from a learner
Dealing with change: Teacher Educators in the Lifelong Learning Sector
No full textThe transition from teacher to Teacher Educator is not simple, and this paper considers what factors may need to be acknowledged if there is to be appropriate support of this process of change. The variety of possible journeys for Teacher Educators, the rate of policy change in the sector, the breadth of practice areas and levels of qualifications offered are so broad that a single route or process could be restrictive and inappropriate. By looking at key issues this paper hopes to come to some conclusions about where to focus further research, and what factors could appropriately form the basis for Teacher Educator development. At the heart of this is learning, which is also the process and product of change. This paper considers: the term ‘Teacher Educator’; whether a recognised route for professional development might be of benefit; and whether a route for professional development would, or could, usefully support these processes
Spaces of imagination : associational life and the state in post-war, urban Liberia
No full textThis ethnography explores social imaginaries in post-war, urban Liberia – a physical and social context dominated by intricacies of past oligarchic rule, dictatorship, brutal civil war and post-war reconstruction. Against this challenging backdrop, this thesis asks: How do Liberians imagine the social to be and how do such imaginaries translate into social practice? Embedded in a political anthropology of the state and conceptually drawing on agency as defined by the interrelated temporal-structural dimensions of the past, present and future (Emirbayer and Mische 1998), this ethnography analyses three political associations and their interrelations with the state. Based on twelve months of empirical field research between 2009 and 2012 in urban Liberia, this thesis shows how ordinary people engage in meticulous social practices of “hustling”, “trying”, studying and maintaining social relations to economically or politically influential persons to forge a living in this insecure, unpredictable setting. Associations create social spaces in which imaginaries are uttered and shared, and inform individual and collective action.
The first association, the Unconstitutionally Disbanded Armed Forces of Liberia (UDAFOL), is a particular group with claims towards the central and sensitive post-war issue of national security. UDAFOL represents the grievances of soldiers that have been disbanded in the implementation of the Security Sector Reform. They consider their disbandment unconstitutional and a political decision. The disgruntled ex-servicemen regularly take to the streets, and address specific state images and practices in various forms of collective action.
The second association is the Concerned Mandingo Society of Liberia (COMASL), a group representing the temporally and situationally marginalized and instrumentalized ethnic group of Liberian Mandingo. As traders and late comers in Liberia, their belonging to the nation-state is contested. Though lawfully placed in the field of formal citizenship according to the constitution, in everyday life, their participation is challenged by discursively formed social boundaries. These boundaries are countered by COMASL on the basis of claims of belonging.
The third association is the West Point Women for Health and Development Organization (WPHD), a women’s association in a Monrovian slum. The association presses for political action in regards to the delivery of public goods and services such as security, justice, sanitation or health care. This association flexibly navigates the donor-sphere as a quite formalized NGO, directly addresses some of the neighborhoods’ problems, and situatively works in cooperation with state actors or mounts pressure on them.
These three associations highlight some particularities and complexities of post-war intricacies and how social spaces create an environment for collective action in response these problems. As the three case studies show, the state plays a central role and is ascribed major responsibility. The associations make claims towards political actors to initiate and catalyze change.
This ethnography shows that state and civil society are not monolithic black boxes but composed of individual actors with various experiences, knowledge and interests, and are very closely interwoven into a “state in society”(Migdal 2001), formed and shaped by multifaceted relationships of claims and state responses. Often overlooked, and highlighted in this thesis, is the existence of official norms that underlie the expectations towards the powerful political leaders that give the state a concrete imagery (Olivier de Sardan 2008). These norms do not emerge randomly, but from the political history of the Liberian state, and through experiences from other states.
From the social actor’s point of view, hence, the Liberian state is not a failed, weak or absent state. Quite to the contrary, it is considered strong, yet its actors are considered to lack political will to meet the needs and to work in the interest of the ordinary people and implement policies that make a change
Class Wars: Initial Steps Into The Fray
No full textThis article explores the issue of preparing trainee teachers for the challenges of how to face their students’ ‘disruptive behaviour’ which sometimes marks the beginning and sets the tone for the remainder of sessions. In this paper I explore my work mentoring two trainee teachers, looking at the options available to them on entering classrooms where students displayed disruptive behaviour. There is a context of Ofsted criteria, whereby disruptive behaviour is no longer acceptable and ‘failure’ is allocated as an observation grade where ‘disruptive behaviour’ occurs. This piece offers an exploration of classroom management strategies for preparing trainee teachers who face challenging situations in Further Education (FE) environments and suggests strategies for dealing with the difficulties of disruptive classes. The reason why this is vitally important is because trainee teachers in Cert Ed classes wish to discuss this issue more than any other topic. It affects their self-esteem, confidence and class interaction in delivering the curriculum
The Fear of Being Assessed: An Auto-Ethnographic Case Study on Attempts to Engage and Motivate an Individual Disaffected Access Student
No full textThis paper explores how a tutor engaged an individual student who was abusive to teachers and would not carry out coursework assessments which tutors had set him in the Lifelong Learning Sector. It offers strategies to overcome barriers to achievement, particularly where a student resists carrying out required assessment tasks. It is a self-reflexive, auto-ethnographic case study. The research is based on observation, interview and a narratology of the researcher’s own involvement in the situation. It is concerned with strategies that worked with this particular student. It argues a case for personal engagement, solution-focused and cognitive behavioural strategies in the teaching/learning situation and offers an overall humanist approach. It ultimately argues for the complexity of understanding the key relationship between teacher and student. It is also concerned with ‘improving practice’ which is the central agenda of this journal
An examination of the Geochemical properties of late devensian glacigenic sediments in Eastern England
No full textOnshore advance of the North Sea lobe of the Late Devensian British Ice Sheet the last glaciation resulted in the deposition of thick multiple till sequences along the coasts of east Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire. Despite an abundance of sedimentological and stratigraphical data, the origin of these tills remains controversial, and their correlation along the coast is poorly understood. These multiple till sequences provide an excellent opportunity to test models of large-scale subglacial sediment transport and deposition beneath soft-bed ice sheets using geochemistry. Such geochemical analysis has been used extensively in other formerly glaciated areas, notably Canada, to identify till characteristics and dispersal patterns. However, to date it has not been applied in any detail to glacial sediments in the UK and its potential as a tool for till correlation and understanding till genesis remains relatively undeveloped. A detailed sampling method was employed at seven sites in eastern England; Filey, Skipsea, Dimlington, South Ferriby, Kirmington, Welton-Le-Wold and Morston; to investigate vertical and lateral changes in till geochemistry in this region. Particle size analysis of the till matrix was used as an additional tool to provide extra sedimentological data. Complete linkage and Ward's method cluster analysis was used to establish groups of geochemically similar diamicton samples. Geochemical results suggest that there are vertical changes in till geochemistry, which are likely to be related to a change in provenance from local to more distal sources. Geochemistry and particle size results were also unable to precisely differentiate between the Basement, Skipsea and Withernsea till types. Instead, the repeated nature of the geochemical signature at larger sites, such as Dimlington, and the lateral discontinuity of some geochemical groups suggests that the till sequences at Filey, Dimlington, and Skipsea are comprised of a number of lithologically distinct rafts which have been tectonically stacked or elevated to higher levels in the sediment pile. At Dimlington the production of a glacitectonically folded and stacked moraine is proposed as a mechanism to explain the remarkably thick sequence of Withemsea Till and the repeated nature of the geochemical signature at this site. This research therefore provides new evidence for our understanding of glacial stratigraphy and former ice dynamics in eastern England, suggesting that till composition and the mechanics behind its production are more complex than the traditional stratigraphic division allows
Persistent post-flood hillslope activity posing a potential landslide dam hazard in the Ahr valley, Germany
No full textAbstract
Background
Extreme floods are known to severely reorganise inhabited landscapes by inundation, clogging, scouring and damaging infrastructure and lives. However, their post-event impacts are poorly understood, especially concerning coupled hillslope channel feedbacks such as the reactivation of slope instabilities connected to the river and that may be able to block it upon sudden failure. The July 2021 Ahr valley flood exemplified this ability of concurrent and sustained landscape reorganisation. Here, we study a retrogressive slope instability near the town of Müsch, in the upper Ahr valley using field mapping, repeat airborne laser scanning, electrical resistivity tomography and passive seismic monitoring to reveal the failure geometry, its mechanisms and transient activity.
Results
The old landslide developed in lower Devonian rocks. It is 100 m wide, 200 m long and approximately 15–20 m deep, which leads to a total volume of about 430,000 m3. This landslide was severely undercut by the 2021 flood with 7000 m3 of material eroded at the landslide toe. The landslide has started to react. Given the narrow section of the river at this location, there is a potential landslide dam hazard. We modelled the inundation volumes and back fill times for different failure scenarios, ranging between 20,000 m3 and 330,000 m3 accumulating within 5 min and 20 h.
Conclusions
Our results imply a need to systematically screen flood impacted landscapes for sustained post-event hillslope activity that governs hillslope-channel coupling, driving both persistent sediment injection into the stream and sudden river blocking and subsequent damming
How shall we know them? Trainee teachers’ perceptions of their learners’ abilities
No full textThis article, being the final one in a series of three for this journal, is concerned with trainee teachers’ changing perceptions of their learners and focuses on two areas: trainees’ perceptions of their learners’ abilities and how they are formed by their own experiences as learners; and the changes in trainees’ perceptions over the duration of their two year Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS). Working within a multi-method approach to action research, this small-scale study found that trainees’ perceptions were influenced not so much by their own identities and habitus, although social capital was a prominent feature, but by a problematic mix of competing cultures and the impact of casualisation in the sector
Remission and recognition - the two Rs of mentoring: listening to the mentors of trainee teachers
No full textThe task of mentoring trainee teachers in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) has long been an informal process. With the introduction of the 2007 teaching reforms (DfES, 2007) mentoring has assumed a new importance. Whilst recognising that this Higher Education Institution (HEI) was keen to implement changes, it perhaps did so in haste and without allowing the process to be evaluated. This led to tension between the mentor and the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provider or teaching organisation. This research examined the perceptions of the mentor and listened to suggestions for improvement. From these discussions it would seem that mentors are being asked to coach as well as mentor trainee teachers. The main findings also show that whilst the employing organisation’s attitude, as perceived by the mentors, seems to have changed little since Hankey’s (2004) research paper, mentors’ attitudes toward mentoring seem to be more positive. It concludes that remission and recognition of the additional work done by mentors are powerful motivators for their engagement in mentoring activities. It further suggests that a title of mentor-coach would better match the job to be done
War Stories; How Experienced Teachers Said They Responded To Disruptive Students In The Lifelong Learning Sector
No full textThis small-scale qualitative research inquiry investigates how a small sample of experienced teachers dealt with disruptive students in their classes in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) in West Yorkshire. I wanted to continue my earlier writing on these issues by listening to what teachers said about their challenging experiences on the front line of the classroom interfacing with negative student behaviour. I firstly discuss a research instrument for collecting this data from these teachers’ experiences, and also explore their strategies for dealing with disruptive student behaviours. It seemed very important to hear from practitioners rather than relying on what textbooks advised. Previously I was interested in the experiences of trainee tutors facing these difficulties; in this piece I am more concerned with how experienced tutors deal with these unpleasant circumstances. I outline the findings that this questionnaire elicited in terms of key negative incidents that these teachers had experienced in class and the strategies they had deployed to overcome the social and emotional challenges of disruptive student behaviour. I briefly summarise these tutors’ perspectives on the support they felt they did or did not receive on these issues. I conclude with an analysis of the findings and question the problematics of this research, its meaning, validity and possible application in other teaching contexts
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