(2024). Reading the Violences of School through a New Lens: A Literacy Teacher's Changing Perspective in a US High School. Journal of Peace Education, v21 n2 p210-230. This analysis explores a literacy teacher's changing perspective about teaching in a prestigious high school after learning about ahimsa, or holistic nonviolence. Drawing from theories of transformational learning and critical pedagogy in addition to understandings of ahimsa, this article presents some of the participant's new perceptions about her teaching and about the culture of the elite high school where she worked, including perceptions of structural violence. New understandings suggest that in order for schools to be nonviolent spaces, structural violences need to be considered alongside more overtly visible forms of violence. There are also implications for teacher learning. When professional development supports transformational change, it can be both inspirational and unnerving, and might shift participants' perspectives and unsettle their ways of relating to established practices and familiar contexts…. [Direct]
(2011). A Response to: Global Security, Religion and Education Development–A Crisis for the Field of Comparative and International Education?. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v41 n5 p702-708. This paper presents the author's response to \Global security, religion and education development: a crisis for the field of comparative and international education?\ Prof. Lynn Davies's introduction to the Forum is interesting and provocative, and the author advances his response in the spirit of dialogue by looking at Davies's arguments, the studies by Mike Hardy, Massooda Bano and Arani and Kakia, and then advancing some case studies from other research. Davies in her introductory article proposes to identify dilemmas for comparative education in relation to education security and religion. The article begins with the threats to security, rather than balancing threats and peacemaking activities. There is a tendency, as with some courses on peace studies, to spend the time supposedly reflecting on peace while actually being preoccupied with conflict, examining, or more often suspecting, grounds for conflict rather than exploring positive growing points and the potentials for… [Direct]
(2013). Schooling in Violent Situations: The Politicization of Education in Nepal, before and after the 2006 Peace Agreement. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v43 n1 p49-67 Mar. This article examines the contentious relationship between education and the Maoist insurgency in Nepal, analyzing the political intrusion on the education sector before and after the multi-party polity was restored in 1990, and the violent experiences of teachers and students during the decade-long conflict (1996-2006). It argues that the end of the conflict in 2006 has merely reduced the tangible attacks on education, as the political interference in the education system continues. During the post-accord transition, schools symbolize power centres in the community which provide a space for multi-party political scuffles…. [Direct]
(2012). Elise Boulding's Work as a Framework for Dismantling "No Child Left Behind": Respect, Solitude, Imagination and Partnerships. Journal of Peace Education, v9 n2 p169-184. This paper utilizes the work of Elise Boulding as a theoretical framework for analyzing the potentials and shortcomings of the US educational policy, "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (NCLB). The interrelated concepts of respect, solitude, imagination, and partnerships from Boulding's scholarship are detailed. NCLB is summarized along with its historical context, based in the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," its assumptions, goals, and the arguments of supporters and critics of the policy. Examples of how Boulding's concepts are and can be employed in the US classrooms, even despite NCLB, are discussed. Concluding the paper, the contradictions between the assumptions and results of NCLB and Boulding's framework are exposed to ultimately argue that "No Child Left Behind" must be largely dismantled in order to honor Boulding's legacy and challenge of enabling peace. (Contains 1 figure and 6 notes.)… [Direct]
(2016). Learn to Lead: Mapping Workplace Learning of School Leaders. Vocations and Learning, v9 n1 p21-42 Apr. In recent years policy makers' interest in the professional development of school leaders has grown considerably. Although we know some aspect of formal educational programs for school leaders, little is known about school leaders' incidental and non-formal learning in the workplace. This study aims to grasp what workplace learning activities school leaders value most, what work-related questions incite them to learn, what outcomes they achieve through workplace learning and what conditions support workplace learning of school leaders. In order to generate answers to the research questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Dutch school leaders in secondary education, which also served as a form of reflection for the respondents. Results show that school leaders mostly value workplace learning through working on improvement and innovation and through reflection. In addition to outcomes for the school leader, working on improvement and innovation also leads to learning… [Direct]
(2016). Remote Live Invigilation: A Pilot Study. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, v2016 n1 Article 6. There has been a growth in online distance learning programmes in Higher Education. This has led to an increased interest in different approaches to the assessment of online distance learners, including how to enhance student authentication and reduce the potential for cheating in online tests. One potential solution for this is the use of remote live invigilation. This work reports on a small scale pilot study where a group of 17 online distance learning Computer Science students from 7 different countries (Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, Zambia) took part in an online test using remote live invigilation. Some examinees expressed concerns about data security and privacy. Furthermore, some examinees expressed concerns about the extent to which the remote live invigilation process would be intrusive, and impact negatively on their online assessment experience. Overall, findings from this study suggest that the remote live invigilation did… [PDF]
(1976). Educating for Peace and Justice: A Manual for Teachers. Fifth Edition. Background reading resource materials and teaching units for elementary and secondary teachers interested in teaching about peace and justice are presented in this resource manual. The units are designed to help students learn that nonviolent conflict resolution is possible and that war is not inevitable; realize that sharing our resources, helping the poor, and living more sparingly and responsibly is a matter of justice and not charity; and appreciate the differences in cultures around the world. Students view films, read books and journal articles, and are involved in role playing situations, library research, brainstorming, and classroom discussions. The manual contains an introductory essay which discusses goals of educating for peace and justice. The major portion of the publication consists of resource units on major issue areas including conflict, violence, and nonviolent conflict resolution; institutional violence; peace, justice, and law; racism; poverty in the United… [PDF]
(2019). A Space to Learn. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, City University of New York. In this dissertation, I explore what it means to different people, in different places throughout life's spectrum, to create a space to learn. This dissertation is a collection of work that I have written throughout my time at the CUNY Graduate Center. The chapters herein represent an arch of my learning over the past five years. The title, "A Space to Learn," has multiple meanings. For one, writing this dissertation has provided me a space to explore and reflect on a variety of topics, ranging from memory loss, to teacher preparation programs, to eugenics and special education, to tracking and science education, to video analysis, polysemia, polyphonia, and learning from difference. In the process of writing this dissertation, I have had the opportunity to delve into and investigate many interests. Though the topics within might seem, on the surface, varying, once read together, I believe that clear perspectives on teaching and learning emerge.Each chapter can stand alone,… [Direct]
(2014). Internationalisation Discourse What Remains to Be Said?. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, v18 n2 p66-71. Globalisation has affected many aspects of daily life, including education. In the last decade, "internationalisation" has become one of most popular terms in the education arena. A wide discourse exists, including the definition of internationalisation, its purpose, strategies, policies and practices, its assessment methods, and the motivation of different stakeholders to engage in it. Internationalisation is not a constant phenomenon, but rather a process undergoing continuous change, influenced by external and internal social, economic, political and academic factors. Much has been written about its current and future dimensions and directions. This paper aims to add more insights to the existing literature by presenting emerging directions in the field of internationalisation in education on global, national, organisational and individual levels. Specifically, I discuss the convergence and unification of two processes heretofore addressed independently-… [Direct]
(2009). Science Education Policy for Emergency, Conflict, and Post-Conflict: An Analysis of Trends and Implications for the Science Education Program in Uganda. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Western Michigan University. This study analyzes the impact of armed conflicts on the development of education policy and particularly science education program in Uganda. Since independence from the British colonial rule, Uganda has experienced a series of armed conflicts, with the most devastating being the 21 years of conflict in Northern Uganda. The research study was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the level of government funding towards improving science education program in Uganda? (2) Have recent initiatives, such as free Primary and Secondary education, compulsory science, and 75% sponsorship for science-based courses, had a measurable impact on the proportion of students from the conflict-affected regions who enter tertiary institutions to pursue science and technology programs? (3) To what extent do the Ugandan Education Policy and, in particular, the Science Education Policy effectively address the educational needs of students affected by armed conflicts? The study employed a… [Direct]
(2012). Peace-Promoting Skills Needs of Young Children Teachers: Perceptions of Nigerian Childhood Educators. African Higher Education Review, v6 p88-99 Jul. Many children today are exposed to acts of violence on television in their communities, and sometimes within their families. Although the violence is frightening and puts children in dangers, some children become accustomed to high levels of violence in their surroundings. These violent habits acquired become a way of life of these children in schools where these habits are often further reinforced by violence exiting in the schools. The early childhood educators, apart from educating children on literacy, therefore have the additional responsibility to expand children's thinking to help them to learn positive concepts about how people can live in harmony. This paper therefore, looks at peace-promoting skills needs of teachers of young children in Nigeria. The study was carried out in Anambra State. The sample was made up of all the forty-eight (48) Childhood Education professionals from the nine (9) universities in Nigeria offering childhood education. The questionnaire was the… [Direct]
(2012). The Governmentality of Reconciliation: Adult Education as a Community Relations Technique in Northern Ireland. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v33 n2 p283-297. Despite a successfully negotiated peace agreement in Belfast in 1998, tensions between different community groups continue to exist in Northern Ireland. This situation creates a governmental need to find solutions to problems such as segregation, inter- and intra-group violence and other forms of sectarian antagonisms. On the one hand, this is attempted by disciplinary measures such as "peace walls" and an increased presence of state powers such as police and armed forces. On the other hand, community relations discourses remain a common refrain in Northern Ireland with their focus on a "conduct of conduct" approach. In this article, I seek to understand adult community education through community relations initiatives and designated anti-sectarian courses as a governmental technology in Northern Ireland designed to change technologies of the self. The article highlights the possibilities for a way forward inherent in this approach and links community relations to… [Direct]
(2013). Art a Waste of Time?. Harvard Educational Review, v83 n1 p93-95 Spr. The author describes his job as pretty mundane. He is a low-level government bureaucrat who sends a lot of emails and works with spreadsheets. Occasionally, when he gets to do something creative, like put together a sign, pamphlet, or slideshow, he feels a sense of peace and wishes he could do it more. This past spring, the author finally decided to ramp up his job skills and have some fun taking a college design class. In this article, he describes how he enjoyed learning some new skills and discusses how art education can enhance quality of life…. [Direct]
(2013). Research and Reflections on the Spiritual Development of Young Jewish Children. Journal of Jewish Education, v79 n3 p360-385. This article is about spiritual development for early childhood Jewish education. Findings from a research study defines the spiritual development of young children as an integration of deep connections, basic dispositions (strengthened from experiences of wonderment, awe, joy, inner peace), and complex dispositions (displayed through acts of caring, kindness, empathy, and reverence)–all reinforced by modeling and spiritual moments. Buber's philosophy of I and Thou, Heschel's views of radical amazement and the sublime, and Senge's system thinking offer lenses for integrating a Jewish perspective to this theory of spiritual development…. [Direct]
(2017). Obligation of Leadership. Childhood Education, v93 n3 p251. The transition to a new age is always a difficult one, and we are facing a transition into the atomic age. What's next? One of the first groups of people to feel the responsibility of this transition is, of course, the teachers. Teachers are confronted with the problem of preparing the child to live in a world which is changing as rapidly as ours is today. In 10 or 15 years, if we develop atomic energy for peace time uses instead of for destruction, one of the first results will be that the world will shrink. Therefore, our children must know more about their neighbors throughout the world and they must realize that in this new era we must have the advantage of having gone through a period of mechanization and development whereas many other nations will have to jump from using a crooked stick for a plough to a highly developed age where atomic energy is used extensively. The obligation of leadership is, therefore, apt to fall upon our children and they will have to decide the methods… [Direct]