(2010). Curriculum Reform and the Displacement of Knowledge in Peruvian Rural Secondary Schools: Exploring the Unintended Local Consequences of Global Education Policies. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v40 n3 p311-325 May. This paper draws attention to processes of policy implementation in developing contexts, and to the unintended consequences of education policies that follow international policy scripts without enough consideration of local histories and cultures. Drawing on a study of teaching practices in Peruvian rural secondary schools after a period of comprehensive reform and the introduction of a new outcomes-based national curriculum, the paper highlights the way in which such reforms have led to a displacement of knowledge in rural schools that acts against an already educationally disadvantaged population. This is linked to the prevalence of highly performative and ritualised teaching practices that have emerged through a history of school expansion that has tended to follow imported scripts without much consideration for local knowledge. The paper suggests that policy makers, particularly in highly varied contexts like Peru, should attempt to understand local specificities and plan… [Direct]
(2011). Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education in Papua New Guinea. International Review of Education, v57 n5-6 p705-720 Dec. Papua New Guinea (PNG), an independent state in the southwest Pacific, is the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Its roughly six million people speak over 800 distinct languages. In spite of this diversity, in 1995 the Papua New Guinean government established a mother tongue-based bilingual education programme in which community languages are taught as a subject and used for instruction in the first three years of formal education. English is introduced as a subject in the third year of school and becomes one of the languages of instruction, with the community language, in early primary. In grades seven and eight, teachers use only English for instruction, although community languages can still be used informally. By the early 2000s, over 400 languages were being used in PNG's formal education system. This paper describes the background to PNG's bilingual education programme, then provides an overview of its main features and the positive outcomes as well as the… [Direct]
(2011). Te Kotahitanga: A Case Study of a Repositioning Approach to Teacher Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Pedagogies. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, v39 n4 p339-351. This article presents a case study of a unique New Zealand professional development programme, Te Kotahitanga, for mainstream secondary school teachers. Findings discussed are drawn from an independent evaluation of the programme across 22 secondary schools. The professional development approach attempted to reposition the relationship between teachers and Indigenous Maori students, and enhance Maori student outcomes. Interviews with 150 teachers across participating schools investigated teacher perceptions of impact on classroom practice and student outcomes across subjects. The professional development programme was associated with shifts in teachers' understandings of their positioning within classrooms and relationships with and expectations for Maori students. Results also highlight ongoing challenges in teachers' repositioning and the development of new relationship-based approaches. The implications for teaching practice and professional learning programmes and recommendations… [Direct]
(2011). Culturally Responsive Dance Pedagogy in the Primary Classroom. Research in Dance Education, v12 n2 p119-135. Dance has an important place in multicultural education and the development of culturally responsive pedagogy. Through dance, children can explore and express their own and others' cultures and share their stories in ways other than the spoken and written word. This paper presents a case study concerning a professional development programme in dance education for generalist primary teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. The process is discussed through the lens of five cultural concepts encompassing a Maori world view, demonstrating how they interweave to enhance teaching and learning in dance. Findings indicate that through a collaborative process that involves critical thinking, teaching from existing strengths and pedagogical knowledge and integrating dance into the classroom programme, there is an increased connectedness between teachers and their students, students and each other, and students and dance. This model provides a framework for teaching and learning dance within social… [Direct]
(2014). Ministry of Education 2013/14 Annual Service Plan Report. British Columbia Ministry of Education The "Ministry of Education 2013/14 Annual Service Plan Report" shares some of the significant achievements by the British Columbia ministry and government. These include the development and release of BC's Skills for Jobs Blueprint: Re-Engineering Education and Training. As well, they successfully negotiated agreements with CUPE and other educational support workers within the cooperative gains mandate. New and rebuilt schools were opened on time and on budget across the province, and they launched the BC Training and Education Savings Grant. In addition, an ERASE Student Advisory Panel was formed to provide advice and insight on bullying to school districts, myself and the Premier. This year's Service Plan Report provides: (1) Message from the Minister and Accountability Statement; (2) Highlights of the Year; (3) Purpose of the Ministry; (4) Strategic Context; (5) Report on Performance; and (6) Report on Resources. The Ministry of Education 2013/14 Annual Service Plan… [PDF]
(2014). Research Messages 2013. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) "Research Messages 2013" provides a summary of the research published in 2013 by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in the following broad categories: (1) skills and productivity: from VET qualifications to higher-level qualifications and issues affecting the workforce; (2) social inclusion and participation in education and training: equity groups and measuring socioeconomic disadvantage; (3) young people: school, science and income support; (4) the VET sector: institutions, practices and the workforce; and (5) structures in the tertiary education and training system. [Funding for this paper was provided by the Australian Government Department of Industry.]… [PDF]
(2012). A Maori Pedagogy: Weaving the Strands Together. Kairaranga, v13 n1 p7-15. Literature on Maori pedagogy up until now has been disparate, some dealing with methodological issues, some with learning theory, some with environment and so forth. This article seeks to build one comprehensive picture of Maori pedagogy by weaving the myriad disparate themes in the literature into one unifying model. It is based on an EdD study researching Maori teacher educators' perceptions of pedagogy. (Contains 3 figures.)… [PDF]
(2009). Engaging Critically with "Objective" Critical Analysis: A Situated Response to Openshaw and Rata. International Studies in Sociology of Education, v19 n3-4 p217-227 Sep-Dec. Roger Openshaw and Elizabeth Rata conceptualise Kaupapa Maori as a dominant intellectual orthodoxy in New Zealand, which creates a "culturalist ideological conformity" that limits the university's ability to serve as the critical conscience of society. They argue for the primacy of academic objectivity as the criteria for what counts as "weighty inquiry" and against essentialism and cultural elitism. This paper offers a situated reading of Openshaw and Rata's statements against the arguments of indigenous and postcolonial theorists who also challenge essentialism and cultural elitism, such as Marie Battiste, Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak and Jacqui Alexander. This paper also outlines the framework for a dialogical contestatory ethos, which emerges from these theories as a way forward beyond absolute relativism and cultural supremacism in the academic debate…. [Direct]
(2011). Monitoring the Pathways and Outcomes of People from Disadvantaged Backgrounds and Graduate Groups. Higher Education Research and Development, v30 n2 p151-163 Apr. The development of a strong and vibrant knowledge economy is linked directly to successful learning outcomes among university graduates. Building evidence-based insights on graduate outcomes plays a particularly important role in shaping planning and practice. To this end, this paper analyses some key findings from the Graduate Pathways Survey, the first national study in Australia of bachelor degree graduates' outcomes five years after course completion. It focuses on the outcomes of graduates from disadvantaged groups, people of particular significance in an expanding and increasingly important higher education system. After advancing the rational for this analysis, the paper sketches the overall research approach. The paper continues with an analysis of education and employment outcomes for the target groups, and concludes by summarising implications for building further research insights. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2011). Aboriginal Children and Their Caregivers Living with Low Income: Outcomes from a Two-Generation Preschool Program. Journal of Child and Family Studies, v20 n3 p311-318 Jun. The development of preschool children of Aboriginal heritage is jeopardized by the inter-generational transmission of risk that has created, and continues to create, social disadvantage. Early intervention programs are intended to mitigate the impact of social disadvantage. Yet, evidence of the effectiveness of these programs for children of Aboriginal heritage is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a two-generation, multi-cultural preschool program on 45 children of Aboriginal heritage and their caregivers. We used a single-group, pretest (program intake)/posttest (program exit) design with follow-up when the children were 7 years old. We used an observational measure of child receptive language (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III) and caregiver-reported measures of child development (Nipissing District Developmental Screen), risk for child maltreatment (Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory; AAPI), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index; PSI),… [Direct]
(2012). The Impact of National Standards Assessment in New Zealand, and National Testing Protocols in Norway on Indigenous Schooling. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, v4 n3 p545-561. This paper first provides a critic of the implementation of compulsory national assessment protocols internationally, and then nationally through a review of the implementation process used for the introduction of National Standards in New Zealand, and National Testing in Norwegian mainstream schools. It then reviews the impact of these two assessment regimes on indigenous M√£ori and S√°mi -medium schools in the context of historic policies of marginalisation and assimilation. Finally, it notes the crucial role of each national government in securing funding for the production of culturally responsive National Standards and National Testing in the effort of both indigenous groups to protect their languages and cultures…. [PDF]
(2009). Toward a Responsive Model for Educational Leadership in Rural Appalachia: Merging Theory and Practice (Sumario en Espanol). International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, v4 n2 Apr-Jun. This conceptual paper draws on varied academic disciplines to set forth a model of educational leadership grounded in social justice and responsive to the unique challenges and strengths of rural Appalachian schools and communities. Model development grew out of discussions between faculty and graduate students in an educational leadership doctoral program, spurring a dialogue that merged theory and practice through (1) critical readings of traditional leadership models and of alternative models that purport to better meet the needs of economically disadvantaged students and families, and (2) a close examination of practice in the professional lives of the authors, each of whom serves or has served as a school administrator in a rural Appalachian setting. Following a discussion of the leadership model, consideration is given to the implications for leadership preparation programs and practices. [The citation information shown on the attached PDF (v5 n2 Oct-Dec 2010) is incorrect,… [PDF]
(2010). A Study of Aboriginal Teachers' Professional Knowledge and Experience in Canadian Schools. Canadian Teachers' Federation (NJ1) This qualitative study, initiated by the Canadian Teachers' Federation and its Advisory Committee on Aboriginal Education, explored the professional knowledge and experiences of Aboriginal (First Nations, Mets and Inuit) teachers. The rationale for the study was to address the urgent need to improve and promote Aboriginal education in public schools. This study asks the question: what can be learned from the professional knowledge and experiences of Aboriginal teachers who teach in public schools about how to better promote and support the success of Aboriginal education in public schools? The continuing goal of this study is to promote on-going dialogue and learning about Aboriginal education within teacher organizations and the broader educational community. Employing a focused and critical ethnographic methodology, the study interviewed 59 Aboriginal teachers (49 female and 10 male) teaching in public schools across Canada. In this study, the ethical and moral dimensions of… [PDF]
(2009). Understanding Aboriginal Learning Ideology through Storywork with Elders. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v55 n4 p452-467 Win. Five Nuu-chah-nulth Elders engaged in the examination of a Nuu-chah-nulth story for what they considered learning. A network of eight learning archetypes inhabited the story to demonstrate a range of learning strategies. The Elders identified features central to a cultural learning project, which included prenatal care and grandparent teaching, spiritual bathing, partnerships, ritual sites, and ancestor names. Learning strategies were understood as embedded and embodied in the form of characters displaying the archetypes. The storywork process used by the Elders, systematized as phenomenological orienteering and operationalized as metaphorical mapping, was found to be a useful methodology…. [Direct]
(2011). As the Rez Turns: Anomalies within and beyond the Boundaries of a Pueblo Community. American Indian Culture and Research Journal, v35 n2 p87-110. After initial instruction in written and spoken Tiwa, young adult participants in the summer language program at San Antonio Pueblo began authoring their own pedagogical materials as a learning activity. Charged with writing pedagogical dialogues to aid in language learning, the students created "the first Native soap opera," as the students described it, which they named "As the Rez Turns." In this paper, I analyze the processes of entextualization surrounding the creation of this text, its generic features, and its content, which provides a glimpse into the contemporary lived experience of community members in this community that emphasizes strict control of textual circulation and limiting access to local knowledge. I utilize Philip Deloria's (2004) analysis of Native Americans' engagement with popular cultural forms and linguistic anthropological work on intertextuality and genre to analyze this example of representation, outlining the extra- and… [Direct]