The significance of competing conceptions of civic engagement is increasingly apparent as efforts are made to respond to the measurement imperative that characterises contemporary higher education. The importance of devising appropriate means of recognising and incentivising civic engagement is asserted in this paper and the potential offered by emerging measurement and mapping methodologies is considered. The empirical basis for the argument derives from a multi-site case study of the process of embedding community-based learning within Irish higher education. Analysis of interview data from four cases, drawn from the university and extra-university sector, yielded, inter alia, a typology of orientations to civic engagement. Findings are discussed, including those relating to orientations, ambivalence, scepticism, and legitimisation strategies. The case is made that these themes and the factors which impact on sustainability are mirrored within the wider domain of civic engagement—hence the opportunity to learn from a civically engaged pedagogy.
Information Communication Technology (ICT) is on the lips of every nation of earth because it brings innovation into information seeking and knowledge acquisition. It is on this premise that this study is embarked upon to identify the roles ICT plays in information seeking and use amongst research officers in Research Institutes in Nigeria. The paper case studies the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos using questionnaires, interviews, personal observation and examining relevant records. One hundred and seventy two research officers of the institute were sampled upon. The study examines awareness, use, exposure to ICT; role of ICT and improvements on ICT tools among other things. Results show that ICT plays an immense role in information sourcing, generation, processing, storage/retrieval, dissemination and even entertainment. Also, it shows that for ICT to be used optimally and maximally, there is need to have steady/regular power supply, workable/stable infrastructure and provision of more ICT tools and centres. Recommendations were made to the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide reliable sources of electricity and infrastructure or adapt the technology to local conditions and requirements (e.g. current/planned infrastructure). Manufacturers of ICT tools are urged to use non-radioactive materials in the manufacture of the tools. Other stakeholders should check for security and provide for more African sites. 相似文献
Virtue, according to Aristotle, is doing the right things at the right time with the right people for the right end and in the right way. This concept is central to the work of the Early Learning Initiative, an Irish community-based educational initiative. This paper describes how a community of parents, early childhood care and education practitioners and a third-level institution used action research to develop a three-year numeracy programme for children aged zero to six years. The Early Numeracy Project was one of 11 national projects that aimed to influence early years practice, provision and policy in Ireland. Remaining true to our local values and virtuous practice while implementing a national project was challenging, particularly when robust evidence of the impact of the programme on the children and parents in our community was required at national level. Approximately 860 children (zero to six years old) and their families took part in the Early Numeracy Programme each year, with national and local evaluations indicating that the outcomes for children in the programme had improved. The programme is an example of how a local community can use action research and virtuous practices to implement a national programme and improve outcomes for children. 相似文献
It is argued that online discussion is a useful tool for creating opportunities for learning in teacher education. In a project designed to improve the practicum in rural areas, researchers placed pre-service teachers (PSTs) in two different moderated online discussion forums: an unstructured personal blog space and a structured threaded discussion forum where discussion topics guided them to reflect on their practicum experiences in relation to theoretical components of their studies. Findings indicated a marked difference in the contributions made to each form of online discussion with significantly greater participation in the unstructured blog format. Using Kreber and Cranton’s hierarchy of reflection, analyses of both forums found that PSTs rarely engaged in high-level reflection. Examination of lecturer involvement in the forums suggests that their contributions did not sufficiently encourage PSTs towards optimum critical reflection. These results leave the researchers considering ways in which the practicum experience can better promote reflective practice in this crucial, component of teacher education. 相似文献
This narrative account draws on dialogic approaches to education to critically reflect on teachers’ expressed pedagogic thinking in community. The context for the study is a teacher community in Central Finland comprising teachers from pre-primary to upper secondary contexts. The shared interest of the community is in the foreign-language mediation of education. The data were collected over a period of one and a half years and primarily consisted of teacher-produced notes from community sessions. These data were thematically analysed using a theory-driven approach. The key findings underline the value of pedagogic relationships between teacher-colleagues to support enriched critical understanding of pedagogy. This research suggests the importance of mutual pedagogic relationships to support teacher development. 相似文献
This longitudinal follow-up study surveyed the attitudes toward, and skills in, evidence-based medicine (EBM) of medical school graduates who had participated in a formal EBM curriculum during their third-year Internal Medicine (IM) clerkship. The objective was to measure whether competencies were retained over time and to identify the long- term impact on the graduates' attitudes toward, and proficiency in, EBM after graduation. Questionnaire results showed that a group of medical school graduates retained EBM skills and a positive attitude about the importance of applying EBM principles in patient care one to three years after completing an EBM course. 相似文献
Contemporary commentary notes that students are frequently ahead of their teachers in their ability to manipulate and be creative with the internet, digital programs, and mobile technology. In this context it is important to ask, ‘What knowledge do teachers need to teach in the contemporary context where texts are elaborately multimodal, constructed not just of print but of image, sound, and movement?’ This paper proposes some signposts to assist teachers with navigating in this environment. Using teachers’ and researchers’ reflections on practices in a diverse range of settings, both primary and secondary, the analysis explicates the challenges that teachers face in this multimodal context and elucidates some ways they can effectively operate within it. In particular, it argues that it is teachers’ expertise as analysts and critics of texts that needs to guide their planning and teaching in this ‘new’ text world. 相似文献