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Cross-disciplinary collaborations for sustainable futures and a vital and relevant academic communityCollaboration in Higher Education, an open access book, focuses on the opportunities and challenges created by engaging in collaboration and partnership in higher education. As higher education institutions become ever more competitive to sustain their place in a global, neoliberal education market, students and staff are confronted with alienating practices. Such practices create an individualistic, audit and surveillance culture that is exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the wholesale 'pivot' to online teaching. In this atomised and competitive climate, this volume synthesises theoretical perspectives and current practice to present case study examples that advocate for a more inclusive, cooperative, collaborative, compassionate and empowering education, one that sees learning and teaching as a practice that enables personal, collective and societal growth. The human element of education is at the core of this book, focusing on what we can do and achieve together: students, academic staff, higher education institutions and relevant stakeholders. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Knowledge Unlatched.
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The co-creation of shared meaning: an interdisciplinary discussion 'between' dialogic learning and the analytic thirdThe theories of Alexander (2008) and Mercer (2019) are used to inform discussion of dialogic learning along with Ogden (2004) and Benjamin (2004) on intersubjectivity and the analytic third. The authors suggest that the use of specific types of talk in dialogic learning mirrors (to a significant extent) the dynamics that occur in psychoanalytic situations facilitating the analytic third. Similarities (and dierences) are drawn between these practices from an interdisciplinary perspective and specific reference is made to the “hard to reach” learner in the context of higher education. F. Bion’s and W. R. Bion’s ideas on the individual, speech and silence are used to inform the discussion of presence and absence in educational and psychoanalytic environments.
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How can we ensure that young people and their special educational needs are included in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons?This chapter is written from the perspective of an experienced secondary special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo). She notes how well-delivered Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) programmes can have a positive impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils. However, provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in PSHE lessons can be sporadic and largely dependent on the teacher providing the course. In the SENCo’s experience outcomes can be beneficial to some, but may be potentially damaging to those who are disadvantaged in some way. She discusses ways in which the content of the PSHE curriculum can be inclusive of all learners.
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Using culturally responsive pedagogy to improve literacy learning within a supplementary schoolThe research discussed here is taken from a PhD study undertaken between 2012 and 2014 by one of the authors of the current chapter. It illustrates how the use of culturally responsive pedagogy together with an emancipatory approach of the sort advocated by Freire (2009) in one supplementary school contributed to overcoming issues of disaffection and lack of interest in reading and writing experienced by a group of culturally diverse students aged 11-14. The significance of such pedagogy is that it takes account of the individuality and cultural backgrounds of students, and what, therefore, students bring with them into the learning context of which teachers should be aware. The students were referred to the researcher by their parents who were concerned about their levels of progress in their mainstream schools. A supplementary school was established in a community centre for the purpose of addressing the literacy difficulties that were identified. Sessions were based on the National Curriculum in England (Department for Education (DfE) 2013) but pedagogy was adapted to meet students’ expressed interests and literacy learning needs as well as their diverse cultural backgrounds. Students were involved in every aspect of the sessions from planning to evaluation as befits an emancipatory approach. The outcomes were improved levels of attainment and re-engagement with literacy learning. The approach and its results cannot be generalized from such a small sample of participants. Nevertheless, there is an implication that even within the tight prescription of the National Curriculum there is room for a degree of flexibility to enable cultural responsiveness and sensitive engagement with students’ own views to improve their literacy learning.
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A creative approach to supporting literacy acquisition for a young man with difficultiesThis chapter describes a case study of the design, implementation and evaluation of personalised provision made for one young man. Concerns had been raised about him by both teaching staff and parents, the most serious of which were writing and illegibility when reading back, retention of information as a result of slow pace, the young man’s disaffection from classroom activities, and his seeming inability to engage with staff about his difficulties in literacy acquisition. None of the attempts to help him, including provision of a laptop for use in class, had been successful. In order to support the young man it was determined by the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) that, in order to move forward productively and effectively, the initial task was to help the student ‘find his voice’. Once she had found a way to do this through the use of a projective interview technique, ‘Talking stones’ (Wearmouth, 2004) he was able to verbalise his specific needs and interests and, in doing so, enabled the SENCo’s team to help him find a creative and effective solution to overcome his barriers to literacy learning and achievement in other curriculum areas also.
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Special and additional needs and disabilities: an essential guideThis text supports teachers, students, other educators and families to deepen their understanding of the special educational, additional support, and learning needs of children and young people and effective ways to address these needs. The text offers up to date overviews of legislation, including the various Codes of Practice, across the U.K.. Chapters on key areas of need within Early Years settings, schools and colleges will enable readers to address barriers to learning and behaviour from a confident, well-informed position. The book translates theory into practice through illustrative case studies and suggestions for practical activities and threads learning and teaching points throughout the text to encourage readers students to think critically about how to manage particular issues. This book offers firstly a critical edge of understanding of how and why the statutory rights and entitlements of young people with special and/or additional learning and support needs and disabilities and their families, and the accountabilities of teachers, educational institutions and local authorities in meeting needs, have been extended over the years. Secondly it is intended to support educators to carry out their duties, and young people and their families to know what they might reasonably expect from others, from a thoughtful, confident position that is very well-informed in practice, theory and critical understanding of the issues in the field.
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Special educational needs and disabilities in schools: a critical introductionThis book has been designed as a key resource in supporting student teachers during and beyond their teaching training, as well as others interested in education, further to be aware of and to understand - the rationale underpinning the identification and assessment of some learners in settings, schools or colleges as having special educational, or additional learning or support, needs and disabilities; - where the whole notion of ‘special educational’, ‘additional learning’ or ‘support’ needs, as applied to learners in the education system in the UK, has come from; - what kinds of learning, social, emotional, behavioural or physical difficulties might be seen as requiring special or additional provision in educational institutions; and - a range of approaches that address the needs in ways that are both effective and can engage the interest and engagement of learners at different ages and stages. It is essential that all involved understand what ‘having’ a special educational, or additional learning or support, need or disability means for the young person and his/her family, and what addressing such needs and/or disabilities entails in educational institutions. Then we have the potential to see each learner as an individual, and respond in ways that address difficulties but draw on strengths and interests so that s/he feels included in the education process, is engaged in learning and has the motivation that predisposes to making real – measurable, if appropriate – progress.
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Putting the dyslexic learner at the centreThe focus of the chapter is a consideration of some of the issues involved in putting the dyslexic learner at the centre if we are to make effective provision to meet needs in settings, schools and colleges. The chapter outlines: · what current law across the UK tells us about dyslexic learners’ entitlements; · the characteristics of dyslexia: · ways to address difficulties in educational institutions exemplified by provision in the early years; · why it is so important to listen to learners in terms of - children’s rights; - the learning process; · challenges in the national context that problematize putting the leaner at the centre.
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Bringing the curriculum to life: engaging learners in the English education systemThe focus of the edited volume Wearmouth, J and Lindley, K (eds) (2021) Bringing the curriculum to life, Maidenhead: Open University Press/McGraw Hill is clear acknowledgement of the importance of creating curricula that engage learners in their studies at all stages of formal education if they are to achieve levels of which they are capable in schools and colleges. The rich and diverse collection of contributions made in this book by current and previous members of the Institute for Research in Education and colleagues associated with the institute reflect a range of values, assumptions and ideas about how and in what ways different groups and communities may construct, enact and imaginatively extend curriculum within (and sometimes outside) of state-maintained schools at different levels and in different areas of the curriculum. A core intention of this book, is to offer its readership a wider lens through which to revisit and reflect on some of the assumptions that inform the design and delivery of curriculum in practice. Some of the overarching questions and ideas raised foreground the implicit tensions and opportunities connected to the rights of learners, the role of parents, the state and other stakeholders. The inspiration for this book came from the editors’ own experiences as teachers in schools where they realised the overwhelming significance to achievement during the years of compulsory education and to enhanced future life chances of students’ engagement and interest in learning. They were aware that other colleagues in, and associated with, the Faculty of Education and Sport at the University, felt equally strongly about this issue and had carried out important research and publication in this area. The editors were very pleased, therefore, when these colleagues agreed to contribute chapters for this publication.
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The effects of language learning and math mindsets on academic success in an engineering programBackground Mindsets are based on two basic assumptions: some people think that their intellectual abilities can be developed through hard work and instruction (i.e., a growth mindset), whereas others believe that nothing can change their level of intellectual ability (i.e., a fixed mindset). The association between mindsets and academic achievement has been examined in different academic subjects, such as biology and math. However, no previous study has examined the effects of language learning mindsets (LLMs) and math mindsets (MMs) on academic success in an English medium instruction (EMI) setting in which English, rather than the first language of the students, is used for teaching content (e.g., mechatronics engineering). Purpose/Hypothesis This study explores the relationship between Turkish mechatronics engineering undergraduate students' domain-specific mindsets, LLMs and MMs, and their academic success. Design/Method Student test scores for English medium and first-language medium courses were collected from fourth-year students studying mechatronics engineering (n = 68) at a public university in Turkey. Students also completed the LLM and MM inventories. Results Regression analyses revealed that growth LLM and MM were positive predictors of EMI and Turkish medium of instruction (TMI) academic success, whereas fixed LLM and MM were negative predictors of EMI and TMI academic success. Conclusions In both EMI and TMI courses, a growth mindset in math and language learning can profoundly predict students' academic achievement in a mechatronics engineering program. We argue that domain-specific mindsets can effectively explain the self-theories of intelligence and achievement.
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Teacher mindset and grit: how do they change by teacher training, gender, and subject taught?This study explored the interplay between teacher mindsets and grit levels of Turkish pre-service teachers taking their year of study into account (i.e., first-year vs the fourth year), gender, and the subject taught in a Turkish higher education setting. Student teachers from various programmes at a public university in Turkey participated in the study (N = 321). The participants completed the Teacher Mindset Scale and Grit Scale online after receiving the approval of the university’s ethics committee and signing the consent forms. The correlations between the components of teacher mindset and grit demonstrated that as growth teacher mindset scores increased, and effort scores also increased significantly. Furthermore, as fixed teacher mindset scores increased, interest scores decreased. First-year pre-service teachers had significantly higher fixed teacher mindset scores than the fourth year. In terms of grit, fourth-year pre-service teachers showed greater effort than the first year. There was no difference between female and male pre-service teachers regarding fixed teacher mindset. However, female pre-service teachers scored significantly higher on growth teacher mindset, interest, and effort scales. As for the subject taught, the Mathematics Education programme showed higher levels of fixed teacher mindset and the English Language Teaching programme showed lower levels of grit. Practical implications of our findings and limitations of the study are shared accordingly.
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Different people, different backgrounds, different identities’: filling the vacuum created by policy views of ‘cultural capital’The notion of cultural capital, defined in its Arnoldian sense, of “the best that has been thought and said”, has been at the centre of the England’s education policy for the last five years. While it is clear that this version of cultural capital – different from the sense in which it was used by Pierre Bourdieu, who popularised the term – has been deployed to valorise certain types of social, educational and cultural knowledge, it is not clear at all what use teachers make of the term or indeed, how they view it. This article presents data from an evaluation of a programme for disadvantaged students in English primary and secondary schools that sought to make a focus on cultural capital, and tries to assess how teachers perceive and use the term. The article posits that teachers see exhortations to accumulate cultural capital as part of their role, but in much broader terms than the government does, and that they seek to fill the “vacuum” created by the current policy perspective on cultural capital.
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Adaptive agency: some surviving and some thriving in the ‘interesting times' of English teachingPurpose: This paper aims to introduce the concept of adaptive agency and illustrate its emergence in the field of English teaching in a number of countries using England over the past 30 years as a case study. It examines how the exceptional flexibility of English as school subject has brought many external impositions whilst its teachers have evolved remarkable adaptivity. Design/methodology/approach: It proposes several models of agency and their different modes, focussing finally on adaptive agency as a model that has emerged over a 30-year period. It considers aspects of this development across a number of countries, mostly English speaking ones, but its chief case is that of England. It is principally a theoretical paper drawing on Phenomenology, Critical Realism and later modernist interpretations of Darwinian Theory, but it is grounded by drawing on two recent empirical projects to illustrate English teachers’ current agency. It offers a fresh overview of how agency and accountability have interacted within a matrix of official policy and constraint. Findings: Adaptive agency has become a necessary aspect of teacher expertise. Such a mode of working creates great emotional strains and tensions, leading to many teachers leaving the profession. However, many English teachers whilst feeling controlled in the matrix of power and the panopticon of surveillance, remain resilient and positive about the future of the subject. Research limitations/implications: This is to some extent a personal and reflexive account of a lived history, supported by research and other evidence. Practical implications: Adaptive agency enables teachers to conceptualise the frustrations of the role but to celebrate how they expertly use their agency where they can. It makes their work and struggle more comprehensible. In providing the concept of harmonious practice, it offers the hope of a return to more satisfying professional lives. Originality/value: This paper offers an original concept, adaptive agency, and discusses other valuable conceptualisations of agency and accountability. It combines a unique individual perspective with a fresh overview of the past three decades as experienced by English teachers in England.
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Only disconnect: rereading Margaret Meek–of policies and practicesThis article reviews Margaret Meek Spencer’s body of work in relation to the various policies that she critiqued from the Bullock Report in 1974 to the National Literacy Strategy in 2004. She analysed increasingly conservative moves to promote a dominant, elitist version of school literacy. A Critical Realist perspective aligns with Margaret Meek Spencer’s view of a highly structuring political movement to maintain a model of merely functional literacy. She focused on the agentive, engaged reader from birth and some of the intellectual and societal structures that hampered the development of authentic, independent readers. Several of her major themes are reviewed, including her rich and complex view of literacy and its relationship to literary competence, a personal growth view that emphasised the centrality of children’s literature and finally her emphasis on the role of reading in fostering human dignity and self-esteem.
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The attrition of the expertise of teachers of English: from the rich pedagogy of personal and social agency to the poverty of the powerful knowledge heritage modelThis chapter reviews conceptualisations of the developing expertise of English teachers and uses, as a lens, the history of selected professional development initiatives over the last 40 years, some local, some national, some international. One major purpose is to record the enduring values of English teachers as experts in how literature and language authentically and affectively are at the heart of education for all students. A “personal growth and social agency” model is an emancipatory view of English and focuses on developing nascent and maturing individual agents, constantly fostering their growing critical powers. The chapter summarises a number of research/development projects over the last 30 years that illustrate the tenacity of the Personal Growth and Social Agency model model for the majority of that period and then reveal the emergence of the Powerful Knowledge Heritage model. The rise of ‘Scientism’ and neoliberal notions of ‘Powerful Knowledge’ may come to dominate English teachers.
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International perspectives on English teacher development: from initial teacher education to highly accomplished professionalThe fourth volume in the successful IFTE series provides an international perspective on the knowledge and professional development of the English teaching workforce. It provides a state-of-the-art review of English teaching and teachers and how they are developed over time. With contributions from leading scholars around the world, this volume is divided into four sections that follow the journey of an English teacher from being a student, to the latter stages of professional development and becoming a teacher. It sheds light on how different elements such as school culture, professional development, higher-level qualifications, professional associations and government policies contribute or detract from retention and job satisfaction. International Perspectives on English Teacher Development serves as ideal reading for the research and teacher education community along with teachers and student teachers globally.
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Introduction: the remarkable careers of English teachersThis introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates how English teachers have struggled and resisted these pressures, holding on to their personal and professional integrity and maintaining their expertise. It focuses on the ongoing uncertainty about the relationship between English Literature departments in universities and teacher education programs. The book reveals an especially fraught scenario where persistent government intervention over more than 30 years has seen constant demands and constraints and an underlying move to drive ITE out from universities and into schools exclusively. It offers radical visions for the future of Canadian English Language Arts Teachers. The book reviews New Zealand’s model of teacher education to reveal similar pressures on the schools beginning English teachers must work in via assessment demands and heavy pressure on teacher autonomy.
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Special educational needs and disability : the basicsSpecial Educational Needs and Disability provides a clear, coherent overview of the historical development of the field of special educational, or additional learning or support needs and disability, and discusses important past and current social and political contexts in which this took place, as well as changes in the law across time. It offers broad coverage of a range of needs and disabilities, and how to effectively identify and support those young people who experience such needs. This revised fourth edition covers recent legislative changes across the UK, an expanded discussion of key areas such as social, emotional, and mental health, a new chapter on literacy difficulties, and further fair, balanced, and open discussion of up-to-date evidence that indicates how young people who experience barriers to their learning are affected by factors associated with such marketisation, for example competition between schools and the academies programme. Special Educational Needs and Disability serves as essential reading for trainee and practising teachers, members of governing boards in schools and colleges, policymakers, and all those working directly with learners and their families.
