scholarly journals ‘Beanz Meanz Professional Learning’: Beginning a Pedagogical Reflective Sketchbook1

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emese Hall

I was attempting to write a traditional text-based article defining what I have come to term a ‘Pedagogical Reflective Sketchbook’. The aim was to consider what insights might be gained from existing research on teachers’ use of reflective sketchbooks ‐ and similarly named books ‐ for their professional learning, leading to my definition of a Pedagogical Reflective Sketchbook. However, I told myself (aloud) ‘I can’t say what I want to say in words’. Although not a totally surprising revelation, it was a call to action. I, therefore, began to develop my own visual musings centred on the analogy of being like a Michelin-starred chef serving baked beans on toast ‐ a pedagogical frustration in my current academic role. In order to better understand a Pedagogical Reflective Sketchbook, it made perfect sense to begin one, in keeping with the spirit of my research intentions. This visual essay explains more…

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brahm Norwich

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine variations within lesson study (LS) practices and their connections with related traditions: teacher research/enquiry approaches, professional development models, professional learning communities and group problem-solving approaches. Questions are addressed about the relationships between different professional learning approaches in terms of definitions and frameworks. Design/methodology/approach Academic databases and website sources were searched in a purposive way to identify 20 practices associated with these traditions for comparative analysis. Findings A conceptual framework consisting of eight dimensions was constructed to account for the variations within and between these professional learning traditions: for instance, about the settings in which the practices take place, the purposes of the practices and the specific procedures involved. By illustrating how specific practices fitted within this framework it is concluded that the variations within the LS tradition are wide enough to make it difficult to identify a set of necessary and sufficient features of LS to distinguish LS practices from the other non-LS professional learning practices. Reasons are also given for considering whether a polythetic type of definition of professional learning/development practices might be constructed. Research limitations/implications The possibility for a more systematic review of professional learning approaches for the construction of a conceptual framework is discussed. Practical implications Ways in which this kind of conceptualisation can be useful in promoting clarity about professional learning practices and in developing these practices are discussed. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in the construction of a conceptual framework to analyse similarities and differences within and between various professional learning traditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 753-763
Author(s):  
David P. Waggoner

PurposeThis article explores how recognizing politics may help change agents have better success enacting change.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual paper using systems and practical domains to define a more sophisticated and useful definition of politics for change agents' use.FindingsThe article argues that there is an innate correlation between organizational change and organizational politics.Research limitations/implicationsThis article is a call to action for future empirical study on political skill.Practical implicationsThis paper is a practical invitation for change agents to recognize and adopt the positive aspects of political skill to aid in their efforts.Originality/valueThough organizational politics traditionally receives a negative connotation, there is growing research supporting the positive use of politics. This connection has yet to be fully discovered when one reads the literature. This concept paper is an invitation to begin further study.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Rubio

Five international organisations cooperated in the project ‘Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Action’ (2011-2016): Global Environment Fund (GEF), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organization International Hydrological Program (UNESCO IHP), International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) The present document presents the Vision resulting of a consultative process and the definition of ‘Groundwater Governance’ and its components. It provides a synthetic overview of the enabling frameworks and guiding principles of the Framework for Action prepared by the project. Conscious of the need to raise political awareness at global level and to act with urgency to improve groundwater governance, the five institutions make an urgent call to action if trends in the state of this resource are to be reversed. Governance Groundwater


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Brady-Amoon ◽  
Kathleen Keefe-Cooperman

Psychology, counseling psychology, and professional counseling are at a crossroad. The growing movement to establish professional counseling as a distinct profession, based on an increasingly narrow definition of professional identity, is particularly relevant to counseling psychologists and professional counselors and has implications for the broader field of psychology. A brief systematic historical analysis of these professional specialties in the U.S. provides the context to examine current challenges, including proposed restriction of master’s level training, licensure or other authorization to practice, and employment to graduates of programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). These restrictions reduce services to the public and threaten the viability of counseling psychology and professional counseling in the U.S. These challenges also have significant implications for counseling psychologists in Europe and internationally given similar efforts. Going beyond a call to action, the article concludes with recommendations for counseling psychologists and allied professionals to address shared challenges, maximize shared opportunities, and foster enhanced intra- and inter-professional collaboration and cooperation.


Author(s):  
Rosemary Kennedy ◽  
Judy Murphy ◽  
Darryl Roberts

The definition of quality healthcare, its accurate measurement, and its effective management is nebulous and constantly evolving. Even the most respected and knowledgeable experts cannot come to consensus on exactly what quality means. Levels of measurement, as well as questions of whom, how, and when to measure are topics of continual deliberation. These discussions occur at multiple levels through councils, committees, workgroups, task forces, and expert panels. Many policy-related decisions these groups make affect nurses and nursing care. All of them affect how patients receive or engage in healthcare. This article discusses the National Quality Strategy by offering a description and history of the quality conversation, including federal advisory committees and quality measurement data standards. There are several gaps in the quality conversation to which nurses could contribute valuable insights. The authors describe ways that nurses can engage in the national quality agenda. The article concludes with a call to action to encourage nurses to take a larger role in driving the National Quality Strategy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trista Hollweck ◽  
Deborah M. Netolicky ◽  
Paul Campbell

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to define pracademia and conceptualise it in relation to educational contexts. This paper contributes to and stimulates a continuing and evolving conversation around pracademia and its relevance, role and possibilities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a conceptual exploration. It draws upon existing and emerging pieces of literature, the use of metaphor as a meaning-making tool, and the positionalities of the authors, to develop the concept of pracademia.FindingsThe authors posit that pracademics who simultaneously straddle the worlds of practice, policy, and academia embody new possibilities as boundary spanners in the field of education for knowledge mobilization, networks, community membership, and responding to systemic challenges. However, being a pracademic requires the constant reconciling of the demands of multi-membership and ultimately, pracademics must establish sufficient legitimacy to be respected in two or more currently distinct worlds.Practical implicationsThis paper has implications for knowledge mobilization, networks, boundary spanners, leadership, professional learning, and connecting practice, policy, and research. While the authors are in the field of education, this exploration of pracademia is relevant not only to the field of education but also to other fields in which there is a clear need to connect practice/policy with scholarship.Originality/valueThis paper provides a new definition of pracademia and argues that pracademia identifies an important yet relatively unknown space with many possibilities in the field of education.


2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
James H. Liu

The three articles in this special edition of the Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology encompass a range of approaches within cross-cultural psychology. Adrian Furnham's (2011) culture shock shows how academic psychology can be applied to, and helps to inform a popular concept. John Berry's (2011) acculturation theory demonstrates how focused theory and empirical data can align with a national agenda. Anthony J. Marsella and Ann Marie Yamada's (2011) socioconstructionist critique of mainstream clinical psychology and psychiatric practices illustrate how epistemology and indigenous psychology can challenge institutional practices. They are united in rejecting a culture-blind psychology of the mainstream. They differ by referencing largely separate but nonetheless complementary literatures on cultures of relevance to the Pacific Rim region. Taken together, these three articles combine meaningfully to illustrate how Pacific Rim psychology might benefit from having (1) a definition of itself with Hawaii and the Pacific Island Nations as the centre and hub for the broader Pacific Rim that includes East Asia and the Western American seaboard; (2) a focus on action, particularly action research and its cyclical communication process of planning, action, evaluation and feedback; and (3) an interdisciplinary orientation where interconnectedness with such institutions as mass media, government, and clinical and psychiatric practices, as well as within psychology itself, underpin and inform research practice and policy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 806-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kabins

Although the authors of the focal article provide a comprehensive definition of 360° feedback, one exclusionary criterion results in an overly narrow definition of 360° feedback. Specifically, Point 3 in their definition described the criticality of strictly using quantitative methods in collecting 360° feedback. The authors provided a brief rationale by stating, “Data generated from truly qualitative interviews would not allow comparisons between rater groups on the same set of behaviors” (Bracken, Rose, & Church, 2016, p. 765). Although there is little doubt about the value in taking a quantitative approach for gathering 360° feedback, it is not clear why this has to be the sole approach. Below, I outline three issues with taking this constricted methodology. That is, first, excluding qualitative methods is not in line with the purpose of 360° feedback, which is directed at minimizing criterion deficiency. Second, qualitative methodologies (in conjunction with quantitative methodologies) are more equipped to provide and inspire a call to action (supporting the change component addressed by the authors). Finally, there are qualitative methods that allow for rigorous quantitative analysis and can provide an additional source of macro organizational-level data.


Author(s):  
Deborah Kitchener ◽  
Janet Murphy ◽  
Robert Lebans

This article reports on the implementation and impact of two blended models of teacher professional learning that promote innovative classroom practice and improved literacy and numeracy in six school districts in Ontario, Canada. The Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program (ABEL), situated at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, transforms how teachers learn and teach through a strategic blend of face-to-face interaction, technological tools and resources, online interaction and support. Learning Connections (LC), its sister project, uses the same model to improve literacy and numeracy in school districts. Research into the impact of both programs reveals increased student engagement and achievement, enhanced teacher efficacy, and improved results in literacy and numeracy. This report presents the findings from two participant surveys conducted in one large suburban board just north of Toronto, and one large rural board in Northern Ontario, and demonstrates how the working definition of literacy that teachers use in the classroom is being transformed by their use of technology in the classroom.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0013161X2110560
Author(s):  
Rachel Roegman ◽  
Ruqayyah Perkins-Williams ◽  
Matt Budzyn ◽  
Olivia Killian-Tarr ◽  
David Allen

In this study, we examine principals’ data use within four districts are engaged in district-level professional learning around equity. Drawing on Gutierrez's framework for dimensions of equity, we consider how principals engage in data use in light of the dimensions of access, achievement, identity, and power. Findings suggest each district had its own definition of equity and engaged in work at advancing equity based on this unique definition. We conclude with implications for policy, preparation, and practice related to these different understandings of equity.


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