scholarly journals Reform ripples: The role of recontextualization in scaling up

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Tali Aderet-German ◽  
Adam Lefstein

This paper explores how educational interventions impact the districts they are implemented in above and beyond their intended outcomes. We argue that such unplanned “ripple effects”, in which program elements are recontextualized into other settings, are an important aspect of bringing educational interventions to scale. We analyze these phenomena in one Israeli district in which a teacher leadership and professional learning community initiative has been implemented and rapidly scaled up over the past five years. Extensive longitudinal ethnographic data were collected, including participant-observation in schools, professional development workshops, district management meetings and initiative-related events; 75 interviews with teachers and school and district management; and multiple informal conversations. We identify “ripples” in four arenas, and discuss the importance of individuals as mechanisms for transferring ideas across contexts, the role of ripples in advancing the initiative’s ethos, and the ripples’ long-term sustainability. Our findings suggest more attention should be paid to the impact of educational reforms on meaningful change beyond their original aims and settings. Alongside possible affordances these ripple effects have in the scaling up process, careful consideration should be given to their latent disadvantages, such as obscuring the program’s primary agenda.

2013 ◽  
pp. 754-772
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Corbeil ◽  
Joseph Rene Corbeil

Professionals who want to remain competitive in their fields are turning to Web 2.0 to learn the knowledge and skills they need in order to do their work more efficiently and effectively. Through a detailed description of how one instructor transformed his online graduate courses into dynamic, interactive, ongoing online learning communities that extended beyond the classroom, this chapter provides academics and practitioners a model for establishing a professional network that learners can participate in, and replicate in their workplaces for their professional development and informal learning. An overview of the role of social networking in creating professional development and informal learning opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship, knowledge brokering, and ongoing online support communities, as well as the results of a survey conducted on students’ perceptions of the impact of the social networking strategies and tools on their professional development and informal learning in and out of class will also be discussed.


Author(s):  
Ron Blonder ◽  
Ruth Waldman

The authors analyze chemistry teachers' discourse in a WhatsApp group. This online communication platform is used for continually studying the communication behavior of leading chemistry teachers who are members of a professional learning community (PLC). They describe the network of chemistry teachers' PLC in Israel, which provides the context for the study. WhatsApp enables sustained ongoing, intensive interaction, and sharing of knowledge that is practical, directly related to the members' needs, and is participant driven and constructivist in nature. A theoretical perspective of teachers' knowledge and professional development (PD) was developed in 2015 by Gess-Newsome, which was applied to examine the mechanism underlying teachers' knowledge development.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona King

A prominent feature of education discourse relating to teachers' practice has been the call for increased emphasis on professional development (PD). This paper is part of a wider project which explored the impact of a collaborative PD initiative on teachers' teaching and learning in five urban disadvantaged schools in Ireland. It focused on the impact of PD and critically on sustainability from which emerged important issues of leadership. This article focuses on the specific contribution that leadership made to the sustainability of the practices in the schools. It aims to identify three key features of how principals contribute to sustaining PD practices.


1997 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Lowet ◽  
John M. Eisenberg

AbstractFacing intense price competition and societal pressures, health care provider organizations have focused increasingly on the cost-effectiveness of medical services. In instances when there is insufficient evidence that a more expensive treatment course generates improved outcomes, the lower cost option is often encouraged. Yet, with resource utilization still determined principally by individual physicians, large practice variations often persist. This paper reviews the literature and explores the impact of sharing cost information on physicians' practice patterns utilizing management theory concepts. More research should be conducted to determine long-term benefits of educational interventions, physicians' fundamental views on the relationship between cost and quality and its effect on their responsiveness to cost information, and the role of leadership in changing clinical behavior.


HUMANIS ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Sarah Ulina Kariny ◽  
Ni Luh Arjani ◽  
Industri Ginting Suka

Local knowledge of Kampung Tarung community is maintained to preserve the traditional house. Most of the local knowledge is practiced by women because it relates to its domestic role. So the role of women has an impact on the preservation of traditional homes. The formulation of problem in this research include (1) How is the role of Kampung Tarung women in traditional house maintenance? (2) What forms of local knowledge do women have in Kampung Tarung? and (3) How is the impact of local knowledge owned by Kampung Tarung women towards the preservation of traditional house ?. The purpose of this research is to (1) identify and explain the role of Tarung Village women in traditional house maintenance; (2) describes the local knowledge forms owned by the Kampung Tarung women; and (3) disclose and analyze the impact of local knowledge of Kampung Tarung women on the preservation of traditional houses. Descriptive qualitative research methods with participant observation techniques, interviews, literature studies, and analysis of field data findings. The role of women in the maintenance of traditional houses in Kampung Tarung can be described by applying the role theory and the theory of ecofeminism. The role, according to Soekanto, is the dynamic aspect of status, so that if a person exercises his rights and obligations in accordance with his position he can be said to run a role. Meanwhile, ecofeminism as proposed Megawangi, see the individual comprehensively as a being that is bound and interact with the environment. This study also uses the concept of women's roles, local knowledge, and traditional houses. The results of the study show the importance of the role of women in the maintenance of traditional houses related to their daily domestic activities, the role is based on local knowledge possessed by women as the most effective way of maintaining traditional houses. Forms of local knowledge that are presently maintained, can not be separated from female figures and forms of local knowledge are taught to the children so that the next generation retains the kelur of the traditional house of Kampung Tarung.


Author(s):  
Iam-chong Ip

This article examines interns’ negotiation of their work identity, with a focus on the nexus of transformations in higher education and the “new” capitalist economy. The existing literature on internships emphasizes the restructuring of employment in creative and cultural industries, the surplus cultural labour supply, and the impact of internships on the career paths of educated youth mostly in western countries. Based on interviews and participant observation in Hong Kong, I argue that the intern’s “educated subjectivity,” nurtured by new values and practices of higher education such as self-reflexive learning and interfacing with community, plays an important role in the making of the intern economy. These values and practices contribute to the ambiguity and elasticity of the role of interns identified in previous research on internships.  


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiza Zeqiri

Abstract Researchers have investigated the role of information technology (IT) in learning but there is a need for studies investigating the impact of Blogging distinctively. There are previous studies which support the use of technology in the classroom and researchers who are arguing the opposite by expressing their concerns related to technology integration into the curriculum. This paper attempts to explore the impact and effectiveness of using weblogs in universities, particularly in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) environment. The participants in this study were 25 second and third year Communication Sciences students attending ESP one and two courses. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for the data collection. Evidence was gathered in the form of student questionnaires, weblogs and teacher’s analysis and evaluation of the process. The findings indicate that ESP students would not use their blogs effectively unless they are monitored and motivated by their teacher. It can be suggested that blogs can be used as an educational tool in different ESP courses and not only with ESP for Communication Sciences because their usage enhances student-student and teacher-student interaction and promotes discussions. Moreover, using Blogs in the classroom proved to be a good opportunity to promote students’ self reflection, peer evaluation skills and also their critical thinking ability. Finally, weblogs encourage collaborative work; establish a rapport between the learners and the teacher, by building a learning community and enhancing learner autonomy


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Susana León-Jiménez

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest.


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