scholarly journals Symbols and narratives of Europe: Three tropes

2021 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 85-100
Author(s):  
Johan Fornas
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Introductory Remark ◽  
Critical Hermeneutics ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Interpretive Research ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Cultural Entity ◽  
Methodological Reflection

Throughout history, attempts have been made to identify Europe as a geographical, political, social, and cultural entity. Recent efforts to establish key symbols and narratives of Europe have focused on a set of central signifying elements, even if there is a wide and contradictory range of ways to define, structure, and interpret them. An introductory remark on the current debate on the need for renewed European self-reflection paves the way for some conceptual clarifications of my approach to concepts like culture, meaning, identity and mediation. A methodological reflection accompanies this on how to use semiotic tools in cultural studies based on critical hermeneutics. The concept of culture used here is based on the signifying practice of mediating meaning-making, linking imagination to communication in a triangular dynamic between texts, subjects, and contexts. Examples are given from two research projects on a broad and diverse range of European symbols and narratives, illustrating such interpretive research results. European identifications are crystallized and spun around three dominant tropes: supreme universality, resurrection from division, and communicative mobility. Their intricate tensions and interrelations attest to how deeply Europe remains a highly contested and dynamic meaning cluster.

Living Between: Exploring a Framework of Spirituality for Teachers and Students in Catholic Schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-205
Author(s):  
Rina Madden
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Religious Education ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Catholic Schools ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
People Today

Abstract This paper proposes a focus on human experience as the locus of identity construction and meaning making and presents a dialogical framework of Christian spirituality as a heuristic for teacher professional learning in religious education in Australian Catholic schools. Firstly the paper explores spirituality as a growing area of interest for young people today and its relation to identity formation for teachers and students in Australian Catholic schools. Secondly it presents a relatable theological framework of spirituality as an opening to transformative dialogue and self-reflection. Finally it describes the four paradigms of spirituality of the framework and the curriculum possibilities they raise.

Multiliteracies and the New World Order

2010 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Baguley ◽  
Darren L. Pullen ◽  
Megan Short
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
World Order ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
New World Order ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Literacy Pedagogy ◽  
Curriculum Area

Due to the importance of literacy as a key component in many education programs it appears that more than any other curriculum area its history has been marked by continual change in terms of theoretical positioning, shifts in definition and pedagogical practice. Whilst change is often viewed as a positive occurrence, recently teachers of literacy have experienced a rapid period of change in both their practice and the theoretical and research based beliefs that underpin it. This chapter will provide a brief overview of some of the ways in which literacy pedagogy has encompassed a diverse range of forms of communication and meaning making commonly referred to as ‘multiliteracies’.

scholarly journals The Empire Tweets Back? #HumanitarianStarWars and Memetic Self-Critique in the Aid Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 205630511988865
Author(s):  
Peter Chonka
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Culture Studies ◽  
Still Images ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Shed Light

In 2015, a series of memes appeared on Twitter under the hashtag #HumanitarianStarWars. Combining still images from the original Star Wars movies with ironic references to humanitarian/development jargon and institutions, the memes presented a humorous reflection on the modern aid industry. While memetic content has become an increasingly scrutinized area in digital culture studies—particularly with regard to unbounded and anonymous online communities, and popular discursive contestation—this article examines #HumanitarianStarWars to shed light on the possibilities and problematics of social media auto-critique undertaken by “insiders” in a particular professional realm. Keeping in mind critiques of the racial and imperial connotations of the (Western) pop-culture mythology itself, the article explores the use of the Star Wars franchise as a vehicle for commentary on an industry at work in the “Global South.” It highlights an ambiguous process of meaning-making that can be traced through the memes’ generation, circulation, and re-mediation. Although the memes provide a satirical self-reflection on practitioners’ experiences and perspectives of power relations in the global development industry, certain tendencies emerge in their remixing of this Hollywood universe that may reinforce some of the dynamics that they ostensibly critique. The article argues that examination of the ideological ambivalence of an institutional micro-meme can yield valuable insights into tensions playing out in professional social media spaces where public/private boundaries are increasingly and irrevocably blurred.

scholarly journals Self reflection and preservice teachers' technological pedagogical knowledge: Promoting earlier adoption of student-centred pedagogies

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Gao ◽  
Seng Chee Tan ◽  
Longlong Wang ◽  
Angela F. L. Wong ◽  
Doris Choy
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Pedagogical Knowledge ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
Information And Communication

<span>The purpose of this paper is to present the qualitative findings relating to fourteen preservice teachers' development and translation of their technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) into their classroom practices throughout the first year of their teacher preparation program. It was found that all fourteen participants demonstrated a gain in both technological and pedagogical knowledge, and registered positive changes both in their pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs in using information and communication technology (ICT) to engage their students in active meaning making after an ICT course and an intervention workshop on reflection. There was, however, great variation in the ways that they used ICT in their first field placements: from using ICT as a presentation tool to complement or support their teaching, to engaging their students in using ICT as a cognitive tool to extend their students' learning and knowledge construction. This variation was largely related to whether the participants could synergise their constructivist-oriented beliefs, technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. It seems that only the preservice teachers who demonstrated student-centric pedagogies and reflected on student learning showed more advanced development of TPK. Recommendations for engaging preservice teachers in reflection with a focus on student learning are discussed.</span>

scholarly journals Museum – meeting points

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Friederike Sophie Berlekamp
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
International Workshop ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Public ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
Framework Conditions ◽  
Eu Project ◽  
Further Development

The following article examines museums as meeting points, as open and inviting places for encounters and interactions, shaped by the presence of cultural assets, and thus offering not only physical-geographical but also temporal, emotional and mental spaces for diverse and complex exchange and reflection. These considerations build on the EU project REACH, which provided the opportunity to carry out extensive studies and activities on participatory initiatives in the field of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage institutions were an important pillar of this project and our contribution was focused in particular on museums. A short overview of our work and its guiding intellectual principles will be presented here together with the insights gained through our international workshop and during our survey. Even though the study included only a small sample, it could still highlight a very diverse range of activities and frameworks, and reveal the highly complex character of participatory activities, and of museums and their work. Furthermore, the societal relevance of historico-cultural collections and the multidimensional value of interaction could be underlined. By relating these findings to the current debate on the institution of museum, it has been possible to reflect on the changes that museums are undergoing as a result of the altering attitudes, knowledge, experiences, behaviour and expectations both among the public and within the institutions themselves. In addition, it was of special concern to accentuate the need of modified framework conditions and of multilateral commitments and responsibilities. With this article, I would like to contribute to the ongoing debate on the further development of museums and to promote a rather simple and open form of their understanding and development as meeting points.

scholarly journals Editorial

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ovamir Anjum
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Supreme Leader ◽  
Object Of Study ◽  
Methodological Reflection

Shirin Saeidi’s “A Passionate Pursuit of Justice: Towards an Ethics of IslamicFeminist Research Practice” is a well-researched and thought-provokingpiece on the question of how a scholar investigating lived practices (of Islam,in this case) may fruitfully deploy feminist theoretical perspectives;in particular, “how a feminist committed to breaking down hierarchiesbetween research participants and herself can carefully study ambiguousactivism.” By “ambiguous activism” the author seems to mean the practicesof groups or forms of life toward which the author feels morally ambivalent.Her essay is a judicious combination of literature review of feministtheorization, methodological reflection, and self-reflection in the contextof her object of study. Her object of study is Iran’s Hezbollah, a conservativecultural movement backed by the mullahs and in this respect, quite unlikeother Islamist movements in the Middle East; a movement, Saeidi notes,which may be regarded as both “oppressive, but also suppressed.” Whileenjoying powerful backing by the Supreme Leader (still the king-maker inIran) it struggles within civil society against secularization and individualisticreligiosity introduced by neoliberalism ...

Developing Social Justice and Inclusion Competencies Through Semi-Structured Reflection Papers

2017 ◽  
pp. 75-91
Author(s):  
Annemarie Vaccaro ◽  
Brooke D'Aloisio ◽  
Tiffany Hoyt ◽  
Athina Chartelain ◽  
Sarah D Croft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Competency Development ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
University Employees ◽  
Cultural Inclusion

As higher education institutions strive to foster cultural inclusion, it is imperative that university employees develop relevant competencies. This chapter offers insight into one “best practice” for fostering social justice and inclusion competencies (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). A professor and former students discuss the benefits of using self-reflection papers for competency development. The chapter begins with an overview of social justice and inclusion competencies for higher education and student affairs professionals. That section is followed by a description of graduate-level courses and reflection paper assignments aimed at developing social justice and inclusion competencies. The majority of the chapter focuses on the educational process (e.g., meaning-making, critical reflection) and products (e.g., awareness, knowledge, skills, action) of semi-structured reflection papers. Recommendations for future practice and research are included.

scholarly journals The Place of Research Paradigms in SoTL Practice: An Inquiry

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
Neil Haigh ◽  
Andrew John Withell
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Potential Influence ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Know How ◽  
Research Paradigms ◽  
Review Criteria

Research paradigms constitute views that a researcher holds about (a) the nature of reality and what they can know about it (that is, ontology); (b) the potential influence of their existing ideas and values on what they want to know, how they try to get to know, and criteria they use to make judgments about knowledge (epistemology); and (c) appropriate strategies for developing and evaluating knowledge (methodology). These views may influence their conception, design, implementation, and accounts of research projects. Critical self-reflection (reflexivity) is required to recognize these views and articulate their implications for projects. As scholars of teaching and learning, we attend explicitly to these views and their implications for our projects. However, our observation of  practice in the field of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in general, as documented in publications, indicates that while some colleagues attend to such views and implications, others do not. This observation prompted us to explore the extent to which journal-based accounts of SoTL projects refer to paradigm-related views and possible explanations for the attention that their authors do, or do not, give to this consideration. Explanations proposed include conceptions of SoTL, journal author guidelines and review criteria, and properties of the concept of a paradigm. Recommendations for educating new SoTL practitioners about research paradigms and their possible relevance to SoTL, based on our inquiry, are also presented.

Self-Mapping

2018 ◽  
pp. 77-98
Author(s):  
Nicole Anae
Keyword(s):  
Visual Culture ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Future Self

Self-mapping is a self-reflection paradigm in which the self-mapper, through self-produced images, documents their thoughts about intellectual journeys, professional/personal aims, courses of action, mapping milestones (“memes”), as well as the navigational points to achieve the goals. Self-mapping methodology places the “self-as-researcher” inside a creative process, in which the “self” identifies institutional requirements (e.g., toward candidature, promotion, publications, etc.) and symbolically visualises the progress toward identifiable end-goals. This chapter explores the importance of images and visual media in placing the self within contemporary instructional cultures of an individual's reality. It argues that the images are specific, purposeful, and personal rather than auxiliary to other forms of visual meaning-making. The process empowers self-mappers to participate in a visual culture of “a future self” that is of their own creation.

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