Voice and Participation of ‘Student Cabinet’ in School Activities through the Development of ‘Teamwork’: A Case Study of a Government Secondary School in Bangladesh

Students’ voice and participation in teaching -learning practices in the classrooms and in schools are central in promoting Democratic Citizenship Education (DCE). Aiming to increase the practices of democratic values through education, in 2015 the government of Bangladesh enacted ‘student cabinet’ in secondary schools in Bangladesh. Through the development of a qualitative case study with an action research component, this study explores how the engagement of ‘student cabinet’ in school activities could be established through the development of ‘teamwork’. Data were collected from the head teacher, two classroom teachers, two group of students and the members of ‘student cabinet’ using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field notes. Findings suggest that while the ‘student cabinet’ was not effectively functioning in the school, involvement of its members, the teachers and the head teacher in planning and implementing the activities of the ‘student cabinet’ through collaborative action research influenced positive changes. ‘Strategy of working as a team rather than individuals’ showed potentials for improving the engagement of ‘student cabinet’ in the school activities and developing sense of connectedness with the school community. Findings have implications in promoting DCE through student representative bodies in schools in Bangladesh and other contexts. Social Science Review, Vol. 37(2), Dec 2020 Page 183-199

Exploring Teachers' perceptions of the Implementation of Inclusive Education in a Regular Primary School: A Papua New Guinea Study

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers‟ perceptions of the implementation of inclusive education in one regular primary school in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The school was made up of twenty-five teachers and an estimate of 350 students. However only twenty teachers participated in the study. The twenty teachers were composed of one head teacher, one deputy head teacher, two senior subject teachers, five senior teachers and eleven classroom teachers. It was a qualitative study using a case study approach. The data were gathered through questionnaires, individual interviews, focus group interviews, and document analysis. The results of this study showed that (i) teachers were not fully aware of inclusive education policy and practice, (ii) poor implementation of inclusive education policy was due to lack of appropriate training and professional development, (iii) inclusive education needs to be funded separately by all levels of government.</p>

Exploring Teachers' perceptions of the Implementation of Inclusive Education in a Regular Primary School: A Papua New Guinea Study

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers‟ perceptions of the implementation of inclusive education in one regular primary school in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The school was made up of twenty-five teachers and an estimate of 350 students. However only twenty teachers participated in the study. The twenty teachers were composed of one head teacher, one deputy head teacher, two senior subject teachers, five senior teachers and eleven classroom teachers. It was a qualitative study using a case study approach. The data were gathered through questionnaires, individual interviews, focus group interviews, and document analysis. The results of this study showed that (i) teachers were not fully aware of inclusive education policy and practice, (ii) poor implementation of inclusive education policy was due to lack of appropriate training and professional development, (iii) inclusive education needs to be funded separately by all levels of government.</p>

Teachers’ Opinions About One-to-One Tuition – a Report From Poland

One-to-one tuition is an important form of assistance dedicated to pupils who, due to their health issues, are unable to temporarily (or permanently) participate in traditionally organised schooling. In view of teachers’ scepticism towards one-to-one tuition, mostly because it fails to satisfy children’s needs of personal contact with peers, the study was conducted among educators. The results presented here are part of larger research on one-to-one education. The aim was to find out teachers’ opinions about one-to-one tuition and mandatory year-long one-to-one preschool education. The material for analysis was collected with the diagnostic poll method, employing a questionnaire technique. The respondents had to be professionally active teachers. The survey participants evaluated their experience in one-to-one tuition as a positive one. Very few provided negative opinions, these being mainly because of the financial costs or the learners’ home and family environment being unfavourable for teaching. It is optimistic to assume that the research participants acknowledge the opportunities that one-to-one tuition creates for working with school pupils. The limited contact of an ill child with peers is most often referred to as a disadvantage of this form of tuition. A change which was most frequently suggested in the organisation of one-to-one tuition was the implementation of modern technologies, the Internet, and online teaching applications. The respondents suggested that the teachers delegated to work with a student at home should be the ones appointed by the school head teacher. It was rather discouraging to discover that the surveyed teachers believed a person delegated to carry out one-to-one tuition did not need special preparation.

The Influence KEMI’s Capacity Building Programmes Influence Head Teachers’ Competencies in Curriculum Supervision in Public Primary Schools in Uasin Gishu County

Aims: The objectives of the study were to look at the influence of KEMI’s capacity building programme on head teachers’ competencies in curriculum supervision Study design: The research adopted a descriptive survey approach. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted in Uasin Gishu County of the North Rift region. The county lies within latitude: 0° 31' 0.00" N and longitude: 35° 16' 59.88" E. The study was carried out between May 2019 to October 2019 Methodology: The study targeted 5 sub-county education officers and 141 head teachers in public primary schools in the county. Random sampling was employed in choosing selecting the 141 public primary schools proportionately from each of the six sub-counties in the county. Every head teacher of the selected public primary schools took part in this study. Data was also gathered from all the six sub-county directors of education of Moiben, Kesses, Turbo, Kapseret, Ainabkoi and Soy. Data was collected using interviews and questionnaires. Results: Findings indicated that there was a strong positive correlation between KEMI capacity- building programmes and head teachers’ competencies in curriculum supervision. Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation indicated that there was a weak positive correlation between KEMI capacity building programme and head teachers competency in curriculum supervision, r (132) = .272, p < .0005, with KEMI capacity building programme explaining 7% of the variation in head teacher competency. Conclusion: Head teachers capcity in curriculum supervision had been enhanced through KEMI capacity building program.The curriculum activities that had been enhanced comprise monitoring of timetable, schemes of work, records of work and lessons plans. This has enabled syllabus coverage in time.

The response of schools in Scotland to coronavirus: ‘Glow’ing together

Four researchers at the University of Aberdeen investigated the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown on teachers’ practice in Scotland. We analysed information collected from primary teachers, a deputy primary school head teacher, secondary teachers of Biology, English, Mathematics, a secondary school head teacher and two regional education officers on how teachers reacted, adapted and responded to the first nationwide lockdown in response to COVID-19 (n=10). Home (first space) and school (second space) are often viewed as separate contexts with clearly defined and impermeable boundaries, although children participate in both spaces (Pahl & Kelly, 2005). We sought to understand the ‘third space’ (Bhabha, 1990) between school and home that was created through online and blended teaching and learning. Working in such a space has implications and consequences for the teachers who have to institute new routines using new technologies and think about teaching differently.

Is It Reliable for Physical Education Teacher to be A Head teacher? A Mixed-Method Study

To discuss physical education (P.E.) teachers serving as head teachers, it should be reasonable and evidence-based. Previous studies did not provide sufficient scientific evidence to answer this hotly debated question. Therefore, this study first adopted rigorous experimental research methods, focusing on analyzing whether a P.E. teacher serving as a head teacher would affect student performance. On this basis, the robustness of the experimental results was verified through qualitative research. The results showed that a P.E. teacher serving as a head teacher would not adversely affect students’ academic performance and maybe more conducive to students’ overall development. Based on this conclusion, we further suggested how to improve the appointment and management of head teachers.