Teaching about volcanoes: Practices, perceptions, and implications for professional development

Volcanology education is important for the development of geoscientists and scientifically literate citizens. We surveyed 55 volcanology instructors to determine their learning and teaching practices, perceptions of academic development, and educational support needs. Instructors reported using a wide range of practices and tools, but lectures, field experiences, maps, rock samples, academic literature, and inherited teaching materials are the most common. Instructors valued educational support from others (e.g., talking with colleagues and students, consulting with learning and teaching specialists) over conducting their own investigations. However, they did not report engaging in as many of these activities as they valued. Instructors requested more support in resource sharing and collation, conference workshops, and co-creation of resources and educational research. We suggest that instructors and academic development staff work together to share and build knowledge in the learning and teaching of volcanology in higher education, and to improve student learning outcomes.

What is a Philosophy of Education?

The article considers what is a philosophy and its relation to education . The modern academic development of philosophy has questioned the theoretical basis of specific aspects of knowledge and human experience, including education. It is an active rather than a passive or descriptive discipline. Education is defined similarly as a process by which knowledge, skills (including collecting empirical evidence and reasoning from it), cultural norms, values, and beliefs are acquired. The development of the modern philosophy of education is considered with its emphasis on conceptual analysis. Education is philosophically the conscious development of maturity requiring capacity for both intellectual and economic autonomy. Issues in the contemporary philosophy of education are then considered, particularly the challenges of post-modernism and post-truth for a philosophy of education in an Internet world. It identifies the need for comparative philosophical perspectives other than Occidental ones and suggests philosophical anthropology and comparative education as potential guides. It concludes that although there is now no consensus on how a coherent contemporary philosophy of education may be developed, analysis of concepts, metaphysical reasoning, and ethics may still provide a basis for a coherent and defensible philosophy of education whatever the comparative cultural setting.

Rethinking Māori academic development in New Zealand universities

<p>Indigenous scholars have called for a rethinking of the cultural interface of Indigenous people within the academy. For Māori academics, their culture often has a significant impact on their work, career goals and academic development requirements, yet the academic development literature is largely silent on the needs of Māori academics. Thus, the views of Māori academics could be better reflected in the scholarship and practice of academic developers. This thesis explores the realities of Māori academic staff in New Zealand universities. It presents a literature review about the experiences and preferences of Māori and other Indigenous academics. It also shares three case studies involving seven participants from two different New Zealand universities. The interviews for the case studies were conducted in accordance with kaupapa Māori methodology and using interpretative phenomenological analysis. In addition, this thesis proposes an integrated framework for conceptualising and delivering culturally relevant academic development to Māori academics. Entitled Te Kōtuinga Mātauranga: A Māori Academic Development Framework, it highlights four dimensions that emerged from the case studies and literature as key to Māori academic development: tuakiritanga (identity), pūkengatanga (skills and knowledge), whanaungatanga (relationships) and tikanga (values and practices). It also reflects the holistic nature of Māori academic work and the demand for individual and collective academic development opportunities. The visual portrayal of the framework draws on the traditional Māori weaving style of tāniko. The woven motif serves as a metaphor for both the interconnectedness of the Māori academic development framework and the importance of understanding academic development from an Indigenous viewpoint. Ultimately, this thesis calls for a rethinking of how academic development can be theorised and delivered to centre the cultural aspirations, preferences and practices of Māori academics, and encourages academic developers to be more inclusive in their practice.</p>