New methods for new needs? Analysis of the study plans in Social Work from the perspective of graduates: the case of the University of La Laguna

The purpose of the research is to analyze the opinions of the graduates in Social Work of the University of La Laguna about their Study Plan, in order that it can serve to evaluate, improve and update this and other curricula of the discipline in other university centres. This work has a descriptive quantitative method and used a questionnaire for data collection, with 102 participants and statistical treatment with SPSS. The main results show a great demand to adjust, firstly, the teaching methods of the teaching staff to the new needs of their students, and secondly, the subjects and contents with the current social realities. Likewise, it points towards a disconnection between university-society, reflected in the problems derived from curricular practices and the application of workshops with external professionals and real practical cases as two of the favourites activities as content of practical classes. Therefore, studies in Social Work in Spain must remain in constant review so as not to be outdated, since social reality, its object of study and analysis, is an element in constant change.

Falling Towers: A Letter to my Child’s Teacher

Using the epistolary genre, this editorial is embedded in a fictional letter written to a teacher. The discussion is spurred by a teacher writing a mark in bold felt pen directly on a student’s drawing of the Eiffel Tower. This reflexive inquiry laments the deep wounding of the joy of learning by metrics, measurements and efficiency, while registering the imperative to change this path. Using the metaphor of the “tower” to theorize current damaging curricular practices, this editorial questions how, amidst the uncontrol and fear in a global pandemic, the challenging truths of unmarked graves, devastating climate disasters, global food insecurity, among other sufferings, teachers can imagine hope-inspired, healing-centred pedagogies and ”assertive mutuality . . . [through] co-action, interconnection . . . [and] the capacity to act and implement as opposed to the ability to control others” (Kreisberg, 1992, p. 86). The task of recognizing, naming and dismantling towers—in essence, leaving one’s home, and building new relational frames, while the world is falling—requires extraordinary hope, as shown in the articles in this issue.

Gramática lúdica y creativa. Una experiencia para hacer más accesibles los contenidos gramaticales en Educación Primaria

La enseñanza de la lengua y la literatura ha de ser una experiencia lúdica y sensorial para el alumnado, sobre todo a la hora de desarrollar contenidos curriculares referidos a la reflexión sobre la propia lengua y la gramática. Este trabajo expone una investigación empírica llevada a cabo mediante el trabajo de campo y la realización de actividades lúdicas en torno a los usos del lenguaje, desarrollada primero con 18 alumnos del Grado de Maestro de la Facultad de Educación de Soria (Universidad de Valladolid) y, después, con 274 escolares de seis centros de Educación Primaria de la ciudad donde desarrollan sus prácticas curriculares. La experiencia consistió en la realización, bajo la supervisión de sus tutores, de actividades a modo de juegos creativos en tres niveles lingüísticos: letras, palabras y textos. Los objetivos planteados fueron: despertar la curiosidad y el sentido critico del alumnado participante en la experiencia, tanto universitario como de la etapa de Educación Primaria; propiciar la reflexión sobre el código lingüístico para mejorar la expresión oral y escrita de los escolares; y facilitar la asimilación de diversos contenidos curriculares de forma libre, autónoma y cooperativa. Al presentarse como juegos, pudieron aplicarse con igual rendimiento en estas dos etapas educativas (Primaria y Universidad). En su realización, los errores se contemplaron como una oportunidad creativa. Los resultados obtenidos confirman el valor de la enseñanza de la gramática de forma lúdica y creativa. La mayoría de los escolares de Educación Primaria mejoró los resultados en cuanto a esfuerzo, corrección lingüística o lectura en voz alta; por su parte el alumnado universitario apreció la importancia de incluir recursos lúdicos en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje, al repercutir sobre una mejor actitud afectiva del alumnado, reforzando la importancia de la sugestopedia como metodología en la enseñanza lingüística. Este trabajo expone una experiencia basada en actividades lúdicas que han sido desarrollada primero con 18 alumnos del Grado de Maestro de la Facultad de Educación de Soria (Universidad de Valladolid) y, después, con 274 escolares de seis centros de Educación Primaria de la ciudad donde desarrollan sus prácticas curriculares. La experiencia consistió en la realización, bajo la supervisión de sus tutores, de actividades a modo de juegos creativos en tres niveles lingüísticos: letras, palabras y textos, con el objetivo de despertar la curiosidad y el sentido crítico, propiciar la reflexión sobre el código y mejorar la expresión oral y escrita de los escolares, al tiempo que se asimilaban de forma libre, autónoma y cooperativa diversos contenidos gramaticales. Al presentarse como juegos, pudieron aplicarse con igual rendimiento en diversas etapas educativas. En su realización se contempló el error como una oportunidad creativa (Rodari, 2008). Los resultados obtenidos confirman el valor de esta metodología, al tiempo que se destaca la ayuda que pueden ofrecer al profesorado para el tratamiento de contenidos académicos que, con enfoques más tradicionales, presentan más dificultades de asimilación entre el alumnado, debido a su escasa capacidad para motivarle y para despertar su interés, pero necesarios para desarrollar la competencia lingüística y comunicativa. Teaching language and literature should be a ludic and sensorial experience for students, especially when it comes to developing curricular content targeting students’ own reflection about their language and grammar. Data were obtained through the completion of creative and playful activities about language, developed first with 18 students of Education Degree in Soria (University of Valladolid) and, later, with 274 students from six Primary schools where university students developed their curricular practices. The experience consisted of the design and conduction, under school tutors’ supervision, of creative games which targeted three linguistic levels: letters, words and texts. More specifically, the objectives included: to awake learners’ curiosity and critical thinking; to promote reflection on the linguistic code for improving oral and written expression; and to facilitate the assimilation of several grammatical contents freely, autonomously and cooperatively. Since these activities were presented as games, they were applied with the same performance levels at university and at primary school settings. Mistakes were considered opportunities for creativity. The results obtained confirm the value of teaching grammar in a playful and creative way. Most of the Primary students improved their results in terms of effort, linguistic correction and reading aloud. University students highlighted the importance of including recreational resources in teaching and learning processes as this had a positive effect on primary school learners’ affective attitude. The results obtained reinforce the importance of suggestion-pedagogy as a method in language teaching. This work exposed an experience with 18 university students from Education Degree in Soria (University of Valladolid) who have been involved as part of their own university training and later they have applied this experience to 274 students from six schools of the city, during its curricular practices. This experience consisted, under the supervision of their tutors in Schools, in several activities applied as creative games with three linguistic levels: letters, words and texts, with the aim of awakening curiosity and critical sense, promoting reflection on the linguistic code and improve oral and written expression, while assimilating various grammatical contents freely, autonomously and cooperatively. When activities are presented as games, they could be applied with equal performance in various educational stages. In its realization, error was seen as a creative opportunity (Rodari, 2008). The results confirm the value of this methodology, while highlighting the help it can offer to teachers for the treatment of academic content that, with more traditional approaches, presents more assimilation difficulties among students, due to its limited ability to motivate him and arouse his interest, but necessary to develop linguistic and communicative competence.

Subjectivities in curricular practices in Mathematics in Youth and Adult Education

Background: The curriculum practices, especially those related to Mathematics, developed in EJA, can exert a strong influence on the students' sentiment of self-efficacy and, in turn, influence the cognitive processing of mathematical knowledge. Objective: To investigate which meanings of curricular practices in Mathematics are subjectived by EJA teachers. Design: Narratives of 5 teachers who work at EJA, whose data collection was through interviews. Environmente and participants: The research took place in a rural municipal public school located in a city in the interior of Ceará. Data collection and analysis: Textual Discursive Analysis. Results: The curricular practices developed in EJA, especially those related to mathematics, can exert a strong influence on the student's sentiment of self-efficacy and influence their cognitive processing of mathematical knowledge. The moments of collective pedagogical planning and training influence the selection of curriculum content and teaching materials, guiding the construction of the teachers' curricular practices, influencing the construction of their subjectivities, in a permanent relationship between subjects who interact and confront each other from different ways for their pedagogical work, including the support they seek from their peers. Conclusions: Thinking about the subjectivities of the actors involved in EJA should mean turning the attention to the teaching and learning processes, which encompass a range of diversities of social groups with very different cultures, expectations, ages and interests, meaning greater attention to production and implementation of appropriate curricula and teaching for these groups of students, considering their cultures, experiences and previous experiences.

Improved and Sustained Graduate Programs Diversity Outcomes: a 10-year Analysis and Summary of the Brown University IMSD Program

This report describes the 10-year outcome of implementing practices that support and foster success of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate training at Brown University. The results show sustained improvements in compositional diversity, retention, and degree attainment of supported students relative to their peers. Among the outcomes is an increase in enrolled student diversity from 19 (35 of 179) to 26% (58 of 223) for historically underrepresented minority (URM) students and an increase in Ph.D. degree attainment from 4 (1 of 25) to 14% (6 of 44) for this group. These achievements follow the introduction and coordination of academic and co-curricular practices through the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences–funded Brown University Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) Program. At the center of these outcomes is the alignment of IMSD practices with recent diversity initiatives launched by the university. The outcomes described result from long-term commitments to building a culture that includes: (1) development of relationships that serve underrepresented students, (2) provision of a personalized education program of support and skills-based learning that supplements discipline-based research and coursework, and (3) investments in processes that build a culture that values and benefits from diversity. These practices may yield similar outcomes and success for students when applied elsewhere.

Moving Toward Decolonizing and Indigenizing Curricular and Teaching Practices in Canadian Higher Education

In this reflective paper, I interweave autoethnographic personal narrative and critical self-reflection with theoretical literature in order to engage and wrestle with decolonizing and Indigenizing my teaching and curricular practices in Canadian higher education. Acknowledging that walking this path is challenging, I seek multiple trailheads in an effort to access my hidden curriculum, my complicit knowledge, and unsettling moments that have the potential to transform me. My objective is to critically interrogate myself to prepare for respectfully and appropriately moving toward reconciliation in my relationships with Indigenous colleagues, students, and communities, and in my work as a curriculum maker.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CURRICULA OF THREE COUNTRIES: PAKISTAN, ROMANIA, AND MALAYSIA

This analytical paper presents findings from comparison of current Pakistani curriculum with the curricula of Malaysia and Romania and their implications for future curricular practices in Pakistan. The curricula of the three countries have been viewed from the perspectives of 10 guiding curricular components – scope, sequence, continuity, articulation, balance, self-sufficiency, significance, interest, utility, and feasibility; in addition to other parameters such as curriculum development and change processes. The implications for future curriculum practices include: the inclusion of local cultural values, wisdom, stories, songs, art, music, peace education, literature, in the curriculum; a balance between art education and science education; matching the expectations of the curriculum and the society with the existing realities and available resources; survey of the needs of the society, the social and cultural realities across the province, and so on.

The Relevance and Pertinence of Sexuality Education in Seminary: The Explicit and Null Curricular Practices in Ministry Training

In this consciousness-raising climate, religious leaders are confronted with opportunities to counsel on matters of sexuality. A curriculum audit was done for twenty evangelical U.S. seminaries to identify efforts in place to prepare future ministry leaders in addressing pertinent sexuality concerns. Ten institutions had no course listing or description that suggested any training. Further discussion with several seminaries shed more light on current practices. Suggestions are also offered for implementing changes in programs and curricula.

INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL ISSUE

This special issue aims to explore Canadian pedagogical and curricular practices in child and youth care and youth work preservice education with an emphasis on empirical and applied studies that centre students’ perspectives of learning. The issue includes a theoretical reflection and empirical studies with students, educators, and practitioners from a range of postsecondary programs in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. The empirical articles use various methodologies to explore pedagogical and curricular approaches, including Indigenous land- and water-based pedagogies, ethical settler frontline and teaching practices, the pedagogy of the lightning talk, novel-based pedagogy, situated learning, suicide prevention education, and simulation-based teaching. These advance our understanding of accountability and commitment to Indigenous, decolonial, critical, experiential, and participatory praxis in child and youth care postsecondary education. In expanding the state of knowledge about teaching and learning in child and youth care, we also aspire to validate interdisciplinary ways of learning and knowing, and to spark interest in future research that recognizes the need for education to be ethical, critically engaged, creatively experiential, and deeply culturally and environmentally relevant.