Practice Based in Learning Theory: Peer Leaders Explain their Poster Projects

Three Peer Leaders present their final projects, one in Mathematics and two in Statics (Civil Engineering), for a one-credit course in Peer Leader Facilitation at New York City College of Technology, City University of New York, at the Honors and Emerging Scholars Poster Presentation in December 2015. The impetus for videotaping their presentations was the commemoration of a process which could be termed “How to Make a Poster.” The abbreviated directions are provided here. To aid the viewer of the videos, editing provides the static text of the poster section as the Peer Leader discusses that section. Introducing videos as exemplary practice advances the presentation of research in Peer Leader facilitation and theory.

Women Healing the Globe, Preserving the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau’s Permafrost is melting at an alarming rate. Six of the world’s major rivers are sourced in the Tibetan Himalayas that are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the earth. If the temperature of the region continues to increase, the rivers will dry up and the earth will warm at an even faster rate. Buddha Yeshe Tsogyal (ye shes mTsho rgyal) (757–817 CE), long considered the Mother of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, was the consort of Padmasambhava. She reached “complete liberation” or Nirvana in a single lifetime. Her stories are preserved in rman thar. Her life was an exemplary practice of compassion, responsible care, and non-violence toward all sentient beings and the world. Can we follow her proto-eco-feminist example? Can we build responsible care for our planet and humanity across disciplines and faith traditions? What does compassionate, non-violent Buddhist thought and Roman Catholic pastoral care bring to eco-feminism? Can an eco-feminist epistemology informed by Buddhist EcoDharma construct programs of sustainability into humanity’s excessive habits integrating science’s ability to quantify, with Buddha nature? Can Catholicism’s pastoral ability to show dependence on God, the peaceful, compassionate Creator of all allow us to see our dependence on God and our earth? Many women have already begun this work around the globe. In 2002, Rosemary Radford Ruether brought 16 women together from around the globe in Women Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism, and Religion to tell us how they are doing it and succeeding. Each is highlighted here for their visions on how to heal the planet at the grassroots level. From their insights, this article explores their contributions as being still relevant today and adding new concerns about the dangers arising on the Tibetan Plateau. The article emphasizes their ideas, provides a warning and other ideas that collective activation might inspire to address climate change.

Identifying best practice in career education and development in Australian secondary schools

This review aimed to identify the tenets of best practice in career education and development within Australian schools. Analysis of 13 articles revealed that career education and development is increasingly recognised as the critical transitional mechanism for young people. An embedded, whole-school approach with services tailored to the individual, school, community and culture was a central theme. Furthermore, one-on-one counselling by appropriately resourced and qualified professionals, provision of experiential learning opportunities, and the inclusion of activities aimed at inspiring students and equipping them with the skills of forethought, reflection, flexibility and decision-making were also critical. Designing a perfect model of delivery or theoretical framework is untenable, but identifying attributes of exemplary practice provides a basis for improvement and adaptation to students and contexts with differing needs. Opportunities for future research are also discussed briefly.

PENGEMBANGAN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM BERKUALITAS DI INDONESIA

The purpose of this study is to formulate the efforts that can be done to develop the quality of Islamic Education in Indonesia. The type of research is descriptive qualitative. The data used in this study are qualitative data that are collected using literature study method and processed using qualitative analysis techniques. The study findings suggest that efforts to develop the quality of Islamic Education in Indonesia include: 1) Integrating products from the development and advancement of science and technology into the Islamic Education system; 2) Applying a comprehensive approach and learning method that combines Islamic education provided at school, in the family, and in society, balanced by communicative delivery and exemplary practice of Islamic values; 3) Implementation of quality management of Islamic Education covering the management of educational institutions and all components of education in it, including teachers, learners, educational facilities, learning process, and community relations; 4) Increasing the welfare of teachers to encourage the improvement of the work ethos, which in turn will be able to contribute maximally in improving the quality of Islamic Education; and 5) Directing learning practices in Islamic Education on the purpose of increasing understanding, mastery, and application of Islamic values by learners.

“I’m Not Where I Want to Be”: Teaching Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices

This paper reports on the ways in which teaching principals in rural schools in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, Canada enact instructional leadership within the five leadership domains conceptualized by Robinson, Lloyd, and Rowe (2008). Although participants suggested that they were “not where they wanted to be” in their efforts to enact instructional leadership, their actions demonstrate exemplary practice in this regard. The nature of the discourse perpetuated by leadership groups and teachers’ associations that equates instructional leadership with classroom visits only has the effect of decreasing teaching principals’ self-efficacy as instructional leaders. We argue for recognition of these leaders’ efforts to support learning, and a reconstitution of the role of the teaching principal such that instructional leadership expectations are realistically manageable for leaders in small rural schools.

Konsep Akhlak dalam Islam dan Kontribusinya Terhadap Konseptualisasi Pendidikan Dasar Islam

This paper discusses akhlak concept and it`s conceptualization of Islamic primary school. In Islam akhlak occupy a very vital position because it involves horizontal and vertical relations. Likewise in Islamic primary school akhlak becomes a pillar on other pillars. Akhlak determination is very important in setting educational goals, teaching practices, methods, infrastructure, values that are instilled and all implementation. When akhlak and values of Islam are not contained in education, it is certain that the pillars of education are impossible to realize properly. The akhlak contribution in the conceptualization of Islamic primary school; first, help formulate educational goals. Second, help in formulating the characteristics and content of the curriculum. Third, help formulate the characteristics of professional teachers. Fourth, help formulate a code of ethics and school discipline. Fifth, make teaching and learning activities that produce students have noble character. Sixth, creating a clean, orderly, safe, peaceful, comfortable, and conducive learning environment. Realization of the concept can be started with further teaching followed by habituation education, exemplary, practice, coupled with examples, as well as explanations, coaching to finally become characters

Organizational Change and Development Through Quality Management in Higher Education Institutions

Issues of theory and practice of systemic quality management (QM) and organizational change and development (OCD) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are analyzed. It is argued that system-wide OCD in HEIs is typically driven by implementing QM systems. The basic characteristics of systemic QM and OCD and their interdependence are explicated. Practice-checked criteria for the implementation and evaluation of systemic QM/OCD are discussed. Based on this exemplary practice experience together with scholarly literature, a practice-used action research model of OCD is described. Furthermore, fundamental goals of systemic QM/OCD are put together, and success factors of QM-driven OCD are discussed including recommendations for change agents. Summarizing, systemic QM and related OCD in HEIs contribute to the rationalization of HEI governance because they enable the successful empirical practice of evidence-based organizational change and development (EBOCD) in the indispensable service of quality improvement.