Teachers’ Misunderstandings that Affect the Learning of Their Pasifika Students

<p><b>Much current Pasifika research has a focus on looking at traditional Pasifika ways of learning to find an answer for low achievement among Pasifika students. Non-Pasifika research seems to see the solution as entailing teachers learning about their Pasifika students' lives. Yet neither of these approaches seems to make a difference for Pasifka student achievement. This study has shown that what does make a difference is the employment of good pedagogy by teachers who like and believe in their Pasifka students' abilities to succeed in the palagi education system. This study has also shown that what impedes progress for Pasifika students' achievement is the beliefs that teachers hold about "Pasifika ways of learning".</b></p> <p>For two days per week over a six week period a group of Year 9 Pasifika students were observed across a range of their classes in a medium sized, urban, low decile college which has a high proportion of Pasifika students. Observations and focus group interviews with Pasifika students and their teachers were conducted to explore the Pasifika student's engagement level and learning. A research methodology of mediated dialogue allowed the participants to be heard as authorities on their own experiences. The Pasifika students and their teachers were supported to hear the meanings each had given to the words and actions observed in the classroom. The Pasifika students were involved in the research as they co-constructed [with the researcher as scribe] the information they wanted their teacher to know. Teachers were able to respond to their Pasifika students' words and the Pasifika students were able to hear their teachers' responses.</p> <p>The findings were shaped as four vignettes and interpreted using the metaphor of an enzyme reaction. Each vignette described the type of learning and different engagement levels observed in a specific classroom. The vignettes included three classrooms where: students were not engaged at all with their learning because the relationship between the teacher and the students was poor; there was an appropriate relationship between the teacher and the students but the teachers' practice was poor; and the relationship between the students and the teacher was good but the teacher's expectations of the Pasifika students were low, and Pasifika learning was poor. In one vignette the relationship between the teacher and the students was one of trust and the teacher used teaching strategies that engaged and challenged the Pasifika students. In this classroom Pasifika learning was happening for a time.</p> <p>The study found that good Pasifika learning requires that the teacher must have all three of the following teaching strategies: allowing Pasifika students respect as a learner; being able to scaffold Pasifika learning at the right level and engaging their Pasifika students in active learning. The Pasifika student must have confidence and trust in their teacher to engage with the teacher in the active pursuit of learning. The classroom teacher must also have confidence in the Pasifika student's ability e.g., high expectations. If any of the parts described above are missing Pasifika learning is poor. The study demonstrates that the ways in which teachers fall into poor relationships and poor teaching practices can be related to their beliefs about Pasifika values and "Pasifika ways of learning".</p>

Teachers’ Misunderstandings that Affect the Learning of Their Pasifika Students

<p><b>Much current Pasifika research has a focus on looking at traditional Pasifika ways of learning to find an answer for low achievement among Pasifika students. Non-Pasifika research seems to see the solution as entailing teachers learning about their Pasifika students' lives. Yet neither of these approaches seems to make a difference for Pasifka student achievement. This study has shown that what does make a difference is the employment of good pedagogy by teachers who like and believe in their Pasifka students' abilities to succeed in the palagi education system. This study has also shown that what impedes progress for Pasifika students' achievement is the beliefs that teachers hold about "Pasifika ways of learning".</b></p> <p>For two days per week over a six week period a group of Year 9 Pasifika students were observed across a range of their classes in a medium sized, urban, low decile college which has a high proportion of Pasifika students. Observations and focus group interviews with Pasifika students and their teachers were conducted to explore the Pasifika student's engagement level and learning. A research methodology of mediated dialogue allowed the participants to be heard as authorities on their own experiences. The Pasifika students and their teachers were supported to hear the meanings each had given to the words and actions observed in the classroom. The Pasifika students were involved in the research as they co-constructed [with the researcher as scribe] the information they wanted their teacher to know. Teachers were able to respond to their Pasifika students' words and the Pasifika students were able to hear their teachers' responses.</p> <p>The findings were shaped as four vignettes and interpreted using the metaphor of an enzyme reaction. Each vignette described the type of learning and different engagement levels observed in a specific classroom. The vignettes included three classrooms where: students were not engaged at all with their learning because the relationship between the teacher and the students was poor; there was an appropriate relationship between the teacher and the students but the teachers' practice was poor; and the relationship between the students and the teacher was good but the teacher's expectations of the Pasifika students were low, and Pasifika learning was poor. In one vignette the relationship between the teacher and the students was one of trust and the teacher used teaching strategies that engaged and challenged the Pasifika students. In this classroom Pasifika learning was happening for a time.</p> <p>The study found that good Pasifika learning requires that the teacher must have all three of the following teaching strategies: allowing Pasifika students respect as a learner; being able to scaffold Pasifika learning at the right level and engaging their Pasifika students in active learning. The Pasifika student must have confidence and trust in their teacher to engage with the teacher in the active pursuit of learning. The classroom teacher must also have confidence in the Pasifika student's ability e.g., high expectations. If any of the parts described above are missing Pasifika learning is poor. The study demonstrates that the ways in which teachers fall into poor relationships and poor teaching practices can be related to their beliefs about Pasifika values and "Pasifika ways of learning".</p>

Teachers' Misunderstandings that Affect the Learning of Their Pasifika Students

<p>Much current Pasifika research has a focus on looking at traditional Pasifika ways of learning to find an answer for low achievement among Pasifika students. Non-Pasifika research seems to see the solution as entailing teachers learning about their Pasifika students' lives. Yet neither of these approaches seems to make a difference for Pasifka student achievement. This study has shown that what does make a difference is the employment of good pedagogy by teachers who like and believe in their Pasifka students' abilities to succeed in the palagi education system. This study has also shown that what impedes progress for Pasifika students' achievement is the beliefs that teachers hold about "Pasifika ways of learning". For two days per week over a six week period a group of Year 9 Pasifika students were observed across a range of their classes in a medium sized, urban, low decile college which has a high proportion of Pasifika students. Observations and focus group interviews with Pasifika students and their teachers were conducted to explore the Pasifika student's engagement level and learning. A research methodology of mediated dialogue allowed the participants to be heard as authorities on their own experiences. The Pasifika students and their teachers were supported to hear the meanings each had given to the words and actions observed in the classroom. The Pasifika students were involved in the research as they co-constructed [with the researcher as scribe] the information they wanted their teacher to know. Teachers were able to respond to their Pasifika students' words and the Pasifika students were able to hear their teachers' responses. The findings were shaped as four vignettes and interpreted using the metaphor of an enzyme reaction. Each vignette described the type of learning and different engagement levels observed in a specific classroom. The vignettes included three classrooms where: students were not engaged at all with their learning because the relationship between the teacher and the students was poor; there was an appropriate relationship between the teacher and the students but the teachers' practice was poor; and the relationship between the students and the teacher was good but the teacher's expectations of the Pasifika students were low, and Pasifika learning was poor. In one vignette the relationship between the teacher and the students was one of trust and the teacher used teaching strategies that engaged and challenged the Pasifika students. In this classroom Pasifika learning was happening for a time. The study found that good Pasifika learning requires that the teacher must have all three of the following teaching strategies: allowing Pasifika students respect as a learner; being able to scaffold Pasifika learning at the right level and engaging their Pasifika students in active learning. The Pasifika student must have confidence and trust in their teacher to engage with the teacher in the active pursuit of learning. The classroom teacher must also have confidence in the Pasifika student's ability e.g., high expectations. If any of the parts described above are missing Pasifika learning is poor. The study demonstrates that the ways in which teachers fall into poor relationships and poor teaching practices can be related to their beliefs about Pasifika values and "Pasifika ways of learning".</p>

Teachers' Misunderstandings that Affect the Learning of Their Pasifika Students

<p>Much current Pasifika research has a focus on looking at traditional Pasifika ways of learning to find an answer for low achievement among Pasifika students. Non-Pasifika research seems to see the solution as entailing teachers learning about their Pasifika students' lives. Yet neither of these approaches seems to make a difference for Pasifka student achievement. This study has shown that what does make a difference is the employment of good pedagogy by teachers who like and believe in their Pasifka students' abilities to succeed in the palagi education system. This study has also shown that what impedes progress for Pasifika students' achievement is the beliefs that teachers hold about "Pasifika ways of learning". For two days per week over a six week period a group of Year 9 Pasifika students were observed across a range of their classes in a medium sized, urban, low decile college which has a high proportion of Pasifika students. Observations and focus group interviews with Pasifika students and their teachers were conducted to explore the Pasifika student's engagement level and learning. A research methodology of mediated dialogue allowed the participants to be heard as authorities on their own experiences. The Pasifika students and their teachers were supported to hear the meanings each had given to the words and actions observed in the classroom. The Pasifika students were involved in the research as they co-constructed [with the researcher as scribe] the information they wanted their teacher to know. Teachers were able to respond to their Pasifika students' words and the Pasifika students were able to hear their teachers' responses. The findings were shaped as four vignettes and interpreted using the metaphor of an enzyme reaction. Each vignette described the type of learning and different engagement levels observed in a specific classroom. The vignettes included three classrooms where: students were not engaged at all with their learning because the relationship between the teacher and the students was poor; there was an appropriate relationship between the teacher and the students but the teachers' practice was poor; and the relationship between the students and the teacher was good but the teacher's expectations of the Pasifika students were low, and Pasifika learning was poor. In one vignette the relationship between the teacher and the students was one of trust and the teacher used teaching strategies that engaged and challenged the Pasifika students. In this classroom Pasifika learning was happening for a time. The study found that good Pasifika learning requires that the teacher must have all three of the following teaching strategies: allowing Pasifika students respect as a learner; being able to scaffold Pasifika learning at the right level and engaging their Pasifika students in active learning. The Pasifika student must have confidence and trust in their teacher to engage with the teacher in the active pursuit of learning. The classroom teacher must also have confidence in the Pasifika student's ability e.g., high expectations. If any of the parts described above are missing Pasifika learning is poor. The study demonstrates that the ways in which teachers fall into poor relationships and poor teaching practices can be related to their beliefs about Pasifika values and "Pasifika ways of learning".</p>

The Idée Fixe of Corporate Jobs in India: The Institutional Change in Legal Education and the Different Factors for the Shift

The rise of the corporate sector in the legal profession is a phenomenon which has been accompanied by a rising popularity of the legal profession. The legal profession from being a mere ‘backup’ option has transformed into a lucrative avenue which students are choosing to opt for willingly that is, the profession has gained the attention of students as a worthwhile career option. There is a web of factors which is propelling this trend in India. These factors include the increasing standards of legal education in India, and the establishment of the first National Law University in Bangalore in 1986. NLSIU’s polished and premium education standards set the ball rolling for National Law Universities which were established following its example. The legal profession took centre-stage and provided that option to the students. The allure of a corporate job where they could earn lakhs and climb hierarchies in order to earn more proved to be an effective potential reward for this new generation of students. This change in the prioritization of an entire generation resulted in the NLUs re-orienting their curriculum to offer the best corporate conditioning to these young aspiring lawyers. The initial idea of focusing on improving the litigation standards of the country was effectively discarded and it was replaced with an active pursuit of producing a corporate culture in law schools. This article will look at the institutional change, the factors affecting this shift in legal education, and concludes by identifying both positive and negative factors due to this shift.

A Trust-Based Model for the Adoption of Smart City Technologies in Australian Regional Cities

This paper explores the role of stakeholders’ trust in the adoption of smart city technologies, leading to the identification of the critical determinants for adopting smart city technologies in Australian regional cities. A comprehensive review of the related literature has been conducted. Such a review leads to the development of a trust-based research model for investigating the importance of trust in technology and its adoption. This model is then tested and validated with the use of a structural equation modeling technique on the survey data collected from ICT professionals in Australian regional cities. The study results show that perceived usefulness, perceived external pressure and perceived information security influence trust in smart city technologies. Further analysis highlights the significant relationship between stakeholders’ trust and their intention to adopt smart city technologies. This study is unique, as it is one of a few studies that focus on exploring stakeholders’ trust in the adoption of smart city technologies from the perspective of ICT professionals in Australia. The study results can be used by the government agencies to formulate appropriate policies to enhance the use of smart city technologies in the active pursuit of smart city development in Australia.

Cognitive Strategies for Management of Social Anxiety: A Comparison of Brief Cognitive Restructuring and Mindfulness Interventions

The gold standard psychological treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD), one of the most common anxiety disorders, is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), incorporating cognitive restructuring to target maladaptive beliefs thought to maintain SAD. Recent evidence suggests that mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches, emphasizing nonjudgmental awareness without active pursuit of cognitive change, may also be effective. The goal of the current study was to examine the mechanisms by which each cognitive approach affects symptoms. Eighty-seven adults with elevated social anxiety were randomized to receive training in one of the strategies or to a control condition in which participants completed assessments only. Participants self-reported similar decreases in symptoms after 1 week of practice, and these improvements were mediated by increases in decentering and decreases in maladaptive beliefs across condition. These results suggest greater overlap between modalities than theory might predict. Implications for clinical practice, including brief treatments and the role of assessment, are reviewed.