scholarly journals A dialogic approach to online facilitation

Author(s):  
Jennie Swann

<span>Social construction of understanding has long been a significant underlying principle of learning and teaching, and while there are many models for the design of online activities to promote this, there are considerably fewer models for the facilitation of such dialogue. This paper examines some of these facilitation models from the point of view of a university tutor seeking to encourage social construction of understanding through online dialogue, and proposes an alternative which extends the principles of community of inquiry theory. It unpacks conceptions of community and dialogue in the context of learning and teaching and describes a research project whose purpose is to develop and iteratively test a professional development intervention, which will help university tutors to facilitate a dialogic approach to learning online.</span>

Author(s):  
Jill Lawrence ◽  
Lorelle Burton ◽  
Jane Summers ◽  
Karen Noble ◽  
Peter D. Gibbings

Associate deans (Learning and Teaching) face a number of challenges in successfully retaining and progressing students in their faculties. The first challenge involves identifying strategies to assist students to actively engage with their studies. This challenge escalates if the primary mode of delivery involves distance learning. The second challenge stems from the need for associate deans to empower their staff to design, develop, and deliver curricular that achieves student retention. This chapter conceptualizes blended learning and describes how an associate dean’s community of practice facilitates an institutional approach to student engagement, both in terms of supporting students and supporting staff. These initiatives include a whole-of-institution approach to learning and teaching polices, practices and infrastructure, and professional development activities, incorporating an assessment week, university presentations, and peer review activities. The chapter outlines the success of these initiatives in building the learning and teaching capacities of both students and staff at a regional Australian university.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-120
Author(s):  
Cecília Avelino Barbosa

Place branding is a network of associations in the consumer’s mind, based on the visual, verbal, and behavioral expression of a place. Food can be an important tool to summarize it as it is part of the culture of a city and its symbolic capital. Food is imaginary, a ritual and a social construction. This paper aims to explore a ritual that has turned into one of the brands of Lisbon in the past few years. The fresh sardines barbecued out of doors, during Saint Anthony’s festival, has become a symbol that can be found on t-shirts, magnets and all kinds of souvenirs. Over the year, tourists can buy sardine shaped objects in very cheap stores to luxurious shops. There is even a whole boutique dedicated to the fish: “The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines” and an annual competition promoted by the city council to choose the five most emblematic designs of sardines. In order to analyze the Sardine phenomenon from a city branding point of view, the objective of this paper is to comprehend what associations are made by foreigners when they are outside of Lisbon. As a methodological procedure five design sardines, were used of last year to questioning to which city they relate them in interviews carried in Madrid, Lyon, Rome and London. Upon completion of the analysis, the results of the city branding strategy adopted by the city council to promote the sardines as the official symbol of Lisbon is seen as a Folkmarketing action. The effects are positive, but still quite local. On the other hand, significant participation of the Lisbon´s dwellers in the Sardine Contest was observed, which seems to be a good way to promote the city identity and pride in their best ambassador: the citizens.


2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Wium ◽  
Brenda Louw

Learners in South African schools have been found to perform poorly in mathematics because they do not understand the language used in solving mathematical problems. In order to improve academic performance teachers need to be made aware of the importance of language in the development of numeracy. A continued professional development (CPD) programme addressed this need. The purpose of the research was to understand how the participants implemented the strategies developed during the programme and how they perceived the support provided by the programme. The research was conducted over 2 years in semi-rural and urban contexts. As part of a more comprehensive mixed method study, the qualitative data referred to in this article were obtained through open-ended questions in questionnaires, focus groups, reflections in portfolios, and a research diary. Results showed that numeracy terminology was often used by learners that differed from standard terminology prescribed by the curriculum. The participants themselves did not necessarily understand the numeracy terminology and thus found it a challenge to implement curriculum outcomes. Issues related to language use of the participants in teaching numeracy were associated with the lack of resources available in the language of learning and teaching  (LoLT). Some of the participants taught numeracy in English, rather than LoLT. The results indicated low teacher expectations of the learners. The CPD programme was considered valuable and effective. SLPs in schools need to be expand their role to provide CPD opportunities for teachers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marli Alves Flores Melo

This paper addresses education, particularly professional, scientific and technological education, in the context of local development, from the prism of productive local arrangements – PLAS. It highlights the effect of globalization on society´s transformations, the restructuring of the sectorial, institutional and organizational dynamics related to educational aspects, the territorial features of the said arrangements, and the actors that are part of them.  We understand that this is a priority in the social construction and an incentive to the scientific education professional development, with regard to the ethical-political nature of individuals.   We point out the need to foster interaction amongst educational institutions in order to   mobilize territorial resources, aiming at local development. We conclude with a few pertinent discussions about the value of education, both in its integral feature and in its adherence to parallel harmonies. 


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed A. A. Farrah

This study aims to analyze the experiences and perceptions of a group of graduate students regarding an MA Technology in Language Learning and Teaching Course at Hebron University, Palestine. Specifically, the study addressed the aspects of the course that were perceived as the most useful for them and how graduate students perceive their professional growth as a result of the course. The study took place during the second semester of the academic year 2016/2017. The researcher employed a qualitative research to achieve the aims of the study. The participants wrote reflective journals and described how the course integrated theory and practice. The results revealed that the students benefited from the different elements of the course. Particularly, they benefited from the practical projects. The experience helped them in their professional development. Finally, the students offered a number of suggestions for improving the course. The researcher concluded with a set of recommendations.


Author(s):  
Badrya Abdullah Al-Skran

The study aimed to identify the effectiveness of talent management strategies in human resource development at the University of Taibah, And to develop the necessary scientific solutions and recommendations, which can contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of talent management strategies in human resource development. Using the descriptive approach, study sample consisted of 67 leader, the leader of the 95 representing the entire community of the original study, and88member of the faculty members out of 365. The study relied on questionnaire tool, included thirty-eight parts, distributed over four axes, polarization, the discovery, the professional development, and the retention. In addition to an open question. The study found a range of results, which are; The general grade of the effectiveness of talent management strategies in human resources development at the University of Taibah from the perspective of leaders and members of the faculty average, is a mean 3.13.The polarization strategy is the most effective in the talent management in the development of human resources at the University of Taibah, a mean 3.35. The second was professional development with an average (3.17) and third discovery with an average of (3.09) The retention strategy came to be the least strategy in the talent management effectiveness in human resource development at the University of Taibah, a mean 2.93.In light of the results , a number of recommendations and suggestions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itsaso Nabaskues ◽  
Oidui Usabiaga ◽  
Daniel Martos-García

Ability is a social construction that influences the access to recognition of people in the field of physical activity and sports (PASS) and in PE in particular. However, the notion of ability is defined in a simplistic and traditional manner and, consequently, experiences of symbolic violence are visible for those with specific body and tastes that do not match the dominant normative and hegemonic discourses embedded in the field. This study focuses on the narration of my own experiences of symbolic violence and “capital-dependence” as an “able” woman in the field of PASS. Through the analysis of critical moments from a retrospective point of view, I try to explain the evolution of my way of understanding the notion of ability and the circumstances that have contributed to the transformation of my discourse based on the socio-cultural perspective. I conclude that it is necessary to promote reflective practice in preservice teacher education programs as a way to increase awareness of embodied discourses’ influence in and from the different fields of PASS towards the construction of more inclusive movement contexts.


Author(s):  
Rachel Maxwell ◽  
Roshni Khatri

This chapter showcases how the collaborative learning and teaching strategy known as Team-Based Learning™ (TBL) can deliver against the conceptual components within active blended learning (ABL), through exploration of different case studies from the authors' university. It begins by detailing the core concepts and theories underpinning each pedagogic approach before considering how adoption of TBL is consistent with the wider implementation of ABL. Case histories are used to highlight how these approaches enhance the student learning experience and how learning technologies can enable staff to do more of what they value within the classroom. The value of different learning spaces to facilitate TBL and augment the learning experience for both staff and students is considered. Finally, the chapter explores some of the more difficult questions around the lack of broader uptake of TBL within an institution committed to ABL as its standard approach to learning and teaching.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mollie A. Gambone

Providing justice-oriented professional development for progressive educators has historically been a site of tension. To address this, The Progressive Education Network (PEN), the leading professional organization of progressive educators in the United States, brought together over 800 educators for its 2015 National Conference, titled “Teaching the Possible: Access, Equity, and Activism!” This article documents PEN’s framework for facilitating an opportunity for educators to engage in dialogue about areas of social injustice throughout education and within their own schools. Findings derived from a discourse analysis of workshop abstracts published in the conference program suggest that the conference provided professional development in three areas: 1) workshops were designed by teachers to share useful methodologies relevant to the conference theme with other teachers; 2) workshops encouraged attendees to critically examine how problematic issues in education are commonly understood, then reframe them to consider the issues from different perspectives; 3) doing so gave rise to an understanding that in order to imagine innovative solutions to systemic problems, one must first be able understand how different groups of individuals experience the problems. This analysis establishes that by aligning the conference with a critical, justice-oriented theme, the workshops were designed to provide attendees with opportunities to investigate their own roles in producing, changing, and interpreting socially-just learning and teaching in their own school contexts. This is important because it advances the study of equitable access to progressive pedagogy, while at the same time utilizing Desimone’s (2009) framework for judging effective professional development for teachers.


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