Advocating Digital Literacy: Community-Based Strategies and Approaches

As the pandemic waves hit the world, digital literacy becoming more profoundly essential than ever as the world shifts its daily life towards digitalization. In addition, digital literacy skill plays a big role in the teaching and learning process. In this study, the future strategies for enhancing digital literacy for educational purposes through community development programs are being discussed. The authors analysed and reviewed diverse sources of articles, reports and documents from previous researches and works of literature. It is found that there are six main community-based strategies to enhance digital literacy to improve the learning experience, which are improving and maximizing the usage of digital infrastructure in rural areas, providing necessary digital facilities and devices for underprivileged citizens, offering attractive benefits to boost participation, conducting engaging activities and learning modules of digital literacy programs, well-trained teachers and instructors in educational institutions, and role of effective community leaders. Moving forward as the education sector moves towards digitalization, digital literacy skills will become the key role toward effective learning experience. It is recommended to all levels of community members to take part in advocating the next generations with digital literacy. Received: 28 September 2021 / Accepted: 16 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

The practical training of student teachers in New Zealand : an historical and critical survey

Central to educational progress or even to the maintenance of an existing school system is a constant supply of adequately trained teachers. At no time has this been more apparent than at present whether we look overseas at Britain or America or at New Zealand where shortages of personnel are also acute.<br>The personal development and calibre of its teachers, the ideals they pursue and the training the recieve constitute the foundation upon which any system must be based. Included factors are:- the supply of entrants, the selection from these of applicants whose personal qualities are capable of modification and growth; the extension of their knowledge both academic and professional as well as the training that is undertaken in the schools.<br>It is to a survey of this last-named field of practical training that the following thesis is devoted. By a study of the background and development of teacher education in New Zealand from its origins in Britain upto the present, and through a critical review of the present system is it possible to drawn conclusions and make suggestions of value in future training in New Zealand?

The practical training of student teachers in New Zealand : an historical and critical survey

Central to educational progress or even to the maintenance of an existing school system is a constant supply of adequately trained teachers. At no time has this been more apparent than at present whether we look overseas at Britain or America or at New Zealand where shortages of personnel are also acute.<br>The personal development and calibre of its teachers, the ideals they pursue and the training the recieve constitute the foundation upon which any system must be based. Included factors are:- the supply of entrants, the selection from these of applicants whose personal qualities are capable of modification and growth; the extension of their knowledge both academic and professional as well as the training that is undertaken in the schools.<br>It is to a survey of this last-named field of practical training that the following thesis is devoted. By a study of the background and development of teacher education in New Zealand from its origins in Britain upto the present, and through a critical review of the present system is it possible to drawn conclusions and make suggestions of value in future training in New Zealand?

Pilot of a Low-Cost Elementary School Handwashing Intervention in Bangladesh: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Potential for Sustainability

Schoolchildren frequently transmit respiratory and gastrointestinal infections because of dense person-to-person contact in schools. We piloted a low-cost handwashing intervention among elementary schoolchildren in Bangladesh. We trained teachers to lead behavior change communication sessions using flipcharts to encourage students’ handwashing before eating, after defecating, and after cleaning school toilets; provided handwashing stations (reservoirs with taps and stool + basin + soapy water solution [mix of 30 gm detergent with 1.5 L water] + pump top bottle with steel holder); and formed hygiene committees for maintenance and covering the recurrent cost of detergent. We evaluated intervention acceptability, feasibility, and potential for sustainability at 1 and 14 months after the intervention. At baseline, of 300 before eating events, no one washed hands with soap, and 99.7% (299) did not wash hands at all as soap was unavailable. Out of 269 after toileting events, 0.7% (2) washed hands with soap, and 88% (237) did not wash hands. After 4 weeks of the intervention, 45% (87/195 before eating events), 83% (155/186 after toileting events), and 100% (15/15 after cleaning toilet events) washed both hands with soapy water as children found it accessible, low cost, and child friendly. After 14 months, 9.4% (55/586 before eating events) and 37% (172/465 after toileting events) washed both hands with soapy water for health benefits. The intervention was acceptable and feasible; it overcame limited access to soap and water and was affordable as schools covered the recurrent costs of detergent. Further research should explore long-term habit adoption and impact on health and attendance.

‘Dove Confident Me Indonesia: Single Session’: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate a school-based body image intervention among Indonesian adolescents

Background Due to the prevalence and associated adverse health consequences of negative body image among adolescents globally, there is a need to develop acceptable, effective, and scalable interventions. School-based body image interventions delivered by trained teachers show promise in reducing negative body image in adolescents. However, there is currently a lack of evidenced-based body image interventions for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper outlines a protocol for the development and evaluation of Dove Confident Me Indonesia: Single Session, a single-session, teacher-led body image intervention for Indonesian adolescents. Method The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated using a cluster randomised controlled trial design. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial will be conducted online. Trained teachers or school guidance counsellors will deliver the intervention. Self-report questionnaires will be collected at three time points: baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up. The primary outcome is body esteem. Secondary outcomes are internalisation of appearance ideals, mood, engagement in life activities, tendency to engage in appearance comparisons, and skin shade satisfaction. A minimum of 1000 participants will provide 95% power to detect small-to-medium intervention effects. To account for attrition and potential internet issues, the sample will comprise of 2000 Indonesian adolescents in grades 7–9, attending state junior high schools in Surabaya, East Java. Quantitative and qualitative data on acceptability of the intervention will also be collected from teachers and students. Additionally, fidelity of lesson implementation will be assessed. This project received ethical approval from the Universitas Indonesia and the University of the West of England. The intervention will be disseminated in junior high schools throughout Indonesia via UNICEF’s Life Skills Education (LSE) programme, which will be freely available for teachers to download. Discussion This paper presents Dove Confident Me Indonesia: Single Session, a culturally adapted school-based intervention designed to improve Indonesian adolescents’ body image. It details the plan for evaluation, highlighting the strengths and limitations of the proposed study design. It will be informative for others aiming to adapt evidence-based school curricula to promote well-being among adolescents in LMICs. Trial registration NCT04665557. Registered 11th December 2020.

Educative Mentoring: Challenges and Enablers of Implementation in an Intermediate School Context

<p>An effective mentoring programme has a positive effect on the quality of teaching, student achievement, the retention of trained teachers and the teaching profession as a whole and the importance of mentoring beginning teachers cannot be overstated. Recently, there has been a shift in thinking on the most effective way to mentor beginning teachers. This shift has been away from a mentoring approach that only provides support and guidance towards educative mentoring which both challenges and transforms teaching practice and is based on a co-constructed learning relationship. In 2012, the New Zealand Teachers Council introduced guidelines into schools to assist mentor teachers in the educative mentoring of beginning teachers. The purpose of this case study was to examine how effectively one intermediate school was implementing these guidelines, identify challenges involved in the implementation process and describe the conditions necessary to support effective, educative mentoring. To answer the research questions, data was collected through an on-line survey, focus groups and an interview. The findings indicated that while both the mentors and beginning teachers felt that the guidelines were being implemented, neither group believed the mentoring process at the school was particularly effective. The biggest challenge to the implementation of the guidelines was differing perceptions of the purpose and potential of a mentoring programme. The beginning teachers, mentor teachers and principal all held differing views on the purpose of mentoring, leading to other challenges including the lack of clarity around procedures and expectations and tension between assistance and assessment.</p>

Journeys into Teaching: Pathways Created by Overseas-Trained Teachers into a Career Secondary School Teaching in New Zealand

<p>New Zealand-trained teachers have good reasons to teach abroad, change careers or retire and there are sound reasons to hire overseas-trained teachers (OTTs) to fill vacancies. Securing work in a new country can be difficult and it makes social and economic sense to facilitate this process. This thesis reports on the journeys of six OTTs documenting the individual pathways navigated; from teaching in their country of origin to securing a permanent placement as a secondary school teacher in New Zealand. This study explores the pathways OTTs navigated in order to teach in New Zealand. It investigates the challenges they faced, the supports they encountered and the suggestions they had to offer others in a similar situation. The participants were OTTs at secondary schools in the Wellington region of New Zealand and most had emigrated from the United Kingdom. Participants taught different subjects and had varying lengths of teaching experience. They had immigrated to and successfully found a post in New Zealand between January 2006 and January 2012. The interpretive paradigm was used as the theoretical grounding for this research as this places importance on the subjective experiences of those interviewed. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews as part of a collective, case study design. A thematic approach to data analysis was used and the data were compared and contrasted under the themes of challenges, supports and suggestions. Findings that concurred with previous research were that OTTs faced challenges from bureaucracy, culture shock and financial stress; and that networking, professional development, luck and maintaining a positive attitude were supportive. Participants suggested preparation, networking, interagency co-operation, a positive attitude and relief teaching could assist other OTTs. The findings were used to formulate a suggested pathway that might facilitate the journeys of future OTTs.</p>

Educative Mentoring: Challenges and Enablers of Implementation in an Intermediate School Context

<p>An effective mentoring programme has a positive effect on the quality of teaching, student achievement, the retention of trained teachers and the teaching profession as a whole and the importance of mentoring beginning teachers cannot be overstated. Recently, there has been a shift in thinking on the most effective way to mentor beginning teachers. This shift has been away from a mentoring approach that only provides support and guidance towards educative mentoring which both challenges and transforms teaching practice and is based on a co-constructed learning relationship. In 2012, the New Zealand Teachers Council introduced guidelines into schools to assist mentor teachers in the educative mentoring of beginning teachers. The purpose of this case study was to examine how effectively one intermediate school was implementing these guidelines, identify challenges involved in the implementation process and describe the conditions necessary to support effective, educative mentoring. To answer the research questions, data was collected through an on-line survey, focus groups and an interview. The findings indicated that while both the mentors and beginning teachers felt that the guidelines were being implemented, neither group believed the mentoring process at the school was particularly effective. The biggest challenge to the implementation of the guidelines was differing perceptions of the purpose and potential of a mentoring programme. The beginning teachers, mentor teachers and principal all held differing views on the purpose of mentoring, leading to other challenges including the lack of clarity around procedures and expectations and tension between assistance and assessment.</p>

Journeys into Teaching: Pathways Created by Overseas-Trained Teachers into a Career Secondary School Teaching in New Zealand

<p>New Zealand-trained teachers have good reasons to teach abroad, change careers or retire and there are sound reasons to hire overseas-trained teachers (OTTs) to fill vacancies. Securing work in a new country can be difficult and it makes social and economic sense to facilitate this process. This thesis reports on the journeys of six OTTs documenting the individual pathways navigated; from teaching in their country of origin to securing a permanent placement as a secondary school teacher in New Zealand. This study explores the pathways OTTs navigated in order to teach in New Zealand. It investigates the challenges they faced, the supports they encountered and the suggestions they had to offer others in a similar situation. The participants were OTTs at secondary schools in the Wellington region of New Zealand and most had emigrated from the United Kingdom. Participants taught different subjects and had varying lengths of teaching experience. They had immigrated to and successfully found a post in New Zealand between January 2006 and January 2012. The interpretive paradigm was used as the theoretical grounding for this research as this places importance on the subjective experiences of those interviewed. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews as part of a collective, case study design. A thematic approach to data analysis was used and the data were compared and contrasted under the themes of challenges, supports and suggestions. Findings that concurred with previous research were that OTTs faced challenges from bureaucracy, culture shock and financial stress; and that networking, professional development, luck and maintaining a positive attitude were supportive. Participants suggested preparation, networking, interagency co-operation, a positive attitude and relief teaching could assist other OTTs. The findings were used to formulate a suggested pathway that might facilitate the journeys of future OTTs.</p>

Unintended Lessons of Revolution

In the 1920s, Mexico established rural normales—boarding schools that trained teachers in a new nation-building project. Drawn from campesino ranks and meant to cultivate state allegiance, their graduates would facilitate land distribution, organize civic festivals, and promote hygiene campaigns. In Unintended Lessons of Revolution, Tanalís Padilla traces the history of the rural normales, showing how they became sites of radical politics. As Padilla demonstrates, the popular longings that drove the Mexican Revolution permeated these schools. By the 1930s, ideas about land reform, education for the poor, community leadership, and socialism shaped their institutional logic. Over the coming decades, the tensions between state consolidation and revolutionary justice produced a telling contradiction: the very schools meant to constitute a loyal citizenry became hubs of radicalization against a government that increasingly abandoned its commitment to social justice. Crafting a story of struggle and state repression, Padilla illuminates education's radical possibilities and the nature of political consciousness for youths whose changing identity—from campesinos, to students, to teachers—speaks to Mexico’s twentieth-century transformations.