Rogers, constructivism and jurisprudence: educational critique and the legal curriculum

The focus of this chapter initially is the educational writings of Carl Rogers and the relevance of them to contemporary legal education. Rogers focuses upon the primacy of experience, and can therefore be cited as one sympathetic to many of the aims of Dewey in the US pragmatist tradition. His work is part of the tradition of humanist education, yet his views also sit well beside a number of contemporary educational and cognitive research directions, all of which have relevance for the teaching and learning of law. In this article I shall put forward two arguments. First, I shall argue that Rogers, seldom cited in legal educational literature, has relevance for those involved with legal skills education. Perhaps more signi®cantly, his views on the diþerences between teaching and learning resurface in contemporary theory on learning processes, especially constructivist theories and phenomenographical methodologies, which similarly focus on the learning experience. Secondly, and on a wider front, I would argue that both Rogers and constructivism lead us to consider issues which are not only at the heart of educational debates, but are also the concerns of jurisprudence. In this respect I hope that the article will illustrate the overlap between jurisprudence and legal education, and the extent to which educational issues (particularly epistemological ones) are also jurisprudential ones

Inclusivity within the Digital Age

This qualitative study takes a phenomenograpichal interest in the experiences of students in a school district that responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by using digital tools for instruction and to support a culturally relevant learning experience. Previous research focuses on teacher beliefs and the benefits of multiliteracies as they intersect with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, but few studies have analyzed the experiences of students who are the prime beneficiaries of culturally relevant instructional practices. The thick description in this study was aimed at optimizing student voice, especially the voices of students of color. Also, the aim of the research was to consider how digital tools may have enhanced the learning experiences of students. The voices of the students in this study were amplified as their experiences were targeted in this narrative. Student voices were also amplified in this study to reveal the instructional practices of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy that supported student learning. The research also sought to uncover practices that may deter students from participating in their learning environments as agents of change and progress. The study revealed how students process inclusivity and how personal connections can be enhanced with the intentional use of digital tools in the classroom. The study also revealed the idea that digital tools can foster the “critical critique” as part of culturally relevant pedagogies. Finally, and most significantly, the study unveiled some of the critical mishaps that occur in the classroom when students\u27 social discourses are not regarded as assets in school environments

Participation in dance, rhythm and music activities : experiences of healthy elderly and persons with stroke

Participation in meaningful creative activities such as dance and rhythm/music has been found beneficial for older adults and for persons with stroke, as it might increase awareness, improve emotional and physical status, and thus be salutogenic. The aim of this study was to explore and understand participation in dance, rhythm and music activities for healthy elderly persons and for persons who have had a stroke. The specific aim of Study 1 was to develop knowledge of elderly persons’ experiences of participating in an improvisational dance workshop. Data was collected by interviewing 13 persons. To capture participants’ experiences, open-ended questions were used to make it possible for participants to bring up issues of relevance for themselves. A narrative method was used to analyze data. Findings show that participation led to “a surprising awareness about the connection between body and mind” and that “participation led to personal growth”. Further results showed how participation in a physical activity such as creative improvisational dance opened possibilities to interpret the lives the informants had lived, which in turn made it possible for them to come to terms with the past, leading to increased perceived quality of life. The aim of Study 2 was to investigate how stroke patients understand participation in Ronnie Gardiner Rhythm and Music (RGRM) therapy. Data was collected by interviewing 18 persons with stroke. The analytic procedure was carried out with a phenomenographic approach. Results showed that body awareness was experienced as increased due the training. Furthermore a feeling of change in competence occurred when participants were able to carry out tasks simultaneously, which had previously not been possible for them to do. The findings of this paper suggest that participation in an activity that is challenging and demanding was valued. Findings suggest that participation in movement activities such as improvisational dance and rhythm/music therapy seems to have promoted health in the group of healthy elderly and facilitated a return to a meaningful life in the group of persons with stroke. Offering participation in dance, rhythm and music can add to the tools used by physiotherapists

GO-GN Research Methods Handbook

Methodology can be one of the most challenging aspects for doctoral researchers. When we conduct research into education and/or technology, we can be confronted with a potentially confusing array of options. This is true even for those using a well-established approach, but can be especially acute if combining approaches in a mixed-methods study or trying to develop a completely new way of doing research. Choosing the right method for what we are interested in is a key part of high quality research, and this requires us to think about the scientific and philosophical foundations of what we do. In this guide we explore some of these issues with a focus on open research, drawing on insights from researchers within the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN). Open practices in research can challenge assumptions about how to create and share new knowledge. In the handbook, we draw on insights from experienced open researchers to build understanding of research in the open. The advice given applies to all research, but is of particular relevance to those interested in open approaches

An integration of traditional project management principles into Agile software development methodologies.

Master of Commerce in Information Systems & Technology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.A large amount of money and effort has been invested by companies into establishing their project management (PM) environment and processes which follow the classical phased approach where requirements are defined upfront and fixed. However organisations also desire to react more quickly to new global challenges and to the changing business environment. These business requirements then result in the failure of these classical approaches to PM. There is therefore a need to enhance the current PM environment so that it is more adoptive to changes in the business environment. As a result of these changes in the business landscape agile software development methodologies (ASDM) have acquired a lot of popularity in the software development community. This popularity is being driven by their dynamic nature and the notion that user requirements do not have to be fully specified in the initial phases of the development process. This has resulted in the improvement in success levels of information systems (IS) projects that have made use of an ASDM. A shift to ASDM can increase the success rate of IS projects and mitigate some issues that are typical for heavy weight methods. Good examples can be found in the case studies (Balada, 2013; Raithatha, 2007), where agile methods were successfully used in software development projects of all sizes and complexity. However introducing ASDM for large and complex projects particularly in large enterprises can introduce a number of challenges (Thamhain, 2014). While agile principles foster great flexibility and agility in changing environments, they are very difficult to realize in larger projects that require more execution formality and discipline to deal with the specific complexities (Waardenburg & Vliet, 2013). In order to address these problems, the current study investigates the problem of integrating Traditional Project Management (TPM) techniques into the development of large scale IS projects in large enterprises with complex IT landscapes that make use of AM. This study followed a hybrid approach combining both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data collection entailed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The sampling strategy that was used was purposive sampling. A phenomenographic approach was used to obtain an insight into the experience of software development (SD) by software practitioners who made use of ASDM. The qualitative data elicited from this phase of the study was analysed thematically to identify aspects of AM that had a pivotal influence on software practitioners’ perspective on ASDM. A substantive component of this phenomenographic incursion was to establish whether there was some form of resonance between ASDM and PM or whether these methodologies were diametrically opposite to one another. The objective of the qualitative component of the study was to obtain sufficient information to enable the development of a model for SD that integrated the principles of PM into ASDM. This phase of the study was followed-up by a quantitative phase that was underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in order to ascertain software practitioners’ acceptance of the proposed model (referred to as the Agile-Project Management Model (APMM)) The results of the UTAUT-based acceptance test indicate that the proposed APMM received a high acceptance rate by the software practitioners who constituted the main subjects of the current study

“If they’ve had a middle class upbringing that’s not their fault”: the professional practices and personal identities of admissions staff at selective universities in England

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this recordThe role of staff involved with undergraduate admissions and recruitment has changed since the turn towards marketisation in higher education. This article focuses on the system in England following both a sharp rise in student fees and an associated tendency for the public university agenda and related social priorities, such as widening participation, to come up against more private and commercial priorities, such as business engagement, league table performance and internationalisation. Drawing on evidence from detailed interviews with admissions personnel, both academic and non-academic, across three disciplines within one higher prestige university, we revisit the notion of selectivity and the practice of selection. Tensions are revealed between two opposing approaches: a more traditional model of university admissions, as based on local knowledge and sensitivity towards underrepresented groups, and a purportedly merit-driven model, as driven by perceived market position. We explore the intricate and often unexpected ways in which staff reconcile their professed beliefs with their professional practices, and the complex identity work needed to renegotiate personal values in light of shifting institutional needs. Findings are offered as a microcosm for broader trends in the higher education sector

Interactions in improvised music: people at play

Interactions in improvised music: people at play This project began as an open exploration of musical interactions in a trio in which I have played bass for many years. We gave three concerts for the project and I explored our interactions by talking with the pianist/bandleader and drummer after each concert. They described a broad range of interactions and explored a number of different conceptions of what entails a musical interaction. The musicians were keen to talk about the factors that motivate them to perform together, mainly the desire to play. Play, for them, is its own reward. They aim to collaborate in the moment of performance to create something fresh, rather than display their instrumental technique or present music that has been preconceived. An appreciation of this motivation is needed to understand their interactions in concert. Audience members were also interviewed after every performance. They each experienced the concerts differently, in a way that reflects their preoccupations and interests as much as it reflects the concert event. The research thus provides a view of individuals and their differences that contrasts with the body of music research focused on common experiences within particular musical cultures and the acquisition of the skills required to participate in those cultures. This practice-led research project was allowed to develop and find focus gradually in cycles of performances, interviews and analysis of interview transcripts, concurrent with an ongoing exploration of texts about doing research. Various interactions – during the performances and interviews, between the researcher and the interview transcripts and between the researcher and research texts – contributed to the project’s development. These interactions can be thought of as play between foreknowledge and the unknown. Accordingly, play as described by the musicians and as defined in hermeneutics, was actively pursued as a way of developing an appropriate methodology for the project