Panarchy rules: rethinking resilience of agroecosystems, evidence from Dutch dairy-farming

Resilience has been growing in importance as a perspective for governing social-ecological systems. The aim of this paper is first to analyze a well-studied human dominated agroecosystem using five existing key heuristics of the resilience perspective and second to discuss the consequences of using this resilience perspective for the future management of similar human dominated agroecosystems. The human dominated agroecosystem is located in the Dutch Northern Frisian Woodlands where cooperatives of dairy farmers have been attempting to organize a transition toward more viable and environmental friendly agrosystems. A mobilizing element in the cooperatives was the ability of some dairy farmers to obtain high herbage and milk yield production with limited nitrogen fertilizer input. A set of reinforcing measures was hypothesized to rebalance nitrogen flows and to set a new equilibrium. A dynamic farm model was used to evaluate the long-term effects of reinforcing measures on soil organic matter content, which was considered the key indicator of an alternative system state. Simulations show that no alternative stable state for soil organic matter exists within a plausible range of fertilizer applications. The observed differences in soil organic matter content and nutrient use efficiency probably represent a time lag of long-term nonequilibrium system development. The resilience perspective proved to be especially insightful in addressing interacting long-term developments expressed in the panarchy. Panarchy created a heterogeneity of resources in the landscape providing local landscape-embedded opportunities for high N-efficiencies. Stopping the practice of grassland renewal will allow this ecological landscape embedded system to mature. In contrast, modern conventional dairy farms shortcut the adaptive cycle by frequent grassland renewals, resulting in high resilience and adaptability. This comes at the cost of long-term accumulated ecological capital of soil organic matter and transformability, thus reinforcing the incremental adaptation trap. Analysis of such a human dominated agroecosystem reveals that rather than alternative states, an alternative set of relationships within a multiscale setting applies, indicating the importance for embedding panarchy in the analysis of sustainable development goals in agroecosystem

Structural Learning: Embedding discoveries and the dynamics of production

Production and learning of productive knowledge are profoundly intertwined processes as the activation of either process triggers the other, very often implying interdependent transformations. The paper aims to open the ‘production black box’ by proposing the analytical map of production as a tool for disentangling the set of interdependent relationships among capabilities, tasks and materials. The concept of structural learning is introduced to identify the continuous process of structural adjustment triggered and oriented by existing productive structures at each point in time. Structural learning trajectories allow for the transformation of structural constraints such as bottlenecks and technical imbalances into structural opportunities. Complementarities, similarities and indivisibilities are essential focusing devices for activating compulsive sequences of technological change as well as discovering structurally embedded opportunities. The paper then investigates the tension between structure and agency present in structural learning trajectories, and examines the form it takes in different productive organisations

An online Master's degree: Teaching and learning strategy vs. managerial constraints

This paper illustrates the work of a course team at Southampton Solent University to establish a delivery model for an online distance master’s degree. Working under the managerial constraint of ensuring that the course delivery is sustainably affordable, the focus was to develop a model that structures tutor to student engagement in such a way as to ensure the maintenance of a high standard of teaching and learning. This model is put forward as an approach that is applicable in a variety of contexts, and hence of value to course developers from other institutions investigating ways of effectively delivering online courses

Facing the Future: the Changing Shape of Academic Skills Support at Bournemouth University

This paper explores the potential impact of changes to higher education in England on student expectations, engagement, lifestyles and diversity, and outlines implications for the development of digital literacy within academic skills support at Bournemouth University (BU). We will investigate how tackling resource constraints with organisational change can also enable efficient, centralised provision of support materials that utilise networks to overcome the risk of fragmented support for digital literacy. We will also look at how changing delivery modes for support can accommodate changing student lifestyles whilst tackling a weakness of centralised support for digital literacy: that it can become detached from the student’s subject-focused academic practice. Finally we will explore how involving students in developing support can help us to face changes to student expectations and engagement whilst ensuring that materials are authentic and speak to learners in their own voice

Generating Cultural Capital? Impacts of Artists-in-Residence on Teacher Professional Learning

The introduction of the Australian Arts Curriculum and the rise of a twenty-first century creativity agenda in education signal an opportunity for teacher educators to re-examine the outcomes and potential of arts-based initiatives on teacher professional learning. This study re-visits the outcomes of the Australian Artist-in-Residence program in this context and analyses a subset of data collected for its evaluation. The study reveals that while teachers perceive an improvement in creative capital, it is important to consider questions about the capacity for such programs to generate long term changes in practice. The study illustrates how some States and Territories embedded opportunities for collective reflective activity to facilitate such change and suggests there is potential for AIR models to support pre-service and in-service professional learning in creative and critical thinking as well as the arts curriculum. With the Professional Engagement domain of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate teachers), in particular Standards 6 and 7, this is timely research

Opportunities for African Small Farmers in Ethical Foods Markets: An Entrepreneurial Perspective

Income growth in many countries is fuelling expansion of the ethical consumer segment and creating an unprecedented opportunity for small African farmers. The challenge is how to organize these farmers to seize the opportunities being offered by the emerging market. We argue in this paper that the development of entrepreneurial perspectives on small farmers’ realities could help alleviate the current economic challenges confronting them. We suggest increased engagement between researchers and academics with producers in entrepreneurial ventures to seize these opportunities. This is new model of economic development focuses on microeconomic solutions through entrepreneurial initiatives. We believe the agricultural economics profession’s ability to engage producers in this manner will not only increase its relevance but provide needed financial resources to grow education and research programs.Ethical Foods, Farmers, African, Markets, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Pupil participation in Scottish schools: how far have we come?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989), which applies to all children under the age of 18, established the overarching principles guiding pupil participation. In most European states, signatories to the Convention have enacted policies to promote the voice of the child or young person in decisions that affect them. In education systems strategies to enhance the pupil participation are an increasing feature of deliberation on education for citizenship, curriculum flexibility, pedagogical approaches and assessment for learning. Despite the positive policy context and professional commitment to principles of inclusion, translating policy intentions so that the spirit of the legislation is played out in the day-to-day experiences of pupils is a constant challenge. This article reports on research that examines how pupil participation is understood and enacted in Scottish schools. It considers how the over-laying of diverse policies presents mixed messages to practitioners

Emergent and Early Literacy Opportunities for Children with Visual Impairment With/Without an Additional Disability

Introduction: This study examined implications of literacy instruction for children with visual impairment (VI) with/without an additional disability at a specialized preschool in a large Midwestern city. Methods: Teachers participated in interviews and revealed their perspectives for providing literacy instruction, and students were video recorded participating in literacy activities. Literacy opportunities were coded for themes. Results: Six themes of literacy opportunities emerged from this study (i.e., literacy opportunities, accessibility, frequency, assessment, settings, and cues for understanding). Results provide evidence of instructional strategies, challenges and strengths described by teachers, types of activities used to promote literacy and the frequency and accessibility of literacy opportunities delivered. Activities include opportunities to read, write, and practice phonological awareness, and embedded opportunities to read and/or write Discussion: Perspective of expectations and barriers from teachers enlighten strengths and challenges faced when working to develop literacy skills for children with VI with/without an additional disability. Student outcomes for participation in literacy opportunities provided are reported. Implications for Practitioners: Collaboration is necessary among educators and service provides to provide the best opportunities for children with VI to learn to read and write. The instructional strategies, types of activities, frequency and accessibility to literacy opportunities used could generalize to other environments. Advisor: Mackenzie Elizabeth Savaian

Student Engagement: Body, Mind and Heart – A Proposal for an Embedded Multi-Dimensional Student Engagement Framework

This paper considers student engagement in the context of a diverse higher education population and explores what institutions can do to impact positively on student engagement. The paper takes as its starting point the goals of higher education and the purposes of student engagement and reflects on the politicisation of student engagement, and the relative positioning of the student and the higher education institution in relation to student engagement. The paper suggests conditions for and dimensions of student engagement, and identifies how opportunities for student engagement may be embedded through the curriculum and through learning and teaching. An innovative and original pragmatic framework exploring academic, emotional and transactional dimensions of student engagement that can be used by higher education institutions to implement holistic, targeted engagement strategies is presented

CALM SR: Classroom Activities for Learning and Managing Self-Regulation

CALM SR is a program developed for 3-4-year-olds to increase successful participation in desired occupations due to improved self-regulation skills. This program is designed for implementation in a preschool setting over the course of 9 weeks. This program incorporates activities that target sill acquisition across multiple domains. Activities are supplemented by literature, visual displays, modeling, and facilitation of the self-regulation process.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2023/1015/thumbnail.jp