Using participatory action research to approach teacher professional development: an analysis of teacher talk in a writing professional learning community

Most teachers take part in professional development of some kind at some point in their careers. As a result, that professional development should support the development of instruction. Many teachers report that professional development neither supports their practice nor improves results. Thus, more work needs to be done on how professional development can meet those needs and what helps to support effective professional learning. In this study, a group of educators created a professional learning community using concepts from participatory action research to support their interactions and focus their work on achieving their goals. The purpose of this learning community was to discuss and improve writing instruction practices as teachers had noted that as a particular need within the school. Toward a better understanding of the functions of a professional learning community, this study focused on the language used by teachers in order to construct knowledge about writing instruction. To this end, the use of case study methods and discourse analysis provided a vehicle to tell the story of this learning community through the teacher talk that took place. The data analysis developed across three phases. In the first phase, general themes from the talk and how it helped or hindered participants from constructing knowledge emerged. These themes were called modes of intercommunication. The second phase deepened the understanding of the language as the modes were subdivided into certain features based upon the purposes of teacher talk and how they aided or did not aid in constructing knowledge about writing instruction. The last phase included an analysis of survey data as it revealed educator perspectives of professional learning and changes in the learning community across all the meeting. This was held against changes that occurred in the teacher talk to better understand how the language use in the learning community changed. Findings from these three phases indicate that teacher professional learning can be supported through frameworks that promote teacher talk that is consistent, challenging, and action-oriented

Strategi Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dalam Menghadapi Revolusi Digital 4.0

Technological developments become familiar and have an impact on society. The Digital Industrial Revolution 4.0 has had a significant impact on people's lives, one of which is in the world of Education. So, leadership is needed that can adjust and take advantage of this technological development. At the school level, a principal becomes one of the important components in moving the wheels of Education in schools. Therefore, a school principal needs to develop a strategy in the face of changes in this Industrial Revolution 4.0. This study aims to find out how the strategies prepared by school principals in the face of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. The method used in this study is qualitative location is the place of this study is SD Negeri 1 Kamarang, Greged District Cirebon Regency. Data collection techniques in this study use interviews, and observations, and involve documentation. The results of this study concluded that the principal in SD Negeri 1 Kamarang prepare five strategies in the face of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 including a) Improvement of the infrastructure in the field of ICT b) openness with the development of the digital era 4.0; d) process and result oriented; e) mastering the 4C formula, namely: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration

Train stations as nodes and places: the potential of trains for transit-oriented urban development in Santiago, Chile

In Latin American cities, the train has played a less relevant role in recent decades as a structuring element of urban development. As with other means of mass transportation, railroads can be the object of strategies that foster the integration of public transport and land use, to guide urban development towards more sustainable futures. Considering that in Chile suburban rail services are gradually being reactivated around the main cities, it is worth asking whether rail transport can contribute to forms of transport-oriented urban development in the Chilean context as well. In this way, this article actually explores the urban role of train stations and their potential as options of transit-oriented development. Focusing on the case of Santiago, the article analyzes train stations by applying the node-place model, which examines each of them based on their role as a node (i.e., how many destinations they allow reaching) and as a place (considering the diversity and intensity of activities that take place in their vicinity). The results show the limited urban role that railway stations play in the context of Chilean capital, highlighting a certain homogeneity with respect to the levels of accessibility or the appeal of the urban environments of each station. The application of the node-place model shows that the train has an untapped potential for the urban development of the places it crosses throughout Santiago, and confirms the potential role of stations as small polarities at the neighborhood and municipal scale.En las últimas décadas, el tren ha jugado un rol poco relevante como elemento estructurante del desarrollo urbano en las ciudades de América Latina. Al igual que otros modos de transporte masivo, el ferrocarril puede ser objeto de estrategias que fomenten la integración del transporte público y del uso del suelo, para encauzar el desarrollo urbano hacia futuros más sustentables. Considerando que en Chile se están gradualmente reactivando servicios ferroviarios de cercanía alrededor de las principales ciudades, cabe preguntarse si el transporte ferroviario puede también aportar a formas de desarrollo urbano orientado al transporte en el contexto chileno. Así, este artículo explora precisamente el rol urbano de las estaciones y su potencial para opciones de desarrollo orientado al transporte. Enfocándose en el caso de Santiago, el trabajo analiza las estaciones a través del modelo node-place, que examina cada estación en base a su rol como nodo (es decir, a cuántos destinos permite alcanzar) y como lugar (considerando diversidad e intensidad de las actividades que se dan en sus inmediaciones). Los resultados muestran el limitado rol urbano que las estaciones ferroviarias cumplen en la capital chilena, evidenciando cierta homogeneidad respecto a los niveles de accesibilidad o a la atractividad de los entornos urbanos de cada estación. La aplicación del modelo nodo-lugar demuestra que el tren tiene un potencial no aprovechado para el desarrollo urbano de los entornos que atraviesa en Santiago y confirma el rol potencial de las estaciones como pequeñas polaridades a escala barrial y comunal

Ireland

This report will focuses on the current innovations and the future development of the practices and approaches to the assessment of learning in the area of work-based Vocational Education & Training in Ireland. The report is written from the perspective of the Irish Partner (Dublin City University) of the Leonardo da Vinci QualPraxis Research Project. In Ireland Vocational Education and Training (VET) exists mainly in the further education sector and this report will focus on this area

Penggunaan Permainan Plastisin Dalam Meningkatkan Motorik Halus Anak Usia Dini di TK Rahmat Sigi Sidera Sulawesi Tengah

Abstrak: Bermain merupakan salah satu kebutuhan yang dapat  menstimulasi perkembangan anak, salah satunya yakni perkembangan motorik halus anak, kegiatan yang dapat meningkatkan perkembangan motorik halus anak yakni melalui permainan plastisin. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini, untuk mengetahui bagaimana penggunaan permainan plastisin dalam meningkatkan motorik halus anak usia dini di TK Rahmat Sigi Sidera Sulawesi Tengah. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif, teknik pengumpulan data melalui observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi, teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah reduksi data, penyajian data, dan verifikasi data, dan keabsahan data diperkuat dengan melakukan teknik pemeriksaan. Penelitian di laksanakan di Tk Rahmat Sigi Sidera. Pelaksanaan kegiatan dilakukan dengan mengikuti waktu kegiatan pembelajaran berlangsung, dengan melakukan pengamatan terhadap anak didik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa: penggunaan permainan plastisin dalam meningkatkan motorik halus anak usia dini di TK Rahmat Sigi Sidera Sulawesi Tengah, senantiasa berorientasi pada kebutuhan anak, terdapat 3 tahap sebelum pembelajaran yaitu: perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan evaluasi. Kata kunci: permainan plastisin, motorik halus, anak usia dini Abstract: Play is one of the needs that can stimulate children's development, one of which is the development of children's fine motor skills, activities that can improve children's fine motor development, namely through plasticine games. The purpose of this study was to find out how the use of plasticine games in improving fine motor skills in early childhood at Rahmat Sigi Sidera Kindergarten, Central Sulawesi. The research method used is a qualitative approach, data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation, data analysis techniques used are data reduction, data presentation, and data verification. The research was carried out at Rahmat Sigi Sidera Kindergarten. The implementation of activities is carried out by following the time the learning activities take place, by observing the students. The results of this study indicate that: the use of plasticine games in improving fine motor skills in early childhood at Rahmat Sigi Sidera Kindergarten, Central Sulawesi, is always oriented to the needs of children, there are 3 stages before learning, namely: planning, implementation, and evaluation. Keywords: plasticine game, fine motor, early childhoo

Implementing transit oriented development in Greater London

This book provides new dimensions and a contemporary focus on sustainable transport, urban regeneration and development in eight countries spanning four continents at different stages of development. It examines the role of transit oriented development (TOD) in improving urban sustainability and providing different transport choices, exploring how these can be implemented in modern cities. Establishing a new agenda for TOD, experts in the field critically evaluate the links between urban transport investment and economic, social and environmental sustainability, introducing new methods of analysis. The chapters investigate the international dimensions of TOD, providing crucial insights into issues such as uneven development, transport emissions, global warming, car dependence and the challenge of powering vehicles with sustainable fuels. Urban and regional planning, transport studies and environmental management scholars seeking to understand urban sustainability issues will benefit from this timely book. It will also prove to be a valuable read for urban planners and research consultants looking to widen their knowledge of the role of TOD in enhancing urban sustainability

Generic unified modelling process for developing semantically rich, dynamic and temporal models

Models play a vital role in supporting a range of activities in numerous domains. We rely on models to support the design, visualisation, analysis and representation of parts of the world around us, and as such significant research effort has been invested into numerous areas of modelling; including support for model semantics, dynamic states and behaviour, temporal data storage and visualisation. Whilst these efforts have increased our capabilities and allowed us to create increasingly powerful software-based models, the process of developing models, supporting tools and /or data structures remains difficult, expensive and error-prone. In this paper we define from literature the key factors in assessing a model’s quality and usefulness: semantic richness, support for dynamic states and object behaviour, temporal data storage and visualisation. We also identify a number of shortcomings in both existing modelling standards and model development processes and propose a unified generic process to guide users through the development of semantically rich, dynamic and temporal models

Critical issues in microbusiness finance and the role of donors . [Version Sept. 1977]

In the early 1990s, a consensus emerged among the leading experts in the field of small and micro business finance. It is based on three elements: The focus of projects should be on improving the entire financial sector of a given developing country; a commercial approach should be adopted, which implies covering costs and keeping costs as low as possible; and institutions should be created which are both able and willing to provide good financial services to the target group on a lasting basis. The starting point for this paper, which wholeheartedly endorses these three elements, is the proposition that putting these general principles into practice is much more difficult than some of their proponents seem to believe - and also more difficult than some of them have led donors to believe. The paper discusses the central issues of small and micro business financing in three areas: credit in general and the cost-effectiveness of lending methodologies in particular (Section II); savings in general and the role of deposit-taking in the growth of a target group-oriented financial institution in particular (Section III); and the process of creating viable target group-oriented financial institutions in developing countries (Section IV). We argue that donor institutions must be willing, and prepared, to play a role here which differs in important respects from their conventional role if they really wish to support sustainable financial sector development

The Ideal Whole Health Family Oriented Community Center

This paper discusses what would make up the ideal whole health family oriented community center. It looks at the history of community centers in a general manner, and it looks at three existing community centers in New Hampshire. This paper also addresses potential problems and difficulties a whole health family oriented community center might face

Critical factors for implementing and diffusing sustainable Product-Service Systems: Insights from innovation studies and companies' experiences

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Journal for Cleaner Production. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Eco-efficient Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability. However the adoption of such business strategies is still very limited because it often involves significant corporate, cultural and regulatory barriers. An important challenge is not only to conceive eco-efficient PSS concepts, but also to understand the contextual conditions that facilitate their societal embedding, and which strategies and development pathways are the most appropriate. The combination of theoretical insights from innovation studies (in particular Strategic Niche Management and Transition Management) and a case studies research (exploring the innovation journeys made by six companies in introducing their eco-efficient PSS innovations in the market) is used to investigate the factors that influence the implementation and diffusion of this kind of innovations. The article provides a structured overview of these factors, grouping them in four clusters: implementation of socio-technical experiments; establishment of a broad network of actors; building up of a shared project vision; creation of room for broad and reflexive learning processes. Based on these results it is argued that a broader and more strategic system approach should be adopted by companies. Companies should focus not only on the PSS solution and its value chain, but also on the contextual conditions that may favour or hinder the societal embedding of the PSS itself. The article concludes by outlining a key area for future research