Experience, Reflect, Critique: The End of the “Learning Cycles” Era

According to prevailing models, experiential learning is by definition a stepwise process beginning with direct experience, followed by reflection, followed by learning. It has been argued, however, that stepwise models inadequately explain the holistic learning processes that are central to learning from experience, and that they lack scientific or philosophical foundations. Criticism also centers on the way complex cultural, social, and physical processes during experience and learning are reduced to a rational, excessively cognitive, individual phenomenon. This article reviews this criticism and adds a historical dimension to the analysis, concluding that existing cyclic models might be better valued for their important historical contribution, rather than as active theories of learning in experiential education

Designerly Tools

An assumption behind this paper is that research aimed at improving interaction design practice is not as successful as it could be. We will argue that one reason for this is that the understanding of what constitutes designerly tools is not enough recognized among those who propose new tools for interaction design. We define designerly tools as methods, tools, techniques, and approaches that support design activity in way that is appreciated by practicing interaction designers. Based on a two empirical studies, we have developed a framework and a way of studying designers and their tools. We discuss some insights about what characterizes designerly tools and what kind of implications these insights might have for the further development of tools aimed at supporting design practice. Keywords: Design, Tools, Interaction Design, Activities, Support For Design</p

Toward Integrative CALL: A Progressive Outlook on the History, Trends, and Issues of CALL

With the advancement of technology now allowing complex and intricate simulation gaming and virtual reality (VR), current trends and issues in language learning extend their research on the topic of digital literacy, aiming to find the ways in which the use of technology fosters, or perhaps hinders, overall performance of language learning. While there have been many published articles that claim the successful utilization of technology and digital media into the classroom, there are considerably few that deliver a successful integration of theory into practice. To address this issue, this paper provides a historical review of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), overviewing the shifting process in which the contemporary model of CALL is established. By addressing the dissonant relationship between SLA theory and CALL as a theoretical limitation, this paper argues that a modern CALL orientation can be re-conceptualized when considering the evidence derived from integrative sets of SLA theories

Practitioners' reflections on the benefits of and obstacles to Integrating Literacy.

This paper reports on a small scale research study on the reflections of vocational educators who have been working to integrate literacy support and development with other teaching and learning on accredited vocational education and training courses. The overall purpose of this study was to learn from the insights and experience of the practitioners in order to inform the development of supports for teachers and centres in implementing inclusive, learner-centred approaches to integrating literacy and vocational learning. Semi-structured interviews were held with seven vocational teachers and one centre manager. The research question that framed this study was: What are the benefits of and obstacles to integrating literacy with vocational teaching and learning in further education and training, in the perception of practitioners who have been working to do so? The study focused on practitioners’ accounts of practices in integrating literacy into their vocational programmes, the benefits they perceive from the approach, and the perceived obstacles to implementing the approach. Interviews were transcribed and the resulting data analysed using a thematic approach. The study was informed by a review of research on embedding or integrating literacy with vocational learning, and by a literature review focusing on theoretical perspectives on literacy and on literacy learning as elaborated by Paulo Freire, by writers in the New Literacy Studies (NLS), and by Thomas G Sticht’s model of Functional Context Education (FCE). The interviewees identified a range of benefits to learners from the integrated approaches they had used. The perceived obstacles to integrating literacy included some at practitioner level and centre level, both of which were bound up with factors at the institutional level. Most of the practitioners interviewed identified as obstacles factors related to the implementation of the (then) new FETAC Common Awards System and to forms and frameworks of evaluation and assessment. The findings and analysis from this study have informed the development of a set of guidelines on integrating literacy and the design of professional development programmes offered by NALA

Practitioners' reflections on the benefits of and obstacles to Integrating Literacy.

This paper reports on a small scale research study on the reflections of vocational educators who have been working to integrate literacy support and development with other teaching and learning on accredited vocational education and training courses. The overall purpose of this study was to learn from the insights and experience of the practitioners in order to inform the development of supports for teachers and centres in implementing inclusive, learner-centred approaches to integrating literacy and vocational learning. Semi-structured interviews were held with seven vocational teachers and one centre manager. The research question that framed this study was: What are the benefits of and obstacles to integrating literacy with vocational teaching and learning in further education and training, in the perception of practitioners who have been working to do so? The study focused on practitioners’ accounts of practices in integrating literacy into their vocational programmes, the benefits they perceive from the approach, and the perceived obstacles to implementing the approach. Interviews were transcribed and the resulting data analysed using a thematic approach. The study was informed by a review of research on embedding or integrating literacy with vocational learning, and by a literature review focusing on theoretical perspectives on literacy and on literacy learning as elaborated by Paulo Freire, by writers in the New Literacy Studies (NLS), and by Thomas G Sticht’s model of Functional Context Education (FCE). The interviewees identified a range of benefits to learners from the integrated approaches they had used. The perceived obstacles to integrating literacy included some at practitioner level and centre level, both of which were bound up with factors at the institutional level. Most of the practitioners interviewed identified as obstacles factors related to the implementation of the (then) new FETAC Common Awards System and to forms and frameworks of evaluation and assessment. The findings and analysis from this study have informed the development of a set of guidelines on integrating literacy and the design of professional development programmes offered by NALA

Academic literacies twenty years on: a community-sourced literature review

In 1998, the paper ‘Student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach’ by Mary Lea and Brian Street reinvigorated debate concerning ‘what it means to be academically literate’ (1998, p.158). It proposed a new way of examining how students learn at university and introduced the term ‘academic literacies’. Subsequently, a body of literature has emerged reflecting the significant theoretical and practical impact Lea and Street’s paper has had on a range of academic and professional fields. This literature review covers articles selected by colleagues in our professional communities of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE), BALEAP the global forum for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) professionals, and the European Association of Teachers of Academic Writing (EATAW). As a community-sourced literature review, this text brings together reviews of wide range of texts and a diverse range of voices reflecting a multiplicity of perspectives and understandings of academic literacies. We have organised the material according to the themes: Modality, Identity, Focus on text, Implications for research, and Implications for practice. We conclude with observations relevant to these themes, which we hope will stimulate further debate, research and professional collaborations between our members and subscribers

From Predicting Solar Activity to Forecasting Space Weather: Practical Examples of Research-to-Operations and Operations-to-Research

The successful transition of research to operations (R2O) and operations to research (O2R) requires, above all, interaction between the two communities. We explore the role that close interaction and ongoing communication played in the successful fielding of three separate developments: an observation platform, a numerical model, and a visualization and specification tool. Additionally, we will examine how these three pieces came together to revolutionize interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) arrival forecasts. A discussion of the importance of education and training in ensuring a positive outcome from R2O activity follows. We describe efforts by the meteorological community to make research results more accessible to forecasters and the applicability of these efforts to the transfer of space-weather research.We end with a forecaster "wish list" for R2O transitions. Ongoing, two-way communication between the research and operations communities is the thread connecting it all.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, Solar Physics in pres

Creating Quality Integrated and Interdisciplinary Arts Programs

The report offers some reflection on arts integration while examining a diverse group of partnerships and a set of new important tools to aid efforts in improving arts teaching and learning across the classroom

Motivational Interviewing: moving from why to how with autonomy support

Motivational Interviewing (MI), a counseling style initially used to treat addictions, increasingly has been used in health care and public health settings. This manuscript provides an overview of MI, including its theoretical origins and core clinical strategies. We also address similarities and differences with Self-Determination Theory. MI has been defined as person-centered method of guiding to elicit and strengthen personal motivation for change. Core clinical strategies include, e.g., reflective listening and eliciting change talk. MI encourages individuals to work through their ambivalence about behavior change and to explore discrepancy between their current behavior and broader life goals and values. A key challenge for MI practitioners is deciding when and how to transition from building motivation to the goal setting and planning phases of counseling. To address this, we present a new three-phase model that provides a framework for moving from WHY to HOW; from building motivation to more action oriented counseling, within a patient centered framework