U.S. East Coast Trough Indices at 500 hPa and New England Winter Climate Variability

Using monthly gridded 500-hPa data, two synoptic indices are defined to better understand the principle mechanisms controlling intraseasonal to multiannual winter climate variability in NewEngland (NE). The “trough axis index” (TAI) is created to quantify the mean longitudinal position of the common East Coast pressure trough, and the “trough intensity index” (TII) is calculated to estimate the relative amplitude of this trough at 42.5°N. The TAI and TII are then compared with records for NE regional winter precipitation, temperature, and snowfall with the goal of understanding physical mechanisms linking NE winter climate with regional sea surface temperatures (SST), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the Pacific–North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern. The TAI correlates most significantly with winter precipitation at inland sites, such that a western (eastern)trough axis position is associated with greater (lower) average monthly precipitation. Also, significant correlations between the TAI and both NE regional SSTs and the NAO suggest that longitudinal shifting of the trough is one possible mechanism linking the North Atlantic with NE regional winterclimate variability. The NE winter temperature is significantly correlated with the TII, regional SSTs, and the NAO. While the PNA also correlates with the TII, NE winter climate variables are apparently unrelated to the PNA index

Making little neo-liberals: The production of ideal child/learner subjectivities in primary school through choice, self-improvement and 'growth mindsets'

This article aims to look at the intersection of policy and lived experience at the level of the individual child by dissecting how primary education policy in England demands and expects a particular learner subjectivity. The focus is on children in the first years of primary school, and how statutory assessments provide a model of the ‘ideal learner’ who is self-regulating and able to make choices which are self-improving. The article uses data collected through qualitative research projects conducted in the late 2000s and in 2017, involving interviews with teachers and school leaders and observation in classrooms, to consider how this model of the neo-liberal learner has evolved. Drawing on theoretical insights on the ‘neo-liberal subject’ and post-structural insights into subjectivity and acceptable/impossible learner identities, it is argued that despite some shifts towards valuing high attainment in ‘measurable’ subjects within a data-obsessed school system, there remains a broad conception of the ‘good learner’ in the early years, which includes attitudes to learning and self-regulation. This wider view is encouraged by the discourse of ‘growth mindset’ and the recent focus on character education, and has social justice implications

Reconceptualising the Third Teacher: A study of trainee experiences of work-based learning on Level 3 Early Years programmes

There is a paucity of research exploring learning and pedagogy in the Early Years workplace. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring how learning and pedagogy are differently experienced by early years trainees pursuing a Level 3 early years apprenticeship and a full-time diploma early childhood programme. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory provides the theoretical framework for this qualitative study, which was predicated on the belief that knowledge is gained from practice through experiences of the learner within the ecological theory model and that further development is built upon interactions within the workplace. Eight early childhood practitioners participated in the study, which adopted a case study approach and utilised a range of methods including on-line interviews, focus-groups, observations, and reflective diaries contributed by the participants. The study illustrates how potential work-based learning opportunities are mediated by the type of learning programme pursued by trainees, also demonstrating how early childhood practitioners with a stronger learning orientation achieve higher levels of work-based competence/expertise of being an early years professional. Colleagues and supervisors' social support within practice was found to play a significant role in job competence/expertise, highlighting the need for highly trained practitioners within the area of early childhood. Related to this, the study found that the role of the ‘third teacher’, or learning within the early years workplace environment, is significant in outcomes for trainees in the Early Years sector. The informal relationships that the trainee professional makes with other colleagues is based on the findings of this research, which has given a new idea to how early years professionals are learning whilst undertaking their training courses. The thesis clearly argues that there is a change in what is meant by the third teacher and reconceptualises what it means, regarding early years work-based learning. It concludes that there are significant differences in the work-place learning opportunities offered to trainees on different programmes, and that the importance of developing informal connections with early years colleagues provides the basis for work-based learning in Early Years training