Knowledge of United States Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education Held by Selected Tennessee Public School Personnel (Law)

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of United States Supreme Court decisions affecting education possessed by public school teachers, principals, superintendents, and board members; to determine if significant differences existed among these groups in their knowledge of Supreme Court decisions affecting education; and to determine if significant differences existed within each group depending on years of experience in education and level of education. Five hundred randomly selected subjects from the public school systems in Tennessee were asked to indicate their knowledge of Supreme Court decisions affecting education by completing the survey instrument, Supreme Court Decisions Impacting on Education. This instrument measured respondents\u27 knowledge of Supreme Court decisions in five areas: (1) student rights; (2) employee rights; (3) church-state relationships; (4) race, language, and sex discrimination; and (5) school finance and organization. A total of 241 (48.2%) usable responses were returned. The data revealed that there was a general lack of knowledge of Supreme Court decisions affecting education. Significant differences were found to exist among the four groups in all areas except that of race, language, and sex discrimination. Superintendents scored significantly higher than teachers and board members in knowledge of Supreme Court decisions in the area of student rights. Superintendents and principals scored significantly higher than teachers in the area of employee rights. Superintendents scored significantly higher than all other groups in the area of church-state relationships. In the area of school finance and organization, superintendents and principals scored significantly higher than teachers. On overall knowledge of Supreme Court decisions affecting education, superintendents and principals scored significantly higher than teachers and board members. Years of experience in education was not found to be a significant factor within any of the four groups. Level of education was found to be a significant factor among superintendents. Superintendents with either a doctoral degree or a Master\u27s degree plus additional coursework scored significantly higher than those with a Master\u27s degree or an Education Specialist degree. Level of education was not found to be a significant factor within any other group

Inequality: an exploration of issues of gender, ‘race’ and social class in education

Jessie Bustillos and Sandra Abegglen undertake an inquiry into inequalities in education. They attempt to disentangle some of the many issues in the realm of gender, ‘race’ and social class in education. The chapter explores some of the growing patterns of inequality that have characterised schooling in the UK. This is broken down into three main sections, First, a section where gender equity issues in schools are outlined and interrogated. The authors look at feminist concerns and ask whether we are now in a post-feminist educational era. Second, issues of ‘race’ and education are discussed in relation to the work of well-known ’critical race theorists’, Gillborn and Youdell. Finally, the work of recently retired, internationally renowned Prof. Stephen Ball will be drawn upon to illustrate a range of issues around social class and educational opportunity

Drawing as a Way of Knowing: Visual Practices as the Route to Becoming Academic

This case study illustrates what happened when we took a playful approach in a first year undergraduate academic skills module and a graduate Facilitating Student Learning module asking our students to “draw to learn.” We found that they not only enjoyed the challenges we set them, but also that they “blossomed” and approached their academic writing with more confidence and joy. Hence we argue for a more ludic approach to learning and teaching in Higher Education to enable Widening Participation students and their tutors to become the academic writers they want to be. In particular “blind drawing” seems to be a powerful tool for diminishing the fear of failure and for fostering deep understanding as well as self-confidence

Re-genering academic writing. Case Study 4: Digital Storytelling

This is Case Study 4 of 5, as introduced in ‘Re-genering academic writing’ on pp. 181–90, which includes an overview of the context for all five pieces

Editorial: Collaboration in higher education: Partnering with students, colleagues and external stakeholders

Welcome to this Special Issue of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP). This editorial provides an overview of Collaboration in Higher Education. Humans are social, inter-dependent beings, needing to be and communicate with each other. Being with other people provides an opportunity to grow and develop, creating a sense of self and identity. Together we construct, structure and restructure the stories that build the larger narratives of who we are, what we do and how we live, act and behave as people, professionals and larger communities. It is through our collaborations that we come together, and construct meaning and ourselves. As Higher Education continues to exclude and sideline, as it constrains and removes spaces and places for collaboration between service staff, faculty and students within institutions, between institutions, and with other stakeholders, there is a need to rediscover the power of collaboration. The articles included, build on practical experience, research data, personal and collective reflections, to outline how the contributors have navigated this tension to create spaces of voice and hope. Presented are case studies that are boundary crossing: across disciplinary boundaries; cross-institution collaboration; cross-boundary working; pedagogical co-creation and the re-conceptualising of learning; and students as partners, co-researchers and co-authors. Together they showcase refreshed notions of collegiality and collaboration in Higher Education that support new and more nuanced, and dynamic models of co-creation. We hope the Special Issue helps seed an ecology of collaborative practice for social justice – a more humane academia

Re-genering academic writing. Case Study 1: Collages

The starting point of our re-genering experiment was to bring together two of our core research interests: our belief in the emancipatory power of ludic and multimodal practice and our desire to empower those widening participation students often labelled as ‘deficit’. We, as learning developers and educationists, started by welcoming and valuing students for who they were, rather than remediating them because of what they were not. Our teaching started with their strengths and assets: their commitment and engagement; and what they could do and what challenge they could rise to without the need for the specific cultural and academic capital typically already possessed by the traditional, middle-class student. The present article and mini-case studies (see also ‘Cabinet of Curiosity’ pp. 211–15, ‘Games and Board Games’ pp. 261–66, ‘Digital Storytelling’ pp. 275–78 and ‘Multimodal Exhibition’ pp. 291–303) present some of the ludic work we have undertaken with our students. This article contains Case Study 1

A Collection of Images

A collection of seven images by Ryan Abegglen, including Cecil, Gerald, Kevin, Has Game, Rooster Cleats, Sugar It\u27s Eli, and Leprechaun Flute

Re-genering academic writing. Case Study 2: Cabinet of Curiosity

This is Case Study 2 of 5, as introduced in ‘Re-genering academic writing’ on pp. 181–90, which includes an overview of the context across all five pieces

The power of freedom : setting up a multimodal exhibition with undergraduate students to foster their learning and help them to achieve

The present paper explores the opportunities created by an emancipatory approach to learning and teaching when combined with embedded peer mentoring. First year undergraduate students - most from non-traditional backgrounds - were set the task to explore learning spaces at their university and to present their findings in creative ways in a Multimodal Exhibition during Enhancement Week. They were supported by second year students on their course who acted as coaches, role models, and critics. Our experience - and feedback by students - showed that serious learning is taking place when students are given "the freedom to learn"

Professional Identity Formation in Health Promotion Practitioners: Students’ Perspectives during an Undergraduate Program in Switzerland

The health promotion (HP) community advocates for capacity building, quality assurance and political awareness of HP. Professional identity (PI) is of great relevance to these goals as persons who strongly identify with their profession better adopt their professional role, raising the quality, competence and common values within a professional group. However, investigations on the HP workforce are missing. In order to investigate PI formation in HP professionals, a longitudinal study was conducted with two student cohorts of a Swiss HP and prevention undergraduate program. Using a qualitative approach, focus groups were conducted at the beginning and end of the undergraduate program. Data were transcribed verbatim and condensed using thematic analysis. The results highlight the complexity of the HP’s professional profile. While students experienced difficulties to capture the profile at the beginning of the program, at the end they developed an understanding of it. The practical experience within work placements helped students to grasp the profile and specify their future professional role. Several behavioral, cognitive and motivational aspects were identified that influence HP students’ PI formation and can be fostered. For instance, universities can commit to public relations for HP practitioners and support the PI formation throughout the study program