Creating spaces for pedagogy : research as learning

As teacher-educators, the authors designed and implemented a small study that mapped teacher-education students\u27 understandings of their own identities and how they made sense of ethnicity and class differences among their secondary students while on teaching rounds. While the authors did not set out to \u27teach\u27 their research participants, it was during the analysis of data from the research project, that they began to realise the potential of research to create opportunities for learning. In this paper the authors speculate on the \u27conditions\u27 of knowledge production and suggest that the dialogic nature of interviews and focus group discussions can offer pedagogical spaces for learning. Research designs that incorporate opportunities for participants to re-tell narratives over periods of time, may position participants as experts in knowledge production and may reposition them and researchers in more equitable power relations. The authors present an example of one participant\u27s narrative together with their interpretations to explore how research potentially offers \u27evidence\u27 of learning. While this is tentative only, the authors suggest there is a need to create spaces for pedagogy in the design and execution of educational research.<br /

Teachers\u27 professional ethics and student relationships : how do these connect?

Formal statements about \u27professional ethics\u27 for teachers have become part of the current standards and accountability regime. Such codes of conduct serve many purposes: to define acceptable principles of personal and professional relationships; as a set of protocols by which teachers\u27 conduct may be judged both within and outside the profession; as a political exercise to reassure the wider community of the high expectations held by the teaching profession; and importantly, to provide teachers with a guide in their interactions with students. While relationships with students, particularly those that will enhance learning outcomes, are cited often in teachers\u27 codes of professional ethics, how teachers make ethical decisions concerning students is far less studied and understood. What frames of reference are available to ensure that decisions are (and are seen to be) right, fair and just? How might such ethical frameworks be examined?<br /

\u27Research as dialogue\u27 and cross cultural consultations : confronting relations of power

The \u27rescuing\u27 of Indigenous children (from their communities) through education, and the notions of assimilation associated with that, is an aspect of colonialism that has persisted into the so-called \u27post-colonial\u27 era. Recent national policy statements (eg. MCEETYA, 2000; NBEET, 1995) argue the importance of education/research that keeps the locus of control within the Aboriginal community as a means to further the goal of self determination and improve educational outcomes. In this paper, we report on the initial stage of a small empirical research project, Engaging Aboriginal Students In Education Through Community Empowerment.\u27Research as dialogue\u27 was a guiding principal and a primary aim was to listen actively to all key stake holders in the remote community setting, particularly to Indigenous parents, teachers and service providers, in order to identify currentstrengths and concerns regarding the provision of culturally inclusive schooling; and then, to develop, on the basis of these consultations and in collaboration, community-based education projects that engage non-attending Aboriginal students.In this paper, we critically analyse the difficulties as well as potential strengths of trying to form collaborative partnerships as researchers, across cultural differences and with diverse community groups. For example, what does \u27acknowledging\u27 very different cultural perspectives actually mean to/in this kind of research process? The ways in which relations of power amongst all parties are played out in/through such an approach is also opened up for scrutiny and further discussion.<br /

Making sense of difference? Teaching identities in postmodern contexts

How do teachers make sense of ethnic and classed differences? Frequently students from non-mainstream cultures and of lower socio-economic status are constructed in the literature and through practice as &lsquo;deficit&rsquo; and consequently become marginalised. A range of short-term, &lsquo;quick fix&rsquo; policy and curriculum approaches have aimed to address the &lsquo;problems&rsquo; of those &lsquo;othered&rsquo; from the mainstream due to their perceived difference. These have had little effect on improving educational results for students of specific ethnic and/or class backgrounds whose outcomes remain below the national average.Poststructural theories offer opportunities to think about how teachers are positioned within discourses of identity. Our research (and others&rsquo;) suggests the need for teachers to interrogate their assumptions about class and culture and how these are played out in their pedagogical relationships with students.In this paper we report on a small research project that investigates the professional practices and personal beliefs of teachers. Empirical data from this study will build knowledge about how difference is constructed and diversity is &lsquo;taken up&rsquo; by teachers as they engage with secondary students who have Language Backgrounds Other Than English and who are economically disadvantaged.<br /

To stay or to go? \u27At risk\u27 young women speak about their influences and experiences in making decisions about post-compulsory schooling

Recent research indicates that young women who leave school early (ie at or before year 10) are the group most \u27at risk\u27 of becoming only marginally attached to the labour force or unemployed. Young women from low socio-economic backgrounds are more often those who \u27choose\u27 to leave schooling, often for complex reasons, some of which are only marginally connected to their schooling experiences. In order to better understand-and address-the needs of this cohort, it is necessary to examine the multi layered connections between students\u27 lives in and out of school.This paper reports on the initial stage of a three year ARC-funded study, \u27Young women negotiating from the margins of education and work.\u27 In interviews and focus groups, young women identified as \u27at risk\u27 of leaving school early speak about the factors that have influenced their decisions. We examine the data with specific reference to the question: what type of social capital do these young women deploy in making their choices? Recent research (Croninger &amp; Lee, 2001) suggest that teachers\u27 support and guidance are a form of social capital that can make a difference, particularly in regards to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We discuss the young women\u27s and teachers\u27 interview data in light of recent debates about social capital and education. <br /