Black Teachers’ Collective Wisdom as Social Justice Pedagogy: A Black Feminist Narrative Analysis

In this age, 21st century, where social issues surrounding race and gender are impassioned and escalating, black feminists and Black Feminist Theory are leading the charge in bringing salience through activism and engagement. Doing post structural qualitative research aims to dismantle a myth of scientific knowledge that emphasizes triangulation and transferability of research with the use of multiple representations of experience. This research investigates critical issues in qualitative research, specifically the ontological challenge that researchers commonly encountered in depicting experience and social reality. The turn to experience and lived stories has expanded the modes of qualitative research by hearing marginalized voices, and thus increasing cultural awareness. It articulates understandings and assumptions of post-structuralism and explores how it empowers black female preschool teachers without voice and produces different knowledge than that undertaken by positivist approaches. Using a position within the early childhood education realm, Black female early childhood educators possess a platform to bring consciousness of their misplaced and/or ignored presence within the field. The tenets of Black Feminist Thought as a philosophical and ideological framework brings visibility to Black female early childhood educators and marshals their voice from the sidelines of social justice issues to the forefront. Furthermore, the concept of intersectionality conveys how oppressions, such as race and gender or sexuality and nation, work together in producing injustice. This research using narrative inquiry examines the efforts of valuing Black women in early childhood education as collective wisdom, essentially Black female early childhood educators’ collective. The narrative inquiry releases notions of subjectivity, agency, and the constructive nature of discourse. As poststructuralist inquiries Black Feminist Thought and narrative inquiry both converge to gain some understanding of ways we have come to perceive and accept knowledge; to question the legitimacy of these understandings of knowledge; and brings previously marginalized discourse to the forefront. Black Feminist Thought as a poststructuralist inquiry opens up the possibility of change by bringing an ontological dimension to understanding how Black female teachers identify race, which then shapes what they think and do in the classroom

Siyadlala delivering community sport in Gauteng : delivery and uptake

The paper reports on an impact assessment of the Siyadlala (community mass participation programme) offered in the different Gauteng clusters. Underpinned by a management systems approach, the strategy and delivery model was traced through case study analyses of one hub per cluster (including Westbury, Ratanda, Tembisa, Onverwacht and Munsieville). This entailed the profiling the hubs, strategic partnership and ‘uptake’ by staff and participant to provide evidence for strategic decision-making. A Participatory Action Research framework informed a multimethod approach, with questionnaires completed by 20 staff members, 79 secondary and 63 primary school participants. Nineteen managers were interviewed and 88 research participants from the different service constituencies (e.g. stakeholders, staff and participants) took part in focus group sessions. The events-driven model, stakeholder collaboration and youth development foci (for poverty-alleviation) delivered relatively high levels of participation (11 200) according to the size and locality (rural versus urban). School holiday programmes mostly afforded secondary school children access to safe spaces and various social (including life skill) benefits, while primary school children experienced improved social relationships and recognition. For contract workers, the lack of access to quality resources, the centralised governing system, implementation-focused training and ad hoc stakeholder participation limited their changes for meaningful upward social mobility and career opportunities associated with poverty alleviation

Eight centuries on from Magna Carta, upholding the rule of law remains a challenge on both sides of the Atlantic

Last month marked the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, an agreement between King John of England and feudal Barons, which played a key part in establishing values we know today such as the right to a fair trial and equality under the law. Tim Oliver and Cora Lacatus look at the historical and continuing importance of Magna Carta for both Europe and the U.S., writing that its precedent has played a role in fuelling political change in the form of the American and French revolutions as well as the setting up of human rights conventions in the aftermath of the Second World War. In light of concerns over U.S. aggressive foreign policy and the increasing power of multinationals, they argue that the anniversary of Magna Carta provides a reminder of the ongoing struggle to uphold the rule of law on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world

Disaster Assistance: Greater Coordination and an Evaluation of Programs' Outcomes Could Improve Disaster Case Management

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As a result of the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the federal government, for the first time, funded several disaster case management programs. These programs help victims access services for disaster-related needs. GAO was asked to review (1) steps the federal government took to support disaster case management programs after the hurricanes, (2) the extent to which federal agencies oversaw the implementation of these programs, (3) challenges case management agencies experienced in delivering disaster case management services, and (4) how these programs will inform the development of a federal case management program for future disasters. GAO reviewed relevant laws and guidance, obtained data from two programs, conducted site visits to Louisiana and Mississippi, and interviewed case management providers and officials from federal and state agencies involved in disaster case management.

Nature-Based Group Therapy for Women Living with Depression Through a Narrative Lens

The field of nature-based therapy treatment is rapidly expanding. With an emphasis on healing the disconnectedness of the modern world through experiencing interconnectedness with the natural world, this modality is particularly useful in treating symptoms of social isolation and hopelessness within populations living with major depressive disorder. The literature highlights emotional and biological benefits of mental health counseling in a natural setting with key therapeutic factors. Researchers highlighted these factors as the natural environment itself, the element of challenge, nature as a third-party influence on therapeutic relationship, and expansiveness and interconnectedness of the natural world (Naor & Mayseless, 2021). Within nature-based therapy, or ecotherapy, these factors may not provide a clear, linear treatment plan for specific diagnoses. This group manual was developed to provide members with these therapeutic factors while incorporating a narrative modality for a more structured approach to treating depression. Group members will re-story limiting beliefs through overcoming challenges in nature, finding a sense of shared belonging, and dissecting “problem-saturated” stories they may live by

Servant Leadership, Optimal Experience, and Meaningful Life

Optimal experience – also known as Flow – was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975 in his research study of joy, creativity, and the total involvement with life. Optimal experience is about focused attention and control of consciousness. Likewise, servant leadership is a conscious choice which aspires one to lead (Greenleaf, 1970). After a close examination of the philosophy of servant leadership by Greenleaf (1970), the attributes and behaviours of servant leaders by Laub (1999), Russell and Stone (2002), Patterson (2003), Keith (2008), Spears (2010), and Sipe and Frick (2015), it is argued that the work of a servant leader meets most if not all of the prescriptions of the flow model as listed by Csikszentmihalyi (1990). In the state of flow, a servant leader’s personal identity (i.e. the concept of self) and social identity (i.e. the concept of self based on perceived membership in a relevant social group) is also consolidated. A practical implication of this conceptual discussion is that a servant leader, who serves the betterment of others and the greater good of the society, should create an environment for others to experience flow. When the cumulated works of a servant leader fit together into a unified optimal experience, he/she finds fulfillment and lives a meaningful life. This is an example of the power and promise of servant leadership as posed by Greenleaf (1970)

The Relevance and Benefits of Moral Intelligence to Servant Leadership

Moral intelligence has a better chance of fixing morality-related issues instead of bandaging them and addressing the servant leadership best test stated by Greenleaf (1977/2002). Prudence—mature moral intelligence—is one’s skillful act in making the best, most caring alternative among all possible choices based on moral wisdom (Bradshaw, 2010). Morally intelligent people are conscious of aligning their values, goals, and actions with the universal principles of integrity, responsibility, compassion, and forgiveness (Lennick and Kiel, 2011). Such an alignment leads to purposeful living and organizational success. Borba (2001) advocated for building moral habits of empathy, conscience, self-control, respect, kindness, tolerance, and fairness. Practicing these habits is relevant and beneficial to servant leadership development at the personal, relational, and communal levels. Therefore, moral intelligence equips servant leaders to make better and more caring decisions, clarify their life purpose, and build moral habits. Moral intelligence is an enduring capstone to past and present servant leaders and the making of future servant leaders

Physical education and health as a child’s right : reflections on the Soweto Active Schools programme

Abstract:Background: In view of global health concerns about high levels of inactivity and related disease patterns of citizens,.. Physical Education and Health (PEH) has become an educational priority in many countries, including South Africa. Aim: The research aimed to explore and capture the effects of a multistakeholder physical education (PE) initiative that focuses on in-service teacher training and implementation of the Soweto Active Schools programme. Setting: The study was conducted in five pilot schools in Soweto, located in close proximity to the Nike Centre, where the schools take part in organised sport events as part of the programme. Methods: This pre–post (2016 and 2018) multisite case study utilised mixed methods. Qualitative data were collected through observation of PE lessons, interviews with key stakeholder representatives (n = 6), five school principals (n = 10) and focus group discussions with life skill/life orientation heads of department and teachers (n = 59) and Grade 6 learners (n = 63)