Meaning making as an interactional accomplishment: a temporal analysis of intentionality and improvisation in classroom dialogue

In this paper we offer a significant development of Baldry and Thibault’s (2006) notion of a ‘meaning-making trajectory’ to explore the collective, and often improvisational, interactional processes of meaning making in classroom dialogue. We report a sociocultural discourse analysis (Mercer, 2004) of a series of history lessons with a class of 6-7 year-old children, which utilises the notion of ‘meaning potential’: to highlight the valuable distinction and flexible interplay between a teacher’s intended meaning-making trajectory, and the meaning-making trajectories that are instantiated in interaction with pupils through dialogic interaction. We argue that where disparities are identified, often through pupils’ unexpected questions or contributions, there can be valuable teaching-and-learning opportunities for collaboratively constructing and appropriating common knowledge

Training the next generation of plastics pollution researchers: tools, skills and career perspectives in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field

Plastics pollution research attracts scientists from diverse disciplines. Many Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are drawn to this field to investigate and subsequently mitigate the negative impacts of plastics. Solving the multi-faceted plastic problem will always require breakthroughs across all levels of science disciplinarity, which supports interdisciplinary discoveries and underpins transdisciplinary solutions. In this context, ECRs have the opportunity to work across scientific discipline boundaries and connect with different stakeholders, including industry, policymakers and the public. To fully realize their potential, ECRs need to develop strong communication and project management skills to be able to effectively interface with academic peers and non-academic stakeholders. At the end of their formal education, many ECRs will choose to leave academia and pursue a career in private industry, government, research institutes or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Here we give perspectives on how ECRs can develop the skills to tackle the challenges and opportunities of this transdisciplinary research field and how these skills can be transferred to different working sectors. We also explore how advisors can support an ECRs’ growth through inclusive leadership and coaching. We further consider the roles each party may play in developing ECRs into mature scientists by helping them build a strong foundation, while also critically assessing problems in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary context. We hope these concepts can be useful in fostering the development of the next generation of plastics pollution researchers so they can address this global challenge more effectively

Virology under the microscope—a call for rational discourse

Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns – conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we – a broad group of working virologists – seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology

Multimodality, orchestration and participation in the context of classroom use of the interactive whiteboard: a discussion

This paper will offer a discussion of the literature concerning multimodality, orchestration and participation related to classroom use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB). Specifically, it will explore the place, or potential use, of the IWB to resource a multimodal approach to teaching and learning, emphasising the complex connections that need acknowledging when viewing the IWB in context. Comments on the IWB's effectiveness or otherwise, however, are beyond the scope of this paper. Conceptions of the role of language in mediating other modes and media, in terms of its centrality or complementarity, will necessarily be addressed by considering activities such as classroom talk aligned to other resources. The role of various actors (including teachers and learners) in designing, orchestrating and interpreting multimodal material will be considered. Whilst recognising the substantial debate regarding multimodality as an analytic lens, the discussion will focus on multimodality in terms of materials used in the classroom

New approach to educational interaction: Sociocultural discourse analysis meets multimodal analysis

This paper presents an original and innovative methodological combination, as a means to explore and research teachers’ and pupils’ educational use of resources, in the unfolding, dialogic, mediated, multimodal and often unexpected processes of meaning-making. The proposed methodological combination harnesses the advantages of sociocultural discourse analysis (SCDA: Mercer, 2004), and multimodal analysis (drawing on Jewitt, 2009; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001). Broadly speaking SCDA combines qualitative analysis of lesson extracts – e.g. picking up on dialogue and interactions around contextualised use of resources or activities over time – with corpus linguistic analysis of full lesson transcripts – e.g. identifying keywords within a series of lessons or highlighting patterns in teacher and pupil talk over time. Multimodal analysis is based on highly detailed transcription of video recordings, presented as series of annotated stills to form short extracts. We argue that using this methodological combination opens a new, exciting and insightful space and lens to attend to the unfolding, sometimes cumulative dialogue, within and across lessons, alongside bodily enactment and embodiment of evolving conceptual understanding. It also allows attention to breaks in continuity and flow of educational interactions, and how these are repaired by teachers and pupils in constructing meaningful knowledge together–to zoom in and zoom out along the detail and trajectory of teaching and learning events. The original contribution of this approach is significant in offering a tool for researchers to exemplify best practices and evidence common challenges within educational practice, as well as researching educational interactions that are increasingly multimodal in nature

sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121221149356 – Supplemental material for Severity of illness and mortality among children admitted to a tertiary referral hospital in Botswana: A secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121221149356 for Severity of illness and mortality among children admitted to a tertiary referral hospital in Botswana: A secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study by Sheyla Denise Richards, Molly Hayes, Loeto Mazhani, Tonya Arscott-Mills, Unami Mulale, Susan Coffin, Andrew P Steenhoff and Eimear Kitt in SAGE Open Medicine</p

Training the next generation of plastics pollution researchers: tools, skills and career perspectives in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field

Plastics pollution research attracts scientists from diverse disciplines. Many Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are drawn to this field to investigate and subsequently mitigate the negative impacts of plastics. Solving the multi-faceted plastic problem will always require breakthroughs across all levels of science disciplinarity, which supports interdisciplinary discoveries and underpins transdisciplinary solutions. In this context, ECRs have the opportunity to work across scientific discipline boundaries and connect with different stakeholders, including industry, policymakers and the public. To fully realize their potential, ECRs need to develop strong communication and project management skills to be able to effectively interface with academic peers and non-academic stakeholders. At the end of their formal education, many ECRs will choose to leave academia and pursue a career in private industry, government, research institutes or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Here we give perspectives on how ECRs can develop the skills to tackle the challenges and opportunities of this transdisciplinary research field and how these skills can be transferred to different working sectors. We also explore how advisors can support an ECRs’ growth through inclusive leadership and coaching. We further consider the roles each party may play in developing ECRs into mature scientists by helping them build a strong foundation, while also critically assessing problems in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary context. We hope these concepts can be useful in fostering the development of the next generation of plastics pollution researchers so they can address this global challenge more effectively.ISSN:2662-496