Picturing Teacher Agency: Developing Upstanding Heuristics in a Middle Grades Social Studies Methods Course

This paper presents a multi-case study of teacher candidates in a pre-service middle grades social studies methods course. The research aimed to understand how the middle grades teacher candidates viewed their future as upstanders with agency in middle grades settings. The focus of the research was on heuristic representations that the teacher candidates created to illustrate how they understood their role in supporting the democratic aims of middle grades social studies. Qualitative data was collected and analyzed through chordal triad of agency theory (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998). The findings indicate that preservice teachers best understand their future as change agents through their role of curriculum and instruction and their impact on students, additionally their conceptualizations of their intended agency were influenced by their past and present experiences as well as their projected goals for the future. This research also suggests that heuristics may be a powerful tool in the preparation of teacher candidates, helping them to think through their role in supporting the democratic aims of social studies, middle grades education and social justice education. Important constraints about teacher candidates’ perceptions (or lack thereof) of oppressive structures within middle schools settings are considered

An Emerging Critical Lens: Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Developing Evaluation of Social Studies Resources on Online Sites of Curriculum Sharing

This article shares findings from a qualitative inquiry that explores preservice teachers’ evaluation of social studies curriculum resources found on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. Both at the beginning and the end of their elementary social studies methods course at a large university in the southeastern United States, the teacher candidates were asked to identify good and bad examples of social studies resources and justify their choices. Their choices and the justification they provided were analyzed using qualitative coding. Findings indicate that while teacher candidates’ choices and justifications were sometimes further developed by the end of their social studies methods course, their critical evaluation of shared online curriculum resources was incomplete or limited to near-exact examples from the class. The author poses a number of on-going considerations regarding teacher candidate equity literacy skills as they relate to evaluation and usage of online curriculum sharing sites

Inquiries that matter: How social studies teachers employ historical inquiry practices to support social justice civic goals

Paper One: Employing disciplinary inquiry practices to support social justice-oriented civic goals: The opportunities and constraints afforded in exemplary elementary teaching Abstract: This paper reports findings of one case of a larger multi-case study. The paper highlights the opportunities and constraints present in the activity system of one exemplary elementary teacher who uses historical inquiry practices to support the social justice-oriented civic goals she holds for her students. Her work offers insight into promising connections between disciplinary inquiry practices and social justice education particular to elementary teaching and but it also reveals important constraints to consider that are prevalent enough to limit even an exemplary elementary social studies teacher’s social justice practice. Paper Two: Economics education through a historian’s task and not the master’s tools Abstract: This paper highlights the opportunities and constraints present in the activity system of a 7th grade social studies teacher with social justice oriented civic goals who uses historical inquiry practices to support a critical inquiry of economic systems. His work offers insight into promising opportunities into the uses of historical inquiry practices in interdisciplinary economics units with social justice intent. It also illustrates the critical importance of organizing frameworks for justice in both teaching and learning. Paper Three: The case of the high school history teacher who wanted to include Ferguson in classroom inquiry but chose not to. Abstract: This paper reports the case of Thelma, a veteran high school history teacher, who charges herself and her curriculum with helping students navigate contemporary race-related events through historical inquiry. In the end, however, Thelma chooses to not fully engage in these goals. This paper highlights the constraints she experienced and the choices she made within her teaching context. This paper speaks towards calls in the field to more fully understand teacher practices related to inquiry and social justice pedagogy

The graduate entry generation: a qualitative study exploring the factors influencing the career expectations and aspirations of a graduating cohort of graduate entry dental students in one London institution

Background: Dentistry in the UK has a number of new graduate-entry programmes. The aim of the study was to explore the motivation, career expectations and experiences of final year students who chose to pursue a dental career through the graduate entry programme route in one institution; and to explore if, and how, their intended career expectations and aspirations were informed by this choice. Method: In-depth interviews of 14 graduate entry students in their final year of study. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework analysis. Results: There were three categories of factors influencing students' choice to study dentistry through graduate entry: 'push', 'pull' and 'mediating'. Mediating factors related to students' personal concerns and circumstances, whereas push and pull factors related to features of their previous and future careers and wider social factors. Routes to Graduate Entry study comprised: 'early career changers', 'established career changers' and those pursuing 'routes to specialisation'. These routes also influenced the students' practice of dentistry, as students integrated skills in their dental studies, and encountered new challenges. Factors which students believed would influence their future careers included: vocational training; opportunities for specialisation or developing special interests and policy-related issues, together with wider professional and social concerns. The graduate entry programme was considered 'hard work' but a quick route to a professional career which had much to offer. Students' felt more could have been made of their pre-dental studies and/or experience during the programme. Factors perceived as influencing students' future contribution to dentistry included personal and social influences. Overall there was strong support for the values of the NHS and 'giving back' to the system in their future career. Conclusion: Graduate entry students appear to be motivated to enter dentistry by a range of factors which suit their preferences and circumstances. They generally embrace the programme enthusiastically and seek to serve within healthcare, largely in the public sector. These students, who carry wider responsibilities, bring knowledge, skills and experience to dentistry which could be harnessed further during the programme. The findings suggest that graduate entry students, facilitated by varied career options, will contribute to an engaged workforce

Marshall University Music Department Presents the Chamber Choir Invitational Music 2009

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1569/thumbnail.jp

Linking Music, Language, and Literacy: Using Research to Create an Inclusive Music Classroom Accessible to Diverse Learners

https://remix.berklee.edu/able-assembly-conference/1078/thumbnail.jp

Migration motives and integration of international human resources of health in the United Kingdom: systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies using framework analysis

Abstract Objective The aim of this review was to examine the migration motives, the barriers to and facilitators of integration of international dental graduates, compared with nurses and doctors in the United Kingdom. Methods Electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Knowledge and OECD publications were systematically searched for English language publications from January 2000 to January 2017. A total of 31 qualitative studies were selected and quality appraised and meta-synthesis of the qualitative data was carried out using framework synthesis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied to present the findings. Results There were no studies on migration motives and one study on integration experiences of international dentists in the UK. The nursing literature had the highest volume and quality of evidence on nursing workforce, whilst there was limited literature on international doctors in the UK. Migration of health professionals to the UK is determined by personal and professional factors, together with source country-specific and UK drivers. Active recruitment, post graduate training and financial gain act as strong common macro, meso and micro drivers that perpetuate migration into the UK, but the extent to which each of these drivers influence nurses’ and doctors’ migration is different. Integration experiences for international nurses and doctors differed based on their source country experiences and the work environment they entered. Nurses reported a wider knowledge and skills gap, more multi-level discrimination and less career progression compared to the doctors. The migrants’ integration experiences depend on their cultural awareness, discrimination exposure, English language and communication skills, social and professional support networks, social integration and personal attributes. Conclusion Migration of international health professionals is motivated by macro, meso and micro drivers at the international, national, professional and personal levels. The UK has strong common macro pull factors which attract nurses, doctors and dentists and may impact on the effectiveness of policies to restrict their migration. The integration experiences of nurses and doctors differ and further research is required to understand the integration experiences of dentists, in order to retain these professionals by tailoring policies to each of these professions