181 research outputs found
Making the case for A-level biology residential fieldwork: what has nature got to do with it?
This article provides an up-to-date list of reasons for teachers to create a case for residential
fieldwork. The list was developed as part of a project examining âlearning journeysâ of inner-urban
school visits to residential field centres in England. Uniquely, it draws from the perspectives of students
and teachers in light of the changes to A-level biology assessment. As resourcing constraints following
the COVID-19 pandemic threaten fieldwork, this evidence-based case shows that residential visits
are more valuable than ever. It is argued that, amidst the post-pandemic âcatch upâ discourse and by
putting ânatureâ at the centre, field visits can work even harder for the benefit of urban students
âWhat countsâ as climate change education? Perspectives from policy influencers
Recent civil action has called for âmore!â climate change education but âmoreâ of what
and why isnât there already âmoreâ in our schools today? Climate change education is guided by
policies that are formed, and influenced, by a range of people working across multiple organisations.
âPolicy influencersâ are therefore important as their views, and the views of their organisations, shape
education. This article discusses views of policy influencers in England on what climate change
education is or should be. Considering these perspectives alongside current policy and the research
literature enables policy shortfalls to be identified and alternative approaches to climate change
education to be explored
Environmental Education-Related Policy Enactment in Japanese High Schools
Over the past decade, Japanâs rich tradition of environmental education-related policy has shifted to encompass international discourse concerning global competition and education for sustainable development. In view of this shift, this article explores environmental education-related policy enactment from the perspective of high school teachers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 experienced teachers and were analysed using the environmental education-related conceptual lenses of Lucas (1972) and Stevenson (1987, 2007). The findings suggest that the current policy enactment in Japanese high schools features a narrow interpretation of environmental education that emphasises knowledge acquisition and overlooks the development of practical skills, attitudes or democratic citizenship. This case study highlights the necessity that, for a progressive environmental education to become established, policymakers must find a way to balance local knowledge with the demands of international organizations, paying particular attention to curriculum ideology, policy competition and the teachersâ voice in policy creation
âStanding backâ or âstepping upâ? Exploring climate change education policy influence in England
This paper explores the nature of climate change education-related policy influence in England at a time when public consciousness about the need to accelerate climate change action was heightened, and as the 2018 climate strikes gathered momentum around the world. Informed by Foucault's concept of âgovernmentalitiesâ, and using data generated through 24 exploratory interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, we examine the extent to which influential individuals were advocating for policy change. We discuss the nature of policy influence with particular reference to the âstancesâ that individuals adopted relative to climate change education policy influence and noting a common tendency exhibited amongst participants which was a tendency towards âdeferenceâ. Coupling our insights with theorisations of dissent, we consider how âinfra-political dissentâ could support key individuals to âstep upâ and influence for more effective policy relative to climate change education, and to other areas of education or environment policy
Conceptualising HE educatorsâ capabilities to teach the crisis: towards critical and transformative environmental pedagogies
This article aims to help conceptualise the capabilities that educators in higher education (HE) have to incorporate concerns about environmental breakdown in their day-to-day teaching. A common view amongst those in the academic literature is that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are failing to rise to the challenge presented by the unfolding environmental crisis. While agreeing that those in HE must do more, this article critically examines the assumption that such action can be easily enacted by HE educators. Our analysis employs the capabilities approach (CA) to illuminate the challenges surrounding HE educatorsâ agency to teach the crisis in their day-to-day practice, and to consider what would be needed to provide them with genuine opportunities to do so. We argue that access to the growing number of teaching resources about the environmental crisis is a necessary but insufficient condition for supporting HE educatorsâ capabilities to teach the crisis. For a fuller understanding of what is required to support the agency of HE educators, attention must be paid to the diverse combination of factors that shape HE educatorsâ opportunities to develop and enact critical and transformative environmental pedagogies in their disciplinary and institutional contexts. Drawing on the extant academic literature and with reference to a fictionalised case study we examine how HE educatorsâ agency is mediated by a range of personal, material and social factors. Our analysis focuses especially on the role played by social factors, including the influence of: dominant epistemological, methodological and disciplinary norms; prevailing institutional policies and practices, and; administrative and management cultures within and across HE. After discussing the importance that deliberation has in supporting educatorsâ agency and the development of novel forms of critical and transformative environmental pedagogy, we conclude by suggesting that in many cases enacting such pedagogies will involve confronting dominant forms of power, culture, policy and practice, within the academy and beyond
Doctoral research as team enterprise: the continuing legacy of Professor Rosalind Driver
Doctoral research can be a daunting prospect. Would-be scholars might be deterred from embarking
on a PhD by financial stress, tales of isolation and difficult relationships with supervisors, or by the
intimidating prospect of the required intellectual effort. In this article, we, the authors, offer a more
positive take on the PhD process by reflecting on our own experiences. In recent years, we have all
undertaken doctoral studies at Kingâs College Londonâs (KCL) Centre for Research in Education in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CRESTEM), thanks to scholarships from the
Rosalind Driver Memorial Fund. In doing so, we have continued to build on the legacy of Rosalind
Driver, or Ros, as she was more commonly known, pursuing our own research interests and forging
new pathways of enquiry, all while immersed in a collaborative research community at KCL. In this
article, which we write at the time of the 25th anniversary of Ros Driverâs death, we reflect on some
of the links between her work and our own research and demonstrate how her legacy continues to
influence science education research and practice today. We hope to encourage others involved in
science education to consider how they might bring their expertise to this diverse research field
Management of aromatase inhibitor induced musculoskeletal symptoms in postmenopausal early breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Aromatase Inhibitors (AI) are widely used for the adjuvant treatment of hormone receptor positive breast cancers in the post-menopausal population. AI are often associated with significant joint and muscular symptoms; symptoms that are commonly referred to as aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS). AIMSS adversely impacts health-related quality of life of many patients, and reduces AI compliance. Although there are informal practice recommendations, the limited current level of evidence for management of AIMSS for breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors has made development of formal guidelines challenging, and remains an unmet need. This is the first systematic review to consider the evidence for all pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of AIMSS, including physical therapy, acupuncture and complementary therapies
Using the Power of Questions to Organize for Progressive Education
Progressive education is widely admired and rarely implemented in schools. In this commentary, a group of educatorsâK-8 teachers and administrators and teacher education students and facultyâdiscuss their shared journey as they come together to study their own practice in schools committed to this model of teaching and learning. While acknowledging the reality that progressive education is most often found in in areas of economic privilege, they nonetheless challenge teachers to engage in âthoughtful participation, description, and dialogue,â in some fashion, as a means of counteracting the demands of the current reform climate
Optimisation and validation of an integrated magnetic resonance imaging-only radiotherapy planning solution
Background and purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-only treatment planning is gaining in popularity in radiation oncology, with various methods available to generate a synthetic computed tomography (sCT) for this purpose. The aim of this study was to validate a sCT generation software for MRI-only radiotherapy planning of male and female pelvic cancers. The secondary aim of this study was to improve dose agreement by applying a derived relative electron and mass density (RED) curve to the sCT. Method and materials: Computed tomography (CT) and MRI scans of forty patients with pelvic neoplasms were used in the study. Treatment plans were copied from the CT scan to the sCT scan for dose comparison. Dose difference at reference point, 3D gamma comparison and dose volume histogram analysis was used to validate the dose impact of the sCT. The RED values were optimised to improve dose agreement by using a linear plot. Results: The average percentage dose difference at isocentre was 1.2% and the mean 3D gamma comparison with a criteria of 1%/1 mm was 84.0% ± 9.7%. The results indicate an inherent systematic difference in the dosimetry of the sCT plans, deriving from the tissue densities. With the adapted REDmod table, the average percentage dose difference was reduced to â0.1% and the mean 3D gamma analysis improved to 92.9% ± 5.7% at 1%/1 mm. Conclusions: CT generation software is a viable solution for MRI-only radiotherapy planning. The option makes it relatively easy for departments to implement a MRI-only planning workflow for cancers of male and female pelvic anatomy.</p
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