The development, implementation and evaluation of an academic research scaffold to support trainee teachers in classroom based research.

This paper presents findings of the second phase of an impact study originating from the authorsʼ need to improve the ability of Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) design and technology teacher trainees to research at postgraduate level. The work emanates from observations that many talented trainee teachers who are excellent classroom practitioners frequently struggle to disseminate research work based on traditional academic formats. The methodological approach adopted throughout the study is grounded theory. This has been selected as it enables the simultaneous gathering of data which, following analysis, allows the findings to inform subsequent phases of research. In the second phase of this work, twelve trainee teachers engaged with the study and the work conducted here set out to explore their perceptions, perspectives and experiences in relation to their adoption and implementation of the ʻscaffoldʼ as a tool to improve their ability to work successfully at post graduate levels of study. Data gathered was designed to elicit further information in relation to their perceptions of the suitability of the scaffold and in the evaluation of its use. The focus for the semi-structured interviews focused on two primary lines of questioning: Did the trainees find the alternative methodological approach ʻhelpfulʼ and if so how? Could they (trainees) identify any areas for improvement? Preliminary findings indicate that through engagement with the research scaffold attainment of trainees is raised. Findings strongly suggest that the scaffold is a useful tool in supporting trainees to structure their Level 7 (L7) work and of the trainee teachers utilising the scaffold in this phase of the study each achieved L7 in the production of their research work. Drawing on this, the paper also discusses issues about the validity and value of the ʻpractitioner basedʼ educational research which could well be of significance to the wider educational community

The Legacy of MTL

The aim of the roundtable is to provide a forum that will facilitate and encourage discussion between colleagues from a range of backgrounds to engage in lively debate around the session’s title and focus question; Is teaching still going to become a Masters level profession

Reducing the practice gap between the design and technology curriculum and the needs of the textile design/manufacturing industry.

This paper discusses the potential practice gap between design and technology needs for a progressive creative society and the perceptions of teachers who work within it. The study, based on work carried out in North West England, compares the viewpoints of two sources; textile technology industrialists who are expert in the fields of high performance textiles, medical textiles, geo-textiles and apparel manufacturing, design and technology teachers who have responsibility for the delivery and content of textile technology within schools and sixth form colleges. Previous work in this ongoing study has examined the changing nature of textile technology in modern industrial societies and the perceptions practising teachers have about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) applications within the textile technology field, and how these relate to their own ʻtheories-in-useʼ about design and technology teaching and learning. Constructivist grounded theory has been chosen for the research as a whole because its concurrent data gathering and analysis approach allows outcomes from each phase of the study to define the purpose and direction of subsequent research. Thus, this research has been informed by findings from previous work on the role of textile technology and its relationship to modern industrial and design practices (see Hughes et al. 2010; Hughes et al. 2011). This paper describes the purpose of the work and its relationship to design and technology factors such as the needs of modern industry and STEM issues. Details of the constructivist grounded theory approach are briefly discussed and outcomes considered in terms of data gathering methods. Data from the two groups of respondents i.e. industrialists and textile technology teachers are compared to identify the practice gap that may exist between the needs of a progressive, creative textile technology industrial sector and aspects of the technological curriculum which are delivered at the school level. Findings indicate that there is a shift away from textiles teaching based on technologically oriented applications to one predominantly based on art and design. However, it is argued that STEM aspects should underpin design aspects of the textile curriculum to make it applicable to the needs of an advanced and sustainable textile industrial base

Underpinning The STEM Agenda Through Technological Textiles? An exploration of design technology teachers’ attitudes.

This paper discusses ongoing research into the role of design and technology education in emerging post industrial economies. Previous work (Hughes et al., 2010) focused on the changing characteristics of textiles technology in modern times and discussed how this could inform a design and technology curriculum related to the needs of a modern textile technology workforce. This current paper reports on the second stage of the grounded theory programme in which theoretically sampled data from the first phase provides the direction and purpose for the work presented here. Within this context, this research explores practising teachers’ perceptions of textile technology associated with the emergent STEM agenda. Data gathered supports the view that technological aspects of design and technology closely linked to the STEM agenda are needed to provide a firm foundation for the design aspects of the subject. Without a STEM focus, the subject may lose its hard won importance in the UK schools and colleges’ curriculum. This is especially the case in an economic climate in which curriculum design stakeholders may be forced to review the content of the national curriculum across all key stages as a whole

Sustaining the Essence of Design and Technology: The Case for Textile Technology

This paper, which reports on preliminary findings from an ongoing study into the significance of design and technology in post-industrial communities, examines the change nature of textile technology and how this may impact on its role within the UK schools' curriculum

Double-impulse magnetic focusing of launched cold atoms.

We have theoretically investigated three-dimensional focusing of a launched cloud of cold atoms using a pair of magnetic lens pulses (the alternate-gradient method). Individual lenses focus radially and defocus axially or vice versa. The performance of the two possible pulse sequences are compared and found to be ideal for loading both 'pancake' and 'sausage' shaped magnetic/optical microtraps. It is shown that focusing aberrations are considerably smaller for double-impulse magnetic lenses compared to single-impulse magnetic lenses. An analysis of clouds focused by the double-impulse technique is presented

Rapid thinning of the Welsh Ice Cap at 20–19 ka based on 10Be ages

New 10Be ages from the summits of three mountain areas of North Wales reveal a very similar exposure timing as the Welsh Ice Cap thinned after the global Last Glacial Maximum. Eight bedrock and one boulder sample gave a combined arithmetic mean exposure age of 19.08 ± 0.80 ka (4.2%, 1σ). Similar exposure ages over a 320 m vertical range (824 to 581 m altitude) show that ice cap thinning was very rapid and spatially uniform. Using the same production rate and scaling scheme, we recalculated six published 10Be exposure ages from the nearby Arans, which also covered a similar elevation range from 608 to 901 m and obtained an arithmetic mean of 19.41 ± 1.45 ka (7.5%, 1σ). The average exposure age of all 15 accepted deglaciation ages is 19.21 ± 1.07 (5.6%, 1σ). The complete dataset from North Wales provides very strong evidence indicating that these summits became exposed as nunataks at 20–19 ka. This result provides important insight to the magnitude of ice surface lowering and behavior of the Welsh Ice Cap during the last deglaciation that can be compared to other ice masses that made up the British-Irish Ice Sheet.</jats:p