'Playing the game called writing': children's views and voices

Collects primary pupils' views of themselves as writers and their preferences, attitudes and awareness of the source of their ideas in the context of England's National Literacy Strategy. Underlines the importance of listening to pupils' views about literacy, in order to create a more open dialogue about language and learning, and to negotiate the content of the curriculum in response to their perspectives

Relationship of Field Dependence/Independence to Personality for Younger and Older Adults

The cognitive style of field dependence/independence is a perceptual construct that relates degree of reliance on the visual field to a variety of personality variables. Among the relationships found are that the field independent individuals are less involved with other people, independent in judgment, and cold and distant in interpersonal relationships. In contrast, field dependent subjects are seen as seeking close involvement with others, conforming in judgment, and warm and accepting in interpersonal relationships. Although field dependence/independence has received much attention in the literature over the years, little interest has been shown in the relationship between field dependence/independence and personality for older adults, in spite of the sizeable amount of literature demonstrating a decline in field independence starting at maturity. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between field dependence/independence and certain personality variables for young and old adults. Forty-six young adults (M age = 18.45, SD = 2.07) and 45 old adults (M age = 73.96, SD = 7.81) were administered the Group Embedded Figures Test (Witkin, Oltman, Raskin & Karp, 1971), the Hand Test (Wagner, 1962), and the Quick Test (Ammons & Ammons, 1962). No significant difference was found between the young and old adult groups with respect to intelligence. The age groups did differ significantly with respect to Group Embedded Figures Test scores in that the young adult group (M = 11.93, SD = 4.93) was more field independent than the old adult group (M = 3.64, SD = 4.05; p \u3c .001). Additionally, no significant relationships were found between field dependence/independence and personality for the young adult group. A significant relationship was found in the old adult group between the Hand Test variable of Fear, which indicates concern for personal safety, and field dependence (rho = .36, p \u3c .02). Results are discussed as inconsistent with field dependence/independence theory and previous research. Other explanations of the results are considered and suggestion for future research in the area are made

What is the appeal of poetry written for children for children? A study of children's relationship with poetry

ABSTRACT\ud This thesis explores the appeal that a sample of children's poetry has for a group of thirty children in their final year of primary school in the United Kingdom. It examines this appeal within a socio-historical context that perceives literature written for children as playing an important role within a 'developmental state' (Lee, 2001) - a State where children are seen as sites of investment and as 'human becomings'. The thesis argues that the literature written for children forms part of the discourse that has historically attempted to define, manage and maintain contemporary conceptualisations of childhood. Within this context of adult society's ideological claim over literature written for children - including poetry - the study explores the nature of the appeal the texts generate for a class of ll-year olds.\ud Through the use of a triangulation of case studies, the enquiry investigates how this appeal reflects children's own understanding of their childness (Hollindale, 1997). It will argue that although children's literature continues to be written for a variety of adult purposes, children are able to manage the messages and meanings found within the poetry and create their own pleasures from the texts with which they engage, rejecting those that they individually dislike

New models of leadership in Kent schools: final report

1. Executive Summary The overall aim of this commissioned project, led by Professor Vivienne Griffiths and Dr Andrew Lambirth at Canterbury Christ Church University, is to identify new models of leadership in Kent schools, their characteristics, benefits and challenges to schools. It builds on recent initiatives in Kent schools as set out by the Advisory Service for Kent (2009), responding to an analysis and identification of school leadership needs (ASK 2008). We were particularly asked to look at: - what schools have learnt from introducing new models of leadership - how they prepared for change - their professional needs in the run up to and during the change process - the barriers to change - the enablers. 1.1 Summary of work undertaken The study involved: a) scrutiny of available data on new models of leadership in Kent schools; b) analysis of the literature and consultation material; c) questionnaires to headteachers of federations (N=19); d) interviews with headteachers of federations (N=16). The interim report presented a description and analysis of the questionnaire responses, which dealt in particular with preparation for change and professional needs during this period of development. In this final report, analysis of the interview data is presented, together with analysis of relevant literature on new models of school leadership. 1.2 Key findings - Origins of federations often focus on the need for a link between stronger and less successful schools, as well as community needs. - Clear vision and aims are expressed, particularly by executive heads. - Federation and community school aims are usually linked to community development. - Federations are usually but not always in deprived communities. - Many federation aims included new buildings and/or a joint federation site. - All federations had joint governing bodies or were moving towards this. Benefits of federations: - Greater support for headteachers - Distributed leadership to senior and middle management - Shared curriculum, within or cross-phase - Sharing of good practice, teaching and pastoral approaches - Shared resources - Joint or semi-joint timetabling - Wider offer of subjects, especially at A-level - Joint CPD, including training for teaching assistants and trainee teachers - Improved standards, attendance and behaviour - Range of benefits to the community. Challenges: - Resistance by staff, parents and governors - Heavy workload, especially for executive heads - Need to change school cultures, especially between selective and non-selective schools - Financial pressures; not necessarily savings - Pressures to raise standards - Federations not generally recognised by Ofsted, so separate inspections. 1.3 Recommendations - Case studies and of successful federations and other new leadership models to be collected. - Dissemination of good practice at headteacher conferences and other events. - Training for executive heads, senior and middle management. - Support groups, ‘buddying’ and mentoring for executive heads and headteachers. - Training for governors, parents and other staff. - Improved communication of aims to staff, governors, parents and pupils. - Further research into the development of federations and other new models of leadership

Accelerated degrees in education: a new profile, alternative access to teaching or part of a re-tooling process?

In the UK, the provision of accelerated undergraduate programmes is responding to the needs of an increasingly diverse and career-focused student body and a flexible, ever-changing labour market. These fast track degrees are particularly new in education where recent developments in school autonomy and teacher training have had consequences on the design and delivery of programmes, definition of professional profiles and implications for the future of education as a subject of study in universities. This article portrays a small-scale research study about the views of students undertaking a new two-year accelerated degree in one English university using surveys at the beginning and end of the first academic year. The great majority were not planning to attend the programme but have chosen it for its career options and for being a quicker and cheaper route to access a degree – with teaching as the career goal. After one year, students reported gains in knowledge and skills, recommended the programme and kept their intention to pursue a career in teaching. Overall, we address a gap in the literature and start the discussion about the (dis)association between the students’ career routes and goals, the provision of these programmes and the teacher training offers

Mentor, colleague, co-learner and judge: using Bourdieu to evaluate the motivations of mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers

This study uses Bourdieu’s interconnected notions of fields, habitus and capital as a theoretical template to analyse the responses of eight mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers with regard to the motivations and challenges of their role. This is an original grounded approach to the analysis of the experiences of such mentors. The data reveal that each mentor was a highly committed re-creator of the fields and habitus in which they operated, although this was not consciously done. They were each also committed to helping the NQTs develop professional cultural capital. Although Bourdieu famously referred to education as ‘symbolic violence’ the data from this study give no indication that the recreation of fields through the mentoring of professional practice was viewed as an act of dominion on the part of the mentors. Rather, these mentors saw their role as an empowering aspect of professional agency in which both parties shared in a co-authoring of a (usually) positive and mutually-affirming outcome