Whose glory

John 12:36b-43

An analysis of PGCE models: Key stakeholder perceptions from the secondary phase

The aim of this research was to explore the two most popular PGCE models now in operation, for which there is little research to-date, from the perspectives of key stakeholders from the secondary phase in two higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. Research was undertaken in an HEI offering both the level 6 Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and the level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE),and in an HEI offering only the level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Findings highlight the perceived advantages and disadvantages inherent in each model, which could be used by providers to reflect on their chosen model and further improve student satisfaction, the student experience and retention. Overall, findings suggest that the level 7 only PGCE model is essentially a one-size-fits-all model, which may not be appropriate for everyone, and a differentiated approach via offering the PGCE at both level 6 and 7 is suggested as the most effective model to support and extend trainees’ development. Findings also show some associated implications for HE initial teacher education (ITE) tutors in areas such as workload, which could be used by HE senior managers to reflect on different PGCE models

An Ethnographic Study of the Friendship Patterns of International Students in England: an Attempt to Recreate Home through Conational Interaction

This paper reports findings from an ethnographic study into the adjustment experience of a group of postgraduate international students at a university in the South of England. Friendship emerged as a major theme in this study; of particular importance to students was the desire and need to mix with conational friends. This desire was driven by the urge to obtain the comfort offered by shared language, shared heritage and access to instrumental support. It was also informed by fear of discrimination and compounded by an absence of host contact which was a source of deep disillusionment for students. The negative impact of segregated friendship groups on the improvement of linguistic and cultural knowledge was understood, but only a handful of students broke away from the confines of the monoethnic ghetto

A Failure of Communication on the Cross-Cultural Campus

This paper reports findings from an ethnographic study into the adjustment experience of a group of postgraduate international students at a university in the South of England. Friendship emerged as a major theme in this study; of particular importance to students was the desire and failure to achieve contact with host nationals. An absence of host contact was a source of deep disillusionment for students who understood the positive impact of host friends on linguistic and cultural knowledge. A lack of host contact was attributed by students to indifference on the part of the host community, and in the extreme to racial and Islamophobic prejudice. Such suspicion was provoked by students’ encounter with verbal and physical abuse, which also served to entrench the move to form monoethnic friendship groups. Research into the host perspective of international education is called for in order to inform the internationalisation strategies adopted by HEI

Where Do We Go From Here?

(excerpt) Truth is, though, we need wise and discerning counsel in order learn how to be liturgists for our assemblies. Liturgists, whether worship leaders or planners, presiding or assisting, spoken or musical, all need a coherent sense of their assembly’s worship. I hope to demonstrate that such coherence emerges from both a broad interaction with the wider church, ecumenical partners and others, as well as a deep look into our own particular assembly’s cultural context. Deepening the specific and broadening our reach are challenging in and of themselves; keeping them in balance is always an ongoing project

An Introduction to Narrative Therapy

Counseling in a narrative way is a way of seeing, hearing, and thinking about clients’ problems as shaped and given meaning by stories or narratives. Problems are not hard realities that permanently define people; rather, they are problem stories by which people know themselves and are known by. This separating of the problem from the person opens up space for seeing the problem and thinking about it in new ways, and opens up the possibility of authoring a better story—a better way of being and doing, and is based on what has become a narrative mantra: “The problem is the problem. The person is not the problem” (Winslade & Monk, 1999, p. 2

The Transformative Power of the International Sojourn: an Ethnographic Study of the International Student Experience

The findings from an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students’ adjustment journey through life in England illustrates the transformative potential of the international student sojourn. It is shown that removal from the familiar home environment gave students freedom from cultural and familial expectations and the opportunity for self-discovery, whilst exposure to a new culture offered them the chance to improve their cross-cultural communication skills. The durability of change was questioned by students who were apprehensive about re-entry to the origin culture and the receptivity of those left behind to the changes they had made. By pointing to the possible similarities between the experiences of international students and long-stay tourists, this paper calls for research into the outcome of long-stay tourism, in order to measure the extent of change in tourists’ self-concept and cross-cultural awareness

The Politics of Voter Fraud

The purpose of this report is to disentangle the myth from the reality and to separate the politics of voter fraud from legitimate administrative concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. To make the argument, we present a usable definition of voter fraud, discuss the problem of evidence, and explain how and why the dynamics of electoral competition drive the use of baseless fraud claims in American politics. We present several contemporary examples to illustrate how poor election administration and voter mistakes are misleadingly labeled "fraud." Recent allegations against voter registration campaigns highlight the need for an analysis sensitive to the partisanship and race and class issues just beneath the surface of most voter fraud claims. The last section of the report makes policy recommendations for improving public understanding and removing the canard of voter fraud from the election reform debate. The appendix discusses what to look for in evaluating voter fraud allegations