Breaking out from the straitjacket: an appreciation of the art of teaching in a business classroom within a scientifically-based teaching environment

Teachers might develop a wonderful feeling that many young people have understood a lesson and have not just enjoyed the experience but done so in a way that has created some 'thing' special for all of those involved ('thing' is highlighted in this instance as it is a tangible event taking place and not any attempt to represent it). Some teachers describe this as a buzz; in other words, like nature itself, as something education. The paper argues that scientific enframing not only puts a straitjacket on teachers within the UK, it also makes it difficult for them to develop and appreciate the 'art of teaching'. unquestionably unique that justifies their commitment to their teaching and their students. No matter how much we know about botany and genes, every flower is unique and blooms because it blooms. As Angelus Silesius indicates within his poetry "The rose is without why; it blooms because it blooms, It pays no attention to itself, ask not whether it is seen." (Heidegger,1991) The United Kingdom education system has existed under the hammer of transformation, with a National Curriculum (1988), a rigorous inspection regime (Woodward, 2001) and countless changes in curriculum and associated assessments (QCA, 2004), as well as a substantive apparatus that makes many assumptions about how teachers should operate within the classroom. The primary concern of this paper is to question how the 'scientific framing' of teaching through competences and other measures of accountability has influenced the work of teachers within the context of business

Uncovering the truth behind Vygotsky's cognitive apprenticeship: engaging reflective practitioners in the 'master-apprentice' relationship

In recent years theories of situated cognition sharing the idea that learning and doing are inseparable as part of a process of enculturation, largely based upon the work of Vygotsky in developing a model of ‘cognitive apprenticeship’, have received much attention in education (Vygotsky, 1978) as an insightful model underpinning forms of learning and teaching. The master-apprentice relationship using techniques of apprenticeship such as modelling, scaffolding and reflection has since been used as a base for considerable research helping researchers and practitioners to understand teacher-student action across a range of different teaching situations (Collins et al., 1989; Hennessy, 1993; Jarvela, 1995; Rojewski et al., 1994). The focus of much of this research has explored the efficacy of the model when set against the question of how to improve forms of learning and teaching in particular settings

Cattle corner

Cosy Calves Oats for early grazing Calf marketin

Some factors affecting the composition of milk

FOR many years it has been known all over the world that the composition of milk varies. This variation in quality is considered as a serious problem wherever the dairy industry is established

A simple feeding guide : balanced rations for dairy cows

MANY technical articles have been written on the nutrition of dairy cattle and the methods employed in compounding a balanced ration have often been explained. This article aims to present the principles of compounding a balanced ration in a simplified form, and suggests rations which should be easily adopted on any dairy farm

Antibiotics and sterilisers in the dairy industry

A S a consequence of the rapid advances made in all aspects of technology there are an ever increasing number of preparations becoming available to the dairy farmer, to assist both in the control of disease in his crops, pastures and animals and to maintain and enhance the quality of his dairy products. These are—antibiotics, sterilisers, detergents, various weedicides and pesticide