Seeking conditions of possibility: conceptualizing the space for democratic discursive practices in adult education programme processes

I draw on an ethnographic based research study of gendered communication practices related to land ownership and adult education programme practice, in one village in Uttaranchal (India), in order to (re)conceptualize the space for democratic discursive practices in adult education programme processes. Through ethnographic accounts I explore the (im)possible experience of hearing the Other as a need for self-deconstruction in adult education programme processes. This I claim may open spaces for hearing and acknowledging the voices and silences of gendered adult education subjects speaking for themselves within adult education programme processes. I construct the ‘ideal’ adult education programme as an ‘empty signifier’ (Laclau 1989) in order to create spaces for officially recognising conflict and strategically creating consensus within adult education programme processes. The concept of the empty signifier enables me to move beyond discursive practices framing adult education processes as ‘bottom-up’ learner centred adult education programmes. I argue that such conceptualisations of adult education programmes create closure and silence around the discursive practices which reveal that any democratic process for adult education programmes does not transcend hegemonic discursive practices. I claim that it is only through the recognition of hegemony, within democratic adult education programme processes, that hegemonic relations can be transformed

Moving beyond access: widening participation in post compulsory teacher education through the integration of LAMS

The School of Education at Greenwich University offers a range of courses in primary, secondary, higher and community teacher education from foundation degrees to doctorate programmes. The postgraduate certificate in teaching in the post compulsory sector registers approximately 2,000 students on its part-time, flexible, full time and subject specialist additional diploma courses every year. In addition, 28 Further Education colleges in London work in partnership with Greenwich University to provide these teacher education courses. Over fifty per cent of course participants at Greenwich University belong to Black and Ethnic Minority groups. This paper explores integrating LAMS (Learning Activity Management System) for developing flexible learner centred teaching/learning strategies for the delivery of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher education programmes. Currently the Additional Diploma (ESOL) subject specialist programme has paper based study guides to support course participants. Feedback from course participants has indicated that the study guides are limited in providing interactive activities, are text heavy, undifferentiated and do not lend themselves to collaborative work outside the class context. Developing differentiated multimodal activities through LAMS may enable people to engage with course content through a variety of learning preferences and work collaboratively outside the class. By drawing on a pilot project and the work of Burns & Walker (2009) this paper will explore the use of LAMS: 1. To design multimodal and multicultural Additional Diploma (ESOL) resources for supporting active and reflective teaching/ learning practice. 2. As an e-learning tool that encourages reflective thinking and supports differentiated, self paced, inclusive and collaborative ESOL teaching/ learning practice

Transforming epistemological invisibility: (re)claiming intercultural learning within an ESOL teacher education programme

This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher ‘trainees’, on officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within an ESOL teacher education programme. Drawing on the work of Street and Lea (1999;2000) and Dahlstrom (2006) this paper seeks to address the following questions: • What type of issues related to voice, visibility and agency are involved in officially validated conceptualisations of ESOL teaching competency and professional identity? • How is the learning trajectory of first generation migrant ESOL teacher trainees impacted on by issues of power and representation? • How do they critique ESOL teaching/learning practice in terms of second language acquisition theory, teaching methodology and reflective practice? Through ethnographic vignettes I (re)present the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ as forms of (un)validated knowledge. I examine how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities. I consider how a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning (see Collard and Wang 2005) may encourage a more active engagement with the (un)validated knowledge and socio-cultural realities of minority groups of ESOL teacher ‘trainees’. Based on a twelve month ethnographic style study on a pre-service ESOL teacher education programme, this paper strives to provide insights into ‘other’ realities which form a part of the subjective processes through which diverse polyvocal situated gendered first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ understand, use and create knowledge to write themselves into multilayered representations. Through the use of data collection methods such as: participation observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions my presentation provides an account of historical practices not possessing a ‘knowing’ of ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ but rather miming the route of how I could not ‘know’ without their voice (Spivak 1999)

Multimodal meaning-making: a critical engagement with the use of LAMS for teaching

Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) is a free web based learning design resource for managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. LAMS is currently being used to teach in 80 countries and has been translated into 28 languages. This workshop will aim to introduce, discuss and evaluate whether the learning design system LAMS can: 1) Support the contextualised development and integration of ILT 2) Support active and reflective online learning practice 3) Encourage reflective thinking and support differentiated, self paced and collaborative online teaching/ learning practice. This workshop will consist of the following stages: 1) Elicit from workshop participants their perspectives and experience of applying a contextualised approach to developing ILT in their teaching/learning practice. 2) A brief presentation to introduce LAMS and the trial of this learning design resource on an Additional Diploma (ESOL) course. 3) Through an interactive activity workshop participants will be asked to reflect critically on LAMS as a learning design resource for their respective subject areas. 4) Group discussion and feedback will be facilitated in order to consider possibilities, opportunities and constraints in the use of LAMS for developing learner-centred online collaborative learning. 5) The session will end with sharing resources for further independent exploration about LAMS

Modified gravity as a common cause for cosmic acceleration and flat galaxy rotation curves

Flat galaxy rotation curves and the accelerating Universe both imply the existence of a critical acceleration, which is of the same order of magnitude in both the cases, in spite of the galactic and cosmic length scales being vastly different. Yet, it is customary to explain galactic acceleration by invoking gravitationally bound dark matter, and cosmic acceleration by invoking a `repulsive` dark energy. Instead, might it not be the case that the flatness of rotation curves and the acceleration of the Universe have a common cause? In this essay we propose a modified theory of gravity. By applying the theory on galactic scales we demonstrate flat rotation curves without dark matter, and by applying it on cosmological scales we demonstrate cosmic acceleration without dark energy.Comment: 7 pages, 1 fgure. Honorable Mention in Gravity Research Foundation Essay Contest 2012. v2: Two minor typos correcte

Approximate Linear Time ML Decoding on Tail-Biting Trellises in Two Rounds

A linear time approximate maximum likelihood decoding algorithm on tail-biting trellises is prsented, that requires exactly two rounds on the trellis. This is an adaptation of an algorithm proposed earlier with the advantage that it reduces the time complexity from O(mlogm) to O(m) where m is the number of nodes in the tail-biting trellis. A necessary condition for the output of the algorithm to differ from the output of the ideal ML decoder is reduced and simulation results on an AWGN channel using tail-biting rrellises for two rate 1/2 convoluational codes with memory 4 and 6 respectively are reporte

Approximate MAP Decoding on Tail-Biting Trellises

We propose two approximate algorithms for MAP decoding on tail-biting trellises. The algorithms work on a subset of nodes of the tail-biting trellis, judiciously selected. We report the results of simulations on an AWGN channel using the approximate algorithms on tail-biting trellises for the $(24,12)$ Extended Golay Code and a rate 1/2 convolutional code with memory 6.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, ISIT 200