Critical Constructivism and Language Teaching: New Wine in New Bottles

The traditional craft of the teacher can be rescued and strengthened by understanding the connection between the content area of the curriculum and how it will be understood by the student. Understanding this connection involves recognizing the cultural pattern of thought (the episteme) that underlies the organization of knowledge in the curriculum unit as well as the phenomenological world of the student. The latter is essential for grasping what the student is likely to understand and how that understanding will be integrated into the student's pattern of thinking. (C.A. Bowers (1984: 78) Constructivism is very much in vogue at the present time. Indeed, constructivism has taken on the force of a slogan in many educational circles – a slogan that, like “student-centered curriculum,” “reflective practice,” and “learning by doing,” has become so commonplace as to inhibit rather than promote clear thinking about teaching and learning. Its popularity has also resulted in something of an intellectual backlash, demonstrated perhaps most clearly in Michael Devitt's assertion that it is “the most dangerous contemporary intellectual tendency” as well as in efforts to link constructivism with other postmodern challenges to science and rationality. (J Language Teaching: 2003 37(1): 120-141

Keeping the Peace: Playback Theatre with Adolescents

The purpose of this research was to understand the experience of a Playback Theatre (Playback) program for adolescents addressing themes of bullying perpetration and victimization. The guiding question for the study was: What was the phenomenological experience for homeless youth participating in Keep the Peace Leadership Program, a Playback program at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY? The sample consisted of 11 youth residing at the Coachman Family Center in White Plains, NY, 11 Manhattanville students, and four adults from Big Apple Playback Theatre in NY. Participants completed the forms of bullying scale (FBS) so the researcher could measure bullying climates of participants’ lives and determine potential directions for stories about bullying. The researcher functioned as a participant observer, using multiple methods to record and collect data. After the final session, interviews were conducted with six youth and four Manhattanville students. Using a simplified version of Maustakas’s (1994) method by Creswell (2013), inductive qualitative data analysis revealed 10 themes about bullying perpetration and victimization, which were in direct correlation to the FBS: teasing, secrets, friendships, fear, injury/harm, name-calling, intimidation, damage, being left out, and lies and rumors. The investigator’s interpretations of the data were transformed and dramatized into the ethnodrama “Phoenix Rising.” Although it was not clear if KPLP made students better equipped to deal with bullying situations or if the FBS functioned as a predictor of stories, the sharing and witnessing of others’ memories using Playback deepened the connections participants had with each other, and empowered youth to honor and contribute to the wellness of the group. Data indicated that participants have the ability and desire to pursue a restoration of peace and harmony using Playback. These findings support previous research and contribute to the field of expressive therapies by expanding opportunities that make social issues relevant to teenagers. This research also suggests Playback is a viable theatre alternative to inspiring social change. More research is needed to gain an understanding of Playback and the impact it has on adolescents

The Hunt for Sealed Settlement Agreements

When a United States senator asked the federal judiciary to look into sealed settlement agreements, the Civil Rules Advisory Committee asked the Federal Judicial Center to undertake a research effort to discover how often settlement agreements are sealed in federal court and under what circumstances. The Center learned that the sealing of settlement agreements in federal court is rare, and typically the only part of the court record kept secret by the sealing of a settlement agreement is the amount of settlement. This article describes how the Center developed its re- search project to address the senator\u27s concerns. The article also discusses what the Center learned

College of Education and Human Development Annual Report 2018-2019

This report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) during the 2018-2019 academic year. The COEHD’s tripartite mission remains at the core of its many efforts and activities. It continues to be Maine’s leader in PK-20 Educator Preparation, and more teachers and school administrators in the state have undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Maine than from any other institution in the State. The COEHD also continues to work closely with the Maine Department of Education and the Education and Cultural Affairs Legislative Subcommittee, as well as with local school districts throughout the state. As a key part of the state’s only research, land-grant and sea-grant university, the COEHD takes both its scholarly and outreach activities extremely seriously. In recent years, the research productivity of the College has increased significantly, and the College has developed a national reputation as a result; the COEHD continues to be ranked among the ‘Best Graduate Schools of Education’ by U.S. News and World Report. Although the COEHD was not able to conduct any national searches for tenure-track faculty members during 2018-2019, it was able to use internal funds to support a number of one-year lecturers, including individuals in educational leadership, human development, instructional technology, kinesiology, physical education, special education, and social studies education