Reviewing the use of resilience concepts in forest sciences

Purpose of the review Resilience is a key concept to deal with an uncertain future in forestry. In recent years, it has received increasing attention from both research and practice. However, a common understanding of what resilience means in a forestry context, and how to operationalise it is lacking. Here, we conducted a systematic review of the recent forest science literature on resilience in the forestry context, synthesising how resilience is defined and assessed. Recent findings Based on a detailed review of 255 studies, we analysed how the concepts of engineering resilience, ecological resilience, and social-ecological resilience are used in forest sciences. A clear majority of the studies applied the concept of engineering resilience, quantifying resilience as the recovery time after a disturbance. The two most used indicators for engineering resilience were basal area increment and vegetation cover, whereas ecological resilience studies frequently focus on vegetation cover and tree density. In contrast, important social-ecological resilience indicators used in the literature are socio-economic diversity and stock of natural resources. In the context of global change, we expected an increase in studies adopting the more holistic social-ecological resilience concept, but this was not the observed trend. Summary Our analysis points to the nestedness of these three resilience concepts, suggesting that they are complementary rather than contradictory. It also means that the variety of resilience approaches does not need to be an obstacle for operationalisation of the concept. We provide guidance for choosing the most suitable resilience concept and indicators based on the management, disturbance and application context

Toward a Professional Development Model for Writing as a Digital, Participatory Process

In this formative experiment, the authors focused on developing professional development for upper elementary school teachers and investigating how it was integrated into teachers’ instruction to improve their ability to make writing a more digital, participatory process. Theoretical perspectives pertaining to technology use in education specify that this instruction should emphasize students creating rather than consuming information from media sources and that this creation process should be social. However, recent research of preadolescents has shown that although these students are using technology more in schools, they are often using technology to consume rather than create information. Further, literacy teachers, in particular, have identified barriers to integrating technology effectively into their curriculum. Thus, there is a critical need for professional development that helps teachers more effectively integrate technology into their classrooms. The objective of this study was to develop a professional development model that helps teachers engage students in writing as both a digital process and a social process. The essential elements studied in this model include the following: (a) sustained professional development, including the gradual release of teacher inquiry; (b) writing as a social practice; and (c) the use of digital tools to engage students in writing. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the authors studied the implementation of this professional development model in a summer institute and in teacher classrooms

Disabled children’s evolving digital use practices to support formal learning:A missed opportunity for inclusion

This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach combining digital education with disability theory to investigate disabled children’s digital use practices for formal learning. Evidence suggests that children’s lives have been transformed through engagement with digital technologies, eg, computers, laptops and mobile devices. Even so, empirical studies about disabled children’s uses of technology remain limited, particularly studies that engage with disabled children’s own views in context. In response, an exploratory, participatory research study was designed to gain up-to-date insights into how visually impaired children, as an illustrative case, experienced digital technologies for learning within the context of inclusive education policy. Disabled children and teachers were interviewed in mainstream schools in England; results were analysed using social practice theory to identify digital use practices characterised as digital learning and digital accessibility practices alongside children’s experiences. Outcomes were mixed. Youngsters saw benefits to using digital technologies, particularly tablets, for learning. Nevertheless, digital accessibility practices were potentially stigmatising and carried an extra task load to overcome barriers that occurred when teachers had not developed inclusive digital pedagogy. The paper discusses the implications of these findings and calls for further research to guide schools to use digital technologies to support inclusion