Volume 2, Issue 1, May, 2015
ISSN 2201-1323
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The Intersection between Complexity Dynamics and Faculty Creativity In Higher Education Anthony Olalere, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA (Pages 42 to 56) The work of the faculty has like never before been under scrutiny. Questions are been asked about the quality of productivity and its outcomes. The public is concerned about what results the taxpayers’ money are producing in higher education, the lack of concern for undergraduates, and the irrelevancies of some researches (Johnrud, 2002). Other questions, including the priority given to teaching over research by certain institutions, have become common especially with the rising cost of education. Attention is now paid to the cost and benefit of the investment in higher education. Therefore, the call for more scrutiny and reform has never been louder with the 2006 National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) issued report on the state of higher education in the United States. The report declared that there is a crisis in higher education while demanding a higher level of productivity. This article reports a study into this circumstance. |
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Concept mapping: A tool to analyse the development of a Technology teachers’ professional identity. Deborah Trevallion, The University of Newcastle, Australia (159 to 180) The advancement of a student’s professional identity as a Technology Teacher is essential to grasping Technology education and framing future Technology education research.The aim of this research is to examine the professional identity transition that occurs for students’ over the course of a technology teacher education pre-service program and to determine the factors that contribute to a successful transition. It will examine the student’s initial identity as a trade worker, trace their identity, knowledge, skill, values and attitudes developed during their first course in a Technology Teacher pre service university program.This study uses concept mapping as a way to examine the professional identity change of Technology students moving from a technical/trade worker to a Technology teacher. This study suggests that a student’s tertiary education should be focused on them developing their identity as a professional Technology teacher. The influences on the development of this identity, both positively and negatively, will direct future research in Technology education. |
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Creativity Assessment of Students Pursuing Higher Education Ekta Sharma, Amrut Mody School of Management, Ahmedabad (Pages 146 to 158) Today, Innovation and creativity are the buzz words in the galore of not only business but also of higher education. The need to foster creativity and innovation has long been a priority in the educational and corporate spheres. The current research focuses on assessing the creativity potential of the students pursuing Higher Education. The sample consists of management students. The data is collected through the instrument developed by Prof. Uday Pareek. The variables of creativity assessment are: Challenging, liveliness, openness, freedom, conflict and risk taking. We hypothesise firstly, that there is no difference in the creativity potential of the female and male students. Secondly, the management students have high creative potential. The current research shows that the management students are just an average on the creativity scale and hence, the pedagogy and curriculum of the B-schools need refurbishing and review, in order to institutionalize the creativity quotient. |
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Professional Placements, Mentoring Practices and Workplace Readiness: What are the Connections? Angelina Ambrosetti, Central Queensland University, Noosa Australia (Pages 25 to 41) Students enrolled in a teaching degree divide their time between learning the theory and practicing the theory. It is strongly argued that the development of authentic workplace skills and knowledge occurs during practical component of a teaching degree. The introduction of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers has benchmarked the development of particular skills and knowledge at a graduate level. Hence, it follows that the practices used by the classroom-based teacher will influence the growth of the pre-service teacher’s workplace readiness. This paper presents a small research project that investigated the practices used by classroom teachers to mentor pre-service teachers during their final placements. The results highlight the connections between the practices employed and the outcomes achieved by the pre-service teachers. |
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Receptive Accountability and Professional Capital: An examination of teachers’ perceptions in an international school Ken Sell , Aoba-Japan International School, Japan (Pages 127 to 134) This paper is concerned with how building professional capital in a school assists a positive change in the teacher’s perceptions of themselves and their work environment as a result of addressing school dysfunctionality over time. It examines teachers’ perceptions related to the growth of the school’s professional capital. This qualitative research examines the responses in two surveys that were completed by a small sample of teachers. By applying development research methodology, supported by the use of qualitative data analysis software, an open coding approach enabled rich descriptions and the identification of distinctive and conceptually interdependent categories, themes and trends. This examination found that the vast majority of teachers perceived there to be growth of professional capital over time. An analysis of data indicates that the focus on building professional capital assisted a positive change in teachers’ perceptions about their professional disposition; their working environment; and the school’s collective capacity. |
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Sustainable Wellbeing, Creativity and Innovation Catherine O’Brien, Cape Breton University, Sean Erin Murray, Cape Breton University, Canada (Pages 117 to 126) Creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship have steadily gained ground in education transformation discussions. Proponents of 21st century learning (C21, 2012; P21, 2011) have recognized the value of developing competencies relevant to these three inter-related areas. The rationale offered for doing so range from enhancing individual wellbeing to securing national prosperity (Kelly, 2012; Kelley & Kelley, 2013; Robinson, 2009, 2011; Wagner, 2012; Zhao, 2012). Additionally, on a global level, the staggering level of youth unemployment poses a pressing challenge for educators to re-evaluate the purpose of education, and ultimately how we should endeavor to meet our global learning needs (Zhao, 2012). Enterprise education is viewed by many as a vital contribution to this repurposing of education (European Union, 2013; Rae, 2010; Zhao, 2012). This paper proposes a vision of education that integrates the most promising recommendations for transforming education, firmly anchored in a vision of wellbeing for all, sustainably (Hopkins, 2013). |
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Raising Student Achievement: Building A Model for Teacher Leadership Jake Madden, Head, Dar Al Marefa Private School, Dubai, UAE (Pages 64 to 77) Research abounds in what makes an effective school but there is limited research on how principals use such research to drive school improvement. This paper draws on the guidance of the school improvement literature and claims that the most pivotal element in raising student outcomes is the classroom teacher (Darling-Hammond & Rothman, 2011; Hattie, 2008). It explores one school’s pathway to improving student learning via focusing on building teacher leadership. In doing so, it offers a guide to Principals and Heads of schools wishing to raise student attainment and improve the learning outcomes of their school community. |
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Does Democracy Really Lead to Sustainable Innovation for Better Life? Peter Baofu, Ph.D. USA. (Pages 57 to 63) Does democracy really lead to sustainable innovation for better life that many in this day and age of democracy would like us to believe? Contrary to the conventional wisdom, democracy is no more conducive to sustainable innovation for better life than innovation is necessarily sustainable in the long run. There are the dark sides of innovation, creativity, and democracy which are yet to be realistically understood |
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Practicing Social Work through Fiction- Writing and Journalism: Stories from Vietnam Huong Nguyen, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina,USA (Pages 100 to 116) In this article, I will address these theoretical and practical questions by reflecting on my experiences as a social work scholar in Vietnam. Vietnamese society is not yet familiar with social work concepts but is quite receptive to literature and mass media, so I have used creative writing (fiction and journalism) to promote social work values and missions in Vietnam. Specifically, I will discuss how I stumbled into social work, intuitively realized that creative writing is a powerful means to promote social change and social justice in Vietnam; and proactively use creative writing as a forum to practice social work. Placed in a larger context, my story reflects the journeys of many social work scholars and practitioners in Vietnam: they have been “practicing” social work in many ways that are not typical; in fact, only a small part of what they do resembles professional social work practice in Western countries. In telling my story, I will also address some conceptual issues in 21st-century social work including the role of arts, literature, and media in social work, the necessity of social workers to proactively utilize the power of discursive forms in promoting social work values, and developing culturally responsive social work practices in a time of globalization. |
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Co-creative learning: A comparative analysis of two integrative and collaborative methods of teaching/learning social work Ksenija Napan, Massey University, Albany Campus in Auckland. (Pages 78 to 99) This article focuses on two methods of teaching and learning social work that have a principle of co-creating knowledge in common and are aimed at two very different cohorts of students; the beginners and the advanced. The Contact-Challenge method (CCHM) engages social work clients in the role of experts in helping beginning social workers become better practitioners while Academic Co-Creative Inquiry (ACCI) caters for more advanced students to engage them in the process of course creation and development, promoting inquiry learning and self and peer reflection. |
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Promoting Service-Learning as a Pedagogy for Social Work: Education: Lessons from the Philippines Melba Laguna-Manapol, Social Work Department of the Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City, Philippines. (Pages 7 to 24) This article discusses service-learning as a teaching-learning pedagogy and innovation in Social Work education. As a teaching-learning pedagogy, it is considered an innovation as it challenges institutions of higher education to go beyond its usual ways and avenues for advancing knowledge. Institutions of higher learning, particularly its faculty, students and its partners outside of the community collaborate and develop innovative ideas to optimize learning and the benefits of partnership. |