http://hdl.handle.net/2428/5945 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:59:56 GMT 2013-06-18T07:59:56Z http://hdl.handle.net/2428/14472 Title: A Shared Humanity. Using Literature To Develop The Global Dimension For Key Stage Four Pupils (And Above) In Northern Ireland: An Investigation Authors: Hanratty, Brian Abstract: This paper investigates the possibilities in using carefully selected literature to develop various aspects of the global dimension in the school curriculum for Key Stage Four pupils (and above) in Northern Ireland – and, by implication, for pupils at a similar stage in schools in the Republic of Ireland and Britain. The texts chosen for detailed scrutiny, and evaluation of their pedagogical potential, focus on three main themes – conflict resolution, postcolonialism and issues around diversity and interculturalism, and environmental issues; other relevant concerns, however, such as anti-racism, are also acknowledged. Before identifying a range of relevant texts, and providing detailed critical evaluation of a representative selection, the paper offers a quick sketch of some government and curricular initiatives focused on the global dimension, and glances, briefly, at the sometimes contested role which schools themselves can play in the global context. While acknowledging, also, the problematic relationship between cultural pursuits, including the study of literature, and ethical behaviour, emphasis is placed on the key significance of using a dialogical model of education when teaching literature. Although the main focus of the paper is an investigation of texts suitable for Key Stage Four pupils, it is argued, in the conclusion, that a range of appropriate literary texts can also be identified and utilised for younger pupils. Reference is also made, in the concluding section, to complementary research by the present author which reported on the classroom field-testing of some ‘Troubles’ literature similar to that identified in the current paper; in the earlier research, however, the target group was a representative selection of sixth-formers from across Belfast’s ghettoised communities, and the exclusive focus was conflict resolution. Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:08:44 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2428/14472 2007-11-06T14:08:44Z http://hdl.handle.net/2428/9763 Title: What We Talk about When We Talk about Education: the Private and Public Educational Talk of Teachers in Schools Authors: McDermott, Kevin; Richardson, Fiona Abstract: One of the central challenges for a school is the creation of a public discourse which expresses the shared purpose of the school community, without losing the multiple and different voices within the teaching staff. In this article we report on the generative potential of educational conversation, when it is structured around questions which allow teachers to reflect on their best teaching selves in past practice and to project those selves into future situations. We suggest that within the staff, the public relating of teaching narratives, and the reflective conversation to which they give rise, constitutes a public and collective form of enquiry into teaching and learning. We argue that reflective conversation is dependent upon critical listening, where the listener is open to what is being said, but is also prepared to ask questions that open up the topic of teaching and learning in ways that are revelatory for both speaker and listener. Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2428/9763 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2428/9746 Title: The Chilver Report: unity and diversity Authors: McMinn, Richard; Phoenix, Éamon Abstract: This is a study of the abortive attempt by the direct rule Conservative government in the early 1980s to impose unity on the diversity of initial teacher education (ITE) provision in Northern Ireland (NI) through the work of the NI Higher Education Review Group, chaired by Sir Henry Chilver. Harnessing hitherto untapped archives, it shows how government was forced to bow to the divergent views and religious interests of Northern Ireland the society. This realpolitik was to produce a much less radical shake-up of ITE activity while leaving the Catholic sector essentially intact. The paper demonstrates the relevance of historical factors, the risks inherent in the failure to establish representative review bodies and the power and political adroitness of the Catholic Church at a critical juncture. The authors conclude that, in the political and social context of the 1980s, Chilver represented 'a bridge too far'. Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2428/9746 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2428/8363 Title: Teacher Development and Educational Change: Empowerment through Structured Reflection Authors: Ryan, Anne Abstract: Reflection and change are pivotal themes in this paper, which outlines the rationale, methodology and principal findings of a research undertaking on teacher development in Ireland. The study was based on the premise that teachers’ practices are guided in large measure by a ‘tacit knowledge’ of education, formed in response to personal and contextual factors. It was held that sustained teacher and school development relate primarily to acquiring an awareness of and engaging in ongoing reflection on this implicit theory. Participants were facilitated in structuring such reflection through images*/as subjective knowledge structures which capture their latent understandings of teaching and learning processes. It was an enlightening and empowering experience for the teachers involved, who, as a consequence, could both envision and initiate necessary improvements in their educational practices. The findings have notable implications for pre-service and in-service teacher education. Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:34:20 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2428/8363 2007-02-13T14:34:20Z