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Practitioner research, as one example of research supported by universities, has developed in unexpected ways, some of them unhelpful and has not always generated the benefits predicted. This paper argues that practitioner research has become shaped more by the needs of universities than by the schools and teachers it was hoped it would serve. The paper goes on to explore the idea that the promise of practitioner research has been so beguiling that it has commandeered more than a wise share of attention in universities and that this has been at the expense of exploring some other avenues of engagement with schools. The paper notes that the evolution of practitioner inquiry has taken place at a time when regimes of accountability driven by central government have been visible globally and when universities and schools each had significant pressures to fulfil policy imperatives. The pressure towards performance has in England drawn the attention of universities and schools away from, rather than towards, each other: schools to revised curricula and performance, universities to research and funding. Practitioner research became developed as a skeleton for higher degrees and in that arena universities came to have a role in promoting and at the same time inhibiting and possibly damaging its development. Hopes that practitioner research would come to contribute to mainstream research were not fulfilled and both educational and more especially practitioner research remain problematic in the wider university research agenda. One response is to renew efforts to improve existing approaches and examples of this are now widespread. However, the paper observes that, at present universities’ support for schools seems to reflect only a small part of their much wider expertise and argues that education departments in universities might think much more radically about the range of expertise that they can offer schools, a more imaginative exploration. The paper continues by noting that the challenge for university departments of education of working together equally with schools and teachers is easy to aspire to, but not to fulfil, and this impacts on working with the authentic concerns of schools and on sharing expertise. Further opportunities are available: beyond education departments: for example, other university departments have expertise that education departments might link with which has hitherto remained unexplored. Additional areas which remain under-researched are the processes of incorporating educational change and in making judgments about educational initiatives. Readers are reminded that the accidental barriers produced by the categories of research, teaching and administration are accountancy categories and may demand creative and determined responses. The paper concludes that there is too much to lose by not exploring these or other wider possibilities and much to gain by doing so including opportunities in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We believe hypertext and hypermedia solidify bold and original ideas having the power to open new realms of creative possibility. Unfortunately, we find the new tools encrusted within concepts borrowed from traditional curriculum theory and instructional design. Our goal in this paper is to liberate hypertext; doing so requires challenging Western metaphysics. We rely on the philosophy of John Dewey to disclose this metaphysics and propose an alternative. The paper reviews dominant models of curriculum, especially Ralph Tyler's, revealing their concealed metaphysical assumptions. Our efforts are greatly aided by Herbert M. Kliebard's critique of the Tyler rationale, exposing the fact that, in spite of its inflated claims, all there is to Tyler's rationale is “the philosophical screen.” That is also all we think there is to all the dominant models of curriculum. We show that the philosophical screen is largely comprised of a concealed metaphysics before concluding by showing how hypertext and hypermedia, freed of dogmatic metaphysics, may yield what we call hyperpedagogy, based upon theories of emergent pedagogy and transactional metaphysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing preservice teachers with a strong understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy should be a priority for all teacher education programs. Although much focus is placed on diversity in urban areas, diverse classrooms are found in all education settings. This paper demonstrates how a rural opportunity expanded the cultural awareness and culturally responsive teaching of four preservice special education teachers. Knowledge shared between teachers in an Old Order Mennonite community and these preservice teachers resulted in growth for all participants. Through immersion with the Mennonite community, four key themes emerged: (a) culturally relevant communication, (b) goal setting, (c) culturally sensitive curriculum materials, and (d) creation of a classroom to match the students' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the interdisciplinary literature in order to define core content areas and course structures used in teaching qualitative research. The available literature on teaching qualitative research is very small and consists mainly of “one off” papers that do not develop topics in depth. This article identified 10 broad topics as important to the effective teaching of qualitative research. A variety of curriculum structures and course formats currently used in social work education are examined. Approaches to teaching design and theory, and more project-based approaches to active leading are distinguished. Recommendations for expanding and enhancing the teaching of qualitative research conclude the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study of one pre-service teachers implementation of the sport education (SE) model in a post-primary school in Ireland. The study sought to identify and understand the mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit learning to teach the model from the perspective of a pre-service teacher. Occupational socialization was used to examine how past teaching experiences, physical education teacher education (PETE) and school culture influenced and impacted on the experience of learning to teach the SE model. Qualitative data are reported from interviews and diary entries. Findings reveal that professional socialisation occurring in PETE had the most influence on the pre-service teacher's experience of learning to teach the model. A number of recommendations are made for teacher education and for professional development specialists attempting to improve professional development opportunities and facilitate curricular change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents empirical evidence regarding the capacity of teacher education programs to influence the values and beliefs of those who enroll in them and offers insight into the conditions that may be conducive to such effects. Our study shows that although teacher education faculty and enrollees across the pm grams studied subscribe to ideals of social justice and fairness in regard to teaching diverse learners, it is less clear how thin,' translate these ideals into their views concerning curriculum design and implementation, assessment of student progress. and classroom and school organization. Our findings indicate that lay culture norms among enrollees are strongly ingrained and that most teacher education, as it is currently structured, is a weak intervention to alter particular views regarding the teaching and management of diverse learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]