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Across the space of this paper I seek to share a particular attempt to holistically engage students enrolled in a Social Foundations of Education course, in the process of de(con)structing knowledge, through the work of collectively creating found poetry. I do not seek to show right pedagogical practice; rather, it is my hope that this paper may offer a glimpse of the possibilities that exist when we embrace arts-informed epistemological practices that acknowledge the whole student, engaging the mind/body/soul in praxis, through acts of fluid co-creation and (re)construction of knowledge.

There are multiple aspects that shape one's experience as a student teacher; however often as teacher educators, we focus on the intellectual rather than the emotional nature of the experience. Within this a/r/tographical inquiry, we render a story of what can happen when teacher educators intentionally engage the multidimensional nature of the student teaching experience through the integration of arts-informed epistemologies within the context of the student teaching seminar. Student teachers entered into a dialogic space of reflexivity and praxis where they discovered that their experiences mattered and did not occur in isolation. This project has implications for considering ways to help student teachers and teacher educators bridge the gaps between the personal, social, artistic, and academic that is teaching. (Contains 8 figures.)

Teaching is vulnerable work where self and other enter into intimate encounters that can change one's sense of self and purpose within the world. Through this poetic rendering, I seek to piece together a story of communal becoming within the space of a student teaching seminar. The work was collaborative and ongoing as students engaged with one another's words and began to (re)write their relationships with themselves, the community, their peers, and practice. Boundaries were blurred, selves disrupted as student teachers began to engage with their own positions and perceptions of the world around them, (re)encountering pedagogy in a space of praxis.

This paper shares a story of community, vulnerability, art-making and possibility that arose within the context of a Social Foundations of Education course. Drawing on arts-informed epistemologies, the authors began the semester by inviting students to critically engage with the central ideas of the course through the process of creating a mandala. At the end of the semester, students were once again invited to (re)create their mandalas as they reflected on how their understandings had evolved over the course of the semester. Within what was initially a very uncomfortable act, a community emerged as students sought to support and encourage one another. This sense of community remained consistent across the course of the semester and students regularly returned to the initial activity as a starting point during class discussions. Using this particular classroom experience as an illustration, this paper posits that it is important for educators to engage their students in centered, aesthetic and communal acts of reflexivity as a means to facilitate the development of fluid pedagogies and ways of being in the world that are informed, critical, and transformative. (Contains 11 figures.)

Within this paper, I seek to engage with the possibilities that may exist when, through a yogic lens, we disrupt those unspoken, but accepted boundaries with/in research and pedagogy that separate art and science, reader and author, student and teacher, knowing and not knowing. Using multiple genres, I explore the practice of researching and the limitations of Truth seeking to create space for dialogue across the text, as reader and writer consider the pedagogical possibilities of letting go within research. In a culture that places a premium on knowing, this work can be uncomfortable, but in the discomfort one may discover new ways of knowing and seeing that invite praxis within pedagogy.

This case was written to help prepare teacher-leaders, principals, and central office administrators, particularly those in rural and economically marginalized settings, who are expected to lead teachers and stakeholders in their community through increasingly stressed economic conditions. The intent of the case study is for educators to examine the impact privilege has on the often White, middle-class mind-set of educators, particularly when supporting economically marginalized communities. Educators studying this case should examine the role that poverty, privilege, and politics play in school leadership, specifically when thinking about school reform and community improvement efforts.

Across the space of this paper I seek to share a particular attempt to holistically engage students enrolled in a Social Foundations of Education course, in the process of de(con)structing knowledge, through the work of collectively creating found poetry. I do not seek to show right pedagogical practice; rather, it is my hope that this paper may offer a glimpse of the possibilities that exist when we embrace arts-informed epistemological practices that acknowledge the whole student, engaging the mind/body/soul in praxis, through acts of fluid co-creation and (re)construction of knowledge.

This paper shares a story of community, vulnerability, art-making and possibility that arose within the context of a Social Foundations of Education course. Drawing on arts-informed epistemologies, the authors began the semester by inviting students to critically engage with the central ideas of the course through the process of creating a mandala. At the end of the semester, students were once again invited to (re)create their mandalas as they reflected on how their understandings had evolved over the course of the semester. Within what was initially a very uncomfortable act, a community emerged as students sought to support and encourage one another. This sense of community remained consistent across the course of the semester and students regularly returned to the initial activity as a starting point during class discussions. Using this particular classroom experience as an illustration, this paper posits that it is important for educators to engage their students in centered, aesthetic and communal acts of reflexivity as a means to facilitate the development of fluid pedagogies and ways of being in the world that are informed, critical, and transformative.

This study elaborates the many ways that teachers lead work with colleagues to improve teaching and learning, and their understanding of their work as leadership. Through qualitative case studies of seven Maine schools and a review of the literature, the authors developed a conceptual model, Spheres of Teacher Leadership Action for Learning. They describe the various strategies teachers used to influence colleagues in direct and indirect ways, through formal and informal leadership. The authors discuss the importance of relationships, informal collaboration, trust and collegiality in supporting teachers' leadership development and school improvement. However, they also found teachers engaging in leadership to build these supportive conditions where they did not exist in schools. Teachers leading school improvement work were reluctant to see themselves as leaders, and rarely referred to themselves or others as "leaders". In fact, they viewed their informal and collaborative work as having greater impact on school improvement than formal efforts directed by school administrators. Yet, teachers did recognize the contributions and individual strengths that colleagues brought to their collective efforts. The authors suggest that in advancing the focus on school improvement and a shared accountability for the learning of all children, the term 'teacher leader' may be counterproductive.

Topoisomerase 3α (TOP3A) is an enzyme that removes torsional strain and interlinks between DNA molecules. TOP3A localises to both the nucleus and mitochondria, with the two isoforms playing specialised roles in DNA recombination and replication respectively. Pathogenic variants in TOP3A can cause a disorder similar to Bloom syndrome, which results from bi‐allelic pathogenic variants in BLM, encoding a nuclear‐binding partner of TOP3A. In this work, we describe 11 individuals from 9 families with an adult‐onset mitochondrial disease resulting from bi‐allelic TOP3A gene variants. The majority of patients have a consistent clinical phenotype characterised by bilateral ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, myopathy and axonal sensory‐motor neuropathy. We present a comprehensive characterisation of the effect of TOP3A variants, from individuals with mitochondrial disease and Bloom‐like syndrome, upon mtDNA maintenance and different aspects of enzyme function. Based on these results, we suggest a model whereby the overall severity of the TOP3A catalytic defect determines the clinical outcome, with milder variants causing adult‐onset mitochondrial disease and more severe variants causing a Bloom‐like syndrome with mitochondrial dysfunction in childhood. Synopsis: We report cases of adult‐onset mitochondrial disease causes by pathological variants in the topoisomerase TOP3A, which localises both to mitochondria and the nucleus. We propose that different variants result in different disease outcomes related to the mitochondrial or nuclear forms of the enzyme. Pathological variants in TOP3A cause adult‐onset mitochondrial disease.Pathological TOP3A variants cause mitochondrial genome instability and muscle mitochondrial dysfunction.TOP3A variants affect the DNA binding, relaxation and ssDNA decatenation functions of the protein, and impair mtDNA replication.The severity of the TOP3A catalytic defect determines the clinical outcome, with milder variants associated with mitochondrial disease and more severe variants associated with Bloom syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a conceptual model and rich narratives that describe the contexts in which teacher leadership emerges and the many ways that leadership is enacted. Drawing on qualitative case studies of seven Maine, USA schools, the authors found that teachers initiated their own professional learning efforts with the central goal of improving the conditions and outcomes of student learning. Teachers were leading through their strong commitment to continued learning, and by modeling a willingness to take risks, to collaborate and to question existing practices. Teachers often began with a focus on their own learning and classroom teaching and later moved into other leadership spheres where they collaborated with and influenced colleagues and other stakeholders on a wider scale. When they encountered conflict, teachers found they needed to build both interpersonal and intrapersonal awareness and skills. This study broadens conceptions of what constitutes teacher leadership and professional development. The work of teacher leaders results in teacher learning as well as improved student learning. The findings indicate that informal and formal, individual and collective teacher work all contribute to teachers' professional learning and significant change in schools. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

In order to meet the needs of evolving school leaders, university professors and others who provide professional development must rethink and expand their roles. Based on experiences as instructors in a leadership development program, the authors had the opportunity to explore and understand more fully how leaders grow. This article describes our conceptualization of how students in our program--themselves full-time educators--learn and the kinds of leadership coaching we engage in to precipitate and support deeper learning "in" action. It is rooted in our understanding of the needs of adult learners through an evolving model of leadership development.

Teacher leaders are the pack mules of effective school improvement because they carry the weight of responsibility for ensuring that reforms take root in the classroom and deepen the learning of all students. They continually think about the gap in schools between the real and the ideal, and the discrepancies that they witness compel them to push against the status quo. However, teacher leaders still contend with several challenges dictated by the status quo, such as the antiquated notions of leadership, teacher isolation, and the conservatism that so often reigns in schools. Succeeding as a teacher leader means staying true to one's beliefs, coupling confidence with humility, and being willing to work with colleagues to improve student learning.

This case concerns conflict over decision making in a high school and highlights major differences of opinion regarding the purposes of schooling and the democratic ideals of education. Faculty members who have worked toward greater heterogeneity are at odds with parents who want more honors classes. The school's faculty council has instituted a process for decision making that assures teachers have a voice in matters of curriculum and instruction. The principal wants to keep parents happy but also honor the principles of shared leadership. The case demonstrates the tension between the needs of individual students or group of students and the aim of the school to best fulfill the learning needs of all students. It focuses on the democratic underpinnings of American education: How do you balance the input of all stakeholders when making decisions about school practice and policy? (Contains 3 exhibits.)