Social capital theory: a cross-cutting analytic for teacher/therapist work in integrating children's services?

Reviewing relevant policy, this article argues that the current 'integration interlude' is concerned with reformation of work relations to create new forms of 'social capital'. The conceptual framework of social capital has been used by government policy-makers and academic researchers to examine different types, configurations and qualities of relationships, including professional relations, and how these may function as resources. Focusing on the co-work of teachers and speech and language therapists, this analysis introduces social capital as a means of understanding the impact of integrating children's services on professional practitioner groups and across agencies. Social capital theory is compared to alternative theoretical perspectives such as systems and discourse theories and explored as an analytic offering a multi-level typology and conceptual framework for understanding the effects of policy and governance on interprofessional working and relationships. A previous application of social capital theory in a literature review is introduced and analysed, and instances of the additionality provided by a social capital analysis is offered. The article concludes that amongst the effects of current policy to re-design children's services are the reconstruction of professionals' knowledge/s and practices, so it is essential that such policy processes that have complex and far-reaching effects are transparent and coherent. It is also important that new social capital relations in children's services are produced by groups representative of all involved, importantly including those practitioner groups charged in policy to work differently together in future integrated services

From teaching physics to teaching children : beginning teachers learning from pupils

This paper discusses the development of beginning physics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the context of teaching basic electricity during a one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education course (PGDE) and beyond. This longitudinal study used repeated semi-structured interviews over a period of four-and-a-half years. The interview schedule followed a line of development through the secondary school electrical syllabus in Scotland. Fifteen student teachers were interviewed during the PGDE year. Six of them were followed up at the end of the Induction Year (their first year as a newly qualified teacher), and again two-and-a-half years later. Thematic analysis of the interviews showed that before the beginning teachers had taught any classes, their initial focus was on how to transform their own subject matter knowledge (SMK) about electricity into forms that were accessible to pupils. As the beginning teachers gained experience working with classes, they gave vivid descriptions of interacting with particular pupils when teaching electricity which showed the development of their pedagogical knowledge. This played a significant role in the teachers' change of focus from teaching physics to teaching children as they transformed their SMK into forms that were accessible to pupils and developed their general pedagogical knowledge

Material matters for learning in virtual networks : A case study of a professional learning programme hosted in a Google+ online community

Date of Acceptance: 13/07/2015Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Guided interaction in pre-school settings

The aim of this study was to explore how guided interaction could create opportunities for learning with information and communication technologies (ICT) for children aged three and four. The study was grounded in the naturalistic environment of the playroom, in a context of free play and child-initiated activity, and focused on interventions selected and implemented by practitioners. Guided interaction describes the ways in which children’s interactions with computers and other forms of ICT can be actively supported in pre-school settings. The paper presents a framework that illustrates proximal and distal guided interaction and the modes by which they are enacted. The concept of guided interaction (i) provides a tool for thinking about the different modes by which learning can be supported in pre-school settings and (ii) helps practitioners to articulate, reflect on and legitimise changes in pedagogy, en-abling them to find new approaches to working with ICT. The paper provides an account of the analysis underpinning the development of the concept, followed by a description of its characteristics and the different types of learning that can be supported. An adapted version of this analytical framework has potential both as a research tool and to support changes in practice for professionals in other sectors of education

Autonomy, education and the rights of children with special and additional support needs and disabilities in England and Scotland:A new paradigm?

Legislation enacted in 2014 in England and 2016 in Scotland attempts to boost the rights of children and young people with special and additional support needs in the context of education, particularly with regard to opportunities for their participation in decision-making and local planning, with governments in both nations claiming that the new measures place the UK at the forefront internationally on this issue. There are, however, key differences in the respective nations’ legislation and policy, as well as similarities, which the article explores. Using case studies, it then examines the central issues arising in each jurisdiction in the practical realisation of the relevant rights. The article concludes with a comparative discussion of the recognition of children’s autonomy in the context of education in the two nations, highlighting gaps between rhetoric and reality

Moving primary physical education forward:start at the beginning

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal Title on publication date, available online: doi 10.1080/03004279.2016.1155072This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education on 07/03/2016, available online: DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2016.1155072This paper presents selected findings from a questionnaire completed by 509 primary school teachers in Scotland. Drawing on policy enactment theory, the paper focusses on teachers’ personal experiences of physical education and perceptions of the importance of physical education in their schools. More than half (56%) reported that physical education was either ‘very important’ or ‘important’, while almost 40% perceived it to be of ‘limited’ or ‘very limited importance’. ‘Staff’, ‘time’ and ‘subject status’ were the main themes they drew on to explain their responses. Our findings highlight the diverse nature of the physical education professional cultures in Scottish primary schools. From this, we propose that future initiatives to support change in primary physical education should, as a starting point, acknowledge these diverse professional cultures and move beyond the simplistic one-size-fits-all change projects that have been shown to have limited impact on practice.This research was conducted as part of the Scottish Primary Physical Education Project, funded by the Scottish Government

Primary physical education:Shifting perspectives to move forwards

Physical Education is widespread across the world yet despite its cultural variation it remains remarkably similar. The ability of the subject to replicate its practices makes it a potential site for exploration from a memetic perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine documentary evidence such as research papers, policy documents and inspection reports and offer for consideration potential memes that are at work within the memeplex of UK primary school Physical Education. Four proposals are offered as potential memes; ‘sport as techniques’, ‘anyone can teach it’, ‘busy, happy and good’ and ‘nowhere important’. It is concluded that the current environment in primary schooling within the UK serves to strengthen the proposed four primary Physical Education memes by reaffirming current practices. Moving beyond these memes requires significant rethinking about what constitutes primary Physical Education

Primary teachers as physical education curriculum change agents

There has been some exploration of the conceptualisation of teachers as change agents within educational change literature. While this body of work does consider how teachers understand, harness and influence the process of curriculum change, within the policy rhetoric and educational change literature there is limited reference made to how the change agent role is translated into practice. To illustrate the complex nature of the change process this paper explores the experiences of generalist primary teachers at the ‘chalk face’ as they initiate physical education curriculum change within their school contexts. This paper reports on the findings of a study investigating how five Scottish primary teachers with a postgraduate qualification in primary physical education construed and took forward curriculum change. A qualitative and interpretivist approach to the research was taken to analyse how the knowledge and skills the teachers gained from the professional development they had undertaken contributed to their agency to initiate curriculum change within their school contexts. Drawing on the work of Fullan, the concept of change agentry is used to analyse the experiences of the individual teachers as they exercised their agency to enact curriculum change. The paper concludes by reflecting on the findings of the study to suggest factors that may support and constrain teachers acting as change agents

Enabling curriculum change in physical education: the interplay between policy constructors and practitioners

Background: Curriculum for Excellence, a new national policy initiative in Scottish Schools, provides a unified curricular framework for children aged 3–18. Within this framework, Physical Education (PE) now forms part of a collective alongside physical activity and sport, subsumed by the newly created curriculum area of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ (HWB). This research set out to examine the new curriculum in Scottish schools at the micro-implementation stage of the policy process within the context of practice.Purpose: The primary objective was to understand the factors that enable PE teachers to enact government-led policy in a climate which provided schools and teachers greater autonomy, flexibility and responsibility. The secondary objective was to compare policy constructors' vision of PE to the interpretation of PE teachers who were currently immersed in initiating curricular development.Methods and procedures: The research adopted a mixed method survey approach. Eighty-eight secondary school PE teachers responded to a questionnaire that explored teachers' perceptions of curriculum change. Respondents were full-time PE teachers working in secondary schools across Scotland and represented 16 local authorities. In addition, 17 PE teachers within one local authority took part in semi-structured individual interviews. Comparisons were made with 10 interviews conducted with policy constructors who were responsible for the initial, interim and final stages of developing and designing the PE curriculum.Main outcomes and results: The results from the questionnaire indicated that 66% of teachers believed there was a need for change within the Scottish curriculum; however, only 54% anticipated that they would change the PE curriculum. When comparing PE teachers’ and policy constructors’ interview responses, a discrepancy between the policy constructors' understanding of the vision of PE and teacher's interpretation was evident. The alignment of PE within HWB was seen as an opportunity to build on the strengths of the subject; however, concerns were raised that this shift may result in PE becoming part of a fitness discourse, distorting policy intentions.Conclusions: The combining factors of teacher agency, culture and social and material structures along with the schools capacity to manage new policy development were seen as crucial in enabling teachers to enact and sustain change. As educational policy draws on teachers' professional capacity to translate, mould and recreate policy uniquely to fit within the opportunities and constraints of the school, it is important that policy intentions, aims and values are not lost in the process

Comparative Performance Measures, Globalising Strategies and Literacy Policy in Scotland

This paper explores one example of an international comparison - the OECD’s International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) - in order to investigate the power of numbers in both the shaping and the legitimization of adult literacy policy using Scotland as a case study. It is argued that policy implementation is framed by a common assumption that the production of knowledge will increase global competitiveness leading to the prioritisation of economic objectives in education. However, despite these globalising strategies, examples are provided of how the economic discourse can be resisted, to some extent, through prioritising more social objectives at both the local and state levels