title: Teacher Professional Development: Who is the learner?

authors: Petrie, Kirsten Culhane

subjects: professional development

abstract: One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a “one size fits all” PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher’s learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD.

text: Teacher Professional Development: Who is the learner? One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a “one size fits all” PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher’s learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD.

year: 2012

title: Challenges in accessing fieldwork in rural Himalayas: an emerging researcher’s experiences

authors: Rana, Karna

subjects: case study

abstract: This article is the reflection of an emerging researcher who has experienced different nudges from the beginning of accessing the research field to the final stage of collating data in rural Nepal. My experiences and reflections may provide provocations to researchers to consider before they undertake field research. Areas that researchers should be aware of before entering the field include strategies of approaching the resources, socio-cultural and language diversities, topography and travel complication. The article offers those considering field research in remote areas, such as rural Nepal, an opportunity for rethinking a case study research approach, choosing appropriate methodological tools, sampling strategies and accessing resources.

text: Challenges in accessing fieldwork in rural Himalayas: an emerging researcher’s experiences This article is the reflection of an emerging researcher who has experienced different nudges from the beginning of accessing the research field to the final stage of collating data in rural Nepal. My experiences and reflections may provide provocations to researchers to consider before they undertake field research. Areas that researchers should be aware of before entering the field include strategies of approaching the resources, socio-cultural and language diversities, topography and travel complication. The article offers those considering field research in remote areas, such as rural Nepal, an opportunity for rethinking a case study research approach, choosing appropriate methodological tools, sampling strategies and accessing resources.

year: 2019

title: Cultural Theory Made Critical: Towards a Theory of the Indigenous Intellectual

authors: Hireme, Hemi Te Rere

abstract: Despite the fact that Western critical theory has provided us with theories of the power relations that operate within our lives, I argue that the indigenous element is nonetheless understated within these theories. To this end, my thesis is precisely that we must make the "cultural" critical. I argue that various theories of cognitive and moral submissiveness must be supplemented with a theory of submissiveness at the indigenous level in order for issues of latent power to be addressed. This thesis is therefore about developing a theory that for tangata whenua seeks to overcome one of the most debilitating effects of colonial domination - a loss of critical consciousness. I advocate the need for a new type of intellectual - the indigenous intellectual. 
I present my thesis in two parts. Part One examines Western critical theory to understand the processes that contribute to colonial domination. Here, I identify relations and processes of power that have contributed to a continuing assault on tangata whenua cultural continuity and well-being. Of particular significance are Foucault's study of governmentalisation and normalisation and Gramsci's notion of hegemony and the traditional and organic intellectuals. 
Part Two records not only how this understanding is put into action by way of the introduction of a "critical theory" component in programmes at Te Whare Wananga 0 Awanuiarangi over a number of years, but also offers a critical cultural theory in the form of the indigenous intellectual. While it acknowledges the extreme value of Western critical theory in allowing tangata whenua to understand the relations of power and the effects of colonial domination, the programme also identifies the many voids and spaces within Western critical theory that leave unanswered the oppressiveness and hegemony of cultural and ideological colonisation. I conclude my thesis by arguing that, whilst many in leadership positions claim allegiance to Gramsci' s concept of the organic intellectual, their ideological stance is anything but organic. By examining why they do not represent indigenous interests "organically", I argue that a new concept is needed to expose the sham of much of our contemporary "inorganic" politics: that our cultural needs are better served by a concept of the "indigenous" intellectual.

text: Cultural Theory Made Critical: Towards a Theory of the Indigenous Intellectual Despite the fact that Western critical theory has provided us with theories of the power relations that operate within our lives, I argue that the indigenous element is nonetheless understated within these theories. To this end, my thesis is precisely that we must make the "cultural" critical. I argue that various theories of cognitive and moral submissiveness must be supplemented with a theory of submissiveness at the indigenous level in order for issues of latent power to be addressed. This thesis is therefore about developing a theory that for tangata whenua seeks to overcome one of the most debilitating effects of colonial domination - a loss of critical consciousness. I advocate the need for a new type of intellectual - the indigenous intellectual. 
I present my thesis in two parts. Part One examines Western critical theory to understand the processes that contribute to colonial domination. Here, I identify relations and processes of power that have contributed to a continuing assault on tangata whenua cultural continuity and well-being. Of particular significance are Foucault's study of governmentalisation and normalisation and Gramsci's notion of hegemony and the traditional and organic intellectuals. 
Part Two records not only how this understanding is put into action by way of the introduction of a "critical theory" component in programmes at Te Whare Wananga 0 Awanuiarangi over a number of years, but also offers a critical cultural theory in the form of the indigenous intellectual. While it acknowledges the extreme value of Western critical theory in allowing tangata whenua to understand the relations of power and the effects of colonial domination, the programme also identifies the many voids and spaces within Western critical theory that leave unanswered the oppressiveness and hegemony of cultural and ideological colonisation. I conclude my thesis by arguing that, whilst many in leadership positions claim allegiance to Gramsci' s concept of the organic intellectual, their ideological stance is anything but organic. By examining why they do not represent indigenous interests "organically", I argue that a new concept is needed to expose the sham of much of our contemporary "inorganic" politics: that our cultural needs are better served by a concept of the "indigenous" intellectual.

year: 2002