title: A socially contextualised approach to professional learning for school leaders

authors: Thrupp, Martin

abstract: Distinctive school contexts pose a challenge for professional learning for school leaders but this distinctiveness does not mean professional learning has to become entirely individualised. Schools with clusters of common contextual characteristics can provide a middle ground for professional learning between wholly generic versions of ‘good practice’ and wholly individualised ones. Yet because professional learning for school leadership has often been generic in its approach, these contextualised examples are generally not to the fore. It is often hard to work out which practices would be most appropriate for schools in particular social settings. This article describes the ‘School leadership in context’ courses, a New Zealand initiative that approached this problem by providing relatively targeted professional learning. The courses collected together the principals of small rural schools in particular geographic areas with the intention to provide a forum for discussion centred on the needs of ‘like’ schools facing a number of similar issues and problems, getting away from the one-size-fits-all approach that so often dominates professional learning offerings in New Zealand and elsewhere. The article discusses the political background to this professional learning and goes into considerations in providing the courses such as which groupings of school leaders to invite, and what the courses covered. The article also discusses some enduring challenges in providing professional learning centred on school context highlighted by the courses.

text: A socially contextualised approach to professional learning for school leaders Distinctive school contexts pose a challenge for professional learning for school leaders but this distinctiveness does not mean professional learning has to become entirely individualised. Schools with clusters of common contextual characteristics can provide a middle ground for professional learning between wholly generic versions of ‘good practice’ and wholly individualised ones. Yet because professional learning for school leadership has often been generic in its approach, these contextualised examples are generally not to the fore. It is often hard to work out which practices would be most appropriate for schools in particular social settings. This article describes the ‘School leadership in context’ courses, a New Zealand initiative that approached this problem by providing relatively targeted professional learning. The courses collected together the principals of small rural schools in particular geographic areas with the intention to provide a forum for discussion centred on the needs of ‘like’ schools facing a number of similar issues and problems, getting away from the one-size-fits-all approach that so often dominates professional learning offerings in New Zealand and elsewhere. The article discusses the political background to this professional learning and goes into considerations in providing the courses such as which groupings of school leaders to invite, and what the courses covered. The article also discusses some enduring challenges in providing professional learning centred on school context highlighted by the courses.

year: 2018

title: Religion and Terrorism: Christian Fundamentalism and Extremism

authors: Pratt, Douglas

subjects: Christian

abstract: The history and identity of fundamentalism is complex. Religious fundamentalism names an ideological perspective found in most, if not all, major religions and is currently associated with variant forms of extremism and religiously-motivated acts of violence, including terrorism. Following a discussion of religious extremism per se, a typological paradigm of religious fundamentalism that attempts to demonstrate the ideological development from what might be referred to as an “initial” and relatively benign fundamentalism into extremism and thence to terrorism, will be presented. A discussion of a model of fundamentalism as applied to Islam will provide a comparative basis for assessing Christian fundamentalism and extremism, so setting the scene for an applied exploration of religious extremism and terrorism with particular reference to Christian contexts and examples.

text: Religion and Terrorism: Christian Fundamentalism and Extremism The history and identity of fundamentalism is complex. Religious fundamentalism names an ideological perspective found in most, if not all, major religions and is currently associated with variant forms of extremism and religiously-motivated acts of violence, including terrorism. Following a discussion of religious extremism per se, a typological paradigm of religious fundamentalism that attempts to demonstrate the ideological development from what might be referred to as an “initial” and relatively benign fundamentalism into extremism and thence to terrorism, will be presented. A discussion of a model of fundamentalism as applied to Islam will provide a comparative basis for assessing Christian fundamentalism and extremism, so setting the scene for an applied exploration of religious extremism and terrorism with particular reference to Christian contexts and examples.

year: 2010

title: The relationship between on-water performance and physical characteristics in elite and sub-elite outrigger canoe paddlers

authors: King, Tupuria

abstract: Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare and investigate the relationship between 500 m on-water performance and physical characteristics in elite and sub-elite outrigger canoe paddlers. Methods: A total of 16 males participated in the study including eight elite paddlers (age: 24.8 ± 10.5 yrs., total paddling experience: 12.5 ± 5.2 yrs.) and eight sub-elite paddlers (age: 34.4 ± 15.4 yrs., total paddling experience: 6.8 ± 5.2 yrs.). Body mass, height, sitting height, arm span, arm length, body fat percentage, 50 kg muscular endurance (bench press and bench pull), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and Wingate performance (30 sec maximal effort) were assessed and subsequently correlated with 500 m outrigger canoeing performance at a national championship’s regatta. Results: When group data were combined, moderate to strong correlations were found between 500 m outrigger canoeing performance and absolute VO2peak (r = -0.61), upper limb length (r = -0.60) 50 kg bench press (r = -0.56), total paddling experience (r = -0.53), body mass (r = -0.51), sitting height (r = -0.51), singles paddling experience (r = -0.49), height (r = -0.48) and Wingate distance (r = -0.42). When groups were compared, elite paddlers showed significantly greater Wingate mean power and distance, paddling experience and 500 m on-water performance times than sub-elite paddlers (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in anthropometrical measures, muscular endurance and VO2peak between the two groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: VO2peak and upper limb length were the best predictors of performance over the 500 m sprint distance across the entire group. Thirty-second Wingate mean power and distance, years of paddling experience and subsequent 500 m on-water performance differentiated elite from sub-elite paddlers.

text: The relationship between on-water performance and physical characteristics in elite and sub-elite outrigger canoe paddlers Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare and investigate the relationship between 500 m on-water performance and physical characteristics in elite and sub-elite outrigger canoe paddlers. Methods: A total of 16 males participated in the study including eight elite paddlers (age: 24.8 ± 10.5 yrs., total paddling experience: 12.5 ± 5.2 yrs.) and eight sub-elite paddlers (age: 34.4 ± 15.4 yrs., total paddling experience: 6.8 ± 5.2 yrs.). Body mass, height, sitting height, arm span, arm length, body fat percentage, 50 kg muscular endurance (bench press and bench pull), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and Wingate performance (30 sec maximal effort) were assessed and subsequently correlated with 500 m outrigger canoeing performance at a national championship’s regatta. Results: When group data were combined, moderate to strong correlations were found between 500 m outrigger canoeing performance and absolute VO2peak (r = -0.61), upper limb length (r = -0.60) 50 kg bench press (r = -0.56), total paddling experience (r = -0.53), body mass (r = -0.51), sitting height (r = -0.51), singles paddling experience (r = -0.49), height (r = -0.48) and Wingate distance (r = -0.42). When groups were compared, elite paddlers showed significantly greater Wingate mean power and distance, paddling experience and 500 m on-water performance times than sub-elite paddlers (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in anthropometrical measures, muscular endurance and VO2peak between the two groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: VO2peak and upper limb length were the best predictors of performance over the 500 m sprint distance across the entire group. Thirty-second Wingate mean power and distance, years of paddling experience and subsequent 500 m on-water performance differentiated elite from sub-elite paddlers.

year: 2019