title: Witch as Woman: Crones, Maidens, and Mothers in The Witch of Edmonton and A Discovery of Witches

authors: Benge, Jnana Georgena Cote

abstract: My research focuses on representations of the controversial and culturally loaded figure of the witch and the way in which she has been represented in fiction. Through an exploration of two very different representations of witches, the 1621 play The Witch of Edmonton and the twenty-first century fantasy All Souls trilogy, this thesis unpacks the longstanding negative associations of the witch. The historical witch stereotyped as evil, old, deviant, and socially marginalised, compared to the way in which contemporary depictions of the witch have refashioned the figure into an autonomous heroine capable of balancing her powers with work, romance, and social responsibility. Throughout, my focus is on the gendered nature of the witch. The play The Witch of Edmonton (1621) by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford draws on the historical record and the pamphlet Wonderfull Discoverie of Elizabeth Sawyer, a Witch (1621) by Henry Goodcole. The historical Elizabeth Sawyer was tried and executed as a witch and Goodcole’s pamphlet is representative of the attitudes of the day which vilified the witch as a figure of demonic power and social disruption. The play both endorses the stereotype of Sawyer as a crone who makes a pact with the devil to enact harm on her neighbours and challenges these tropes by insisting that she is a marginalised, poverty- stricken figure who only turns to witchcraft after society labels her as such. In contrast, the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness (2012-2014) reframes the witch as a young, beautiful heroine whose powers are capable of bringing about salvation rather than destruction. By juxtaposing these very different literary witches, this thesis seeks to understand both the social and literary factors that led to the patriarchal vilification of the witch and the cultural shifts that have resulted in the recent reframing of the witch as a figure of feminist power.

text: Witch as Woman: Crones, Maidens, and Mothers in The Witch of Edmonton and A Discovery of Witches My research focuses on representations of the controversial and culturally loaded figure of the witch and the way in which she has been represented in fiction. Through an exploration of two very different representations of witches, the 1621 play The Witch of Edmonton and the twenty-first century fantasy All Souls trilogy, this thesis unpacks the longstanding negative associations of the witch. The historical witch stereotyped as evil, old, deviant, and socially marginalised, compared to the way in which contemporary depictions of the witch have refashioned the figure into an autonomous heroine capable of balancing her powers with work, romance, and social responsibility. Throughout, my focus is on the gendered nature of the witch. The play The Witch of Edmonton (1621) by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford draws on the historical record and the pamphlet Wonderfull Discoverie of Elizabeth Sawyer, a Witch (1621) by Henry Goodcole. The historical Elizabeth Sawyer was tried and executed as a witch and Goodcole’s pamphlet is representative of the attitudes of the day which vilified the witch as a figure of demonic power and social disruption. The play both endorses the stereotype of Sawyer as a crone who makes a pact with the devil to enact harm on her neighbours and challenges these tropes by insisting that she is a marginalised, poverty- stricken figure who only turns to witchcraft after society labels her as such. In contrast, the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness (2012-2014) reframes the witch as a young, beautiful heroine whose powers are capable of bringing about salvation rather than destruction. By juxtaposing these very different literary witches, this thesis seeks to understand both the social and literary factors that led to the patriarchal vilification of the witch and the cultural shifts that have resulted in the recent reframing of the witch as a figure of feminist power.

year: 2023

title: Enhancing teachers' use of web-based resources: A case study of secondary technology teachers

authors: Mangan, Jennifer

subjects: web-based resources

abstract: The need for teachers to develop their content knowledge and understanding of the nature of technology remains an issue for technology education in New Zealand, and although web-based resources (WBRs) offer an effective means of supporting teachers in this endeavour, and have acknowledged potential to transform education, teachers are not necessarily well prepared to integrate WBRs effectively into their pedagogy.
This research set out to investigate how teachers could be supported to enhance their classroom use of WBRs in secondary school technology education. This involved investigating the nature and extent of the participants’ existing classroom practice using WBRs, designing and implementing a sustained intervention programme to support them to expand and enhance the ways in which they integrated WBRs into their technology programmes, and evaluating how and why this influenced their classroom practice. The participants – seven experienced secondary school technology teachers – were from three different schools, had a range of backgrounds, and taught a range of technological areas including food, textiles and structural technology.
The study employed an interpretive research design and qualitative research methods, and was underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical perspective. The design of the intervention was informed by literature on characteristics of effective teacher professional development in general, ICT professional development in particular, sociocultural theories of learning, and Bell and Gilbert’s (1994) model of teacher professional development which emphasises the importance of addressing three dimensions of teacher development (personal, professional and social). The intervention incorporated the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as a tool for communicating the complex knowledge base required for effective integration of WBRs. The framework was also used to analyse participants’ developing knowledge as they integrated new ideas and approaches in the classroom.
This research concludes that when particular components are included in a professional development programme, teachers can be supported to enhance their classroom use of WBRs and to become empowered to continue their own ongoing development, even when they have limited skills and knowledge and face significant constraints. While the critical elements of the intervention were not new, the particular combination of components was unique. 
The study also draws attention to the complex range of variables that can influence individual teachers as they progress in their integration of WBRs and development of TPACK. It explores, using velocity as an analogy, how various factors, and their interactions, impacted on the degree, and rate, of change of the teachers’ integration of WBRs.
Findings indicate that in the current educational and ICT environment, and in technology education in particular, with recent curriculum and assessment changes, teachers are likely to acknowledge a need to increase and/or enhance their classroom use of ICT and are therefore willing to engage in professional development that appears relevant and manageable in their particular teaching context. 
Although examples of transformative use exist, the overall impact of ICT in education remains limited despite government funding for ICT initiatives and increasing use of ICT in education. Therefore the conclusions of this study are particularly relevant in the current educational environment. Although the research is limited in scope to integrating WBRs in technology education, it is likely that the key principles of the intervention can be more broadly applied to ICT professional development in other subject areas.

text: Enhancing teachers' use of web-based resources: A case study of secondary technology teachers The need for teachers to develop their content knowledge and understanding of the nature of technology remains an issue for technology education in New Zealand, and although web-based resources (WBRs) offer an effective means of supporting teachers in this endeavour, and have acknowledged potential to transform education, teachers are not necessarily well prepared to integrate WBRs effectively into their pedagogy.
This research set out to investigate how teachers could be supported to enhance their classroom use of WBRs in secondary school technology education. This involved investigating the nature and extent of the participants’ existing classroom practice using WBRs, designing and implementing a sustained intervention programme to support them to expand and enhance the ways in which they integrated WBRs into their technology programmes, and evaluating how and why this influenced their classroom practice. The participants – seven experienced secondary school technology teachers – were from three different schools, had a range of backgrounds, and taught a range of technological areas including food, textiles and structural technology.
The study employed an interpretive research design and qualitative research methods, and was underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical perspective. The design of the intervention was informed by literature on characteristics of effective teacher professional development in general, ICT professional development in particular, sociocultural theories of learning, and Bell and Gilbert’s (1994) model of teacher professional development which emphasises the importance of addressing three dimensions of teacher development (personal, professional and social). The intervention incorporated the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as a tool for communicating the complex knowledge base required for effective integration of WBRs. The framework was also used to analyse participants’ developing knowledge as they integrated new ideas and approaches in the classroom.
This research concludes that when particular components are included in a professional development programme, teachers can be supported to enhance their classroom use of WBRs and to become empowered to continue their own ongoing development, even when they have limited skills and knowledge and face significant constraints. While the critical elements of the intervention were not new, the particular combination of components was unique. 
The study also draws attention to the complex range of variables that can influence individual teachers as they progress in their integration of WBRs and development of TPACK. It explores, using velocity as an analogy, how various factors, and their interactions, impacted on the degree, and rate, of change of the teachers’ integration of WBRs.
Findings indicate that in the current educational and ICT environment, and in technology education in particular, with recent curriculum and assessment changes, teachers are likely to acknowledge a need to increase and/or enhance their classroom use of ICT and are therefore willing to engage in professional development that appears relevant and manageable in their particular teaching context. 
Although examples of transformative use exist, the overall impact of ICT in education remains limited despite government funding for ICT initiatives and increasing use of ICT in education. Therefore the conclusions of this study are particularly relevant in the current educational environment. Although the research is limited in scope to integrating WBRs in technology education, it is likely that the key principles of the intervention can be more broadly applied to ICT professional development in other subject areas.

year: 2016

title: Governance of water based on responsible use – an elegant solution?‎

authors: Te Aho, Linda

abstract: The inspiration for this chapter is a proposal said to represent "a paradigm shift" for the governance of freshwater, articulated by Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie in 2014. ² Arising out of challenges to a government plan to sell its shares in powergenerating companies,³ the Durie proposal has at its heart a possibility for reconciling Maori rights and interests and wider general interests in freshwater. It is based on the assumption that Maori and the general public have a legitimate interest in the natural water regimes of the country. However, the source of the interest is not the same. The Maori interest is proprietary and is sourced in their status as the indigenous first peoples of the land who were guaranteed continuation of their tino rangatiratanga in respect of their lands and waters in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.⁴ The public interest is sourced in the British laws that superimposed Maori laws through processes of colonisation. The heart of the Durie proposal is that those utilising water for commercial purposes should be charged and that an independent commission would be responsible for overseeing charging and revenue collection and disbursement. A proportion of the funds would be allocated to Maori authorities in recognition of the Maori interest. Whether in public or Maori hands, the funds should be applied to the maintenance or improvement of the natural water bodies of the area or the assurance of water supplies to all homes. In short, the proposal focuses upon responsibility.

text: Governance of water based on responsible use – an elegant solution?‎ The inspiration for this chapter is a proposal said to represent "a paradigm shift" for the governance of freshwater, articulated by Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie in 2014. ² Arising out of challenges to a government plan to sell its shares in powergenerating companies,³ the Durie proposal has at its heart a possibility for reconciling Maori rights and interests and wider general interests in freshwater. It is based on the assumption that Maori and the general public have a legitimate interest in the natural water regimes of the country. However, the source of the interest is not the same. The Maori interest is proprietary and is sourced in their status as the indigenous first peoples of the land who were guaranteed continuation of their tino rangatiratanga in respect of their lands and waters in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.⁴ The public interest is sourced in the British laws that superimposed Maori laws through processes of colonisation. The heart of the Durie proposal is that those utilising water for commercial purposes should be charged and that an independent commission would be responsible for overseeing charging and revenue collection and disbursement. A proportion of the funds would be allocated to Maori authorities in recognition of the Maori interest. Whether in public or Maori hands, the funds should be applied to the maintenance or improvement of the natural water bodies of the area or the assurance of water supplies to all homes. In short, the proposal focuses upon responsibility.

year: 2019