title: On starting conditions for a submerged sink in a fluid

authors: Forbes, Lawrence K.

subjects: mathematics

abstract: Withdrawal of a fluid through an isolated line sink (for planar flow) or a point sink (for axi-symmetric flow in three dimensions) is considered. A linearized solution is presented in both cases, under the assumption that the sink strength is small and the sink is turned on gradually. The results show that the behaviour for small times is as if an image source were present above the surface. Asymptotic results indicate that, in both cases, the flow rapidly develops an effective image sink above the free surface.

text: On starting conditions for a submerged sink in a fluid Withdrawal of a fluid through an isolated line sink (for planar flow) or a point sink (for axi-symmetric flow in three dimensions) is considered. A linearized solution is presented in both cases, under the assumption that the sink strength is small and the sink is turned on gradually. The results show that the behaviour for small times is as if an image source were present above the surface. Asymptotic results indicate that, in both cases, the flow rapidly develops an effective image sink above the free surface.

year: 2008

title: The potential for a future-focused curriculum in New Zealand: The perceptions and practice of six secondary school technology teachers

authors: Reinsfield, Elizabeth

subjects: Activity theory

abstract: Technology education is a subject that has seen significant conceptual change within its curriculum since its inception. In New Zealand, the national curriculum positions technology education as a means to expose students to learning, which can be future-focused in nature. The subject affords opportunities for pedagogical practice to be responsive to student interests and focused on technology-related issues and societal need. Students’ learning has the capacity for creative and critical thinking in a variety of learning contexts and technological areas.
This qualitative research uncovers new knowledge about the nature and enactment of technology education in New Zealand, using a combination of interpretive, sociocultural, and case study methods. It explores how six teachers’ perceptions affected their interpretation and enactment of the technology curriculum in two secondary schools. One school was well established, and the other was a newly built Innovative Learning Environment (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2017a; Osborne, 2016). Data relied on several primary sources, namely the New Zealand curriculum document (MoE, 2007) and its supporting materials (MoE, 2010), two or three semi-structured interviews per participant, lesson observations, department meetings, teacher reflections, and teacher-generated resources. Activity theory was the interpretive framework used to establish each teacher’s circumstances and experiences.
The findings confirmed that teachers’ perceptions directly influenced their interpretation and commitment to the curriculum’s enactment. There was disparity between some teachers’ espoused perceptions and manifesting practice, as determined by their cultural context. The most limiting perceptions were that students should first be taught teacher-designated skills and knowledge, and that it was satisfactory for technological outcomes to be replications or adaptations of existing products rather than to be innovative or future-focused in nature.
When interpreting the curriculum, all teacher participants in the study defaulted to the Technological Practice strand because of its association with practical outcomes. There was some hesitance to engage with the Nature of Technology strand, which was perceived by the teachers to be more conceptually challenging and less valued by students. Whilst some teachers aspired to foster a learner-centred classroom, there was acknowledgement that to do so, students were required to be self-regulating and actively engaged in their work.
It is concluded that technology teachers’ perceptions and practice do not necessarily explicitly align with the concepts outlined in the New Zealand curriculum (MoE, 2007). This research challenges the notion that if a teacher is knowledgeable about their specialist area of technology, they can effectively interpret and make meaning of the generic curriculum concepts for their own teaching practice. This is significant because in a context where teachers are encouraged to be curriculum decision makers, such a gap in professional knowledge signals a barrier to its enactment. It is suggested that to address this barrier, teachers need to adopt a form of “technological thinking” in support of their existing “technical thinking” (Reinsfield & Williams, 2017).
This research illustrates how technology teachers’ perceptions can enable, moderate, or limit, their capacity to make the connection between curriculum and practice. How teachers make meaning of the curriculum to develop their knowledge for practice is presented as a threshold concept (Meyer & Land, 2003, 2006; Peter et al., 2014). Some enablers to practice are proposed. To enable change there needs to be a sustained and collaborative approach to support technology teachers’ evolving pedagogical practice, which centres on learner- centred pedagogies and demonstrates a commitment to the enactment of the curriculum (MoE, 2007). I conclude by proposing a professional learning model, intended to support teachers who are motivated to reflect upon and transform their perceptions and practice, and to align their teaching with current policy and practice in New Zealand.

text: The potential for a future-focused curriculum in New Zealand: The perceptions and practice of six secondary school technology teachers Technology education is a subject that has seen significant conceptual change within its curriculum since its inception. In New Zealand, the national curriculum positions technology education as a means to expose students to learning, which can be future-focused in nature. The subject affords opportunities for pedagogical practice to be responsive to student interests and focused on technology-related issues and societal need. Students’ learning has the capacity for creative and critical thinking in a variety of learning contexts and technological areas.
This qualitative research uncovers new knowledge about the nature and enactment of technology education in New Zealand, using a combination of interpretive, sociocultural, and case study methods. It explores how six teachers’ perceptions affected their interpretation and enactment of the technology curriculum in two secondary schools. One school was well established, and the other was a newly built Innovative Learning Environment (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2017a; Osborne, 2016). Data relied on several primary sources, namely the New Zealand curriculum document (MoE, 2007) and its supporting materials (MoE, 2010), two or three semi-structured interviews per participant, lesson observations, department meetings, teacher reflections, and teacher-generated resources. Activity theory was the interpretive framework used to establish each teacher’s circumstances and experiences.
The findings confirmed that teachers’ perceptions directly influenced their interpretation and commitment to the curriculum’s enactment. There was disparity between some teachers’ espoused perceptions and manifesting practice, as determined by their cultural context. The most limiting perceptions were that students should first be taught teacher-designated skills and knowledge, and that it was satisfactory for technological outcomes to be replications or adaptations of existing products rather than to be innovative or future-focused in nature.
When interpreting the curriculum, all teacher participants in the study defaulted to the Technological Practice strand because of its association with practical outcomes. There was some hesitance to engage with the Nature of Technology strand, which was perceived by the teachers to be more conceptually challenging and less valued by students. Whilst some teachers aspired to foster a learner-centred classroom, there was acknowledgement that to do so, students were required to be self-regulating and actively engaged in their work.
It is concluded that technology teachers’ perceptions and practice do not necessarily explicitly align with the concepts outlined in the New Zealand curriculum (MoE, 2007). This research challenges the notion that if a teacher is knowledgeable about their specialist area of technology, they can effectively interpret and make meaning of the generic curriculum concepts for their own teaching practice. This is significant because in a context where teachers are encouraged to be curriculum decision makers, such a gap in professional knowledge signals a barrier to its enactment. It is suggested that to address this barrier, teachers need to adopt a form of “technological thinking” in support of their existing “technical thinking” (Reinsfield & Williams, 2017).
This research illustrates how technology teachers’ perceptions can enable, moderate, or limit, their capacity to make the connection between curriculum and practice. How teachers make meaning of the curriculum to develop their knowledge for practice is presented as a threshold concept (Meyer & Land, 2003, 2006; Peter et al., 2014). Some enablers to practice are proposed. To enable change there needs to be a sustained and collaborative approach to support technology teachers’ evolving pedagogical practice, which centres on learner- centred pedagogies and demonstrates a commitment to the enactment of the curriculum (MoE, 2007). I conclude by proposing a professional learning model, intended to support teachers who are motivated to reflect upon and transform their perceptions and practice, and to align their teaching with current policy and practice in New Zealand.

year: 2018

title: The Development and Evaluation of a Cultural Competency Training Programme for Psychologists Working with Māori: A Training Needs Analysis

authors: Waitoki, Waikaremoana

subjects: Māori

abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a cultural competency training programme for clinical psychology students to work with Māori consumers.  A pilot programme (study 1) was developed from the international and national cultural competency and bicultural training literature.  Following the pilot, it was identified that the programme could be made more robust by conducting a second study the training needs analysis using the critical incident technique.  Study two was conducted with 30 experienced clinical psychologists who had worked with Māori clients.
  
The training needs analysis sought to identify the awareness, knowledge and skills (AKS) that the experienced psychologists used in their practice with Māori.  An unexpected finding from study two was that the psychologists used distinctly Māori-cultural practices incorporating Māori tikanga and Māori knowledge with their clients even though they had little or no bicultural course content in their clinical training.  The data from the pilot programme, and the training needs analysis were used to refine the final workshop.  
The workshop was delivered to two university sites over a two-day period using intern clinical psychologist.  The programme evaluation had three components: (1) analysis of pre and post programme questionnaires; (2) analysis of the retrospective questionnaires (3) and an analysis of a participant’s case report on a Māori consumer. 
The themes that evolved from this research are that the critical incident technique is a useful way of identifying bicultural training material that would otherwise go unnoticed.  In relation to training evaluation, there is a real need to develop meaningful measures of bicultural competency acquisition for clinical students.  The finding advances the proposition that a distinct Māori psychology exists that could potentially challenge the relevance of Western psychology for Māori.  
A contextual theme underpinning bicultural training programmes is that training and practice occurs against the backdrop of Pākehā dominance in all aspects of academia and society. Consequently, there is a need to find a balance between Māori and Western psychological knowledge.  Future uses of this research will be in developing and evaluating bicultural training programmes, developing appropriate measures of cultural competency acquisition and assessing the potential for a distinct Māori psychology.

text: The Development and Evaluation of a Cultural Competency Training Programme for Psychologists Working with Māori: A Training Needs Analysis The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a cultural competency training programme for clinical psychology students to work with Māori consumers.  A pilot programme (study 1) was developed from the international and national cultural competency and bicultural training literature.  Following the pilot, it was identified that the programme could be made more robust by conducting a second study the training needs analysis using the critical incident technique.  Study two was conducted with 30 experienced clinical psychologists who had worked with Māori clients.
  
The training needs analysis sought to identify the awareness, knowledge and skills (AKS) that the experienced psychologists used in their practice with Māori.  An unexpected finding from study two was that the psychologists used distinctly Māori-cultural practices incorporating Māori tikanga and Māori knowledge with their clients even though they had little or no bicultural course content in their clinical training.  The data from the pilot programme, and the training needs analysis were used to refine the final workshop.  
The workshop was delivered to two university sites over a two-day period using intern clinical psychologist.  The programme evaluation had three components: (1) analysis of pre and post programme questionnaires; (2) analysis of the retrospective questionnaires (3) and an analysis of a participant’s case report on a Māori consumer. 
The themes that evolved from this research are that the critical incident technique is a useful way of identifying bicultural training material that would otherwise go unnoticed.  In relation to training evaluation, there is a real need to develop meaningful measures of bicultural competency acquisition for clinical students.  The finding advances the proposition that a distinct Māori psychology exists that could potentially challenge the relevance of Western psychology for Māori.  
A contextual theme underpinning bicultural training programmes is that training and practice occurs against the backdrop of Pākehā dominance in all aspects of academia and society. Consequently, there is a need to find a balance between Māori and Western psychological knowledge.  Future uses of this research will be in developing and evaluating bicultural training programmes, developing appropriate measures of cultural competency acquisition and assessing the potential for a distinct Māori psychology.

year: 2012