title: Learning as a shared social endeavour

authors: Fraser, Deborah

abstract: Despite the legacy of progressive education, current trends in western schooling favour an emphasis on individual achievement and external standards. Much of what happens in primary classrooms is embedded in social contexts yet education policy is increasingly reflecting an emphasis on learning as a highly individual enterprise. This paper discusses a project which highlights Dewey’s emphasis on learning as a shared social endeavour in which children are partners with teachers and peers in shared activities and goals. Two vignettes from the project are drawn from data collected during the project. These vignettes show that when the social context is valued the arts manifest multiple opportunities for children to be active participants and learners. There are however, constraints and issues that require consideration and these are outlined. Nonetheless, we argue that learning as a social endeavour in the arts affords children agency and is timely a reminder of Dewey’s message.

text: Learning as a shared social endeavour Despite the legacy of progressive education, current trends in western schooling favour an emphasis on individual achievement and external standards. Much of what happens in primary classrooms is embedded in social contexts yet education policy is increasingly reflecting an emphasis on learning as a highly individual enterprise. This paper discusses a project which highlights Dewey’s emphasis on learning as a shared social endeavour in which children are partners with teachers and peers in shared activities and goals. Two vignettes from the project are drawn from data collected during the project. These vignettes show that when the social context is valued the arts manifest multiple opportunities for children to be active participants and learners. There are however, constraints and issues that require consideration and these are outlined. Nonetheless, we argue that learning as a social endeavour in the arts affords children agency and is timely a reminder of Dewey’s message.

year: 2011

title: Do internet search engines support children's search query construction: a visual analysis

authors: Vanderschantz, Nicholas

subjects: computer science

abstract: From previous studies into children's internet search practice, we gained insight into the taught strategies, children's behaviour and common errors while searching. This paper analyses the visual structure of commonly-used internet search engines (ISE) to explore how their interface and interaction design may influence the search practices of children. Common features of ISEs are identified and the effects of typical children's query construction on the visual presentation of information are reported. We use our observations to provide guidelines for the design and development of ISEs for children.

text: Do internet search engines support children's search query construction: a visual analysis From previous studies into children's internet search practice, we gained insight into the taught strategies, children's behaviour and common errors while searching. This paper analyses the visual structure of commonly-used internet search engines (ISE) to explore how their interface and interaction design may influence the search practices of children. Common features of ISEs are identified and the effects of typical children's query construction on the visual presentation of information are reported. We use our observations to provide guidelines for the design and development of ISEs for children.

year: 2017

title: Beyond structuralism: Exploring a semantic based approach for describing the Māori language in grammar books and textbooks for pedagogical purposes

authors: Taiapa, Michael William

subjects: Māori

abstract: Since the 1950s, the advancements and developments in English language studies has had a profound impact on its description that has made it less syntactically driven and more communicatively oriented. This has the potential to influence language description moving it from a purely structurally focused orientation to a more semantically focused one that could influence pedagogic outcomes in more meaningful and useful ways. Nevertheless, in the case of the Māori language, its description has largely focused on structure linguistics that was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There has been very little focus on a semantic description and this, in turn, is reflected in grammar books and textbooks on te reo. This thesis set out to explore a semantic approach to describe te reo and to rethink how this type of description may be realized and included in the design of grammar books and textbooks for the teaching and learning of te reo in the broader field of second language pedagogy and acquisition. The thesis also includes a practical component in which a small sample of Māori language teachers were interviewed to determine how linguistic and/ or semantic approaches to describe te reo may have or have impacted on their own beliefs, attitudes, and teaching practices (See, Chapter 7). Thus, it is argued here that research-based studies, advancements, and developments in language descriptions over the past five decades (See, for example, Council of Europe, 1949; Fillmore, 1967; Longacre, 1968; & Crombie, 1985b) should play central roles in the design of a semantic based description of the Māori language from which a linguistic based description can significantly benefit.

text: Beyond structuralism: Exploring a semantic based approach for describing the Māori language in grammar books and textbooks for pedagogical purposes Since the 1950s, the advancements and developments in English language studies has had a profound impact on its description that has made it less syntactically driven and more communicatively oriented. This has the potential to influence language description moving it from a purely structurally focused orientation to a more semantically focused one that could influence pedagogic outcomes in more meaningful and useful ways. Nevertheless, in the case of the Māori language, its description has largely focused on structure linguistics that was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There has been very little focus on a semantic description and this, in turn, is reflected in grammar books and textbooks on te reo. This thesis set out to explore a semantic approach to describe te reo and to rethink how this type of description may be realized and included in the design of grammar books and textbooks for the teaching and learning of te reo in the broader field of second language pedagogy and acquisition. The thesis also includes a practical component in which a small sample of Māori language teachers were interviewed to determine how linguistic and/ or semantic approaches to describe te reo may have or have impacted on their own beliefs, attitudes, and teaching practices (See, Chapter 7). Thus, it is argued here that research-based studies, advancements, and developments in language descriptions over the past five decades (See, for example, Council of Europe, 1949; Fillmore, 1967; Longacre, 1968; & Crombie, 1985b) should play central roles in the design of a semantic based description of the Māori language from which a linguistic based description can significantly benefit.

year: 2023