title: “O, she’s warm!”: The taking of hands … and bears … and time’s … in The Winter’s Tale

authors: Forbes, Malcolm Alexander

subjects: Shakespeare

abstract: Shakespeare wrote words and plays. Words might well be considered to be the ‘life blood’ of a play. But plays are more than words. Plays have characters, movement, costumes and props. Words inhabit and animate, give rhyme and reason to an actor being on a stage, performing for an audience. But between the words, the play still exists. This thesis is an exploration of those ‘moments’ that are played out in silence and are watched rather than heard. To tell the story of The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare was faced with some specific problems. There are essentially two tales to be told in the space of one play. The first requires for an all consuming jealousy to be played out. He solved this with a simple and understandable wordless action. Then to conclude this first tragic section, the story demanded that a helpless baby be abandoned - lost. Here he used an old trick in a new and surprising way, to be played quickly and, with his unerring sense of staging, for a laugh. The second tale then had to begin, and the baby had to become a woman. For this he used a convention - unconventionally. Finally, at the end of the play, he decided to change the story. To conclude his tale, the tale he was telling, with an image of redemption, reconciliation and hope. Of all the moments, this is the one that is the quietest, slowest and most beautifully painted. This thesis is an exploration of those moments. A discussion about how Shakespeare, who has probably added more words into the lexicon that any other person, was also essentially a visual artist. That he ‘drew and painted and sculpted’ - creating stage pictures.

text: “O, she’s warm!”: The taking of hands … and bears … and time’s … in The Winter’s Tale Shakespeare wrote words and plays. Words might well be considered to be the ‘life blood’ of a play. But plays are more than words. Plays have characters, movement, costumes and props. Words inhabit and animate, give rhyme and reason to an actor being on a stage, performing for an audience. But between the words, the play still exists. This thesis is an exploration of those ‘moments’ that are played out in silence and are watched rather than heard. To tell the story of The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare was faced with some specific problems. There are essentially two tales to be told in the space of one play. The first requires for an all consuming jealousy to be played out. He solved this with a simple and understandable wordless action. Then to conclude this first tragic section, the story demanded that a helpless baby be abandoned - lost. Here he used an old trick in a new and surprising way, to be played quickly and, with his unerring sense of staging, for a laugh. The second tale then had to begin, and the baby had to become a woman. For this he used a convention - unconventionally. Finally, at the end of the play, he decided to change the story. To conclude his tale, the tale he was telling, with an image of redemption, reconciliation and hope. Of all the moments, this is the one that is the quietest, slowest and most beautifully painted. This thesis is an exploration of those moments. A discussion about how Shakespeare, who has probably added more words into the lexicon that any other person, was also essentially a visual artist. That he ‘drew and painted and sculpted’ - creating stage pictures.

year: 2011

title: Inclusive education for children with disabilities in Fiji: Teacher perspectives and attitudes

authors: Daveta, Mereoni Laveti

subjects: inclusive education

abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine teacher perspectives and
attitudes on inclusive education for children with disabilities in Fiji. Teachers'
perspectives and attitudes are crucial in providing insights that could
help improve education and services for children with disabilities in regular
schools in Fiji.
A qualitative approach using semi structured interviews was selected as
the methodology for this research. Nine teachers from nine different
schools in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, participated in this research. The
nine participants were selected from three different school settings. Three
of the participants were from special schools, three were from primary
schools and three were from secondary schools.
Data collected showed that teachers support inclusive education, however,
they had reservations on the inclusion of students with severe disabilities.
Several factors were identified to influence teachers' attitudes towards inclusion.
The most common factors were severity of disability that the students
had, inadequate training of teachers on teaching students with disabilities,
inadequate government funding, lack of specialised resource personnel
and lack of appropriate equipment and resources to support students
and teachers in the teaching learning process. Limited commitment
from the Ministry of Education and limited participation and consultation of
teachers on policy and curriculum design were also identified as contributing
factors for non inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools.
Teachers need to change their perspectives and attitudes and schools
need to be welcoming and prepared to accept all students with disabilities
into the general education system in Fiji.

text: Inclusive education for children with disabilities in Fiji: Teacher perspectives and attitudes The purpose of this research was to examine teacher perspectives and
attitudes on inclusive education for children with disabilities in Fiji. Teachers'
perspectives and attitudes are crucial in providing insights that could
help improve education and services for children with disabilities in regular
schools in Fiji.
A qualitative approach using semi structured interviews was selected as
the methodology for this research. Nine teachers from nine different
schools in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, participated in this research. The
nine participants were selected from three different school settings. Three
of the participants were from special schools, three were from primary
schools and three were from secondary schools.
Data collected showed that teachers support inclusive education, however,
they had reservations on the inclusion of students with severe disabilities.
Several factors were identified to influence teachers' attitudes towards inclusion.
The most common factors were severity of disability that the students
had, inadequate training of teachers on teaching students with disabilities,
inadequate government funding, lack of specialised resource personnel
and lack of appropriate equipment and resources to support students
and teachers in the teaching learning process. Limited commitment
from the Ministry of Education and limited participation and consultation of
teachers on policy and curriculum design were also identified as contributing
factors for non inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools.
Teachers need to change their perspectives and attitudes and schools
need to be welcoming and prepared to accept all students with disabilities
into the general education system in Fiji.

year: 2009

title: Early childhood teachers partnering with teacher educators to connect children to taiao (the natural world) through place-based learning

authors: Postlewaight, Gillian

abstract: Initial cycles of an action research project brought together local early childhood (ECE) teachers, and tertiary ECE teacher educators, to explore possible uses of the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC), adjoining the campus at Hawke’s Bay’s Te Aho a Maui Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Napier, New Zealand. EIT is situated below Ōtātara Pa, a historic site that holds cultural and historical significance for local Māori, specifically Ngati Pārau Hapū and Ngati Kahungunu Iwi. Education in New Zealand is underpinned by commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), ensuring that the principles; partnership, participation and protection of kaupapa Māori are supported through bicultural curricula. Māori holistic perspectives strengthen this focus and shifting understanding that place-based learning authenticates environmental approaches to education and cultural knowledge. During the first meeting, participants walked the hillside site and shared group discussions. From these conversations, the teachers identified three main themes: establishing connections between children and the physical place, new opportunities for teacher learning and challenges to implementing spontaneous teaching and learning in this unique environment. Future cycles of the research will focus on workshops for teachers to address these themes for teachers’ working with children in the space.

text: Early childhood teachers partnering with teacher educators to connect children to taiao (the natural world) through place-based learning Initial cycles of an action research project brought together local early childhood (ECE) teachers, and tertiary ECE teacher educators, to explore possible uses of the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC), adjoining the campus at Hawke’s Bay’s Te Aho a Maui Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Napier, New Zealand. EIT is situated below Ōtātara Pa, a historic site that holds cultural and historical significance for local Māori, specifically Ngati Pārau Hapū and Ngati Kahungunu Iwi. Education in New Zealand is underpinned by commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), ensuring that the principles; partnership, participation and protection of kaupapa Māori are supported through bicultural curricula. Māori holistic perspectives strengthen this focus and shifting understanding that place-based learning authenticates environmental approaches to education and cultural knowledge. During the first meeting, participants walked the hillside site and shared group discussions. From these conversations, the teachers identified three main themes: establishing connections between children and the physical place, new opportunities for teacher learning and challenges to implementing spontaneous teaching and learning in this unique environment. Future cycles of the research will focus on workshops for teachers to address these themes for teachers’ working with children in the space.

year: 2023-04-27