title: 'The way we do things around here': A consideration of processes by which mathematics Heads of Faculty develop effective culture within their departments

authors: Brassington, Lyn Maree

subjects: Organisational culture

abstract: There is a new era in education leadership.  While it is difficult to mark its exact beginning, it is clear that there is a movement away from mechanistic towards cultural education leadership.  It is characterised by an emerging understanding of more holistic leadership approaches focusing on mastering change instead of control, individual development rather than assurance, and innovation more than standards (Ehlers, 2009).  In essence it is the development of an organisational culture based on shared values, necessary competencies and new professionalism.

The importance of organisational culture is a long established idea; great business leaders have known of it for years.  The culture of an organisation is like its personality and an informal understanding of ‘the way we do things around here’.  It is a generalising and grouping together of the shared understandings of the way things are done, how people within it organise and interact.  Many school leaders spend considerable time building cohesive school cultures (Deal & Kennedy, 1983).  This study looks at the level of the Head of Faculty, (hence forth referred to as Head of Department as it is the most recognised term within the teaching field); specifically at how mathematics department leaders develop effective culture within their departments.  Heads of Department are in a position to build inspiring workplace cultures that will create an atmosphere of high-performance, innovation, collaboration, and opportunity.  

To provide a framework from which to view the research a comprehensive literature review of the concepts of organisational culture, subcultures developed through secondary school  departments and secondary school department leadership practices and processes was conducted.  Thereafter, a small-scale qualitative study was undertaken using a semi-structured interview process to gather data from five mathematics Heads of Department, focusing on their experiences related to organisational culture.  Themes that emerged from the data first centred on observable behaviour and artifacts which were initial department design, physical environment, leadership structure, and style.  The second set of themes looked at shared values, rules, and behavioural norms which were building a shared philosophy and vision; anxiety and conflict; and critical self-reflection.  The third set of themes covered basic underlying assumptions and they were communication, being centred on learners, and building a climate of trust.

text: 'The way we do things around here': A consideration of processes by which mathematics Heads of Faculty develop effective culture within their departments There is a new era in education leadership.  While it is difficult to mark its exact beginning, it is clear that there is a movement away from mechanistic towards cultural education leadership.  It is characterised by an emerging understanding of more holistic leadership approaches focusing on mastering change instead of control, individual development rather than assurance, and innovation more than standards (Ehlers, 2009).  In essence it is the development of an organisational culture based on shared values, necessary competencies and new professionalism.

The importance of organisational culture is a long established idea; great business leaders have known of it for years.  The culture of an organisation is like its personality and an informal understanding of ‘the way we do things around here’.  It is a generalising and grouping together of the shared understandings of the way things are done, how people within it organise and interact.  Many school leaders spend considerable time building cohesive school cultures (Deal & Kennedy, 1983).  This study looks at the level of the Head of Faculty, (hence forth referred to as Head of Department as it is the most recognised term within the teaching field); specifically at how mathematics department leaders develop effective culture within their departments.  Heads of Department are in a position to build inspiring workplace cultures that will create an atmosphere of high-performance, innovation, collaboration, and opportunity.  

To provide a framework from which to view the research a comprehensive literature review of the concepts of organisational culture, subcultures developed through secondary school  departments and secondary school department leadership practices and processes was conducted.  Thereafter, a small-scale qualitative study was undertaken using a semi-structured interview process to gather data from five mathematics Heads of Department, focusing on their experiences related to organisational culture.  Themes that emerged from the data first centred on observable behaviour and artifacts which were initial department design, physical environment, leadership structure, and style.  The second set of themes looked at shared values, rules, and behavioural norms which were building a shared philosophy and vision; anxiety and conflict; and critical self-reflection.  The third set of themes covered basic underlying assumptions and they were communication, being centred on learners, and building a climate of trust.

year: 2012

title: Models for computer generated parody

authors: Smith, Tony C.

subjects: Machine learning

abstract: This paper outlines two approaches to the construction of computer systems that generate prose in the style of a given author. The first involves using intuitive notions of stylistic trademarks to construct a grammar that characterizes a particular author in this case, Ernest Hemingway. The second uses statistical methods for inferring a grammar from samples of an author's work in this instance, Thomas Hardy. A brief outline of grammar induction principles is included as background material for the latter system. The relative merits of each approach are discussed, and text generated from the resulting grammars is assessed in terms of its parodic quality. Further to its esoteric interest, a discussion of parody generation as a useful technique for measuring the success of grammatical inferencing systems is included, along with suggestions for its practical application in areas of language modeling and text compression.

text: Models for computer generated parody This paper outlines two approaches to the construction of computer systems that generate prose in the style of a given author. The first involves using intuitive notions of stylistic trademarks to construct a grammar that characterizes a particular author in this case, Ernest Hemingway. The second uses statistical methods for inferring a grammar from samples of an author's work in this instance, Thomas Hardy. A brief outline of grammar induction principles is included as background material for the latter system. The relative merits of each approach are discussed, and text generated from the resulting grammars is assessed in terms of its parodic quality. Further to its esoteric interest, a discussion of parody generation as a useful technique for measuring the success of grammatical inferencing systems is included, along with suggestions for its practical application in areas of language modeling and text compression.

year: 1993

title: Editorial Introduction: The utility and futility of 'the nation' in histories of Aotearoa New Zealand.

authors: Coleborne, Catharine

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: An introduction is presented which discusses articles in the issue on New Zealand history, including one on interracial rape and sexual violence in the 1860s, one on postcolonial methodology and the historical concept of the British World, and one on Whanganui Māori claims to the Whanganui River.

text: Editorial Introduction: The utility and futility of 'the nation' in histories of Aotearoa New Zealand. An introduction is presented which discusses articles in the issue on New Zealand history, including one on interracial rape and sexual violence in the 1860s, one on postcolonial methodology and the historical concept of the British World, and one on Whanganui Māori claims to the Whanganui River.

year: 2011