Review of: Students writing in the university: cultural and epistemological issues, edited by Car... more Review of: Students writing in the university: cultural and epistemological issues, edited by Carys Jones, Joan Turner, Brian Street. Amsterdam: John Benjamins,1999. xxiv, 231p. ISBN: 9789027218018.
The Indian secondary education system has, since independence in 1947, strived to transform in te... more The Indian secondary education system has, since independence in 1947, strived to transform in terms of policy but failed to transcend in practice the challenges presented by the colonial legacy it inherited. This study draws on Hodgson and Spours (2006) analytical policy framework to critically examine three key Indian secondary education policy initiatives: the Mudaliar Commission Report (1952-1953); the Kothari Commission Report (1964 -1966); and the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017). The objectives of this study are to develop an insight into how three policy constructions of knowledge and intervention endeavor to: 1) impact access, governance, pedagogical approaches, curriculum reform and; 2) deepen an understanding of how this interplays with the challenges of inclusivity, equality, quality, equity, achievement and progression in Indian secondary education provision.
Introduction: Learners in ESOL classes, particularly community-based classes, have heterogeneous ... more Introduction: Learners in ESOL classes, particularly community-based classes, have heterogeneous past educational experiences, needs, (language) skills, and perspectives on learning. Heterogeneity is commonly viewed as something “brought along” to the ESOL classroom by learners (e.g. DfEE, 2000, 26) and appropriate classroom responses to this diversity are described in general terms (e.g. DfEE, 2001, 5). In this case study we will focus on how heterogeneity is produced within classroom practices by learners and teachers. We will look in detail at particular features of interaction and pedagogic practices, asking two main questions: �How does heterogeneity show itself within classroom interaction? How do teachers and learners manage classroom interaction so that learning can take place which is useful for all participants? This is a case study of two London community-based classes: Green Dale (not its real name), located in a London Primary School, and TRAG, which takes place in a Ta...
The Lancet Commission (2010) review of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for gender equality ... more The Lancet Commission (2010) review of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for gender equality and empowerment problematised, amongst other aspects, gaps in the international and national prioritisation of concerns regarding reproductive health rights and violence against women. Matters of equity and ownership consistently emerge as significant challenges in applying a rights-based approach, to issues of justice for women (Kabeer 2003, Heyzer 2005) through education (Unterhalter 2010). According to Sen (2001) gender-based mortality inequalities are a global reality- especially in Asia and North Africa. This paper draws on ethnographic research with different dais (traditional midwives) practicing and resisting female infanticide in two villages in Bihar, India. Through ethnographic vignettes the paper explores ways in which gender-based mortality inequalities are intertwined with socio-economic and cultural relations, within the institution of family and in wider society, creating...
Truth can only be a surface. But the blushing movement of that truth which is not suspended in qu... more Truth can only be a surface. But the blushing movement of that truth which is not suspended in quotation marks casts a modest veil over such a surface. And only through such a veil which thus falls over it could ‘truth’ become truth, profound, indecent, desirable. But should that veil be suspended, or even fall a bit differently, there would no longer be any truth, only ‘truth’ -written in quotation marks. (Derrida 1997:59) This paper considers intercultural learning for teacher educators (see for example Collard and Wang 2005) a basis for enhancing teaching practice in a British government teacher education programme for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Through ethnographic vignettes I (re)present the multicultural practices and multilingual identities of first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ as forms of (un)validated knowledge -within the context of the ESOL teacher education programme. I (re)claim ‘truth’ by examining how intersectionality in terms of et...
This chapter provides a critical analysis of Indian higher education within the context of develo... more This chapter provides a critical analysis of Indian higher education within the context of developing inclusivity, implementing reform agendas, and responding effectively to requirements for transformation under current conditions of globalisation. A brief overview examines Indian higher education in terms of: structure; social exclusion; employability and changes in the regulatory system and quality management. The experience of Indian students and international students in India is described through a few succinct case studies. Following this, the experience of Indian students studying abroad is briefly considered. This chapter concludes with a reflective analytical summary of key areas for further deliberation and research.
This paper aims to explore the circumstances under which adult education programmes with dais (lo... more This paper aims to explore the circumstances under which adult education programmes with dais (local community midwives) may be empowering in terms of capacity building, and to understand some of their perceptions on whether literacy learning can create a difference.
Located in an Indian government secondary school in Gurgaon district, Haryana, northern India, th... more Located in an Indian government secondary school in Gurgaon district, Haryana, northern India, this pilot case-study with teachers explores their perceptions and shared insights on their participation in school decision-making processes and practices. Drawing on two semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion, the findings of this research suggest that a process of equitable education without critical thinking, critical pedagogy and distributed leadership, based on democratic values, may not achieve equality and equity in opportunity and facilitate socio-economic mobility through education.
Learning Activity Management System Version 2.3 (LAMS V2.3) is a learning design resource for man... more Learning Activity Management System Version 2.3 (LAMS V2.3) is a learning design resource for managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. LAMS V2.3 is currently being used to teach in 80 countries and has been translated into 28 languages. According to Dalziel (2003) learning design has the potential to revolutionise e-learning by capturing the process of education, rather than simply content. Through the lens of multimodal theory, as a framework for analysis (see Jewitt 2006), this paper interrogates what real difference learning design resources can make for learning on an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher education course in the UK. This paper draws on data produced through a pilot project with 16 ESOL teacher education course participants. Data was collected through documenting online tasks, discussions and feedback as well as through a structured questionnaire for evaluation. Through an analysis of the experience of learners and the course tutor this paper examines whether LAMS can: 1) Support the contextualised development and integration of ILT(Information Learning Technology) in ESOL teacher education programmes 2) Support active and reflective online learning practice 3) Encourage reflective thinking and support differentiated, self paced and collaborative online teaching/ learning practice. The key findings of this paper suggests that LAMS offers different ‘filters’ for critical engagement with learning which interplay with means of representation and communication. The potential to reconfigure teacher/learner subjectivity and agency through ‘learner autonomy’ depends on how teachers/learners (dis)engage with the ways in which they are positioned and position themselves in terms of pedagogic roles and the (de)construction of knowledge.
This paper is located in Hockings et al (2010) conceptualisation of widening participation in hig... more This paper is located in Hockings et al (2010) conceptualisation of widening participation in higher education as inclusive learning and teaching practice that embraces diversity as an enriching resource. Through ethnographic vignettes this paper explores the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant course participants as forms of (un)validated knowledge on a British postgraduate teacher education programme. The study examines how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities. I apply Bartlett’s explanation of identity formation as “an ongoing social process of self making in conjunction with others through interaction” (2007:53) to develop my analysis of the construction of learning identities rooted in Hockings et al (2010) definition of widening participation. This study is responsive to three key questions centred on the experiences of heterogeneous course participants: 1. How is their learning trajectory impacted on by issues of power and representation? 2. What type of challenges related to voice, visibility and agency are encountered through officially validated conceptualisations of competency and professional identity? 3.What are the implications for developing inclusive intercultural teacher education practice? This research provides insights into a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning in order to engage with (un)validated knowledge and ‘other’ socio-cultural realities that create an account not possessing a ‘knowing’ of diverse, polyvocal, situated, gendered course participants but rather miming the route of how they could not be ‘known’ without their voice (Spivak 1999).
This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Ot... more This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher 'trainees', on officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within an ESOL teacher education programme. Drawing on the work of Street and Lea (1999;2000
"democratic hegemony is what reveals the nature of hegemony as such; and it is only with democrat... more "democratic hegemony is what reveals the nature of hegemony as such; and it is only with democratic hegemony that the full extent of the hegemonic relation can be historically recognised".
This paper analyses officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and iden... more This paper analyses officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within a postgraduate ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher education programme. Through ethnographic vignettes this paper explores the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant course participants as forms of (un)validated knowledge. The study examines how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities (see Bartlett 2007; Street 2009). This research provides insights into how a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning may encourage a more active engagement with the (un)validated knowledge and socio-cultural realities of minority groups of learners ( e.g. Hall 1990; Gudykunst 2005; Holliday 2010). Drawing on a twelve month ethnographic style study, this paper considers ‘other’ glocal realities (Featherstone 1995) which form a part of the subjective processes through which diverse polyvocal situated gendered first generation migrant course participants understand, use and create knowledge to write themselves into multilayered representations within and beyond the course. This study is responsive to three key questions centred on the experiences of heterogeneous course participants: How is the learning trajectory of first generation migrant course participants impacted on by issues of power and representation? What type of challenges related to voice, visibility and agency are encountered through officially validated conceptualisations of competency and professional identity? What are the implications for developing inclusive intercultural teacher education practice?
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2014
Reflecting some of the perspectives of Robinson-Pant and Nabi, that women’s learning should be de... more Reflecting some of the perspectives of Robinson-Pant and Nabi, that women’s learning should be developmental and part of more holistic policies, Chopra focuses on the expressed learning interests of traditional midwives. She explores how a rights-based and social transformation approach to literacy learning could result in an impact on female feticide and infanticide.
Review of: Students writing in the university: cultural and epistemological issues, edited by Car... more Review of: Students writing in the university: cultural and epistemological issues, edited by Carys Jones, Joan Turner, Brian Street. Amsterdam: John Benjamins,1999. xxiv, 231p. ISBN: 9789027218018.
The Indian secondary education system has, since independence in 1947, strived to transform in te... more The Indian secondary education system has, since independence in 1947, strived to transform in terms of policy but failed to transcend in practice the challenges presented by the colonial legacy it inherited. This study draws on Hodgson and Spours (2006) analytical policy framework to critically examine three key Indian secondary education policy initiatives: the Mudaliar Commission Report (1952-1953); the Kothari Commission Report (1964 -1966); and the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017). The objectives of this study are to develop an insight into how three policy constructions of knowledge and intervention endeavor to: 1) impact access, governance, pedagogical approaches, curriculum reform and; 2) deepen an understanding of how this interplays with the challenges of inclusivity, equality, quality, equity, achievement and progression in Indian secondary education provision.
Introduction: Learners in ESOL classes, particularly community-based classes, have heterogeneous ... more Introduction: Learners in ESOL classes, particularly community-based classes, have heterogeneous past educational experiences, needs, (language) skills, and perspectives on learning. Heterogeneity is commonly viewed as something “brought along” to the ESOL classroom by learners (e.g. DfEE, 2000, 26) and appropriate classroom responses to this diversity are described in general terms (e.g. DfEE, 2001, 5). In this case study we will focus on how heterogeneity is produced within classroom practices by learners and teachers. We will look in detail at particular features of interaction and pedagogic practices, asking two main questions: �How does heterogeneity show itself within classroom interaction? How do teachers and learners manage classroom interaction so that learning can take place which is useful for all participants? This is a case study of two London community-based classes: Green Dale (not its real name), located in a London Primary School, and TRAG, which takes place in a Ta...
The Lancet Commission (2010) review of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for gender equality ... more The Lancet Commission (2010) review of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for gender equality and empowerment problematised, amongst other aspects, gaps in the international and national prioritisation of concerns regarding reproductive health rights and violence against women. Matters of equity and ownership consistently emerge as significant challenges in applying a rights-based approach, to issues of justice for women (Kabeer 2003, Heyzer 2005) through education (Unterhalter 2010). According to Sen (2001) gender-based mortality inequalities are a global reality- especially in Asia and North Africa. This paper draws on ethnographic research with different dais (traditional midwives) practicing and resisting female infanticide in two villages in Bihar, India. Through ethnographic vignettes the paper explores ways in which gender-based mortality inequalities are intertwined with socio-economic and cultural relations, within the institution of family and in wider society, creating...
Truth can only be a surface. But the blushing movement of that truth which is not suspended in qu... more Truth can only be a surface. But the blushing movement of that truth which is not suspended in quotation marks casts a modest veil over such a surface. And only through such a veil which thus falls over it could ‘truth’ become truth, profound, indecent, desirable. But should that veil be suspended, or even fall a bit differently, there would no longer be any truth, only ‘truth’ -written in quotation marks. (Derrida 1997:59) This paper considers intercultural learning for teacher educators (see for example Collard and Wang 2005) a basis for enhancing teaching practice in a British government teacher education programme for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Through ethnographic vignettes I (re)present the multicultural practices and multilingual identities of first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ as forms of (un)validated knowledge -within the context of the ESOL teacher education programme. I (re)claim ‘truth’ by examining how intersectionality in terms of et...
This chapter provides a critical analysis of Indian higher education within the context of develo... more This chapter provides a critical analysis of Indian higher education within the context of developing inclusivity, implementing reform agendas, and responding effectively to requirements for transformation under current conditions of globalisation. A brief overview examines Indian higher education in terms of: structure; social exclusion; employability and changes in the regulatory system and quality management. The experience of Indian students and international students in India is described through a few succinct case studies. Following this, the experience of Indian students studying abroad is briefly considered. This chapter concludes with a reflective analytical summary of key areas for further deliberation and research.
This paper aims to explore the circumstances under which adult education programmes with dais (lo... more This paper aims to explore the circumstances under which adult education programmes with dais (local community midwives) may be empowering in terms of capacity building, and to understand some of their perceptions on whether literacy learning can create a difference.
Located in an Indian government secondary school in Gurgaon district, Haryana, northern India, th... more Located in an Indian government secondary school in Gurgaon district, Haryana, northern India, this pilot case-study with teachers explores their perceptions and shared insights on their participation in school decision-making processes and practices. Drawing on two semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion, the findings of this research suggest that a process of equitable education without critical thinking, critical pedagogy and distributed leadership, based on democratic values, may not achieve equality and equity in opportunity and facilitate socio-economic mobility through education.
Learning Activity Management System Version 2.3 (LAMS V2.3) is a learning design resource for man... more Learning Activity Management System Version 2.3 (LAMS V2.3) is a learning design resource for managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. LAMS V2.3 is currently being used to teach in 80 countries and has been translated into 28 languages. According to Dalziel (2003) learning design has the potential to revolutionise e-learning by capturing the process of education, rather than simply content. Through the lens of multimodal theory, as a framework for analysis (see Jewitt 2006), this paper interrogates what real difference learning design resources can make for learning on an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher education course in the UK. This paper draws on data produced through a pilot project with 16 ESOL teacher education course participants. Data was collected through documenting online tasks, discussions and feedback as well as through a structured questionnaire for evaluation. Through an analysis of the experience of learners and the course tutor this paper examines whether LAMS can: 1) Support the contextualised development and integration of ILT(Information Learning Technology) in ESOL teacher education programmes 2) Support active and reflective online learning practice 3) Encourage reflective thinking and support differentiated, self paced and collaborative online teaching/ learning practice. The key findings of this paper suggests that LAMS offers different ‘filters’ for critical engagement with learning which interplay with means of representation and communication. The potential to reconfigure teacher/learner subjectivity and agency through ‘learner autonomy’ depends on how teachers/learners (dis)engage with the ways in which they are positioned and position themselves in terms of pedagogic roles and the (de)construction of knowledge.
This paper is located in Hockings et al (2010) conceptualisation of widening participation in hig... more This paper is located in Hockings et al (2010) conceptualisation of widening participation in higher education as inclusive learning and teaching practice that embraces diversity as an enriching resource. Through ethnographic vignettes this paper explores the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant course participants as forms of (un)validated knowledge on a British postgraduate teacher education programme. The study examines how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities. I apply Bartlett’s explanation of identity formation as “an ongoing social process of self making in conjunction with others through interaction” (2007:53) to develop my analysis of the construction of learning identities rooted in Hockings et al (2010) definition of widening participation. This study is responsive to three key questions centred on the experiences of heterogeneous course participants: 1. How is their learning trajectory impacted on by issues of power and representation? 2. What type of challenges related to voice, visibility and agency are encountered through officially validated conceptualisations of competency and professional identity? 3.What are the implications for developing inclusive intercultural teacher education practice? This research provides insights into a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning in order to engage with (un)validated knowledge and ‘other’ socio-cultural realities that create an account not possessing a ‘knowing’ of diverse, polyvocal, situated, gendered course participants but rather miming the route of how they could not be ‘known’ without their voice (Spivak 1999).
This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Ot... more This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher 'trainees', on officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within an ESOL teacher education programme. Drawing on the work of Street and Lea (1999;2000
"democratic hegemony is what reveals the nature of hegemony as such; and it is only with democrat... more "democratic hegemony is what reveals the nature of hegemony as such; and it is only with democratic hegemony that the full extent of the hegemonic relation can be historically recognised".
This paper analyses officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and iden... more This paper analyses officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within a postgraduate ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher education programme. Through ethnographic vignettes this paper explores the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant course participants as forms of (un)validated knowledge. The study examines how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities (see Bartlett 2007; Street 2009). This research provides insights into how a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning may encourage a more active engagement with the (un)validated knowledge and socio-cultural realities of minority groups of learners ( e.g. Hall 1990; Gudykunst 2005; Holliday 2010). Drawing on a twelve month ethnographic style study, this paper considers ‘other’ glocal realities (Featherstone 1995) which form a part of the subjective processes through which diverse polyvocal situated gendered first generation migrant course participants understand, use and create knowledge to write themselves into multilayered representations within and beyond the course. This study is responsive to three key questions centred on the experiences of heterogeneous course participants: How is the learning trajectory of first generation migrant course participants impacted on by issues of power and representation? What type of challenges related to voice, visibility and agency are encountered through officially validated conceptualisations of competency and professional identity? What are the implications for developing inclusive intercultural teacher education practice?
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2014
Reflecting some of the perspectives of Robinson-Pant and Nabi, that women’s learning should be de... more Reflecting some of the perspectives of Robinson-Pant and Nabi, that women’s learning should be developmental and part of more holistic policies, Chopra focuses on the expressed learning interests of traditional midwives. She explores how a rights-based and social transformation approach to literacy learning could result in an impact on female feticide and infanticide.
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