Volume 2024 No. 4

Educational Technologies: Innovation or Conservation?

David Chen, Tel Aviv University

ABSTRACT

Can technology be the innovation that brings salvation or, in contrast, conserve or even empower the present educational enterprise? The present paper analyses the relationship between educational technologies and educational schooling.

In the beginning, both education and technology are redefined.  Technology is defined as the collective creative intelligence of mankind dedicated to solving existential problems and providing human needs. This definition draws on the Ellul Technique and Heidegger's extension of man’s definitions. Technology is in the hands of the inventors and users, and it can be constructed or destroyed accordingly. The education enterprise was configured during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century and, therefore, is based on mechanical principles.  The mechanical perception of learning is responsible for the current factory schooling education model. An alternative model of schooling appropriate for live learners is suggested and compared with the present model. The nature of the effect of technology depends on the choice between the two alternatives: The factory or the living learner model. Detailed accounts of the choices indicated that the present factory model was chosen for all aspects examined. The conclusion is embarrassing. At present, most of the impact of educational technology is by conservation, disguised as an innovation. First, a far-reaching transformation of the conceptual framework of the factory model is required, and technology should be redirected to enable real innovation.

Keywords: Educational technologies, Factory schooling. School for live humans, Innovation conservation.

The Gender Inclusiveness Perspective in River Flooding and Cultural Resilience: Governing a Social Equity in Borderland between Eastern and Western Timor Island, Indonesia-Timor Leste

Apolonia Diana Sherly da Costa, Guest Researcher (Research Professorship Stage) at Institute for Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Germany; Senior Lecturer (University-Teacher), Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This study’s objective was to understand and analyze how and to what extent a gender perspective is handled on research issues and governing social equity to strengthen and facilitate the strength of cultural resilience in dealing with flood disasters.  A conceptual study through a collective literature review and using the community’s risk perception and map in the Focus Group Discussion and Stakeholder Meetings were conducted to explore and review the trajectory understanding and governance of social equity.  The updated flood reports or projects related to social equity for recommending several international policies are sourced from the UN Woman Program Agenda 2015 to 2022's document: "Plan for Equal: Gender equality, social justice, sustainability, including in the wake of COVID-19", and territorial policies, river watershed, and society's response to flooding from UN-ISDR. The UN Woman project, UN-ISDR, showed a bright perspective of gender in its approach to disaster management. Based on the database search results, specific flood disasters and gender research and vice versa in Timor Island have not been found in any previous research, but it is argued by previous expert opinions with studies related to different territories. Reviewing the projected sustainability of developing adaptive and preventive solutions to flood disasters from a socio-political perspective, all UN documents dealing with gender inclusion are supported by their own planning program for gender equality and social equity in flood-prone areas in Asia Pacific. The similarities and differences that were analyzed with social equity have summarized the two sides and reciprocity of how global and local feminists viewed gender itself, revisiting its solution rather than its gap between gender equality and/or gender mainstreaming. Timorese culture represented a unique profile of Asia Pacific's flood management, cultural resilience, and social equity in terms of governing a sustainable inclusiveness solution in the borderland of Timor Island. 

 Keywords: gender inclusiveness, cultural resilience, social equity, risk perception, flood disaster

Developing a Professional Development Program in India for Mainstream Teachers to Cater to the Diverse Learning Needs of Students

Divya Dubey, PhD scholar, University of Northampton

ABSTRACT

This research study investigates the professional development needs of mainstream teachers in India, teaching in upper primary and secondary classes to cater to a class of diverse learners. The research was conducted in mainstream private, English medium schools in four metropolitan cities of India: Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata. A mixed methods and multi-step approach was used for data collection. Stage one utilized an online questionnaire (N=280), while stage two used focus group discussions with teachers and semi-structured interviews with the other key stakeholders: heads of schools, special educators, section heads, and counselors (8 focus groups and 16 interviews). The study explored several aspects of teacher training for inclusion, such as the challenges faced by teachers in catering to the needs of diverse learners, their professional development needs, perceptions of the efficacy of the methods currently used to meet their professional development needs, and suggestions about the content and features of an ideal professional development program (PDP). 

This paper reports on one aspect of this study- the framework of an exemplar PDP for inclusion. Suggestions for the content of an exemplar PDP comprised knowledge of diverse needs and identification, inclusive teaching practices, differentiated instruction, classroom management, lesson planning, and subject/age-specific training. The standard features mentioned by participants were that the PDP should be practical, regular, conducted at frequent intervals, have follow-ups, provide access to the resource person, and involve interaction with experts and other schools. The insights gained from the research will help define the framework of professional development programs for teachers, thereby influencing policy and practice. It is anticipated that teachers who are trained thus will be more effective in catering to the different aspects of a child’s education and also to the different types of learners, making them learners for life, the key tenets of quality education. 

Exploring Becoming Christian in Trinitarian Terms as Theosis

Tarin Christopher Griswold, University of Saint Andrews

ABSTRACT

The process of becoming a Christian is a holy mystery, which is multifaceted and multidimensional as it relates to the ineffable Holy Trinity. While humans are made in the image of God, they cannot fully ascertain God’s power and glory, which is fundamentally multidimensional and ontologically triune. Christian theology seeks to increase understanding. In this realm, Maximus, the Confessor of Byzantium, articulates theologia as an ineffable and transcendent connection with God. 2 In trinitarian terms, there is a single God with three fundamental natures as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The interrelationships between the one God in three parts seem paradoxical. That is because God’s multifaceted glory is beyond human comprehension.  

Fundamentally, becoming a Christian is a process that centrally relates to the Holy Trinity and is in alignment with God’s true nature. This process entails developing divine attributes that stem from a right relationship with God that is true to His nature. Such is the only way that knowledge and wisdom of the Christian God can be obtained, and this is what it means to become a Christian in trinitarian terms. 

I contend that becoming a Christian (as a noun) and becoming Christian (as an adjective) are interrelated yet fundamentally distinct phenomena. Becoming a Christian may be viewed as a specific event at a particular time and place, as with public declarations of faith, e.g., a holy baptism. Even so, do such declarations of faith indicate that a Christian has fully realized her Christianity? Certainly not. Rather, putting on Christ at baptism demonstrates that she has merely taken a first step in a lifelong process of sanctification and ever-growing closeness to God. 

Moreover, becoming Christian is a process of personal growth as one receives the gifts of Christ, is anointed by the Holy Spirit, and grows in virtue. This occurs simultaneously and even paradoxically amidst evil temptations as the Christian faces her own utterly depraved and fallen nature throughout her Christian life.

Thus, I argue that becoming Christian in trinitarian terms is a process best characterized by theosis (i.e., θέωσις in Greek), as understood in Christian Orthodoxy. Therefore, I explore becoming Christian in trinitarian terms as theosis. Theosis is a continuous process characterized by divinization as one grows closer to God, is glorified in Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. According to Finlan and Kharlamov: 

Deification was an important idea in the early church, though it took a long time for θέωσις (theosis) to emerge as the standard label for the process. The term was coined by the great fourth-century theologian Gregory of Nazianzus. Theologians now use theosis to designate all instances where any idea of taking on God’s character or being ‘divinized’ (made divine) occurs, even when the term θέωσις is not used.

Just as Jesus Christ has two natures, i.e., fully human and fully divine, so is the process of theosis characterized in duality: by redemption from the sinful nature and realizing one’s divine potential in the Holy Trinity through Christ. Divinization occurs in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. In other words, as the Christian grows in her Christianity, she will be redeemed and sanctified by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Such is an intimate process. God is a person, not a mechanism. Thus, becoming Christian as theosis involves a personal relationship with God as the Holy Trinity and is mediated through Christ.

Applying the Socio-cultural and Ecological Systems Theories to Inclusive Education in a Caribbean Context: Lessons Learnt

Kishi Anderson Leachman, Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg

ABSTRACT

The evolution and conceptualization of inclusive education policies and practices have

been dynamic in the global sphere. This qualitative case study aimed to explore inclusive education practices and experiences at a private school in the Caribbean by applying aspects of the socio-cultural and ecological systems theory. Data was collected from 27 stakeholders using interviews, focus group discussions, secondary data, and observation and analyzed using a thematic and narrative inductive approach. Findings show a significant cross-influence of the different systems on the learning of children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Emerging from the findings, the Contextual Systemic Inclusive-Education Model (CSIM) is proposed as a framework that schools can use to examine inclusive practices and experiences in their contexts where applicable. A key recommendation is for education systems to evaluate the context in which inclusive education occurs and explore the experiences of key stakeholders at the various levels who should work collaboratively and in synchrony to improve inclusive practices in schools. 

Keywords: inclusive education; special needs; educational assistant aides; private school; Jamaica.

Second language acquisition: A case Study of Mandarin Language and Chinese Culture Immersion

Lilliam Malavé, PhD Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo

ABSTRACT

This case study examined the extent to which participation in a Mandarin language and Chinese culture immersion program enabled the participants to increase their Mandarin language proficiency, acquire culture content knowledge, and influence their self-transformation. Descriptive qualitative and quantitative data were collected using the application form, reflective journals, content and language surveys, structured interviews, and language and culture tests. The findings indicated that: 1) Participants in the immersion program learned a new target language through language and culture content-based instruction and interactions. 2) Immersion in the target language and culture resulted in participants’ cultural content knowledge and understanding gains. 3) The program provided an opportunity for participants to engage in critical consciousness and identity construction. The study concluded that language and culture immersion is beneficial to participants. The study implies that study abroad experiences help students develop new worldviews, gain cross-cultural understanding, and expand their teaching. Future research studies will benefit from a larger sample of participants.

Keywords: language immersion, integrated language and content instruction, self-transformation, study abroad.

Blended Learning in Higher Education in the Era of Covid-19 and Implications for 4IR: The Case of a Selected State University in Zimbabwe

Salachi Naidoo, Vice Chancellor’s Office, Great Zimbabwe University

ABSTRACT

This chapter was based on a case study of a selected University in Zimbabwe. It was particularly concerned with modes of blended learning during the COVID-19 era and assessing if these modes were effective. The World health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency based on the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a national lockdown which compelled universities to blend their teaching instruction. Universities were no longer able to congregate students all at once; hence learning had to be sustained through online means when students were not physically on campus.  Although universities invested in ICTs, and insisted on blended learning to ensure that teaching and learning took place amidst COVID-19, they were beset with many challenges. This chapter covers the study period from March 2020 to April 2021. The study assumed a qualitative approach and case study design. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. The same was presented and analysed in a thematic approach. The findings of the study revealed that although learning did take place through blended learning, the effectiveness of learning through this mode was questionable as the quality of learning was compromised. The most widely used online learning modes which were blended with face-to-face interaction were Google Classroom, Zoom and WhatsApp.

Keywords: COVID-19, blended learning, online learning, higher education, quality

“The Journey, Not the Arrival”: A Phenomenological Exploration of Educator Travel

Vicki S. Sherbert, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Kansas State University 

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the phenomenon of educator travel through the lenses of sociocultural and place attachment theories. I begin this exploration with the practice of epoche, examining the history of my own professional travel experiences and my position as an educator traveler. I then consider both challenges and transformations educators may experience through the sociocultural aspects of identity, agency, and power. I also consider attachments to place that may be established or reconfigured before, during, and after the journey. This paper is a precursor for future phenomenological research through which I will consider educators’ stories of challenge and transformation and their use of place