This commentary reflects on the contributions to learning analytics and theory by a paper that describes how multiple theoretical frameworks were woven together to inform the creation of a new, automated discourse analysis tool. The commentary highlights the contributions of the original paper, provides some alternative approaches, and touches on…

In this article, we critique two recent theoretical developments about collaborative inquiry in evaluation--using logic models as a means to understand theory, and efforts to compartmentalize versions of collaborative inquiry into discrete genres--as a basis for considering future direction for the field. We argue that collaborative inquiry in…

In this commentary the author identifies her estimation of the most salient points of Hanna's (2011) seminal article. While in agreement that movement toward a unified model is timely, the author suggests alternative conceptualizations to the freedom paradigm, such as Wilber's (1995, 1996) Integral Model, for disciplinary unification. (Contains 2…

The author develops the basic idea of evaluation policy, describes a practical model for development and revision of evaluation policies (including a taxonomy, structure, and set of principles), and suggests critical challenges and opportunities for the future of evaluation policy. An evaluation policy is any rule or principle that a group or…

The imposition of the audit culture on schooling has severely limited teachers' freedom and dignity, exacerbating traditions of teacher education and employment that are infantilizing. If teachers are to participate in the politics that determine curriculum and pedagogy, education programs must provide differentiated credentials that welcome…

This article presents the author's response to Randy Garrison's article titled, "Implications of Online and Blended Learning for the Conceptual Development and Practice of Distance Education." Garrison's article seems to have missed many important developments relating to distance education and obscures the evolution of distance…

It is well documented that the application of business models to the higher education sector has precipitated a managerialistic approach to organisational structures (Preston, 2001). Less well documented is the impact of this business ideal on the student-teacher encounter. It is argued that this age-old relation is now being configured…

Seeks to make explicit the essential features of an engagement model based on the separate engagement experiences of four colleagues--a sociologist, rural developer, teacher educator, and community psychologist. Shares and discusses what engagement means to them, then shares interpretations of the conceptual, philosophical, and normative…

Knowles' foundational principles of adult learning in making presentations are that (1) the audience should be active participants in a process of inquiry and (2) the process should build on the background, needs, interests, problems, and concerns of the audience. (SK)

There is conflicting empirical evidence regarding the learning potential of the workplace. Some studies conclude that workplaces should be seen as strong learning environments, whereas others show evidence of the ineffectiveness of the workplace as a learning environment. In this article, we argue that this disagreement might be caused by…

Notes that primary grade teachers attempting to implement developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in their classrooms must contend with the competing professional models of early childhood education and elementary schooling. Describes the practices of one primary grade teacher, which, despite problems of interpretation, inconsistency, and only…

Analyzes the nature of sustainable development and the role that environmental education can play in a transformation toward a sustainable society. Discusses three rules for teaching environmental education: a child-centered education, objectivity on matters of values, and creation of environmentally responsible behavior. Provides a checklist of…

Teachers and students who are ethnographers and who study the artifacts and "visual sign making" of their own culture will learn to value and understand the arts, as well as to produce art that matters. (Author)

A discussion of the importance of skeptical probing in educational administration considers fundmental philosophical concerns, issues in inquiry, several theoretical frameworks, sociology of knowledge perspectives, and implications for educational administration programs. Philosophy suggests the best source of knowledge in a field as diverse as…

This article compares two educational approaches, intensive-explicit instruction and constructivist instruction, considering how both can affect instruction for students with disabilities. It concludes by urging the integration of these two approaches, possibly by using models focused on the transformation of explicit knowledge into tacit…