Shaaron Ainsworth to Lead EWC’s Professionally Speaking 2024 event

There is still time to register to hear Shaaron give the EWC annual keynote address on Wednesday. She will be "unlocking the mysteries of learning" at 4pm online and you can register here https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/education-workforce-council/professionally-speaking-2024-unlocking-the-mysteries-of-learning/e-kdamqz The EWC are the independent, professional regulator for the education workforce in Wales, covering teachers and learning support staff in school and further education settings, youth/youth support workers, and work-based learning practitioners. ...
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Peter Woods: New publications on educational practices of experimental music scenes

Furthering his research into the educational practices of experimental music scenes, LSRI member Peter Woods recently had two new papers published that examine this informal learning context through a critical lens. In The Pedagogy of Gear Touchers, Woods argues that aspiring musicians in do-it-yourself (DIY) music venues use the lack of an audience/artist barrier to talk about music technology with performers. However, these conversations amplify the overtly masculine framing of technology in society at large and further marginalize women, trans, and non-binary participants in these scenes. Woods therefore raises questions about the kinds of informal pedagogies that surround technology outside of schools (i.e., the constructionist approach to learning found in maker spaces). You can find the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681231190498 And in Conceptualizing Anti-Racist Pedagogies Within Experimental Music's Community of Practice, Woods presents new findings drawn from an experimental music venue's recent DEI initiative focused on addressing issues of white supremacy within their organization. In exploring how the board of this venue conceptualized their efforts, Woods argues that community organizers in all contexts can look to...
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The Educational Implications of Representing Covid-19

The Educational Implications of Representing Covid-19

Gharib, M., and Turner, C. (2020). A Comic Just for Kids: How to Stay Safe from the Coronavirus [Online Image]. NPR. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/11/16/934679210/just-for-kids-how-to-stay-safe-from-the-coronavirus (Accessed May 14, 2021). Andrew Manches and I did what many of you did too last year. We spent a lot of time looking at pictures, videos, models, gestures and animations of Covid-19. But then we decided to put this to good use and analyse the implications of how we represent Covid-19 (and other viruses) to children and young people. The resulting paper is published in Frontiers in Education and available open access at Frontiers | Learning About Viruses: Representing Covid-19 | Education (frontiersin.org) (best read the pdf version as the figures are clearer). Please share with your educator friends if you think they will find it helpful. ...
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SRHE Prize Success for Dr Charlie Davis

We are delighted to share the news that Charlie (@charliejjdavis) has been awarded a prize by the Society for Research in Higher Education to research his project titled "Working-class academics talking: a participatory critical storytelling project with Russell Group academics". Charlie will be working with participants to develop stories about their routes into academia which will be then shared in podcasts. This study seeks to contribute to discussions about how to meet challenges that impede access to higher educations for academics and students identifying as working-class. ...
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New Paper: Recognising and Limiting Teleological Explanations

Children’s use of teleological explanations can pose problems in science education. But can children be taught to recognise teleological explanations? And does recognition of such explanations mean that children will no longer endorse incorrect teleological statements? In a recently published paper, LSRI members, Johnny Halls, Shaaron Ainsworth and Mary Oliver report two studies that attempted to answer these questions. You can read about these results of these studies here.   Halls, J.G., Ainsworth, S.E. & Oliver, M.C. (2021) Using dialogic interventions to decrease children’s use of inappropriate teleological explanations, International Journal of Science Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2021.1936271 ...
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A new paper on Drawing to Learn

So in the LSRI, it's probably well known that we love learning by drawing. Over the years, we have researched drawing to learn from texts, drawing to learn in science, drawing when learning fashion design, drawing to tell stories, drawing from simulations in Chemistry and Physics and drawing in medical anatomy sessions. I am probably forgetting some! So in this paper, Katharina Scheiter (an honorary professor in the LSRI as well as a professor at the University of Tübingen) and Shaaron Ainsworth (Director of the LSRI) tried to synthesise these studies (and more) to explore how drawing can be used for different educational reasons. You don't have to be an expert as it was written for a general audience. It's just out but sadly paywalled so if you can't see it, do get in touch with Shaaron. ...
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An early holiday present

If sketching, simulations and quantum mechanics are your thing! Although intermediate level quantum mechanics involves some far from straightforward (from my limited perspective) mathematical reasoning; it can also involve visual reasoning. In this paper, co-authored with my amazing collaborators, who are working constantly to improve physics teaching, we explore how visual learning of quantum mechanics with simulations can be enhanced by asking students to draw both and during their interaction with these simulations. See this paper (open access) for lots more detail and do follow what Antje Kohnle and Gina Passante are up to. ...
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Getting to grips with technology enhanced learning literature – new paper by Denise Sweeney

What Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) literature do new university teachers and lecturers actually find useful? How do university teachers engage with TEL literature in their practice? Does disciplinary background influence TEL literature choices? Find out answers to these questions in a new paper by LSRI member Denise Sweeney, “Getting to grips with technology enhanced learning literature: Wading out of murky waters” (open access) can be found here. The paper is published in the inaugural edition of Studies in Technology Enhanced Learning. This new open-access academic journal aims to support scholarly conversation about Technology Enhanced Learning. ...
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