STE(A)M LEARNING ECOLOGIES (SLES): OPEN SCHOOLING FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION AND A LEARNING CONTINUUM FOR ALL, 2023
Open schooling is gaining momentum in Europe, enhancing the accessibility and flexibility of educ... more Open schooling is gaining momentum in Europe, enhancing the accessibility and flexibility of education. This transformation aligns with the growing interconnectedness and interdependence of societies worldwide, all while navigating increased competition in the realms of science and technology. To confront the demanding societal issues, it is imperative that every citizen possesses a strong foundation in science and technology. Such knowledge is the bedrock for informed decision-making and fostering innovation, and the policies pertaining to science education wield substantial influence over a society's long-term economic growth and prosperity. In recent years, Europe has observed a decline in student interest in careers related to science and technology. Furthermore, a substantial gender gap in STEM fields persists, and there has been limited growth in science-based innovation or entrepreneurship. Consequently, Europe faces a shortage of individuals with scientific expertise. To overcome these challenges, the need to boost education and teacher training systems is imperative. In response to these concerns, the European Union launched its revised Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027). This initiative seeks to aid EU member states in the sustainable and effective adaptation of their education and training systems to the digital era. It places a strong emphasis on gender equality, particularly by encouraging women's participation in STEM fields. The importance of gender equality in education is underscored in both the Education 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015). These endeavors advocate for inclusive, equal, and diverse education. A pivotal moment, emphasizing the priorities and efforts required to reform science education policy at the European level, unfolded in 2015. The expert group on science education of the European Commission released its report titled "Science Education for Responsible Citizenship." This report identified the necessity for science education to be a lifelong learning process, commencing from preschool and extending into active citizenship. It also recommended a
Negotiating between the accountability and the innovation mandates: evidence from Italian schools, 2024
In Italy, the National Evaluation System (SNV), encompassing both internal and external accountab... more In Italy, the National Evaluation System (SNV), encompassing both internal and external accountability components, is designed not only to hold school actors accountable but also to stimulate innovation and change in pedagogical practices. Nevertheless, existing literature presents inconclusive and contradictory findings regarding the effects and the relationship between school performance-based accountability (PBA) and educational innovation. Utilizing sensemaking and filtering theories, this paper analyses the negotiation of PBA and innovation mandates in Italian schools, emphasizing how school actors interpret, filter, and adapt the policy expectations to their organizational and educational practices. Special attention is given to the influence of local school contexts and performative pressures on this process. The primary data collection method involves interviews with school leadership teams and teachers analysed through an ideal type case analysis. Findings reveal diverse school responses to the double mandates of PBA and innovation. Varied logics of school enactment within the contemporary policy context are identified, influenced by teacher attitudes towards PBA and schools' socioeconomic conditions. Innovation is evident in both advantaged and disadvantaged school contexts, albeit with distinct applications and interpretations. Overall, the adaptation of PBA prerogatives in schools to foster innovation and change is neither uniform nor direct, although external pressures impact educational practices across contexts. Beyond socioeconomic factors and administrative and marketing accountability pressures, additional intervening elements include school leadership and staff cohesion as well as school infrastructure and material resources.
Abstract:
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with ... more Abstract:
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with the necessary “transformative” competences to thrive in and shape the future and at the same time develop learning environments which nurture such competences. Modern education systems should shift their focus from a teacher-centered traditional education model to students-centered classrooms (Salhberg, 2006), which imply students’ increased autonomy in determining learning goals and learning strategies, the presence of enquiry-based learning and learning in collaborative team and a learning process which contributes to solving authentic problems (IEA, 2006). The roleof students in the education system is also changing from participants in the classroom who learn by listening to directions of teachers, to active participants with agency and co-agency to shape the classroom environments and positively influence their life and world around them (OECD,2019a). Indeed, innovative pedagogical practices recognise learners as core participants, encourage them in active engagement, promote co-operative learning and connection across subjects and with the wider world (OCED, 2017; OECD, 2019b).
In alignment with these principles and framework, two Horizon Europe [1] funded projects are worthy of interest. The first is the GenB project: "Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy" (https://www.genb-project.eu/). In collaboration with teachers, students, parents and multipliers, the european project partners promote and implement pedagogical models which “inform, inspire and engage” young students through active and experiential activities, such as “hands-on” labs, which educate on the circular economy principles through practical experiments, creativity, curiosity and manual skills (arts and crafts); living lab workshops, where students co-design and co-produce their educational product in collaboration with teachers and stakeholders, fostering motivation, engagement, autonomy and transfer of knowledge and skills to real-world contexts; the launch of a “GenB Youth Ambassadors” call and programme, attracting young people and empowering them to take a role, “create new value”, and responsible action for the circular and green transition, and finally, educating/coaching teachers to use their professional knowledge and expertise to implement experiential and active teaching approaches while teaching the bioeconomy. The second project is the STEAM Learning Ecology (SLEs)(https://www.steamecologies.eu/), which promotes an “open schooling approach”, in collaboration with teachers and external stakeholders belonging to academa, industry and the public administration, to foster student engagement, motivation and co-agency while developing innovative STEM curriculum and new learning materials related to environmental, digital or health challenges.
Based on the concrete experience and results deriving from the ongoing implementation the two above-mentioned projects, the paper aims to provide evidence-based reflections, good practices and insights related to the use of experiential and active learning approaches with primary and low-secondary students, as a way to stimulate transformative skills and co-design processes to address urgent global challenges.
Reference:
[1] HORIZON EUROPE is the main funding programme at European Union level for research and innovation.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a 'realist evaluation' methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders' positional power and gender, socioeconomic school composition and schools' administrative dependency.
School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s ... more School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s through forms of decentralization, school autonomy and the use of large-scale assessments for accountability purposes. In the state of Minas Gerais, the administrative, managerial and highstake nature of these reforms are acknowledged to have shaped school practices and identities, and to have been received with resistance by teachers. However, studies on the way policy mechanisms and contextual factors shape and mediate these outcomes are limited. With this thesis I analyze the enactment (Ball et al, 2012) of these policies by analyzing how principals and school leadership mediate accountability regimes, specifically looking at the interdependence between their adopted practices, contextual factors and the effects of these on teacher's reception and implementation. In order to do so, I have adopted an interpretative/constructivist framework to analyze staff's internal discourses, practices and dynamics. The study has been conducted in four different schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, through semistructured interviews and participatory observations in school sites, and has been guided by a realist evaluation (cf. Pawson and Tilley, 2004) methodological approach. The combination of accountability mechanisms with internal and external school factors have resulted in a nuanced and complex scenario, by which 1) school leaders adopt different direct and indirect practices to align to the accountability reform, which are shaped by their understanding, sense-making and pressures perceived, 2) leadership practices and behaviors are framed according to and contingent to the school institutional and professional context in which they are embedded and 3) principals shape and sustain teacher's reception of the reform through indirect mechanisms of change, but their effectiveness is supported/limited by several conditions and individual factors-such as gender, teacher's working conditions and students' socioeconomic status.
The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated... more The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated debate regarding the relationship between autonomy, innovation and accountability. While at the policy design level, these three elements are highly related, several authors highlight the contradictions among them. By analyzing key documents and interviews, this paper aims to identify the program ontology behind the current Italian National Evaluation System (SNV), with a focus on the way in which autonomy, accountability and innovation have been conceptualized and linked together. The paper also aims to explore whether pitfalls and/or tensions exist that might hamper the achievement of the SNV goals. The findings highlight the peculiarities of the Italian autonomy with accountability system, which has resulted from the involvement of different stakeholders in the design and implementation of the reforms. The findings also reveal contradictions regarding some of its premises. Various ra...
The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated... more The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated debate regarding the relationship between autonomy, innovation and accountability. While at the policy design level, these three elements are highly related, several authors highlight the contradictions among them. By analyzing key documents and interviews, this paper aims to identify the program ontology behind the current Italian National Evaluation System (SNV), with a focus on the way in which autonomy, accountability and innovation have been conceptualized and linked together. The paper also aims to explore whether pitfalls and/or tensions exist that might hamper the achievement of the SNV goals. The findings highlight the peculiarities of the Italian autonomy with accountability system, which has resulted from the involvement of different stakeholders in the design and implementation of the reforms. The findings also reveal contradictions regarding some of its premises. Various rationales (improvement, efficiency, equity and transparency) emerge that seem to have acted as drivers of the reforms, however, the influence of globalizing discourses on international competition and the benefits of datafication also appears significant. A number of contextual aspects are finally considered which hamper the expected change mechanisms, highlighting the discontinuous ground in which such policy dispositifs operate.
Postcolonial Directions in Education, Vol. 11 No 2, 2022
In the context of Latin America’s resistance to hegemonic power relations, several subaltern move... more In the context of Latin America’s resistance to hegemonic power relations, several subaltern movements emerged with their own educational projects and pedagogies. The Brazilian Landless Peasant Movement (MST) adopted a model of “popular education” which was recognized as a political actor endeavouring to counter colonial injustices and ongoing forms of neo-colonial violence.
By applying a 4Rs analytical framework (cf. Novelli et al., 2017), the paper analyses how the movement’s aims, philosophy, organisation, and role of popular education have been able to promote social justice and peacebuilding processes, at the same time discussing constraints and limits encountered.
Vários movimentos proletariados com projetos educacionais e pedagogias próprias surgiram no contexto da resistência às relações hegemônicas de poder na América Latina. No Brasil, o Movimento Sem Terra (MST) adotou um modelo de “educação popular” pelo qual foi reconhecido como ator político. O movimento pretendia enfrentar as injustiças coloniais e as formas de violência pós-colonial. Aplicando um quadro analítico chamado 4Rs
(cf. Novelli et al., 2017), o artigo analisa como os objetivos, a filosofia, a organização e o papel da educação popular do movimento têm sido capazes de promover justiça social e processos de construção da paz e, ao mesmo tempo, discute restrições e limites encontrados.
Research has shown that in many contexts, the transformation of the public sector associated with... more Research has shown that in many contexts, the transformation of the public sector associated with new public management (NPM) reforms and performance-based accountability (PBA) has had profound implications for public sector workers' practices, identities and emotional experiences. Focusing on the education sector, in this paper we aim to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between PBA policies and teachers’ emotions by conducting a scoping review of the scientific literature. Our review, which is based on a final sample of 63 articles published between the years 2000-2021 obtained from the SCOPUS database, identifies two main bodies of research. The first deals with an examination of teachers’ emotions and shows how PBA is a crucial part of a changing professional environment that accentuates and/or modifies feelings and emotions already inherent to the teaching profession. The focal point of the second strand of research is the effect of PBA on teachers’ emotions; here, we identify research exploring the emotional effects of PBA, as well as the mechanisms behind different emotional experiences, how teachers deal with emotions emerging from PBA policies and a number of factors that intensify or weaken the emotional impact of PBA. On the basis of our review, limitations of existing research and gaps in the understanding of the relationship between PBA and teachers’ emotions are identified and promising lines of future research formulated.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a ‘realist evaluation’ methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders’ positional power and gender, socio-economic school composition and schools’ administrative dependency.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a 'realist evaluation' methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders' positional power and gender, socioeconomic school composition and schools' administrative dependency.
School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s ... more School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s through forms of decentralization, school autonomy, and the use of large-scale assessments for accountability purposes. In the state of Minas Gerais, the administrative, managerial, and high-stake nature of these reforms are acknowledged to have shaped school practices and identities and to have been received with resistance by teachers. However, studies on the way policy mechanisms and contextual factors shape and mediate these outcomes are limited. With this thesis I analyze the enactment (Ball et al, 2012) of these policies by analyzing how principals and school leadership mediate accountability regimes, specifically looking at the interdependence between their adopted practices, contextual factors, and the effects of these on teachers' reception and implementation. In order to do so, I have adopted an interpretative/constructivist framework to analyze the staff's internal discourses, practices, and dynamics. The study has been conducted in four different schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, through semistructured interviews and participatory observations in school sites, and has been guided by a realist evaluation (cf. Pawson and Tilley, 2004) methodological approach. The combination of accountability mechanisms with internal and external school factors have resulted in a nuanced and complex scenario, by which 1) school leaders adopt different direct and indirect practices to align to the accountability reform, which are shaped by their understanding, sense-making and pressures perceived, 2) leadership practices and behaviors are framed according to and contingent to the school institutional and professional context in which they are embedded and 3) principals shape and sustain teacher's reception of the reform through indirect mechanisms of change, but their effectiveness is supported/limited by several conditions and individual factors - such as gender, teacher's working conditions and students' socio-economic status.
STE(A)M LEARNING ECOLOGIES (SLES): OPEN SCHOOLING FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION AND A LEARNING CONTINUUM FOR ALL, 2023
Open schooling is gaining momentum in Europe, enhancing the accessibility and flexibility of educ... more Open schooling is gaining momentum in Europe, enhancing the accessibility and flexibility of education. This transformation aligns with the growing interconnectedness and interdependence of societies worldwide, all while navigating increased competition in the realms of science and technology. To confront the demanding societal issues, it is imperative that every citizen possesses a strong foundation in science and technology. Such knowledge is the bedrock for informed decision-making and fostering innovation, and the policies pertaining to science education wield substantial influence over a society's long-term economic growth and prosperity. In recent years, Europe has observed a decline in student interest in careers related to science and technology. Furthermore, a substantial gender gap in STEM fields persists, and there has been limited growth in science-based innovation or entrepreneurship. Consequently, Europe faces a shortage of individuals with scientific expertise. To overcome these challenges, the need to boost education and teacher training systems is imperative. In response to these concerns, the European Union launched its revised Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027). This initiative seeks to aid EU member states in the sustainable and effective adaptation of their education and training systems to the digital era. It places a strong emphasis on gender equality, particularly by encouraging women's participation in STEM fields. The importance of gender equality in education is underscored in both the Education 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015). These endeavors advocate for inclusive, equal, and diverse education. A pivotal moment, emphasizing the priorities and efforts required to reform science education policy at the European level, unfolded in 2015. The expert group on science education of the European Commission released its report titled "Science Education for Responsible Citizenship." This report identified the necessity for science education to be a lifelong learning process, commencing from preschool and extending into active citizenship. It also recommended a
Negotiating between the accountability and the innovation mandates: evidence from Italian schools, 2024
In Italy, the National Evaluation System (SNV), encompassing both internal and external accountab... more In Italy, the National Evaluation System (SNV), encompassing both internal and external accountability components, is designed not only to hold school actors accountable but also to stimulate innovation and change in pedagogical practices. Nevertheless, existing literature presents inconclusive and contradictory findings regarding the effects and the relationship between school performance-based accountability (PBA) and educational innovation. Utilizing sensemaking and filtering theories, this paper analyses the negotiation of PBA and innovation mandates in Italian schools, emphasizing how school actors interpret, filter, and adapt the policy expectations to their organizational and educational practices. Special attention is given to the influence of local school contexts and performative pressures on this process. The primary data collection method involves interviews with school leadership teams and teachers analysed through an ideal type case analysis. Findings reveal diverse school responses to the double mandates of PBA and innovation. Varied logics of school enactment within the contemporary policy context are identified, influenced by teacher attitudes towards PBA and schools' socioeconomic conditions. Innovation is evident in both advantaged and disadvantaged school contexts, albeit with distinct applications and interpretations. Overall, the adaptation of PBA prerogatives in schools to foster innovation and change is neither uniform nor direct, although external pressures impact educational practices across contexts. Beyond socioeconomic factors and administrative and marketing accountability pressures, additional intervening elements include school leadership and staff cohesion as well as school infrastructure and material resources.
Abstract:
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with ... more Abstract:
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with the necessary “transformative” competences to thrive in and shape the future and at the same time develop learning environments which nurture such competences. Modern education systems should shift their focus from a teacher-centered traditional education model to students-centered classrooms (Salhberg, 2006), which imply students’ increased autonomy in determining learning goals and learning strategies, the presence of enquiry-based learning and learning in collaborative team and a learning process which contributes to solving authentic problems (IEA, 2006). The roleof students in the education system is also changing from participants in the classroom who learn by listening to directions of teachers, to active participants with agency and co-agency to shape the classroom environments and positively influence their life and world around them (OECD,2019a). Indeed, innovative pedagogical practices recognise learners as core participants, encourage them in active engagement, promote co-operative learning and connection across subjects and with the wider world (OCED, 2017; OECD, 2019b).
In alignment with these principles and framework, two Horizon Europe [1] funded projects are worthy of interest. The first is the GenB project: "Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy" (https://www.genb-project.eu/). In collaboration with teachers, students, parents and multipliers, the european project partners promote and implement pedagogical models which “inform, inspire and engage” young students through active and experiential activities, such as “hands-on” labs, which educate on the circular economy principles through practical experiments, creativity, curiosity and manual skills (arts and crafts); living lab workshops, where students co-design and co-produce their educational product in collaboration with teachers and stakeholders, fostering motivation, engagement, autonomy and transfer of knowledge and skills to real-world contexts; the launch of a “GenB Youth Ambassadors” call and programme, attracting young people and empowering them to take a role, “create new value”, and responsible action for the circular and green transition, and finally, educating/coaching teachers to use their professional knowledge and expertise to implement experiential and active teaching approaches while teaching the bioeconomy. The second project is the STEAM Learning Ecology (SLEs)(https://www.steamecologies.eu/), which promotes an “open schooling approach”, in collaboration with teachers and external stakeholders belonging to academa, industry and the public administration, to foster student engagement, motivation and co-agency while developing innovative STEM curriculum and new learning materials related to environmental, digital or health challenges.
Based on the concrete experience and results deriving from the ongoing implementation the two above-mentioned projects, the paper aims to provide evidence-based reflections, good practices and insights related to the use of experiential and active learning approaches with primary and low-secondary students, as a way to stimulate transformative skills and co-design processes to address urgent global challenges.
Reference:
[1] HORIZON EUROPE is the main funding programme at European Union level for research and innovation.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a 'realist evaluation' methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders' positional power and gender, socioeconomic school composition and schools' administrative dependency.
School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s ... more School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s through forms of decentralization, school autonomy and the use of large-scale assessments for accountability purposes. In the state of Minas Gerais, the administrative, managerial and highstake nature of these reforms are acknowledged to have shaped school practices and identities, and to have been received with resistance by teachers. However, studies on the way policy mechanisms and contextual factors shape and mediate these outcomes are limited. With this thesis I analyze the enactment (Ball et al, 2012) of these policies by analyzing how principals and school leadership mediate accountability regimes, specifically looking at the interdependence between their adopted practices, contextual factors and the effects of these on teacher's reception and implementation. In order to do so, I have adopted an interpretative/constructivist framework to analyze staff's internal discourses, practices and dynamics. The study has been conducted in four different schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, through semistructured interviews and participatory observations in school sites, and has been guided by a realist evaluation (cf. Pawson and Tilley, 2004) methodological approach. The combination of accountability mechanisms with internal and external school factors have resulted in a nuanced and complex scenario, by which 1) school leaders adopt different direct and indirect practices to align to the accountability reform, which are shaped by their understanding, sense-making and pressures perceived, 2) leadership practices and behaviors are framed according to and contingent to the school institutional and professional context in which they are embedded and 3) principals shape and sustain teacher's reception of the reform through indirect mechanisms of change, but their effectiveness is supported/limited by several conditions and individual factors-such as gender, teacher's working conditions and students' socioeconomic status.
The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated... more The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated debate regarding the relationship between autonomy, innovation and accountability. While at the policy design level, these three elements are highly related, several authors highlight the contradictions among them. By analyzing key documents and interviews, this paper aims to identify the program ontology behind the current Italian National Evaluation System (SNV), with a focus on the way in which autonomy, accountability and innovation have been conceptualized and linked together. The paper also aims to explore whether pitfalls and/or tensions exist that might hamper the achievement of the SNV goals. The findings highlight the peculiarities of the Italian autonomy with accountability system, which has resulted from the involvement of different stakeholders in the design and implementation of the reforms. The findings also reveal contradictions regarding some of its premises. Various ra...
The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated... more The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated debate regarding the relationship between autonomy, innovation and accountability. While at the policy design level, these three elements are highly related, several authors highlight the contradictions among them. By analyzing key documents and interviews, this paper aims to identify the program ontology behind the current Italian National Evaluation System (SNV), with a focus on the way in which autonomy, accountability and innovation have been conceptualized and linked together. The paper also aims to explore whether pitfalls and/or tensions exist that might hamper the achievement of the SNV goals. The findings highlight the peculiarities of the Italian autonomy with accountability system, which has resulted from the involvement of different stakeholders in the design and implementation of the reforms. The findings also reveal contradictions regarding some of its premises. Various rationales (improvement, efficiency, equity and transparency) emerge that seem to have acted as drivers of the reforms, however, the influence of globalizing discourses on international competition and the benefits of datafication also appears significant. A number of contextual aspects are finally considered which hamper the expected change mechanisms, highlighting the discontinuous ground in which such policy dispositifs operate.
Postcolonial Directions in Education, Vol. 11 No 2, 2022
In the context of Latin America’s resistance to hegemonic power relations, several subaltern move... more In the context of Latin America’s resistance to hegemonic power relations, several subaltern movements emerged with their own educational projects and pedagogies. The Brazilian Landless Peasant Movement (MST) adopted a model of “popular education” which was recognized as a political actor endeavouring to counter colonial injustices and ongoing forms of neo-colonial violence.
By applying a 4Rs analytical framework (cf. Novelli et al., 2017), the paper analyses how the movement’s aims, philosophy, organisation, and role of popular education have been able to promote social justice and peacebuilding processes, at the same time discussing constraints and limits encountered.
Vários movimentos proletariados com projetos educacionais e pedagogias próprias surgiram no contexto da resistência às relações hegemônicas de poder na América Latina. No Brasil, o Movimento Sem Terra (MST) adotou um modelo de “educação popular” pelo qual foi reconhecido como ator político. O movimento pretendia enfrentar as injustiças coloniais e as formas de violência pós-colonial. Aplicando um quadro analítico chamado 4Rs
(cf. Novelli et al., 2017), o artigo analisa como os objetivos, a filosofia, a organização e o papel da educação popular do movimento têm sido capazes de promover justiça social e processos de construção da paz e, ao mesmo tempo, discute restrições e limites encontrados.
Research has shown that in many contexts, the transformation of the public sector associated with... more Research has shown that in many contexts, the transformation of the public sector associated with new public management (NPM) reforms and performance-based accountability (PBA) has had profound implications for public sector workers' practices, identities and emotional experiences. Focusing on the education sector, in this paper we aim to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between PBA policies and teachers’ emotions by conducting a scoping review of the scientific literature. Our review, which is based on a final sample of 63 articles published between the years 2000-2021 obtained from the SCOPUS database, identifies two main bodies of research. The first deals with an examination of teachers’ emotions and shows how PBA is a crucial part of a changing professional environment that accentuates and/or modifies feelings and emotions already inherent to the teaching profession. The focal point of the second strand of research is the effect of PBA on teachers’ emotions; here, we identify research exploring the emotional effects of PBA, as well as the mechanisms behind different emotional experiences, how teachers deal with emotions emerging from PBA policies and a number of factors that intensify or weaken the emotional impact of PBA. On the basis of our review, limitations of existing research and gaps in the understanding of the relationship between PBA and teachers’ emotions are identified and promising lines of future research formulated.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a ‘realist evaluation’ methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders’ positional power and gender, socio-economic school composition and schools’ administrative dependency.
This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability pol... more This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a 'realist evaluation' methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders' positional power and gender, socioeconomic school composition and schools' administrative dependency.
School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s ... more School Autonomy With Accountability policies (SAWA) have been adopted in Brazil during the 1990s through forms of decentralization, school autonomy, and the use of large-scale assessments for accountability purposes. In the state of Minas Gerais, the administrative, managerial, and high-stake nature of these reforms are acknowledged to have shaped school practices and identities and to have been received with resistance by teachers. However, studies on the way policy mechanisms and contextual factors shape and mediate these outcomes are limited. With this thesis I analyze the enactment (Ball et al, 2012) of these policies by analyzing how principals and school leadership mediate accountability regimes, specifically looking at the interdependence between their adopted practices, contextual factors, and the effects of these on teachers' reception and implementation. In order to do so, I have adopted an interpretative/constructivist framework to analyze the staff's internal discourses, practices, and dynamics. The study has been conducted in four different schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, through semistructured interviews and participatory observations in school sites, and has been guided by a realist evaluation (cf. Pawson and Tilley, 2004) methodological approach. The combination of accountability mechanisms with internal and external school factors have resulted in a nuanced and complex scenario, by which 1) school leaders adopt different direct and indirect practices to align to the accountability reform, which are shaped by their understanding, sense-making and pressures perceived, 2) leadership practices and behaviors are framed according to and contingent to the school institutional and professional context in which they are embedded and 3) principals shape and sustain teacher's reception of the reform through indirect mechanisms of change, but their effectiveness is supported/limited by several conditions and individual factors - such as gender, teacher's working conditions and students' socio-economic status.
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Papers by Laura Mentini
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with the necessary “transformative” competences to thrive in and shape the future and at the same time develop learning environments which nurture such competences. Modern education systems should shift their focus from a teacher-centered traditional education model to students-centered classrooms (Salhberg, 2006), which imply students’ increased autonomy in determining learning goals and learning strategies, the presence of enquiry-based learning and learning in collaborative team and a learning process which contributes to solving authentic problems (IEA, 2006). The roleof students in the education system is also changing from participants in the classroom who learn by listening to directions of teachers, to active participants with agency and co-agency to shape the classroom environments and positively influence their life and world around them (OECD,2019a). Indeed, innovative pedagogical practices recognise learners as core participants, encourage them in active engagement, promote co-operative learning and connection across subjects and with the wider world (OCED, 2017; OECD, 2019b).
In alignment with these principles and framework, two Horizon Europe [1] funded projects are worthy of interest. The first is the GenB project: "Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy" (https://www.genb-project.eu/). In collaboration with teachers, students, parents and multipliers, the european project partners promote and implement pedagogical models which “inform, inspire and engage” young students through active and experiential activities, such as “hands-on” labs, which educate on the circular economy principles through practical experiments, creativity, curiosity and manual skills (arts and crafts); living lab workshops, where students co-design and co-produce their educational product in collaboration with teachers and stakeholders, fostering motivation, engagement, autonomy and transfer of knowledge and skills to real-world contexts; the launch of a “GenB Youth Ambassadors” call and programme, attracting young people and empowering them to take a role, “create new value”, and responsible action for the circular and green transition, and finally, educating/coaching teachers to use their professional knowledge and expertise to implement experiential and active teaching approaches while teaching the bioeconomy. The second project is the STEAM Learning Ecology (SLEs)(https://www.steamecologies.eu/), which promotes an “open schooling approach”, in collaboration with teachers and external stakeholders belonging to academa, industry and the public administration, to foster student engagement, motivation and co-agency while developing innovative STEM curriculum and new learning materials related to environmental, digital or health challenges.
Based on the concrete experience and results deriving from the ongoing implementation the two above-mentioned projects, the paper aims to provide evidence-based reflections, good practices and insights related to the use of experiential and active learning approaches with primary and low-secondary students, as a way to stimulate transformative skills and co-design processes to address urgent global challenges.
Reference:
[1] HORIZON EUROPE is the main funding programme at European Union level for research and innovation.
By applying a 4Rs analytical framework (cf. Novelli et al., 2017), the paper analyses how the movement’s aims, philosophy, organisation, and role of popular education have been able to promote social justice and peacebuilding processes, at the same time discussing constraints and limits encountered.
Vários movimentos proletariados com projetos educacionais e pedagogias próprias surgiram no contexto da resistência às relações hegemônicas de poder na América Latina. No Brasil, o Movimento Sem Terra (MST) adotou um modelo de “educação popular” pelo qual foi reconhecido como ator político. O movimento pretendia enfrentar as injustiças coloniais e as formas de violência pós-colonial. Aplicando um quadro analítico chamado 4Rs
(cf. Novelli et al., 2017), o artigo analisa como os objetivos, a filosofia, a organização e o papel da educação popular do movimento têm sido capazes de promover justiça social e processos de construção da paz e, ao mesmo tempo, discute restrições e limites encontrados.
To respond to 21st century challenges, education systems should provide students with the necessary “transformative” competences to thrive in and shape the future and at the same time develop learning environments which nurture such competences. Modern education systems should shift their focus from a teacher-centered traditional education model to students-centered classrooms (Salhberg, 2006), which imply students’ increased autonomy in determining learning goals and learning strategies, the presence of enquiry-based learning and learning in collaborative team and a learning process which contributes to solving authentic problems (IEA, 2006). The roleof students in the education system is also changing from participants in the classroom who learn by listening to directions of teachers, to active participants with agency and co-agency to shape the classroom environments and positively influence their life and world around them (OECD,2019a). Indeed, innovative pedagogical practices recognise learners as core participants, encourage them in active engagement, promote co-operative learning and connection across subjects and with the wider world (OCED, 2017; OECD, 2019b).
In alignment with these principles and framework, two Horizon Europe [1] funded projects are worthy of interest. The first is the GenB project: "Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy" (https://www.genb-project.eu/). In collaboration with teachers, students, parents and multipliers, the european project partners promote and implement pedagogical models which “inform, inspire and engage” young students through active and experiential activities, such as “hands-on” labs, which educate on the circular economy principles through practical experiments, creativity, curiosity and manual skills (arts and crafts); living lab workshops, where students co-design and co-produce their educational product in collaboration with teachers and stakeholders, fostering motivation, engagement, autonomy and transfer of knowledge and skills to real-world contexts; the launch of a “GenB Youth Ambassadors” call and programme, attracting young people and empowering them to take a role, “create new value”, and responsible action for the circular and green transition, and finally, educating/coaching teachers to use their professional knowledge and expertise to implement experiential and active teaching approaches while teaching the bioeconomy. The second project is the STEAM Learning Ecology (SLEs)(https://www.steamecologies.eu/), which promotes an “open schooling approach”, in collaboration with teachers and external stakeholders belonging to academa, industry and the public administration, to foster student engagement, motivation and co-agency while developing innovative STEM curriculum and new learning materials related to environmental, digital or health challenges.
Based on the concrete experience and results deriving from the ongoing implementation the two above-mentioned projects, the paper aims to provide evidence-based reflections, good practices and insights related to the use of experiential and active learning approaches with primary and low-secondary students, as a way to stimulate transformative skills and co-design processes to address urgent global challenges.
Reference:
[1] HORIZON EUROPE is the main funding programme at European Union level for research and innovation.
By applying a 4Rs analytical framework (cf. Novelli et al., 2017), the paper analyses how the movement’s aims, philosophy, organisation, and role of popular education have been able to promote social justice and peacebuilding processes, at the same time discussing constraints and limits encountered.
Vários movimentos proletariados com projetos educacionais e pedagogias próprias surgiram no contexto da resistência às relações hegemônicas de poder na América Latina. No Brasil, o Movimento Sem Terra (MST) adotou um modelo de “educação popular” pelo qual foi reconhecido como ator político. O movimento pretendia enfrentar as injustiças coloniais e as formas de violência pós-colonial. Aplicando um quadro analítico chamado 4Rs
(cf. Novelli et al., 2017), o artigo analisa como os objetivos, a filosofia, a organização e o papel da educação popular do movimento têm sido capazes de promover justiça social e processos de construção da paz e, ao mesmo tempo, discute restrições e limites encontrados.