Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2759
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Item Once Upon a Teacher: A Phenomenological Investigation of Teachers Who Begin to Use Storytelling in Their Classrooms(2012) DOUGHERTY, MOIRA; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)It is through our stories that we come to know ourselves, and the world in which we live. For millennia people with no written language have used storytelling to transmit their culture, and to pass on their values, beliefs, and laws to the next generation, in short, to educate. Through recent research we have come to understand that our brains are designed to make meaning through narrative. It is through stories that we shape our personalities and our lives. This is a phenomenological investigation into the lived experiences of teachers who begin to use storytelling in their classrooms. I draw on the works of numerous storytellers, educators and phenomenologists to provide a ground for this study. The narrative that forms the framework of this quest is the phenomenological methodology of Max van Manen. I traveled the path of this phenomenon through conversations with five elementary school teachers who began to use storytelling in their classrooms, and I used thematic analysis to transform the themes and insights that came from those conversations into a textual understanding. The performance nature of storytelling revealed the care that lies at the heart of pedagogy, and the ways in which that care is expressed. By telling stories to their classes, my participants came to understand the richness of their pedagogical knowledge, renewed their confidence in their professional competence and returned them to their authentic teaching selves. Through storytelling my participants expanded their pedagogical horizons. By challenging themselves, they gained a greater awareness of their pedagogical practice, helping them create higher expectations for their teaching. Telling stories creates an understanding of the roles students play in the life of the classroom and an appreciation of the reciprocal nature of teaching. Teaching as storytelling has possibilities for pedagogical benefits for teachers and students. This study explores the insights this pedagogy might have for teacher retention, connections to diversity, and teacher education. The nature of storytelling fosters care, creates community and nurtures more meaningful relationships. It might open opportunities for teachers and students to allow themselves to see and be seen, hear and be heard in mindful and authentic relationships.Item The Impact of Globalization on Education Reform: A Case Study of Uganda(2008-05-14) Wood, Jane C. Millar; Lin, Jing; Klees, Steven J.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Abstract This case study examines the impact of globalization on education policies, structure and practice in Uganda during a 20-year period from 1987-2007. Post-primary education is the principal focus of this research as it is critical to preparing young people to participate in Uganda's socio-economic and political development process and thus position the country for participation in the global economy. However, given post- primary's pivotal position between primary and tertiary education, it has to be viewed in the context of the longer educational continuum. Thus, the "before" and "after" levels of education are also addressed. The dissertation explores an array of issues related to globalization and education. These include stakeholders' perceptions and understandings of globalization, the modalities of "transmitting" reform ideas and policies around the world, and specific educational reforms in Uganda at the sector and sub-sector levels. It also explores the impact of these educational reforms (a) on beneficiaries in terms of access, equity, relevance, and quality and (b) on Uganda in terms of positioning the country to respond to the opportunities and challenges of globalization. The study concluded that globalization has had an impact on education reform in Uganda in several ways. The reforms themselves have yielded some positive benefits for the beneficiaries but much remains to be done to ensure the expansion of access and equity as well as improvements in the relevance and quality of education. Uganda's experience in implementing these reforms has some lessons for other countries considering similar changes in education policy and practice.