From personal reflection to social positioning: the development of a transformational model of a professional education in midwifery

A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of 'reflective practice', this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Moving towards a model of professional identity formation in midwifery through conversations and positioning theory

The disciplines of nursing and midwifery both uphold a powerful oral tradition that can impact upon student learning. Students enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery are supervised and assessed by midwives during their placements in midwifery practice settings by a program of 'preceptorship' support and where conversations are innate. Positioning theory, eveloped by Harre and others, is a metaphorical concept in which an individual 'positions' herself/himself within entities of encompassing people, institutions and societies where conversations are conducted either privately or publicly. As construction sites of professional learning, conversations are underpinned by reflective practices.In unravelling conversations, positioning may be applied as an analytical tool by educators to interpret the emerging meanings and themes in their discussions with students, reflective journals by students and in meetings with preceptors/midwives.

Mobile subjectivities positioning the nonunirary self in critical feminist and postmodern research

Most scholarly work is written from the perspective of the author being a unitary subject occupying a sole, rational, and unified position. This article argues that scholarship may be enhanced by the author adopting multiple subject positions as a methodological framework. Such an adoption is advantageous in working against the romance of the notion of a single truth while also maintaining teleological values congruent with critical and feminist agendas. This article outlines the conceptual development of this methodological framework, the rationale for its development, an explication of the concept of multiple subjectivity, and an exemplar of its application within nursing research.

The positioning of mathematics in an environmental thematic curriculum

With a crowded curriculum, many primary schools attempt to integrate their key learning areas. One primary school in a large regional city has taken this a step further. Using the ’environment’ as the overarching theme, the key learning areas are interwoven into the teaching of the environment. This has presented some issues when attempting to teach English and Mathematics. These issues and the way the school and teachers solve them are documented in this case-study.

The positioning of practitioners in vocational education and training research

What is the status and role of research in VET reform? How are the views of practitioners positioned in VET research and reform? What access do VET practitioners have to research that empowers them to critique current policy and practice? This paper explores the sequestions drawing on literature and also on my experience as a VET practitioner and researcher. The national VET research strategy supports a substantial research effort to inform policy and practice. However, in a complex and unstable VET environment, funded research focuses on implementation, rather than critique, of current directions. I argue that the complexity of the VET system gives rise to new research problems, and that VET practitioners have knowledge and insight to offer in exploring these problems. But I question the extent to which current VET consultation and research processes incorporate the views of practitioners. I illustrate these issues by providing a brief overview of my PhD research project, currently being conducted through the Faculty of Education, Deakin University. This project explores the proposition that the language form typically used in official national VET texts is representative of, and constructive in, unequal power relationships.

A comparative study of computational value in visual cues used in positioning 3D objects

This paper explores the comparative computational values of using a variety of visual cues in 3D environments. The authors reflect upon the possible repercussions of computationally less expensive visual cues on users' ability to efficiently and accurately interact with three-dimensional images. This study compares the effectiveness of expensive soft shadows against less expensive hard shadows and expensive partial-occlusion (obtained by semi-transparent surface) against less expensive occlusion on users' ability to accurately position objects in imminent contact with other objects in a three-dimensional environment.

Positioning the case to tell the story: developing the narrative or presentational account

This paper is drawn from a doctoral study (in its final stages) about the use and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance the face-to-face teaching by six academic staff, who represent different disciplines and different campus locations, in a large, regional university in Australia. A collective case study was adopted as the framework for the study, and field data comprised semi-structured interviews, curriculum guides, teaching and learning resources, websites, and included results of a Teaching Practices Inventory completed by each of the research participants.

Case study is a popular choice of qualitative researchers. There are numerous examples in the literature of case study as the vehicle for examining issues concerning teachers' use of new technologies in teaching and learning. This paper situates the research study in the qualitative, interpretative research paradigm, and matches the choice of case as the research strategy to accepted characteristics of good case studies. The focus of the paper then moves to the practical, yet difficult problem faced by the researcher of ways of presenting the case, seeking a balance between the demands of prescribed, social scientific writing for an academic audience, and the need to create texts that are interesting, vital and that “make a difference”(Richardson, 2003). Using a sample case from the study, the paper examines approaches to constructing meaning from the field data to create the narrative or presentational account and, ultimately, the research text.

For goodness sake! Postlogographically de-(dis)positioning education research

How are education researchers and their research now positioned? Where are education research and researchers now positioned in the public/private debate? What is the position of practitioner research in these circumstances? My paper introduces 'post logography' as a researching trope for perturbing structuralist analytic methods towards interpreting post structuralising complexities that challenge the 'positioning' of education/research/researchers.

I discuss interpreting researching with and in (with-in) educating as intertwining ways, for turning the analytical objectivity that 'positions' subjective 'facts' as essentialised 'goods', towards exploring generative states of 'goodness'.

Education and its research are typically cast as separate constructs (like teaching and outcomes) for defining the subjectification of educational objects as valuable 'goods' - especially those with private economic value.

I argue that researched educational 'goods' are mostly teaching and outcomes focussed, and mainly privately positioned, whereas researching with-in educating for 'goodness' concerns a public disposition of exploring-learning-generativity for social knowing-acting.

I am theorising that through postlogographically de-positioning the predominance of 'facts' as private 'goods', and thereby recognising interpretive states concerning and generating 'goodness', the reductive polarisation of education/research, public/private, theorist/practitioner turns towards understanding complex continua for exploring-learning-generativity, which introduce new horizons of significance for social knowing-acting.

e-marketing positioning your law practice

Legal practices should measure aspects of their corporate reputation including image, reputation attributes and outcomes to be able to implement a successful marketing communication campaign - audience measurement allows information to be gathered about reach and frequency - building corporate websites which reach your target audience will increase revenue and earnings.

Securing the oral tradition : reflective positioning and professional conversations in midwifery education

We postulate that positioning is a powerful tool in guiding and transforming student professional learning and practice development. In our experiences with students enrolled in he Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, we determined that positioning elaborates individual scholarship and identity formation of the learner midwife in practice settings. Positioning Theory, developed by Harré and other authorities, is a psycho-sociological 'ontology' or concept of how individuals metaphorically position or locate themselves, and others, within institutions and societies. Three key components of positioning theory include 'position', 'speech act' and 'storylines', developing from the everyday social interactions of professional conversations. Reflective positioning can be applied as an analytical tool for the moment-to- moment exchanges inherent in practice related conversations, occurring between midwives and midwifery students. These moment-to-moment interactions of professional conversations can be used by students to complete or fill their learning gaps. Positioning therefore, provides a novel, contemporary theoretical framework to 'unpack' or understand the complexity of midwifery practice and yet is complementary with reflective practice. Excerpts are used to demonstrate reflective positioning applications by students. Midwives are encouraged by health services and by the University to provide student support through a 'preceptorship' program to supervise, work with and assess students for competence in midwifery practices. We claim that reflective positioning by students within professional conversations with their preceptor/midwives, are the construction sites for learning and where identity formation of each student as a future midwife is both shaped and transformed. Both academics and managers of health services need to embrace the value of workplace conversations, the sites of rich oral traditions of nursing and midwifery. Thus, in seeking claim to our rich oral traditions, all students will benefit from engagement in reflective positioning to promote their professional learning and practice development.