Assessment frameworks : a critical reflection

Increasing widespread requirements that assessment practice conforms to generic guidelines contained in assessment frameworks has been contentious and critiques offered on individual frameworks have been assumed to apply to the concept of assessment frameworks more generally. After comparing four assessment frameworks currently being used in the UK, this paper argues that although some generalizations can be made, for the most part, they are highly individual documents in terms of range and depth of content, the extent to which they are evidenced and the quality of that evidence and implicit expectations as to the skill bases of assessors. Furthermore, the introduction of assessment frameworks is not in itself a panacea to ensure good practice. Even with the most comprehensive frameworks, social workers will still need comprehensive training in assessment and supervision of their practice.

Video reflection and the formation of teacher identity in a team of pre-service and experienced teachers

This paper discusses a project in which a team of pre-service and experienced teachers, following a teaching development model devised by the authors, reflected on videos of the pre-service teachers teaching literacy. Using a discourse analytic approach, the paper focuses on how teachers' joint reflection contributes to student teacher identity formation. Analysis suggests that reflection, at least in the talk of this team, is a language practice with a distinctive generic structure. Using this structure, participants jointly construct professional teacher identities for themselves and others through the key devices of representation, categorization, evaluation, individualization and inclusion.

Professional identity and the contemporary university: a culture of control, accountability and virtuality?

In recent years many changes to the funding and management of universities have taken place. In the current climate of academia in Australia professional academics find themselves immersed in the culture of the managed university that uses the rhetoric of commitment to flexible delivery to put in place systems designed to increase accountability, surveillance and control. At the same time some argue that the focus on research, quality teaching and effective pedagogy has lessened. The empirical research base for this paper has enabled me to better understand some of the emerging trends my university. It looks at how changes to the experience of being academic impact on the work of academics as the power relations of the university continuously reposition them, and how academics in turn display resistance technologies. Changes to the technologies of management/administration of the university have resulted in what some academics have described as a loss of valuing of their knowledge and expertise and which may be seen by some as a threat to their opportunities to conduct productive educational inquiry.

Sport management: varying directions towards the narrative

Until now sport managers have had difficulties in identifying core issues that form the framework for successful sport management practice. The purpose of this study was to explore what sport managers believe are the core issues that can contribute to successful sport management practice. This was achieved through an examination of the narrative experiences of 7 sport managers (4 male and 3 female) that highlighted how narrative can be used to enhance a sport manager's understanding of their work environment through critical reflection. Through this examination the overriding issues that the participating sport managers believed provided a unique insight into their everyday lives centered on: (1) experience and power, (2) accountability; (3) demands of the job; (4) professional development; (5) ways of knowing; (6) collegiality; and (7) critical reflection. This narrative approach to understanding the lived experiences of sport managers allowed the researchers to connect theory with experience and to establish a relationship between daily practice and knowledge. Understanding the lived experiences of sport managers in this way can allow sport managers to establish new insights into how they interact with their sport organizations and the individuals and communities they serve in their daily operations. The following paper concludes by suggesting that through an increased interest in narrative as a way of knowing the stories disclosed may move other sport managers to share their own stories and experiences to assist in framing their own identity. Moreover, by prompting other sport managers to tell their stories, a deeper understanding of how professionals continue to grow and advance their sport management knowledge may be promoted. These narratives also taught us about deepening and extending our understanding of how sport managers construct meaning. In this way, new insights may be derived about the practice of sport management and how important it is to adding new knowledge for the discipline.

Surgical accountability in the 1880s: the death of Susan Nixon

Susan Nixon died in 1881 following a surgical error. Her surgeon, Dr W. E. Warren, excised a normal 7-month gravid uterus under the misapprehension that he was removing a tubular pregnancy. It is believed that Mrs Nixon was the first woman in Australia to have an abdominal hysterectomy and the second to have a live Caesarean section. The surgical misadventure that resulted in Mrs Nixon's death became a public scandal, which gained currency through both parliamentary debate and the popular press.

The purpose of referring to this case is to explore the mechanisms of accountability that surgeons faced in the 1880s − a decade of rapid change in the practice of surgery. The response of late nineteenth century society to surgical error and the resultant reaction of the medical profession have resonances that are relevant to surgeons practising today.

Art of Goya as a significant reflection of his time

This thesis examines the story of how Goya came to be the artist he was and of the times which made him what he was, and which he so well mirrored. Francisco Goya y Lucientes is a remarkable figure in the history of art. Rarely has an artist arisen from such a cultural vacuum; rarely has an artist done so much to establish a cultural reputation for his country; rarely has an artist reflected so accurately the spirit of his time; and rare is the artist who has such an important influence on all the significant art of the future.

Evaluating a strategic approach to professional development through guided reflection

Research on quality in early childhood has consistently shown that staff are the cornerstone of excellence, and that staff training makes a difference to services provided to children and families. There is also a growing awareness of the importance of adopting a planned approach to career development and that this begins with self-assessment, and can be enhanced through the use of guided reflection with a mentor. The Early Childhood Consortium Victoria (ECCV) at The University of Melbourne, has developed a self-assessment manual (SAM) designed as a tool for early childhood practitioners to explore their work in a strategic way. It serves the dual purposes of assisting practitioners to address issues of service quality, as well as promoting individual professional development through reflective practice. SAM has now been piloted in a number of early childhood settings in Australia and this paper presents a formative evaluation of this work and discusses its potential for professional development planning.