History in tatters: bodies and things in Samuel Beckett’s theatre

The article takes a phenomenological approach to the relationship between stage properties and the performing body in Beckett's theatre.

How not to do things with words

If philosophy and poetry are to illuminate each other, we should first understand their tendencies to mutual antipathy. Examining (and, where possible, correcting) mutual misapprehension is part of this task. J. L. Austin's remarks on poetry offer one such point of entry: they are often cited by poets and critics as an example of philosophy's blindness to poetry (I). These remarks are complex and their purpose obscure—more so than those who take exception to them usually allow or admit (II). But it is reasonable to think that, for all his levity at their expense, what Austin offers poets is exemption from forms of commitment. Since such exemption is precisely what poets and critics have sought, this diagnosis is eirenic (III). This exemption has a price, but it may be affordable (IV).

Getting on top of things: form and meaning in the pseudo-Vergilian Aetna

This article offers a fresh view on the poetics of the pseudo-Vergilian poem Aetna, proposing a carefully planned and executed structure which is supported through a deliberate arrangement of key terms in the poem as well as a network of verbal cross-references

The universal addressability of dumb things

Group exhibition curated by Mark Leckey.

`All things to all people`: indigenous teachers in the Australian teaching profession

This paper reports on the findings of a four-year study that seeks to understand the experiences and career pathways of Indigenous teachers in Australia. We present data obtained from in-depth interviews with current and former teachers in order to provide a qualitative account of what lies behind demographic trends in Indigenous teacher recruitment and retention in Australia. The paper highlights the expectations of school and wider communities that Indigenous teachers will be 'all things to all people' and will fill a number of complex and sometimes conflicting roles within and beyond classrooms. We speculate that these expectations contribute to their decisions to resign from the school system to work elsewhere. We also introduce and problematise the notion of the Indigenous teacher as a category in the consciousness of teachers, administrators and other participants in the discourses of Australian schooling.
We conclude by arguing the need for non-Indigenous student-teachers to be better prepared to work alongside Indigenous colleagues and to take more active roles in the implementation of policy and initiatives around Indigenous education. The paper also raises implications for the recruitment and retention of Indigenous teachers.

Remembrance of things past? Change, development and paternalism

As part of a retrospective study of effects of organizational change on interpersonal relations, this paper discusses change talk among Australian employees of an American multinational manufacturing enterprise. Interviewees tended to feel pushed into change, discussing its effects in terms of the difficulties of adolescence and earlier experiences of sudden independence. Over time, what had been a simple and firm us and them division in intergroup relations between management and unions/workers had become more fluid and subtle, and perhaps more mature. Interview data are interpreted and then re-interpreted in terms of theories of team development, nostalgia, and paternalism. It is argued that each interpretation makes differing, but complementary, assumptions about the nature of time. If developmental, progressive assumptions of organizational change are relaxed, further attention can be given to theorizing and researching subtleties in talk of the past.

The power of rhythm and words : from little things big things grow

Primary literacy teacher educators need to re-conceptualise the ways in which they work together to model effective interdisciplinary practice. This paper reports on such practice in a team teaching unit for postgraduate students undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary/Secondary) at Deakin University, Melbourne. The interdisciplinary (Social Education, Language and Music) unit, a first in the Faculty of Education was conceptualised to challenge both lecturer and student (local and international) to 'rethink' their understandings of pedagogy, multi-literacies and teacher preparedness. For the purpose of this paper, the authors reflect on a particular team teaching experience whereby a text (song) was used to teach both the elements of music and literacy pedagogy. It opened up new possibilities for students to engage and participate with each discipline as well as how one area can inform and further deepen the understanding for learners of the other. For example, musical notation and score was used to explain and use the 4 resource model (Luke and Freebody, 1990). The authors contend that crossdisciplinary work cannot be reduced to simple cooperation among disciplines but that primary literacy teacher educators need to develop new conceptual frameworks for learning that will enhance their understandings of pedagogy and assist in preparing teachers in a challenging world.

New money for mental health : will it make things better for rural and remote Australia?

New Australian government funding for the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative is a significant step forward for mental health, with general practitioners now able to offer direct referrals to psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers. Incentives for better teamwork between GPs and other mental health professionals have been introduced, but may have unintended consequences, including an exacerbation of workforce shortages in rural and remote areas. Possible solutions to these shortages include rural scholarships for students in the mental health professions; recruitment and retention of students coordinated by university departments of rural health; better access to continuing professional development; and federally funded rural positions and additional financial incentives for rural mental health practitioners.