Martin Mills – författare

It has been argued that too much research is conducted for the ''world'' of education research, and not enough for the ''village'' of particular educational institutions like schools. In this edited book, the authors reflect on what it means for teachers to be engaged in and with educational research. What is happening in the ‘village’ of schools, and how is that related to what is happening in the ‘world’ of educational research? What might the distinction between the ‘village’ and the ‘world’ mean today, and is it still a useful one?

The chapters in this book explore the prospects of teacher research in an age in which educational data proliferates, often used for accountability and surveillance purposes, and in which instrumentalist notions of ''evidence-based practice'' dominate. They consider contexts ranging from Initial Teacher Education through to ongoing teacher professional learning in schools.

This volume concludes with an argument for turning the conversation from research as an ''add-on'' to something that can be, should be, and arguably is, a central feature of the everyday work of teaching. It aims to envision positive futures for the kinds of ''villages'' and ''worlds'' that may be possible when enabling meaningful and rich research with, for and by teachers.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Teaching Education.

It has been argued that too much research is conducted for the ''world'' of education research, and not enough for the ''village'' of particular educational institutions like schools. In this edited book, the authors reflect on what it means for teachers to be engaged in and with educational research. What is happening in the ‘village’ of schools, and how is that related to what is happening in the ‘world’ of educational research? What might the distinction between the ‘village’ and the ‘world’ mean today, and is it still a useful one?

The chapters in this book explore the prospects of teacher research in an age in which educational data proliferates, often used for accountability and surveillance purposes, and in which instrumentalist notions of ''evidence-based practice'' dominate. They consider contexts ranging from Initial Teacher Education through to ongoing teacher professional learning in schools.

This volume concludes with an argument for turning the conversation from research as an ''add-on'' to something that can be, should be, and arguably is, a central feature of the everyday work of teaching. It aims to envision positive futures for the kinds of ''villages'' and ''worlds'' that may be possible when enabling meaningful and rich research with, for and by teachers.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Teaching Education.

Many young people failed by the school system are those who face a range of social and economic challenges due to multiple forms of injustice. This book provides an insight into the educational practices that work to re-engage young people who have become disenchanted with traditional schooling. It examines the lives of students and workers who participate in education sites on the fringes of mainstream education, and includes a rich tapestry of personal experiences from those who have been failed by their schooling experiences.

The book draws upon research of international relevance conducted in a range of ‘Flexible Learning Centres’ and ‘democratic schools’ in Australia and the UK; it suggests that improving the retention levels of young people in formal education will require schooling practices to change. Students who have become disengaged from mainstream schooling do re-engage in the learning process of many alternative schools, indicating that teaching practices and forms of organisation which work in alternative sites can also provide lessons for mainstream schooling, thereby encouraging a more socially just education system.Included in the book:

All young people have the capacity to learn and to enjoy learning; they do not ‘fail school’, rather, schools fail them. The teachers, workers and students who have shared their stories provide significant insights into how we might change this situation, and the book will be invaluable reading for postgraduates and researchers in the fields of education, the sociology of education, school reform and social work.

Many young people failed by the school system are those who face a range of social and economic challenges due to multiple forms of injustice. This book provides an insight into the educational practices that work to re-engage young people who have become disenchanted with traditional schooling. It examines the lives of students and workers who participate in education sites on the fringes of mainstream education, and includes a rich tapestry of personal experiences from those who have been failed by their schooling experiences.

The book draws upon research of international relevance conducted in a range of ‘Flexible Learning Centres’ and ‘democratic schools’ in Australia and the UK; it suggests that improving the retention levels of young people in formal education will require schooling practices to change. Students who have become disengaged from mainstream schooling do re-engage in the learning process of many alternative schools, indicating that teaching practices and forms of organisation which work in alternative sites can also provide lessons for mainstream schooling, thereby encouraging a more socially just education system.Included in the book:

All young people have the capacity to learn and to enjoy learning; they do not ‘fail school’, rather, schools fail them. The teachers, workers and students who have shared their stories provide significant insights into how we might change this situation, and the book will be invaluable reading for postgraduates and researchers in the fields of education, the sociology of education, school reform and social work.

This edited collection challenges the urban-centric nature of much feminist work on gender and education. The context for the book is the radical reconfiguration of rural areas that has occurred in recent decades as a result of globalisation. From a range of diverse national contexts, including Kenya and South Africa, Australia and Canada, and the United States and Pakistan, authors explore the intersections between masculinity, femininity, and rurality in education. In recognition of the heterogeneity of categories such as ‘rural girl’ and ‘rural boy’ they attend to how educational exclusions can be magnified by differences in relation to social locations such as class, race, or sexuality. Similar critical insights are brought to bear as authors examine what it means to be a male or female teacher in rural environments. Contributors draw on data ranging from contemporary feature films to historical materials, along with detailed ethnographic work and participatory approaches, to produce a compelling narrative of the need to understand education as experienced by those who are not part of the urban majority. This book was originally published as a special issue of Gender and Education.

This edited collection challenges the urban-centric nature of much feminist work on gender and education. The context for the book is the radical reconfiguration of rural areas that has occurred in recent decades as a result of globalisation. From a range of diverse national contexts, including Kenya and South Africa, Australia and Canada, and the United States and Pakistan, authors explore the intersections between masculinity, femininity, and rurality in education. In recognition of the heterogeneity of categories such as ‘rural girl’ and ‘rural boy’ they attend to how educational exclusions can be magnified by differences in relation to social locations such as class, race, or sexuality. Similar critical insights are brought to bear as authors examine what it means to be a male or female teacher in rural environments. Contributors draw on data ranging from contemporary feature films to historical materials, along with detailed ethnographic work and participatory approaches, to produce a compelling narrative of the need to understand education as experienced by those who are not part of the urban majority. This book was originally published as a special issue of Gender and Education.

In many English-speaking countries, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their classrooms, and in some cases, through various policy mechanisms. This encouragement is often accompanied by threats and sanctions for not making the grade. By exploring the ways in which one education system in Australia has mandated differentiation through an audit of teacher practices, this book provides a timely engagement with the relationship between differentiated classrooms and social justice. It covers tensions, for instance, between providing culturally-appropriate classrooms, including constructing engaging and relevant curricula, and lowering expectations for students who have traditionally been marginalised by schooling. The data for this book has been collected from the same group of teachers over a period of three years, and offers detailed insights into how a particular politics of differentiation has played itself out in the context of a ‘global reform movement’ that has focused on improving student outcomes.

In many English-speaking countries, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their classrooms, and in some cases, through various policy mechanisms. This encouragement is often accompanied by threats and sanctions for not making the grade. By exploring the ways in which one education system in Australia has mandated differentiation through an audit of teacher practices, this book provides a timely engagement with the relationship between differentiated classrooms and social justice. It covers tensions, for instance, between providing culturally-appropriate classrooms, including constructing engaging and relevant curricula, and lowering expectations for students who have traditionally been marginalised by schooling. The data for this book has been collected from the same group of teachers over a period of three years, and offers detailed insights into how a particular politics of differentiation has played itself out in the context of a ‘global reform movement’ that has focused on improving student outcomes.

This book explores new questions and lines of analysis within the field of ‘gender and education’, conveying some of the style and diversity of contemporary research directions. It celebrates as well as assesses the achievements of feminist work in education, acknowledging this legacy while also ‘troubling’ and opening up for critical reflection any potential stalemates and sticking points in research trends on gender and education. The collection has a strong cross-cultural focus, with chapters exploring experiences of students and teachers in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, Hawaii and South Africa. The chapters examine topics relevant to both boys’ and girls’ education and to forms of education which span different sectors and both informal and formal spaces. Issues examined include citizenship and belonging, affect, authority and pedagogy, sexuality and the body, racism, and national identity and new and emerging forms of masculinity and femininity. Across these varied terrains, each of the authors engages with theoretical work informed by a broad range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches from across the social sciences and humanities, drawing variously from postcolonial, queer, and new sociological theories of modernity and identity, as well as from fields such as cultural geography and narrative studies.

This collection of thought-provoking essays is essential reading for scholars and graduate students wanting to understand the current state of play on research and theory on ‘gender and education’.

This book was published in a special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.