Foreword

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Philosophy of childhood is a field of inquiry in which the protagonists are adults, who are trying to understand children, and children, who are trying to be understood by adults. These two operating agents must find a common ground that renders their communication possible. This piece develops and illustrates the notion that no theorisation can exist if the authors of the theories do not know the subjects of their study, and thus that philosophers of childhood cannot contribute to knowledge about childhood unless they create occasions for the voices of children to be heard. Therefore, when activities are devised for the free expression of childhood, they cannot meaningfully be categorised as separate from philosophy of childhood. The latter cannot exist without the former. Philosophy of childhood and philosophy for children are interlaced in their work with children. Once the nature of childhood is understood through what children tell about themselves, instead of narrated through the interpretive frameworks of adults, the rights of the children can be effectively protected.</abstract>

Learning from childhood: children tell us who they are through online dialogical interaction

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In its broadest and historical sense, place-based education refers to education that occurs outside of the physical boundaries of a school building (Dewey 1910; Sobel 1996; Theobald 1997; Woodhouse and Knapp 2000). Place-based education, colloquially referred to as the ‘field trip’, is predominantly considered a pedagogic tool of the sciences. It involves a physical movement from the school-based location to a place of interest, for example, a geography field trip to an ecological landscape or science visit to a local museum. This paper considers the use of virtual world field trips (VWFTs) within the context of a pre-service Teacher Education programme. The paper presents data from one undergraduate module offered on a programme of initial teacher education. The paper identifies three significant elements of virtual world field trips: place, people and content. First, the virtual world can provide access to places not possible in the offline context as a result of geographic, economic or religious factors. Second, exposure to and dialogue with a variety of world views can challenge students’ assumptions, facilitate reflection and provide an opportunity for oneto-one teaching encounters. Third, from a teacher educator perspective, engagement in virtual world field trips can provide a space for teachers to model teaching methodologies and model creative learning techniques, thus providing student teachers with an insight into different approaches to teaching.</abstract>

Institute of Education, St. Patrick’s Campus, Dublin City University, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Ireland

A brave new world: considering the pedagogic potential of Virtual World Field Trips (VWFTs) in initial teacher education

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In Western cultures, subjectivity has often been seen as the “black sheep” of educational research because of its heavy emphasis on objectivity. Consequently many research initiatives in education share the assumption that objective reasoning should play a central role. However, mentoring teachers’ practice improvement research often requires us to go beyond the objective dimension and encompass the subjective dimension of the research process such as teachers’ intuition, tacit knowledge and personal meaning-making. The challenge that lies in front of us is how to mindfully make sense of the role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development. This paper examines this issue in terms of three case studies of in-service teachers’ action research projects and points to what it takes for us to mindfully embrace subjectivity in mentoring teachers’ practice improvement research.</abstract>

The role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development: Mindfully embracing the “black sheep” of educational research

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper offers a response to Dr Noriyuki Inoue’s article published in this issue of the International Journal for Transformative research, entitled The role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development: Mindfully embracing the “black sheep” of educational research. Inoue freely uses the terms ‘subjectivity’ and ‘objectivity’; but referring to findings from quantum physics and consciousness studies, both of which challenge the view that it is possible to observe a world that exists independently of the observer, I ask whether the Japanese concepts of jikkan and ba actually also suggest that it is not possible to separate and define subjective and objective dimensions of reality.</abstract>

The role of subjectivity: Response to Noriyuki Inoue

Educational Epistemology, Culture and History: Response to Joan Walton

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper looks at blogging by academics and argues that there is a niche role for an academic blog informed by principles of transformative learning. I begin by describing my experiences of blogging, first, as a reader while carrying out my own doctoral research, next, as a teacher introducing blogs to my students, then as a writer of my own journal blog. I suggest that transformative learning principles provide a frame of reference for understanding these experiences, in particular, by offering an idea of autonomy which puts subjective experience in social contexts. I then suggest that academics interested in transformative learning might learn a more engaging style of writing from bloggers.</abstract>

How ideas of transformative learning can inform academic blogging

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 11 (2024): Issue 1 (January 2024)

Volume 10 (2023): Issue 1 (January 2023)

Volume 9 (2022): Issue 1 (December 2022)

Volume 8 (2021): Issue 1 (December 2021)

Volume 7 (2020): Issue 1 (December 2020)

Volume 6 (2019): Issue 1 (December 2019)

Volume 5 (2018): Issue 1 (December 2018)

Volume 4 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017)

Volume 3 (2016): Issue 2 (December 2016)

Volume 3 (2016): Issue 1 (July 2016)

Volume 2 (2015): Issue 2 (December 2015)

Volume 2 (2015): Issue 1 (July 2015)

Volume 1 (2014): Issue 1 (September 2014)

International Journal for Transformative Research

 Why subscribe and readThe creation of the International Journal for Transformative Research (IJTR) emerged out of a belief that professionals in any work setting can research their own practice with transformative outcomes for themselves and others.　   We welcome contributions to the journal from professionals across the world with an interest in transformative research.     Why submitThe aim of transformative research is to challenge existing ways of seeing and doing things, and to generate a radical shift in our perception of social, political or educational theories, ideas and actions, creating different kinds of understandings that lead to new practices. A transformed understanding is deeper, more nuanced, more ethical and more action oriented than we had before. Research is not just about acquiring knowledge of a topic, it also involves questioning what is taken for granted and addressing life’s problems. Through transformative research we become better able to construct our own interpretations of events and set our own goals of future action. Transformative researchers engage with values and beliefs and are committed to listening to the voices of participants, and stakeholders in general, and working towards solutions that involve everyone.　　   Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 