HARDCOPY ISSUES

V.2 N.1, Winter 1994

Editorial: Bridging The Gap: The Discussion Continues

Nadine Binkley
Gabriella Minnes-Brandes
Editors

Educational Insights, still in its formative stage, provides a valuable forum for the research that is being conducted by graduate students in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.

The editors of Educational Insights invite you to share in the discussion of educational issues being investigated at UBC. This discourse is s result of people coming together from many facets of educational practices to explore the links between theory and practice. This issue presents a sample of what educational practitioners, teacher researchers, and professionals feel compelled to study, and indeed create, upon their return to academe from the field.

This journal presents a unique forum for educational thought and explores a broad range of topics in the field of educational research. In this issue, Rasberry examins the role that craft plays in autobiographical writing. He explores the implications postmodern perspectives can have on curricular matters, and analyzes the notions of truth and writing, claiming that "autobiographical writing as craft opens up possibilities for meaningful living"(p.9).

Myers explores the traditions from which the cooperative learning model has evolved. He identifies and explores three theoretical roots of cooperative learning: Dewey and the democrtic roots, Kurt Lewin and group dynamics, and cooperative learning and school desegregation. Myers raises the need to examine both conceptually and empirically the wide range of cooperative learning practices.

Chin and MacDonald set out to examine team teaching based on their own experiences team teaching an elementary science methods course. They evaluated team teaching based on their reflections, students' anonymous evaluations, and student interviews. Discussing the benefits of team teaching both to the instructors and to the students, the authors propose a "triadic support model" as a vehicle to address some of the concerns which graduate students have about teaching university courses.

Asselin, Doiron, Dunbar, Faulkner, Hasebe-Ludt, Trifonas, and Froese explore the common trends and themes in literacy education. Covering a broad range of reference sources, they state that more attention needs to be paid to the socio-cultural and political dimensions of literacy. They propose a broader and more encompassing definition of literacy and hints as to its implications to literacy training.

Smoliak encourages beginning researchers to try profile analysis as a part of their quantitative research methods. After describing profile analysis and its implications, she gives specific examples which demonstrate its advantages. She presents a step-by-step description of the process to inform future researchers of its merits.

The last article in this issue discusses sex differences in educational discourse. Rozsnyai explores the exclussiveness and the power struggles embedded in academic rhetoric. Using the metaphor of a wall, its construction and deconstruction, she claims that male and female academics speak their own langugaes behind their respective walls. She proposes that "undertaking the building of bridges between the sexes may be a daunting task, but not one that is insuperable. Academe and education could only benefit from such an effort" (p. 46).

It is the goal of the editorial board to present an annual journal which highlights new sources of educational insights resulting from the uniqueness of teacher-scholars. All articles were selected through a blind review process supported by both professors and graduate students at the University of British Columbia.

The collaborative process invlved in bringing forth this journal is not one to be taken lightly. It is not merely people engaged in parallel play. Like all educational events, it involves opening the mind to ideas of others. It involves the recognition that thoughts and ideas are transcended through dialogue.

While our primary source of articles continues to be the graduate students at the University of British Columbia, we encourage you to enter the process of deliberation and dialogue begun in this journal. Our intent is that Educational Insights, published annually, will be a platform where current issues and concerns in education will be presented.