Local innovations, rooted in defined needs and assets, hold certain inherent advantages. Per definition, these innovations are adapted to the educational characteristics of a specific context and can benefit from popular support already in place. However, even when innovations show great promise, they face barriers to widespread adoption due to…

Pedagogical content knowledge involves subjective decisions on the parts of teachers in making the content comprehensible to learners. This paper is concerned with the formation of this subjectivity and asks: how do (pre-service) teachers come to know and decide upon the best approach to making the content instructional for learners? In answering…

This paper discusses pre-service teachers' responses to a critical analysis of gender/power relations using examples from a final assessment for an intensive elective unit called Teaching Sexuality in the Middle Years. This unit critically examines gender/power relations, the production of difference, heteronormativity and pleasure and desire,…

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are being recognized globally for their influential role in realizing the UN Millennium Development Goal of education for all in developing countries. NGOs mostly employ untrained para-educators for grassroots activities. The professional development of these teachers is critical for NGO effectiveness, yet…

This volume presents 64 abstracts of keynote and parallel paper presentations of the Irish National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning's (NAIRTL) conference on the theme of flexible learning. The Flexible Learning conference was a joint initiative by NAIRTL and the Learning Innovation Network. The keynote presentations can…