This essay addresses the relationship of improvisation and identity. Biographicalresearch that was conducted by the author into professional musicians’ lifelong learning showed the huge importance of improvisation for personal expression. Musically, the concept of sound appeared to serve as a strong metaphor for identity. In addition, ethnographic research conducted as part of the project Music for Life in London, and published by Smilde, Page and Alheit in 2014, where musicians work in creative music workshops with people with dementia and their caregivers, shed light on the use of improvisation as an expression of the identity of ‘the other’ (i.e. the person with dementia). Sound again appeared to serve as a metaphor for identity. The essay draws on the work of George Herbert Mead on identity, which distinguishes between the personal ‘I’ and the social ‘Me’, and points out that both aspects are essential for the self. In this sense, improvisation can be conceived as a means of communication thatconnects the personal with the social. Furthermore, drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s Oneself as Another (1992), it is shown that this concept of improvisation in relation to personal and social identity may be transferred to forms of community engagement through music. However, despite its huge importance, improvisation is still often marginalised in specialist higher music education, particularly in conservatoires, and the essay finishes with a strong plea for conservatoires to take up their role in the midst of society and embed improvisation in the core of the curriculum.
DOCUMENT
Today, Intellectual Capital plays a principal role in the delivery of corporate performance. This importance is reflected in the fact that companies, without the force of any regulations, start to produce intellectual capital statements to communicate their performance; accounting guidelines are being developed and standards are being questioned and reviewed; software companies such as SAP, Hyperion, Oracle, or Peoplesoft are developing applications to address this, and even governments are beginning to measure the intellectual capital of cities, regions, and countries. Accenture writes that today's economy depends on the ability of companies to create, capture, and leverage intellectual capital faster than the competition. Cap Gemini Ernst & Young believes that intangibles are the key drivers for competitive advantage. KPMG states that most general business risks derive from intangibles and organizations therefore need to manage their intangibles very carefully. PricewaterhouseCoopers writes that in a globalized world, the intellectual capital in any organization becomes essential and its correct distribution at all organizational levels requires the best strategy integrated solutions, processes and technology. Even though the leading management consulting firms recognize the importance of intellectual capital – they seem to suffer from the same predicament as the field as a whole. Intellectual capital is defined differently and the concept is often fuzzy. In this special issue of the leading journal in the field we would like to bring together the definitions, approaches, and tools offered by the leading management consulting firms. It will be a unique opportunity to disseminate your understanding of this critical area of management and allow you to illustrate your approaches and tools.
DOCUMENT
Formative assessment (FA) is an effective educational approach for optimising student learning and is considered as a promising avenue for assessment within physical education (PE). Nevertheless, implementing FA is a complex and demanding task for in-service PE teachers who often lack formal training on this topic. To better support PE teachers in implementing FA into their practice, we need better insight into teachers’ experiences while designing and implementing formative strategies. However, knowledge on this topic is limited, especially within PE. Therefore, this study examined the experiences of 15 PE teachers who participated in an 18-month professional development programme. Teachers designed and implemented various formative activities within their PE lessons, while experiences were investigated through logbook entries and focus groups. Findings indicated various positive experiences, such as increased transparency in learning outcomes and success criteria for students as well as increased student involvement, but also revealed complexities, such as shifting teacher roles and insufficient feedback literacy among students. Overall, the findings of this study underscore the importance of a sustained, collaborative, and supported approach to implementing FA.
DOCUMENT
