'Speaking Out': The Political Career of Helen Keller

The aim of this article is to draw the reader's attention to the political career of Helen Keller. It is argued that her drift towards a radical and socialist position was the result of deeply held political convictions which have largely been ignored by commentators. Contemporary newspaper accounts portrayed her as a vulnerable person manipulated by those closest to her and exploited by extremist organisations. These assertions are discussed with particular reference to her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy and the latter's husband John Macy. Despite her prolonged dependence on others and the many pressures upon her, it is evident that she did manage to achieve an independent political career. The lessons for political action by disabled people are briefly sketched.     

School (non-)attendance and ‘mobile cultures’: theoretical and empirical insights from Indigenous Australia

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians are significantly and substantially less likely to be attending school on a given day than their non-Indigenous counterparts. This has been shown to have long-term consequences for the development of the mainstream literacy and numeracy skills associated with formal schooling, as well as later school and employment outcomes. Reducing this gap is a key focus of government education policy within Australia. Hampering the design of effective policy, however, is the lack of a robust empirical and theoretical framework to explain school (non-)attendance that not only builds on existing research, but also reflects the specific circumstances and aspirations of Indigenous students and their families. This article applies mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative techniques to explore what Indigenous student (non-)attendance in Australia might tell us regarding the relationship between highly marginalised student groups and formal education systems. A robust understanding of these geographically and socio-culturally situated school (non-)attendance patterns and processes allows us to build on and contribute to human capital, critical, resistance, and other behavioural theories of formal education and draw parallels for other population sub-groups globally, especially those that display ongoing patterns of high geographic mobility. Our analysis suggests that absenteeism amongst marginalised and/or highly mobile populations, may be most usefully conceived of as a manifestation of structural incompatibilities between formal schooling systems and the life projects and circumstances of these school-aged children and their families.     

Pupil Culture, Peer Tutoring and Special Educational Needs

In this article it is argued that interventions in pupil-pupil interactions have to be grounded in a thorough understanding of pupil meanings and the social processes which generate them. The argument is elaborated via a critique of some existing studies of such interventions, like those of peer tutoring, and in discussion of the findings of an interview study. In general, studies of peer tutoring have been psychology-based and have failed to consider the significance of pupils' understanding of deviance derived from pupils' social location. An alternative approach is explored utilizing the findings of ethnographic studies, and the findings of an interview study with fourth year pupils in a secondary school. The data is organised using the constructs of consensual and non-consensual deviance. Pupils formally designated 'examination' pupils revealed different views from those designated 'non-examination' and 'less able' although they also held views in common. The implications of these findings for peer tutoring interventions are discussed.