Professional Learning as Relational Practice

Professional Learning as Relational Practice

Author: Jenny Reeves

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2010-04-07

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 9048187397

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Given the emphasis on transforming professional work through the adoption of enquiry-based and trans-disciplinary approaches to service development, there is an urgent need for those involved in professional education to develop a robust understanding of how changes in practice occur. A more inclusive approach to the analysis of the processes involved across the varied and interrelated contexts in which they occur is thus very timely. In this book, Jenny Reeves sets out to explore the gap between the experience of professional learning as an interactive, dynamic and socially contextualised process, and descriptions that are often individualistic, overly linear and largely context-free. She makes the claim that this disjuncture is the outcome of modes of enquiry that concentrate on limited selections of the available data. Adopting a relational approach to describing practice-based professional development, including graphical means for exploring the spaces produced by the activity, provides a very different picture. It creates a basis for representing the complex movements, relationships and interactions between people and things that occur during professional learning. It also provides a productive approach to describing the exchange and creation of professional knowledge across different contexts over time. By building a picture of the ephemeral spaces and connections that educating activities produce, mapping relational space allows those engaged in professional education to think rather differently about how professional learning and changes in knowledge and practice may be understood, supported and developed.


Book Synopsis Professional Learning as Relational Practice by : Jenny Reeves

Download or read book Professional Learning as Relational Practice written by Jenny Reeves and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-04-07 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the emphasis on transforming professional work through the adoption of enquiry-based and trans-disciplinary approaches to service development, there is an urgent need for those involved in professional education to develop a robust understanding of how changes in practice occur. A more inclusive approach to the analysis of the processes involved across the varied and interrelated contexts in which they occur is thus very timely. In this book, Jenny Reeves sets out to explore the gap between the experience of professional learning as an interactive, dynamic and socially contextualised process, and descriptions that are often individualistic, overly linear and largely context-free. She makes the claim that this disjuncture is the outcome of modes of enquiry that concentrate on limited selections of the available data. Adopting a relational approach to describing practice-based professional development, including graphical means for exploring the spaces produced by the activity, provides a very different picture. It creates a basis for representing the complex movements, relationships and interactions between people and things that occur during professional learning. It also provides a productive approach to describing the exchange and creation of professional knowledge across different contexts over time. By building a picture of the ephemeral spaces and connections that educating activities produce, mapping relational space allows those engaged in professional education to think rather differently about how professional learning and changes in knowledge and practice may be understood, supported and developed.

Exploring Relational Professionalism in Schools

Exploring Relational Professionalism in Schools

Author: Anneli Frelin

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-06-13

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 9462092486

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How is it that some teachers have just “got it”? They walk into a room and the atmosphere changes. They get through to students in a way that no-one else can. The author has sought answers to this question by observing and interviewing teachers from preschool to upper secondary school levels. Having intensively studied the highly influential but underestimated relational dimension of teaching, her contention is that these teachers successfully use relational practices to build educational relationships with their students and educational communities among them. Moreover, she finds that what may come across as a teacher’s personal traits is actually a sensible professional approach. These teachers haven’t “got it” - they “get it”. This book explains how teachers carry out their relational practices, and contains an abundance of everyday examples from all stages of education. The deep theoretical reasoning departs from these examples to create a compelling argument for a teacher’s relational professionality that is possible to learn and teach. New relational perspectives and concepts are introduced for the purpose of facilitating professional conversations about the profound dimension of relationships in education.


Book Synopsis Exploring Relational Professionalism in Schools by : Anneli Frelin

Download or read book Exploring Relational Professionalism in Schools written by Anneli Frelin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-13 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How is it that some teachers have just “got it”? They walk into a room and the atmosphere changes. They get through to students in a way that no-one else can. The author has sought answers to this question by observing and interviewing teachers from preschool to upper secondary school levels. Having intensively studied the highly influential but underestimated relational dimension of teaching, her contention is that these teachers successfully use relational practices to build educational relationships with their students and educational communities among them. Moreover, she finds that what may come across as a teacher’s personal traits is actually a sensible professional approach. These teachers haven’t “got it” - they “get it”. This book explains how teachers carry out their relational practices, and contains an abundance of everyday examples from all stages of education. The deep theoretical reasoning departs from these examples to create a compelling argument for a teacher’s relational professionality that is possible to learn and teach. New relational perspectives and concepts are introduced for the purpose of facilitating professional conversations about the profound dimension of relationships in education.

Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities

Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities

Author: Miriam B. Raider-Roth

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 0807775576

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In this book, Raider-Roth offers an innovative approach to teacher professional development that builds on the intellectual strength and practical wisdom of practitioners. Focusing on nurturing relationships between and among participants, facilitators, subject matter, texts, and the school environment, this book helps educators create a repertoire of teaching approaches founded on sustained, deep, democratic, local, and active learning. The author demonstrates that, within the context of trustworthy relationships, teachers can better connect with all that they know about teaching, learning, and their own identities. This, in turn, enables them to act on what they know in the best interest of their students and leads to the kinds of lasting change and commitment that can move the teaching profession beyond training for a particular skill set. Book Features: Examples showing how the work of relational learning communities can improve teachers’ practice.A focus on the cultural dimension in professional development for teachers.A view of teaching and learning as deeply relational and transformative. Strategies to help facilitators and participants create processes to best support a fertile learning environment. “An effective and powerful antidote to the usual models of PD, Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities is a thoughtful and engaging text that takes seriously the intellectual work of teachers and the importance of relationships in teacher learning.” —Curt Dudley-Marling, professor emeritus, Boston College


Book Synopsis Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities by : Miriam B. Raider-Roth

Download or read book Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities written by Miriam B. Raider-Roth and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Raider-Roth offers an innovative approach to teacher professional development that builds on the intellectual strength and practical wisdom of practitioners. Focusing on nurturing relationships between and among participants, facilitators, subject matter, texts, and the school environment, this book helps educators create a repertoire of teaching approaches founded on sustained, deep, democratic, local, and active learning. The author demonstrates that, within the context of trustworthy relationships, teachers can better connect with all that they know about teaching, learning, and their own identities. This, in turn, enables them to act on what they know in the best interest of their students and leads to the kinds of lasting change and commitment that can move the teaching profession beyond training for a particular skill set. Book Features: Examples showing how the work of relational learning communities can improve teachers’ practice.A focus on the cultural dimension in professional development for teachers.A view of teaching and learning as deeply relational and transformative. Strategies to help facilitators and participants create processes to best support a fertile learning environment. “An effective and powerful antidote to the usual models of PD, Professional Development in Relational Learning Communities is a thoughtful and engaging text that takes seriously the intellectual work of teachers and the importance of relationships in teacher learning.” —Curt Dudley-Marling, professor emeritus, Boston College

Beyond the Tyranny of Testing

Beyond the Tyranny of Testing

Author: Kenneth J. Gergen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-09-28

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0190872772

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Measurement-based assessment has dominated our educational systems at the expense of the learning and the well-being of students and teachers. In this book, Gergen and Gill propose a radical alternative to this broken system, which is based instead on an inspirational conception of schools as sites of collective meaning-making and a relational orientation to evaluation. The authors acknowledge that it is within the process of relating that the world comes to be meaningful for us, and equally, learning and well-being are embedded in relational process, which testing and grades undermine. Providing detailed illustrations using cases from pioneering schools around the globe at both the primary and secondary level, this book demonstrates how a relational orientation to evaluation in education can enhance learning processes, foster students' engagement and vitality relationships, and elevate the evaluation of teaching and the school as a whole. Featuring collaborative learning, dialogic pedagogy, and flexible curricula, relational evaluation truly speaks to the demands of a rapidly changing world.


Book Synopsis Beyond the Tyranny of Testing by : Kenneth J. Gergen

Download or read book Beyond the Tyranny of Testing written by Kenneth J. Gergen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Measurement-based assessment has dominated our educational systems at the expense of the learning and the well-being of students and teachers. In this book, Gergen and Gill propose a radical alternative to this broken system, which is based instead on an inspirational conception of schools as sites of collective meaning-making and a relational orientation to evaluation. The authors acknowledge that it is within the process of relating that the world comes to be meaningful for us, and equally, learning and well-being are embedded in relational process, which testing and grades undermine. Providing detailed illustrations using cases from pioneering schools around the globe at both the primary and secondary level, this book demonstrates how a relational orientation to evaluation in education can enhance learning processes, foster students' engagement and vitality relationships, and elevate the evaluation of teaching and the school as a whole. Featuring collaborative learning, dialogic pedagogy, and flexible curricula, relational evaluation truly speaks to the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Different Ways of Being an Educator

Different Ways of Being an Educator

Author: Ann Morgan Ph.D.

Publisher: Balboa Press

Published: 2018-02-08

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1504312066

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The Different Ways of Being an Educator series highlights the shifts and movements educators make in a flexi school context. Flexi schools offer programs that are responsive to the needs of young people who face complexities in their lives that have created barriers to learning in conventional schools. Not all flexi schools are the same, but they have some common features and practice frameworks. In Relational Practicethe first in a three-book seriesthe author explores an educational model for those who seek to give disenfranchised young people access to safe and dynamic learning communities. Drawing on stories from experienced practitioners working with young people in flexi schools, the author shares insights about re-engaging young people and effective ways of working with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams. The concepts are presented in easy-to-access, clearly themed vignettes from educators. Each element is accompanied by questions that guide staff to engage in critical reflection individually, within teams, and with mentors and supervisors. For educators in any context, the series offers practical strategies and relational ways for educators to support young people to remain connected and engaged in learning at school.


Book Synopsis Different Ways of Being an Educator by : Ann Morgan Ph.D.

Download or read book Different Ways of Being an Educator written by Ann Morgan Ph.D. and published by Balboa Press. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Different Ways of Being an Educator series highlights the shifts and movements educators make in a flexi school context. Flexi schools offer programs that are responsive to the needs of young people who face complexities in their lives that have created barriers to learning in conventional schools. Not all flexi schools are the same, but they have some common features and practice frameworks. In Relational Practicethe first in a three-book seriesthe author explores an educational model for those who seek to give disenfranchised young people access to safe and dynamic learning communities. Drawing on stories from experienced practitioners working with young people in flexi schools, the author shares insights about re-engaging young people and effective ways of working with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams. The concepts are presented in easy-to-access, clearly themed vignettes from educators. Each element is accompanied by questions that guide staff to engage in critical reflection individually, within teams, and with mentors and supervisors. For educators in any context, the series offers practical strategies and relational ways for educators to support young people to remain connected and engaged in learning at school.

Trust in Schools

Trust in Schools

Author: Anthony Bryk

Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation

Published: 2002-09-05

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 161044096X

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Most Americans agree on the necessity of education reform, but there is little consensus about how this goal might be achieved. The rhetoric of standards and vouchers has occupied center stage, polarizing public opinion and affording little room for reflection on the intangible conditions that make for good schools. Trust in Schools engages this debate with a compelling examination of the importance of social relationships in the successful implementation of school reform. Over the course of three years, Bryk and Schneider, together with a diverse team of other researchers and school practitioners, studied reform in twelve Chicago elementary schools. Each school was undergoing extensive reorganization in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988, which called for greater involvement of parents and local community leaders in their neighborhood schools. Drawing on years longitudinal survey and achievement data, as well as in-depth interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and local community leaders, the authors develop a thorough account of how effective social relationships—which they term relational trust—can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. Using case studies of the network of relationships that make up the school community, Bryk and Schneider examine how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to generate, a successful educational environment. The personal dynamics among teachers, students, and their parents, for example, influence whether students regularly attend school and sustain their efforts in the difficult task of learning. In schools characterized by high relational trust, educators were more likely to experiment with new practices and work together with parents to advance improvements. As a result, these schools were also more likely to demonstrate marked gains in student learning. In contrast, schools with weak trust relations saw virtually no improvement in their reading or mathematics scores. Trust in Schools demonstrates convincingly that the quality of social relationships operating in and around schools is central to their functioning, and strongly predicts positive student outcomes. This book offer insights into how trust can be built and sustained in school communities, and identifies some features of public school systems that can impede such development. Bryk and Schneider show how a broad base of trust across a school community can provide a critical resource as education professional and parents embark on major school reforms. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology


Book Synopsis Trust in Schools by : Anthony Bryk

Download or read book Trust in Schools written by Anthony Bryk and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2002-09-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most Americans agree on the necessity of education reform, but there is little consensus about how this goal might be achieved. The rhetoric of standards and vouchers has occupied center stage, polarizing public opinion and affording little room for reflection on the intangible conditions that make for good schools. Trust in Schools engages this debate with a compelling examination of the importance of social relationships in the successful implementation of school reform. Over the course of three years, Bryk and Schneider, together with a diverse team of other researchers and school practitioners, studied reform in twelve Chicago elementary schools. Each school was undergoing extensive reorganization in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988, which called for greater involvement of parents and local community leaders in their neighborhood schools. Drawing on years longitudinal survey and achievement data, as well as in-depth interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and local community leaders, the authors develop a thorough account of how effective social relationships—which they term relational trust—can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. Using case studies of the network of relationships that make up the school community, Bryk and Schneider examine how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to generate, a successful educational environment. The personal dynamics among teachers, students, and their parents, for example, influence whether students regularly attend school and sustain their efforts in the difficult task of learning. In schools characterized by high relational trust, educators were more likely to experiment with new practices and work together with parents to advance improvements. As a result, these schools were also more likely to demonstrate marked gains in student learning. In contrast, schools with weak trust relations saw virtually no improvement in their reading or mathematics scores. Trust in Schools demonstrates convincingly that the quality of social relationships operating in and around schools is central to their functioning, and strongly predicts positive student outcomes. This book offer insights into how trust can be built and sustained in school communities, and identifies some features of public school systems that can impede such development. Bryk and Schneider show how a broad base of trust across a school community can provide a critical resource as education professional and parents embark on major school reforms. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

Self-study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators

Self-study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators

Author: Cynthia A. Lassonde

Publisher: Brill / Sense

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789087906887

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This comprehensive text, written by self-study scholars who are noted in the field for particular methodological and epistemological perspective, delineates a range of research methodologies.


Book Synopsis Self-study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators by : Cynthia A. Lassonde

Download or read book Self-study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators written by Cynthia A. Lassonde and published by Brill / Sense. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive text, written by self-study scholars who are noted in the field for particular methodological and epistemological perspective, delineates a range of research methodologies.

Leading for Professional Learning

Leading for Professional Learning

Author: Anneke Markholt

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-10-02

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 1119440440

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Support teachers with more effective instructional leadership Leading for Professional Learning offers field-tested guidance to help school leaders more effectively support teachers’ professional development. Leadership is crucial to professional learning, providing the necessary systems and structures that enable teachers to improve their own practice and in turn, improve student learning. With an illustrative case study, this book provides invaluable guidance, packed with practical tools, processes, and expert advice. Because each school differs in terms of strengths and needs, this book steers away from prescriptivism and shows you how to construct a support plan tailored to your unique context. Specific teaching and leadership frameworks guide you through the process of examination, discovery, and execution, equipping you with the necessary tools and insight you need to make positive changes for your teachers – and ultimately, your students. A must-read resource for principals, administrators, and other school and district leadership, this book helps you set your school on the path to continuous improvement. Determine your school’s professional learning needs Leverage existing support structures for the greatest effect Understand the role of leadership in sponsoring and following up on professional learning Ensure intentional changes in teacher practice and student learning Empowering teachers to improve their craft goes beyond merely offering opportunity; it requires collaboration with teachers every step of the way, a deep understanding of how best to support professional learning, a clear set of goals for both individual sessions and an overarching mission, and the necessary technical and relational support required to see these opportunities through. Written by experts from the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership, Leading for Professional Learning provides real-world advice that has been proven effective in school districts across the nation.


Book Synopsis Leading for Professional Learning by : Anneke Markholt

Download or read book Leading for Professional Learning written by Anneke Markholt and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Support teachers with more effective instructional leadership Leading for Professional Learning offers field-tested guidance to help school leaders more effectively support teachers’ professional development. Leadership is crucial to professional learning, providing the necessary systems and structures that enable teachers to improve their own practice and in turn, improve student learning. With an illustrative case study, this book provides invaluable guidance, packed with practical tools, processes, and expert advice. Because each school differs in terms of strengths and needs, this book steers away from prescriptivism and shows you how to construct a support plan tailored to your unique context. Specific teaching and leadership frameworks guide you through the process of examination, discovery, and execution, equipping you with the necessary tools and insight you need to make positive changes for your teachers – and ultimately, your students. A must-read resource for principals, administrators, and other school and district leadership, this book helps you set your school on the path to continuous improvement. Determine your school’s professional learning needs Leverage existing support structures for the greatest effect Understand the role of leadership in sponsoring and following up on professional learning Ensure intentional changes in teacher practice and student learning Empowering teachers to improve their craft goes beyond merely offering opportunity; it requires collaboration with teachers every step of the way, a deep understanding of how best to support professional learning, a clear set of goals for both individual sessions and an overarching mission, and the necessary technical and relational support required to see these opportunities through. Written by experts from the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership, Leading for Professional Learning provides real-world advice that has been proven effective in school districts across the nation.

Different Ways of Being an Educator

Different Ways of Being an Educator

Author: Ann Morgan

Publisher: Balboa Press Au

Published: 2018-02-08

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9781504312059

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The Different Ways of Being an Educator series highlights the shifts and movements educators make in a flexi school context. Flexi schools offer programs that are responsive to the needs of young people who face complexities in their lives that have created barriers to learning in conventional schools. Not all flexi schools are the same, but they have some common features and practice frameworks. In Relational Practicethe first in a three-book seriesthe author explores an educational model for those who seek to give disenfranchised young people access to safe and dynamic learning communities. Drawing on stories from experienced practitioners working with young people in flexi schools, the author shares insights about re-engaging young people and effective ways of working with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams. The concepts are presented in easy-to-access, clearly themed vignettes from educators. Each element is accompanied by questions that guide staff to engage in critical reflection individually, within teams, and with mentors and supervisors. For educators in any context, the series offers practical strategies and relational ways for educators to support young people to remain connected and engaged in learning at school.


Book Synopsis Different Ways of Being an Educator by : Ann Morgan

Download or read book Different Ways of Being an Educator written by Ann Morgan and published by Balboa Press Au. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Different Ways of Being an Educator series highlights the shifts and movements educators make in a flexi school context. Flexi schools offer programs that are responsive to the needs of young people who face complexities in their lives that have created barriers to learning in conventional schools. Not all flexi schools are the same, but they have some common features and practice frameworks. In Relational Practicethe first in a three-book seriesthe author explores an educational model for those who seek to give disenfranchised young people access to safe and dynamic learning communities. Drawing on stories from experienced practitioners working with young people in flexi schools, the author shares insights about re-engaging young people and effective ways of working with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams. The concepts are presented in easy-to-access, clearly themed vignettes from educators. Each element is accompanied by questions that guide staff to engage in critical reflection individually, within teams, and with mentors and supervisors. For educators in any context, the series offers practical strategies and relational ways for educators to support young people to remain connected and engaged in learning at school.

Relational Leadership in Education

Relational Leadership in Education

Author: David L. Giles

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-10-03

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0429819137

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When is leadership not relational? When is education not relational? When is life not relational? Relationships always matter to our living, educating and leading. Relational Leadership in Education considers this ‘Relational Leadership’ within the context of education, critiquing the current ideological ‘context’ and contemporary understandings of its influence. Employing a phenomenological approach, this book explores the relational nature of education, Relational Leadership, and the organizational culture to provide a more sophisticated exploration of practice-based wisdom. It offers an extensive range of activities for further thinking on the experiential nature of Relational Leadership, grouped around a number of themes: Relational Leadership and sensibilities; organizational culture; professional development; curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; and the reconstruction of a postgraduate Educational Leadership and Management programme for experienced, emergent and aspiring leaders. ‘Relational Leadership’ is not about describing yet another style of leadership but rather about a relational way of being in leadership that utilizes refined relational sensibilities. ‘Relational Leadership’ is also a reminder of what is critical in a leader’s practice — leadership is always relational, and relationships are the essence of leadership.


Book Synopsis Relational Leadership in Education by : David L. Giles

Download or read book Relational Leadership in Education written by David L. Giles and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When is leadership not relational? When is education not relational? When is life not relational? Relationships always matter to our living, educating and leading. Relational Leadership in Education considers this ‘Relational Leadership’ within the context of education, critiquing the current ideological ‘context’ and contemporary understandings of its influence. Employing a phenomenological approach, this book explores the relational nature of education, Relational Leadership, and the organizational culture to provide a more sophisticated exploration of practice-based wisdom. It offers an extensive range of activities for further thinking on the experiential nature of Relational Leadership, grouped around a number of themes: Relational Leadership and sensibilities; organizational culture; professional development; curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; and the reconstruction of a postgraduate Educational Leadership and Management programme for experienced, emergent and aspiring leaders. ‘Relational Leadership’ is not about describing yet another style of leadership but rather about a relational way of being in leadership that utilizes refined relational sensibilities. ‘Relational Leadership’ is also a reminder of what is critical in a leader’s practice — leadership is always relational, and relationships are the essence of leadership.