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Achieving ultranarrow absorption linewidths in the condensed phase enables optical state preparation of specific non-thermal states, a prerequisite for quantum-enabled technologies. The 4f orbitals of lanthanide(iii) complexes are often referred to as atom-like, reflecting their isolated nature, and are promising substrates for the optical preparation of specific quantum states. To better understand the photophysical properties of 4f states and assess their potential for quantum applications, theoretical building blocks are required for rapid screening. In this study, an atomic-level perturbative calculation (i.e., spin-orbit crystal field, SOCF) is applied to various Yb(iii) complexes to investigate their linear absorption and emission through a fitting mechanism of their experimentally determined transition energies and oscillator strengths. In particular, the optical properties of (thiolfan)YbCl(THF) (thiolfan = 1,1-bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-thiomethylenephenoxy)ferrocene), a recently reported complex with an ultranarrow optical linewidth, are computed and compared to those of other Yb(iii) compounds. Through a transition energy sampling study, major contributors to the optical linewidth are identified. We observe particularly isolated f-f transitions and narrow linewidths, which we attribute to two distinct factors. Firstly, the ultra-high atomic similarity of the orbitals involved in the optical transition, along with the presence of an anisotropic crystal field, collectively contribute to the observed narrow transitions. Secondly, we note highly correlated excited-ground energy fluctuations that serve to greatly suppress inhomogeneous line-broadening. This article illustrates how SOCF can be used as a low-cost method to probe the influence of crystal field environment on the optical properties of Yb(iii) complexes to assist the development of novel lanthanide series quantum materials.

Though YB6 and LaB6 share the same crystal structure, atomic valence electron configuration, and phonon modes, they exhibit drastically different phonon-mediated superconductivity. YB6 superconducts below 8.4 K, giving it the second-highest critical temperature of known borides, second only to MgB2. LaB6 does not superconduct until near-absolute zero temperatures (below 0.45 K), however. Though previous studies have quantified the canonical superconductivity descriptors of YB6's greater Fermi-level (Ef) density of states and higher electron-phonon coupling (EPC), the root of this difference has not been assessed with full detail of the electronic structure. Through chemical bonding, we determine low-lying, unoccupied 4f atomic orbitals in lanthanum to be the key difference between these superconductors. These orbitals, which are not accessible in YB6, hybridize with π B-B bonds and bring this π-system lower in energy than the σ B-B bonds otherwise at Ef. This inversion of bands is crucial: the optical phonon modes we show responsible for superconductivity cause the σ-orbitals of YB6 to change drastically in overlap, but couple weakly to the π-orbitals of LaB6. These phonons in YB6 even access a crossing of electronic states, indicating strong EPC. No such crossing in LaB6 is observed. Finally, a supercell (the M k-point) is shown to undergo Peierls-like effects in YB6, introducing additional EPC from both softened acoustic phonons and the same electron-coupled optical modes as in the unit cell. Overall, we find that LaB6 and YB6 have fundamentally different mechanisms of superconductivity, despite their otherwise near-identity.

Polyatomic molecules equipped with optical cycling centers (OCCs), enabling continuous photon scattering during optical excitation, are exciting candidates for advancing quantum information science. However, as these molecules grow in size and complexity, the interplay of complex vibronic couplings on optical cycling becomes a critical but relatively unexplored consideration. Here, we present an extensive exploration of Fermi resonances in large-scale OCC-containing molecules using high-resolution dispersed laser-induced fluorescence and excitation spectroscopy. These resonances manifest as vibrational coupling leading to intensity borrowing by combination bands near optically active harmonic bands, which require additional repumping lasers for effective optical cycling. To mitigate these effects, we explore altering the vibrational energy level spacing through substitutions on the phenyl ring or changes in the OCC itself. While the complete elimination of vibrational coupling in complex molecules remains challenging, our findings highlight significant mitigation possibilities, opening new avenues for optimizing optical cycling in large polyatomic molecules.

Teachers who mentor student teachers have a range of mentoring, coaching and teaching experience. Appropriate professional development for mentors takes consideration of this experience as well as the age phase, context (for example, main-stream or special education setting) and route that the student teacher is taking into teaching (school-based experience varying from a few weeks to a whole school year). Mentors are school-based teacher educators with diverse professional learning and development requirements, for which a personalised needs-led approach may be more effective than a training approach limited to understanding the processes needed for a specific programme and setting. Core essentials for school-based teacher educators' development include introductions to the Partnership team, values, route and procedures; basic mentoring principles and skills; providing feedback to the school-based teacher educator on the professional learning conversation and modelling subject development conversations; and access to a community of teacher educators. Beyond these core essentials, other opportunities can enrich professional learning and practice. Cameos of such enrichment opportunities are described in this article to illustrate the personalised needs-led approach that has evolved within an Initial Teacher Education Partnership in England. The value, drawbacks and implications of this flexibly adaptive approach are discussed.

Designing closed, laser-induced optical cycling transitions in trapped atoms or molecules is useful for quantum information processing, precision measurement, and quantum sensing. Larger molecules that feature such closed transitions are particularly desirable, as the increased degrees of freedom present new structures for optical control and enhanced measurements. The search for molecules with robust optical cycling centers is a challenge which requires design principles beyond trial-and-error. Two such principles are proposed for the particular M-O-R framework, where M is an alkaline earth metal radical, and R is a ligand: (1) Large, saturated hydrocarbons can serve as ligands, R, due to a substantial HOMO-LUMO gap that encloses the cycling transition, so long as the R group is rigid. (2) Electron-withdrawing groups, via induction, can enhance Franck-Condon factors (FCFs) of the optical cycling transition, as long as they do not disturb the locally linear structure in the M-O-R motif. With these tools in mind, larger molecules can be trapped and used as optical cycling centers, sometimes with higher FCFs than smaller molecules.

We report the production and spectroscopic characterization of strontium(I) phenoxide (SrOC6H5 or SrOPh) and variants featuring electron-withdrawing groups designed to suppress vibrational excitation during spontaneous emission from the electronically excited state. Optical cycling closure of these species, which is the decoupling of the vibrational state changes from spontaneous optical decay, is found by dispersed laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy to be high, in accordance with theoretical predictions. A high-resolution, rotationally resolved laser excitation spectrum is recorded for SrOPh, allowing the estimation of spectroscopic constants and identification of candidate optical cycling transitions for future work. The results confirm the promise of strontium phenoxides for laser cooling and quantum state detection at the single-molecule level.

The Sabatier activity volcano provides intuitive guide for catalyst design, but also imposes fundamental limitations on the composition and maximal activity of catalysts. We show that the ORR activity volcano is shifted and reshaped by the potential-dependent fluxionality of subnano cluster catalysts. Fluxionality causes the typically under-binding Ag/Au to gain optimal activity in the cluster form, and surpass Pt/Pd. Furthermore, isomerization of clusters as a function of the potential breaks linear scaling relationships, enabling surpassing the volcano “apex” relative to the bulk. The effect is likely general for fluxional cluster catalysts.

Closed, laser-induced optical transitions ("optical cycling transitions") of molecules can be used for state preparation and measurement in quantum information science and quantum sensing. Increasingly complex molecular species supporting optical cycling can provide new capabilities for quantum science, and it is not clear if there is a limit on their size or complexity. We explore Ca-O-L molecular constructs to support the optical cycling center, Ca, with ligands, L, being arenes. We find that L can be as large as coronene (i.e., CaOC24H11) without losing the diagonality of the Franck-Condon factor (FCF). Furthermore, L can be substituted with electron-withdrawing groups to improve the FCF. Larger L, beyond ∼7 rings, can disrupt the diagonality of the FCF by closing the HOMO-LUMO ligand electronic state gap and reordering with the local states on the cycling center. Overall, we find that optical cycling can be retained for arenes, and we offer a principle for their design.

Laser induced electronic excitations that spontaneously emit photons and decay directly to the initial ground state ("optical cycling transitions") are used in quantum information and precision measurement for state initialization and readout. To extend this primarily atomic technique to large, organic compounds, we theoretically investigate optical cycling of alkaline earth phenoxides and their functionalized derivatives. We find that optical cycle leakage due to wave function mismatch is low in these species, and can be further suppressed by using chemical substitution to boost the electron-withdrawing strength of the aromatic molecular ligand through resonance and induction effects. This provides a straightforward way to use chemical functional groups to construct optical cycling moieties for laser cooling, state preparation, and quantum measurement.

Quantum information processors based on trapped atoms utilize laser-induced optical cycling transitions for state preparation and measurement. These transitions consist of an electronic excitation from the ground to an excited state and a decay back to the initial ground state, associated with a photon emission. While this technique has been used primarily with atoms, it has also recently been shown to work for some divalent metal hydroxides (e.g. SrOH) and alkoxides (e.g. SrOCH3). This extension to molecules is possible because these molecules feature nearly isolated, atomic-like ground and first-excited electronic states centered on the radical metal atom. We theoretically investigate the extension of this idea to a larger scale by growing the alkyl group, R, beyond the initial methyl group, CH3, while preserving the isolated and highly vertical character of the electronic excitation on the radical metal atom, M. Theory suggests that in the limit as the size of the ligand carbon chain increases, it can be considered a functionalized diamond (or cubic boron nitride) surface. Several requirements must be observed for the cycling centers to function when bound to the surface. First, the surface must have a significant band gap that fully encapsulates both the ground and excited states of the cycling center. Second, while the surface lattice imposes strict limits on the achievable spacing between the SrO- groups, at high coverage, SrO- centers can interact, and show geometric changes and/or electronic state mixing. We show that the coverage of the diamond surface with SrO- cycling centers needs to be significantly sub-monolayer for the functionality of the cycling center to be preserved. Having the lattice-imposed spatial control of SrO- placements will allow nanometer-scale proximity between qubits and will eliminate the need for atom traps for localized cycling emitters. Our results also imply that a functionalization could be done on a scanning microscope tip for local quantum sensing or on photonic structures for optically-mediated quantum information processing.

Over the last decade, in both the Netherlands and England, national policy-driven changes have increased schools' responsibility in initial teacher education. This research gathered teacher educators' stories of challenges experienced 'on the ground' in these school-university partnerships. The aim was to explore the reality of working within school-based teacher education partnerships rather than a comparative study between the two countries. Challenges were identified in guiding and assessing student-teachers; professionalism and well-being of student-teachers and teacher educators; collaborative working and quality assurance. The stories revealed complexities of working across institutional borders with multiple stakeholders. Many teacher educators sought their own solution rather than discussing the challenges with others in the partnership. Resolution was sometimes beyond their control and needed to be dealt with on a different partnership level. The stories provide authentic teacher educator voices for use as a professional learning tool in developing collaborative practices in initial teacher education partnerships.

Professionalisation of the early years workforce internationally foregrounds what it means to gain professional recognition as an early years practitioner and has important implications for developing vocational programmes in higher education. This article explores two early years practitioners' professionality and developing professional identities as they undertook a new undergraduate degree programme whilst employed full-time in UK early childhood settings. Using the practitioners' learning stories and insights from their managers and mentors, this article examines evidence for changes in their professional identities; illustrates how they used their learning in practice; and identifies learning about their professionality. Significantly, it contributes to the understanding of professional identity, professionality and professionalism of early years practitioners and questions whether 'threshold concepts', after Meyer and Land, differ depending on students' prior experience of practice. The findings inform understandings of the way higher education programmes can enable practitioners to develop themselves and contribute to their profession.

Teachers' personal understanding of knowledge and how it is acquired has important implications for their approaches to teaching and engaging pupils in learning. This article extends learning about emergent teachers' professional knowledge by critiquing and theorising survey responses detailing student teachers' experience of teaching during their first and last placements in primary classrooms. These members of a cohort of 120 students on a new BEd degree programme in Malaysia were taught to use action (active learning), reflection and modelling (ARM) in their teaching. A keyword search of the students' accounts is used to examine the way they refer to knowledge and describe how knowledge is acquired. Four of the students' narratives are also analysed in depth using a novel 'Eraut-Shulman teacher knowledge framework', which integrates the expositions of Eraut on different types of knowledge and of Shulman on the knowledge base of teaching. The findings contribute to understanding the role of pupils in developing student teachers' knowledge of teaching and the interrelationship between the personal knowledge of teachers and pupils. In particular, it raises questions about developing 'pathic knowledge', conceptualised by van Manen, which is particularly pertinent in settings in which emphasis is placed on socially mediated learning.

The functions of teacher leaders and teacher educators, what they do, are critical in teacher education. This article presents the seemingly unexamined concept that some teacher leaders' practice includes a teacher educator dimension. Evidence that supports this claim is provided by exploring the interrelationship between teacher leader and teacher educator functions using a focused analysis of the literature and findings from qualitative research. This research investigated the impact of a professional development programme for primary science leaders. Data were collected from strategic-level informants, programme mentors and science leaders using interviews, questionnaires and a focus group. The findings are analysed to provide a critical overview of the participants' views of the requirements for successful leadership and development of primary science and to illustrate how educator and leader functions are intertwined in science leaders' activities. The article considers the implications of recognising the educator dimension of some teacher leaders' practice and asserts that these implications extend beyond the primary science context of the research. Acknowledging the contribution made by 'unrecognised' teacher educators and enabling them to contribute to and gain from the professional knowledge of the teacher educator community has significant potential to enrich practice in teacher education internationally, nationally and locally.

This article presents the Action--Reflection--Modelling (ARM) pedagogical approach for teacher education developed during a Malaysia-UK collaborative project to construct a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree programme in Primary Mathematics, with English and Health and Physical Education as minor subjects. The degree programme was written collaboratively by teacher educators in two Institutes of Teacher Education in Malaysia and in the University of Hertfordshire, UK, to meet the requirements for training Malaysian school teachers to teach in Malaysian schools. A cohort of 120 students studied the programme full-time over four years, graduating in 2010. The three principles of the ARM approach were chosen to underpin the learning and teaching for the programme. These principles highlight the role of active participation and active learning on the part of the learner; the value of reflective learning and reflection for both student teachers and pupils; and modelling by staff to student teachers and by student teachers to pupils in school. The approach was aligned with the curriculum specifications for mathematics in primary schools in Malaysia, which emphasised components of active learning. This article explains how the ARM approach was developed, shared and used during the BEd degree programme; provides the rationale for selecting the three principles; and describes the research methods used to explore the views and experiences of programme participants. Some findings from the research are presented, drawn from a dataset that comprises survey responses from more than 180 participants: Malaysian senior managers, teacher educators, student teachers and school mentors. The findings are discussed in the context of using ARM in teacher education and in primary schools in Malaysia, and of implementing change in learning and teaching. Throughout this project the teacher educators from Malaysia and the UK engaged in dialogue about their professional practice and learnt about the personal, professional and cultural values and beliefs that shaped the pedagogies of both parties and of the individual practitioners. The value of articulating pedagogy as a means of developing practice endorses the views of others with expertise in this area who stress the importance of making pedagogies explicit in teacher education and has implications for the practice of student teachers and teacher educators.

Emphasis on professionalisation of the childcare workforce internationally is associated with evidence that links education and experience of early years practitioners; quality of early education and care; and outcomes for children and families. In England, this has led to a proliferation of vocational undergraduate programmes. This article draws on research carried out with early years practitioners who were completing a sector endorsed foundation degree in early years programme that provided students in full-time employment with opportunities for professional and workplace learning. The students' views and experiences, documented in personal reflections and learning stories and voiced during focus groups, were complemented by those of early years managers and mentors. A critique of the findings to learn about developing early years practitioners' identities as professionals and as professional learners suggests that the students became confident, reflective professionals and learners who shared their learning and sought to implement change in their settings. This research has implications for developing early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners, new to academic study, as learners and as confident, reflective members of a professional workforce at a time of ongoing change and uncertainty in ECEC policy and practice nationally and internationally.

Members of staff joining a school of education often have extensive experience in practice but not in academia and the university setting may present a complex diversity of roles, ways of working, values and goals. Colleagues may face issues of understanding the organisational structure and culture, changing identities, and concerns about their academic reading and writing abilities. This paper presents a study designed to examine the efficacy of a personalised needs-led self-study group approach to induction for experienced professionals joining a University School of Education. The approach was new to both current staff members and the four early academic staff, most of whom were teacher educators. In group sessions new colleagues had space for dialogue and story-telling based on their experiences, and created visual images for reflection and discussion with group members. Progressive group activities included presentations at local and international conferences, and academic writing. The purpose of the research reported here was to examine the efficacy of the self-study group as part of an induction process; exploring the developing professional identity of the new staff, the role of the group, and the effects of collecting visual research data for reflection and analysis of personal and group themes. New colleagues prepared a reflective account of their experiences of the group and their developing professional identity, took part in an evaluation workshop, and responded to questions on the longer term impact of the group. Outcomes of the group process included participants' increased confidence to work in the context of complexity, and the ability to embrace their changing identities. A self-study group process can help facilitate the development of the professionals needed to work in the dynamic context of the university of today and is likely to have implications for a range of organisational settings. (Contains 6 tables.)

This article presents a strategy for teaching newly qualified teachers (NQTs) during their first year of teaching, developed by teacher educators from the University of Hertfordshire School of Education. The strategy included a new learning and teaching approach designed to enable NQTs to: develop as critically reflective teachers; build confidence in their professional "voices"; learn collaboratively; and assess their learning. Pedagogical tools created to support the new approach included "Discover--Deepen--Do" (3D), a model for driving change in teaching through analysing critical incidents or critical moments. The NQTs who completed the Master's level module used the 3D model, completed critically reflective "learning journals" and were assessed through "learning conversations". This article describes the learning and teaching approach and evaluation method. Findings from the evaluation provide insight into the participants' perspectives of the approach, and the NQTs' development as confident and critically reflective teachers and as professional learners. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

Curricular and pedagogical reforms are complex inter-linked processes such that curricular reform can only be enacted through teachers teaching differently. This article reports the perspective of emergent Malaysian primary teachers who were expected to implement a Government reform that promoted active learning. The 120 student teachers were members of a single cohort completing a new B.Ed. degree programme in Primary Mathematics designed by teacher educators from Malaysia and the UK. They were taught to use a tripartite pedagogical framework involving action or active learning, supported in practice through reflection and modelling. Drawing on findings from surveys carried out with the student teachers at the end of their first and final placements this article examines evidence for the premise that the student teachers were teaching differently; illustrates how they reported using active learning strategies; and identifies factors that enabled and constrained pedagogic change in the primary classroom. The students' accounts of using action, reflection and modelling are critiqued in order to learn about changing learning and teaching practice and to contribute to understanding teacher education and early teacher development. The students' reports suggest diversity of understanding that emphasises the need to challenge assumptions when working internationally and within national and local cultures.

This article presents Malaysian student teachers' reports of using an action, reflection and modelling (ARM) pedagogical approach during their placements in Malaysian primary schools. The ARM approach was designed to support the implementation of the Malaysian primary school mathematics curriculum, which involved changing classroom practice in learning and teaching. It was developed and used during a Malaysia-UK collaborative project to construct a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree programme in Primary Mathematics for a cohort of 120 student teachers in Malaysia. The three principles integral to the ARM approach were repeatedly made explicit to the student practitioners who were engaged in learning and teaching on the new degree programme. Using findings from surveys carried out with the students at the end of their first and final placements, this article provides examples of the way some of them described ARM and recounted how they had used the approach in the classroom. Four of these narratives are used as "vignettes" to illustrate the students' perceptions of using new ways of learning and teaching in primary schools and to inform and enable a discussion of the relationship between theory and practice in teacher education.

The association of research and teaching, and the roles and responsibilities of students and academic staff and the nature of their interrelationship are important issues in higher education. This article presents six undergraduate student researchers' reports of their learning from collaborating with academic staff to design, undertake and evaluate enquiries into aspects of learning and teaching at a UK University. The students' reflections suggest that they identified learning in relation to employability skills and graduate attributes and more importantly in relation to their perceptions of themselves as learners and their role in their own learning and that of others. This article draws attention to the potential of staff-student collaborative, collective settings for developing pedagogic practice and the opportunities they can provide for individual student's learning on their journey through higher education.

This article explores one thread from a larger, longitudinal research project that investigated the views and experiences of teacher educators in Malaysia and from the United Kingdom who were involved in collaboration for the co-construction of a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Mathematics, with English and health and physical education as minor subjects. The article examines the impact of the approach taken to collaboration, which included the development and sharing of a pedagogical model for teacher education (ARM: action, reflection, modelling) and reflects on the value of this to professional learning and development. The research findings suggest that this co-constructive approach was effective in enabling senior managers and teacher educators involved in the project to critique their own practice and to further develop their understanding of effective teacher education. These findings have implications for developing the pedagogy of teacher educators in other contexts: the co-construction of a programme with colleagues who had different understandings of the nature of teacher education enabled new insight into participants' own practice.

The nature of partnership between schools and higher education institutions is changing in many countries, with experienced teachers taking on more responsibility for teacher education whilst remaining in their school as teachers, rather than entering the higher education sector to become teacher educators. This research considers the perspectives of these school-based teacher educators (SBTEs) in England, exploring the impact that this role has on them, their student-teachers and their schools. Some benefits and challenges that they face in the dual role of teacher and teacher educator are revealed. The research takes an interpretive perspective, listening to the meanings being constructed by the participants through use of a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and a focus group of student-teachers who learned from these SBTEs. Possible impacts on student-teachers' learning and implications for the development of high-quality teacher education are examined.

This article is based on findings from the evaluation of a project established to enhance learning and teaching in higher education. This project took place within the University of Hertfordshire School of Education in England through the Change Academy for Blended Learning Enhancement (CABLE) project, the university version of the UK Higher Education Academy and Joint Information Systems Committee Pathfinder programme. The purpose of the project within the school was to increase the support for students' reading at master's degree level. The evaluation approach for the project was based on RUFDATA, which provides a framework for evaluation activity. Stakeholders' reflections on the process and outcomes of the project included the contribution it had made to teaching and learning, and the opportunities it had provided for personal and professional learning and development. The CABLE project is one example of the many funded projects that are a common feature in higher education settings; all potentially of value for individual, team and organisational learning. In this article, the findings from the evaluation are used to suggest some questions that might be asked in future projects to prospectively and proactively identify opportunities for individual professional learning and development.