Education & Pedagogy

Initial teacher education programmes such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in South Africa are undergoing significant changes with the introduction of a new policy regime. This paper briefly outlines the policy changes advanced for teacher education programmes in South Africa. It examines productive pedagogies as a conceptual framework to underpin such a restructured programme. It then proposes that multiple representations can serve as a productive pedagogy of enactment in the science classroom because it engages the student with higher-order thinking skills, connects them with the world beyond the classroom in a supportive environment, and values difference by affording students multiple opportunities to develop a deep understanding of concepts. Some examples are given and the broader implications for classroom practice are discussed.

In the 21st century, the need to develop creative potential through education is more critical than ever. Invention-gifted education is one approach that can both foster creativity and develop inventive talent. Invention-gifted education in the Republic of Korea is distinctive in its systematic approach to talent identification and talent development across the elementary and middle grades. The author of this article, who taught in a Korean invention-gifted program, describes a typical Korean approach to invention education. A curriculum framework for invention-gifted education and ways to identify students for special invention-gifted education services are described. The value of gifted-invention education for society and individuals is discussed. Finally, some limitations and potential problematic aspects related to the implementation of invention-gifted education are considered.

In this paper, it is argued that it is the centrality of the liberatory function of education--its "onto-formative" capacity--that has been most severely compromised through the contemporary recasting of "education" as both a marketable commodity (externalized knowledge) and a particular form of institutional activity (schooling). In this respect, the manner in which education is normatively defined has important consequences for most if not all research and teaching activities. The paper discusses this problem and illustrates how a broader linkage between education and the human condition is an essential prerequisite for a better informed and critically conscious teaching profession. In particular, we explain how this normative description of education is challenged in our combined teaching endeavours.

In accordance with the concept of lifelong education, the Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) system is one flaw of that is recognized or known as a system whose role is to develop individuals with high technical skills as desired by the industry nowadays. Changing times and technology development at this time require changes to the TVET system to form a capable generation of leadership. This paper discusses the transformation of the Technical and Vocational Education (TVE), in shaping future leaders. To achieve these goals, efforts and modifications in the implementation of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) to prepare high calibre individuals in the area technical skills and knowledge while in shaping individuals who have credibility as a leader.

The growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in Australian higher education from 1959 to the present is notable statistically, but below population parity. Distinct patterns in government policy-making and programme development, inconsistent funding and political influences, together with Indigenous representation during the last 50 years have shaped the higher education participation of Australia's Indigenous populations. In this article, the authors identify a constant ideological flux between welfare, equity and economic priorities in successive Australian government approaches impacting on equal opportunities for Indigenous Australians in higher education. Maintaining and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in higher education requires a continued focus on targets for higher education enrolments, governance and working with Indigenous educators.

Critical outdoor education seeks to promote improved human to nature relationships. As academics and teachers strive to develop theory and practice appropriate for such outcomes, the traditional role of adventure activities is being scrutinized. This paper draws on a two year qualitative study which traced changes in human/nature relationships reported by a group of university students as a consequence of involvement in an outdoor education programme. From the many outcomes of the study, the following discussion extracts and concentrates on the role outdoor adventure activities can play in shaping connectedness to nature within outdoor education. Results suggest that adventure can be a very powerful tool for green outdoor education and that deskilling activities as a means of enhancing environmental outcomes may be counterproductive for some students.

The purpose of this study is making a theoretical discussion on the relationship between mathematical modeling and integrated STEM education. First of all, STEM education perspective and the construct of mathematical modeling in mathematics education is introduced. A review of literature is provided on how mathematical modeling literature may contribute to theoretical conceptualization of STEM education by specifically addressing the professional competencies that teachers need. The discussion followed on how mathematical modeling activities and project-based learning contexts contribute to integrated STEM education by providing two research-based experiences, one of which is the model rocketry project carried out by pre-service physics teachers and the other one of which is a mathematical modeling activity solved by pre-service mathematics teachers.

One important theme in technology education is the growing need to develop the type of pedagogies that encourage pupils in authentic and meaningful learning experiences. Often, the teaching strategies of technology education are only a matter of teaching the handling of materials and tools, and the production of mere objects does not consider how to incorporate broader pedagogical connections in comprehensive school technology education. The concept of meaningful learning has been brought into use in technology education of comprehensive school because some generic skills should also be learned in the work process. In this article, learning in technology education is approached from the point of view of meaningful learning. In addition, the realization of practicing the meaningful learning in the teaching of technology is examined.

This article examines 28 teachers' views about their teacher education requirements. The participants were enrolled on a one-year full-time pre-service teacher education programme with a focus on post-compulsory education and training. The study examines how student teachers' self-evaluations against aspects of teaching professional practice changed, developed and evolved over the duration of the course. The results reveal a statistically significant improvement in self-evaluation when all areas of professional expertise are considered. In addition, the study reports a decline, as the programme progresses, in student-assessed need to learn about specific aspects of teaching.

Although much emphasis has been paid to stress and burnout among special education teachers, little attention has been paid to their well-being. This study aimed to examine relations between virtues and well-being among Korean special education teachers. Virtues and well-being of 115 Korean special education teachers were assessed using the character strengths test short form and the mental health continuum short form. Path analysis indicated theological virtue significantly predicted hedonic well-being, and that interpersonal virtue significantly predicted eudaimonic well-being. The implications that the findings of the present study have on the education and recruitment of special education teachers are discussed.

NS-eCMS is developing an open web-based content management, communication, and collaboration eLearning platform that addresses the specialized requirements for distance education in natural sciences. The federated architecture enables straightforward development, exchange, and publication of material through open standards like XML/MathML. The system will provide an open communication platform for dynamical information exchange and management in a pedagogical framework. Time effective communication during the educational process for undergraduate learners and under-graduate academic institutions, is obtained by exploring new interfaces as light pens and electronic blackboards.

Providing general education curriculum for students in self-contained special needs classrooms, as mandated by federal laws, has been a challenge for educators. Utilizing the class work of general education students is an easy, no-cost way to bridge the curriculum gap and offers benefits to both general education and special education students. In addition, this model provides opportunities for social interactions between these diverse student populations. E-books are a powerful tool, as they read aloud to the student, allow the student to progress at his or her own pace, and offer a valuable skill for the general education students who create them.

This article examines the historical evolution of the concepts of interdisciplinarity and integration in American education. We first focus on United States education in the 20th century to review the rationales for integrated and interdisciplinary primary and secondary education. We place such rationales in the context of the larger purposes attributed to education given societal changes and intellectual developments that characterized the times. Then we turn our attention to today's educational landscape and new contemporary demands on education imposed by fundamental global, digital, and environmental transformations. Here, too, we place interdisciplinary education in the broader context of emerging trends in American life--recognizing that such trends are present and may take distinct forms in other countries.

While some research had been done on K-12 and planetarium astronomy teaching from the 1930's to the 1980's, the growth of research on college physics education offered astronomy education researchers a model for examining techniques for teaching introductory college astronomy survey "Astronomy 101" courses as well. This early research was published in widely scattered journals and rarely reached the practitioners of astronomy education. The need to inform and unite the community of astronomy educators led to the birth of the journal "Astronomy Education Review," whose history and sudden death is analyzed. This paper provides a short history of publishing astronomy education research results and provides context for the advent of the new "Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education" (JAESE).

Despite the fact that historically the university has been the par excellence locus for the discussion of public issues and the formation of citizens, current European Union education policies promote and foster citizenship in secondary education, while the civic dimension of higher education is less prominent. This paper presents the case study of a small peripheral Greek university, which provides for the teaching of citizenship, through a dedicated taught module. According to the analysis a strategy of exposure to current problems, heightened due to the crisis in Greece, has affected students' behaviour and their understanding of the concept of "active citizenship" as promoted by European Union policy. Finally implications are drawn for the prospect of promoting active citizenship through university education.