Education & Pedagogy

Chronicles the Providence College Elementary/Special Education Program's move from one which relied upon input measures to evaluate student teachers to one focusing on output measures (performance in coursework and the classroom). The paper describes steps taken to implement standards and their measured attainment into college coursework and discusses the use of student portfolios. (SM)

A study interviewed 15 teacher educators who have used case-based instruction (CBI) and have presented research on the topic. Perceived benefits of CBI included the development of generalizable skills by the students, while perceived barriers included the amount of time instructors needed to develop and use CBI. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes policy provisions supporting educational services for children with disabilities in British Columbia. It presents an overview of present policy and reviews the efficacy of current practice, particularly in the area of human resources, financial resources, early intervention, Individualized Education Programs, and parental involvement. Recommendations are provided. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Explores the use of research in early childhood education and the relationship between quality early childhood education and school success, providing a historical perspective on young children's care and education, describing factors that have changed thinking about the needs of young children and their families, and suggesting steps for responding to challenges faced in improving young children's care and education. (SM)

Examines the importance of high quality teachers for urban schools, discussing best practices for high quality school- university partnerships and describing the University of New Mexico and Albuquerque Public Schools Partnership programs, which support collaboration as a strong component of university-level teacher preparation and provide teacher candidates with appropriate experiences and training to become high quality urban and rural teachers. (SM)

A 2-year British project aimed to foster greater understanding and skills in democratic education among lecturers and students at the School of Education, The Gambia College (Gambia). Project workshops were very well received and appeared to affect participant attitudes but had widely varying impacts on classroom behaviors and school culture. The ethics and effectiveness of such cross-cultural interventions are discussed. (SV)

Reflecting Ugandan culture, the national curriculum on HIV/AIDS and sex education was authoritarian and conformist, and students considered it irrelevant to their lives. An action research project that allowed student choice of classroom procedures and content concerning AIDS and sexuality not only increased student knowledge but also increased communication and respect between boys and girls and reduced sexual harassment. (Contains 47 references.) (SV)

Addresses the issue of information literacy as it applies to general education, arguing that information literacy will be an integral part of culture and a cultural change agent in the 21st century. Suggests the incorporation of the visual and aural into the idea of text changes the static nature of texts, leading to the need for multimedia literacy. (NB)

Examines the development and implementation of a communication component of the general education curriculum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Describes the model as incorporating a decentralized approach to teaching speech and writing. Details organizational and practical issues surrounding this major change in the undergraduate general education curriculum. (AUTH/NB)

Examined the institutional and policy issues inhibiting or supporting participation by non-traditional and lifelong learners in higher education in Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Identified six factors: institutional differentiation of the higher education system, institutional governance and control, flexible (open) access, mode of study, financial assistance and other support, and continuing education opportunities. (EV)

Discusses issues of teaching and teacher education found in the biographies of eminent Brazilian teacher educators which present their personal stories, their social milieu, and influences by Brazilian socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Each biography highlights specific educational characteristics of, influences upon, and theoretical frameworks adopted by respondents. They also reveal changes in educational philosophy, pedagogy, and practice over a century. (SM)

Considers the use of electronic portfolios in teacher education, evaluating survey responses of preservice teachers who used presentation software and multimedia to recreate instructional units they had taught to elementary students. Respondents rated the assignment positively, noting such advantages as opportunities to learn about educational technology and new ways to organize and present ideas. Complaints included time and equipment problems. (SM)

Proposes a cross over between moral education and human rights work, suggesting that human rights documents allow moral educators to learn from human rights activists and educators. Argues that Latin Americans and other marginalized groups can inform moral education work. Includes five suggestions for incorporating human rights into moral education programs. (CMK)

Reviews three areas of history education reform: (1) teachers must be grounded in the content of their discipline; (2) more collaboration between teacher education and arts and sciences faculty; and (3) systems of evaluation and assessment for students and teachers. Describes the University of Northern Colorado program that provides teacher candidates with a solid background in their disciplines. (CMK)

Family physicians were randomly assigned either to a distance learning module (n=26) or preventive care guidelines (n=27) on smoking cessation. No differences appeared in knowledge or attitudes. The distance group had significantly greater change in self-rated competence, but the magnitude of change was not greater than that of the control group. (Contains 37 references.) (SK)