Education & Pedagogy

Philosophy and practice in gifted education are reviewed, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive planning policy which takes into account the total experience of the gifted student and the need for a differentiated curriculum. Gifted education should include basic skills, general curriculum, talent development, and interpersonal relationships and values. (Author/JDD)

Discusses potential uses of computer technology in the mathematics classroom and some factors constraining its breadth of use. Identifies the need for teacher education programs which support teachers' use of computers. Describes a cooperative project involving university faculty, secondary school teachers, and preservice teacher trainees which addresses this need. (TW)

A three-week conference on the future of the English curriculum in elementary through postsecondary education is discussed. English students would study a variety of works. They would analyze the historical, cultural, and political dimensions of what they read and writing would be an integral part of the curriculum. (MLW)

Identifies current trends that are moving society away from supporting an improved role for the arts in education. Discusses the blurring of the demarcation between popular culture and high art, the economic context in which students are trained for work, taxpayer pressure for efficiency, and deemphasis on live art. (KO)

To improve elementary science instruction in rural and small schools, the University of Tennessee at Martin developed a successful research-based model for inservice teacher education that included teacher developed curricular materials, multidisciplinary content, hands-on science instruction, local team leadership development, and joint training of teachers and administrators. (SV)

Considers Matthew Arnold's views on comparative education, the inadequacy of middle-class education in England, the need for a modern society characterized by "the intellectual maturity of man himself," the intellectual weakness and lack of "modernity" of his English contemporaries, and the role of state schools in effecting "modernity." (DMM)

Wisconsin teachers (N=416) who had preservice multicultural education training were surveyed by mail to discover what they were doing in their classrooms to attend to diversity based on race and ethnicity, gender, and social class in the areas of curriculum and material, expectations, instructions, and student-student relationships. (IAH)

Results are reported from an investigation into the influence of subject-specific coursework in the development of pedagogical content knowledge in English through contrasting case studies of six beginning English teachers, only three of whom graduated from teacher education programs. Implications for teacher education policy, research, and practice are discussed. (IAH)

Examines the relationships between history textbook content, teacher education curriculum, and the teaching of women's history. States that hostility is not the major obstacle to the meaningful utilization of womens' materials, but rather teachers' failure to find the motivation and time to deviate from the kind of history they were taught. (LS)

Presents ideas concerning the art-as-center and art-as-means dichotomy, European heritage, the art and humanities relationship, and the economic context. Synthesizes some of these ideas and makes recommendations about priorities for policy work. Suggests that both the graduate research establishment and the professional organization need to look realistically at the intellectual effort needed to support art education. (KO)

Presents findings of a preliminary review of research literature on learners and learning in distance education. Comparative analyses of distance education methods and research on student outcomes are highlighted, including students' reasons for dropout or persistence, student profiles, and the impact of institutional interventions on student outcomes. (60 references) (LRW)

Examines the history and vocabularies of the Highlander Folk School (Tennessee), an adult education school emphasizing decision-making, critical thinking, and active citizen participation. Encourages social studies teachers to become aware of their vocabularies, using the Highlander example in the discourse about the nature of knowledge and the role of social action. (LS)

This paper compares and contrasts American and Australian special education, noting the overlap in general issues such as federal/state government role, legal/judicial involvement, identification practices, funding, mainstreaming, and parent advocacy. Specific policies and practices which have evolved along separate paths due to historical, constitutional, political, and cultural differences are also discussed. (Author/JDD)

Waves of activity in British workers' education include (1) initiation (1899-1920), with the establishment of the Workers' Education Association; (2) consolidation (1920-1940), with the formation of the National Council of Labour Colleges; (3) growth (1940-1964); (4) increased union training (1964-1979); and (5) current attempts to broaden the narrow focus on industrial relations with a wider framework of social understanding. (SK)

According to a report published by a University of Chicago political science professor, the Reagan Administration attempted to dismantle the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Dr. Gary Orfield argues that during the Reagan presidency, OCR removed the threat of any enforcement of civil rights in higher education. (AF)