Education & Pedagogy

Urges distance educators to pay more attention to planning proper student interactions with "wetware," the internal processing/storage/retrieval systems and strategies used by the distance education learner. Notes that while hardware and software have developed, there has been little research into the differing learning styles of distance learners. Suggests that technological capabilities allow accommodation to various learning styles. (DB)

In response to growing numbers of school-based and -linked integrated-service programs, university partnerships among schools of education, health, and social work are forming to prepare professionals with necessary skills, knowledge, and dispositions to work collaboratively in urban neighborhoods. An interdisciplinary training program at an Indiana university is described. (MLH)

This article discusses the rapid growth of Internet use and how Internet technology and the World Wide Web can make learning more accessible for gifted students. It outlines how technology can promote improved learning and how educators can integrate technology into gifted education. The need for teachers to be trained in Internet use is emphasized. (Contains references.) (CR)

This study examined perceptions about autism in regular education (N=35) and special education (N=29) teachers in Greece. Both groups revealed confusion about causes of the syndrome but special education teachers were more able to identify the syndrome's specific characteristics. Regular and special education teachers also identified different instructional priorities for autistic students. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

A survey of 248 alumni of an Australian university found that their satisfaction with academic resources, support services, and competency development significantly predicted their perceived employment preparation. Vocational graduates reported greater employment preparation than generalist graduates. Most felt better prepared for local employment than national or international. (Contains 44 references.) (SK)

Analyzed U.S. and South African teachers' discourses, investigating differences in development of commitment among teachers who engaged in talk-related activities within teacher education versus those who engaged in talk-related activities plus theory-enacting activities within diverse classrooms. Results highlight how developing commitment can be facilitated by carefully designed classroom activities. Differences are revealed in teachers' discourse patterns. (SM)

Addresses the need for continued assessment of course content and instructional methods employed within physical education teacher education programs to deliver theoretical and applied information from the foundational subdiscipline of exercise physiology, describing an innovative course at one university (Exercise for School-Aged Children) which facilitates students' ability to bridge the theory-practice gap in exercise physiology. (SM)

Contends that the travel model of global education, in which there is a need for students and teachers to be transported from one culture to another, does not recognize the changing nature of the modern global community. Argues instead for the "technology model" where the focus is communication through the Internet. (CMK)

Describes the education provided to girls in the Meeting Schools that were eleven Quaker schools created by the Society of Friends in nineteenth-century England and also in private schools and home-based education. Addresses the relationship between education and the disproportionate representation of Quaker women in nineteenth-century social reform and philanthropy. (CMK)

A study of four bilingual special education settings found teachers chose different approaches for teaching writing: interactive journals, Optimal Learning Environment (OLE), Writer's Workshop, and a combination of journal writing, brainstorming-planning, and spelling practice. One year later, only participants in OLE demonstrated significant ongoing improvement in writing performance on compositions. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Hugh Price has dedicated his career to achieving racial equality. The president of the National Urban League stresses each child's right to a high-quality preschool education, highly qualified teachers with high expectations, access to challenging courses of study, and organization of communities for learning, not just maintaining order. (MLH)

Employs Portuguese data to test competing hypotheses about effects of over- and under-education on earnings. The human capital trade-off theory seems irrelevant. The hypothesis of technology-produced pockets of over- and under-education is consistent with Portugal's efforts to promote economic growth, modernize industry, and upgrade educational qualifications. (Contains 18 references.) (MLH)

Investigates whether structural changes in the U.S. labor market affected the rewards and penalties associated with having too much or too little schooling for a job. Applies U.S. results to Germany's more structured ambience. In all cases, productivity and wages were affected by workers' education levels. (Contains 34 references.) (MLH)

Analyzes 86 articles in the first 7 volumes of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Vocational Education Research and organizes them in 3 categories: learning and teaching, policy context, and improving research. Concludes with implications for policy, practice, and future research. An appendix lists articles by topic. (Contains 106 references.) (SK)

Examines the African concept of "ubuntu", which indicates an inner state of almost complete humanization and is the essence of community and commonality. Discusses how ubuntu could contribute to multi-cultural education. Central to the concept of ubuntu, and much like the philosophy underlying multi-cultural education, is that caring for others is a fundamental approach to life in all its facets. (SM)