Education & Pedagogy

The Clinton administration has placed equal, accessible education of immigrants at the top of its agenda for 21st-century American schools. This paper examines the initiative, discussing criticism it has already drawn. For example, there are doubts as to whether providing more money for bilingual education without proper monitoring and evaluation of projects will actually make a difference. (SM)

Examines some of the main institutional challenges impacting on the relevance and quality of teaching and learning in higher education in the United Kingdom. Selected concerns include underfunding; mass education and quality; the demand for enhancing student employability or key skills; and the relative status of teaching within research-intensive environments. Contains 59 references. (Author/LRW)

The field of adult education may be approached with the same template of perspectives used by the authors to examine the K-12 education and school reform literature: the technological, psychological, ideological, and sociological perspectives. This article reviews literature from the adult education field, demonstrating the usefulness of this template. (Author/AEF)

Discusses the approaches taken to integrating teaching of basic sciences, clinical sciences, and biopsychosocial issues by eight medical schools participating in a large-scale curriculum development project. All schools promoted study of the humanities and biopsychosocial sciences throughout the curriculum. Attention is given to the problems encountered, resources needed to support interdisciplinary courses, benefits of integration, and lessons learned. (Author/MSE)

Italy's Special Project for Foreign Languages addresses problems resulting from the lack of preservice education by retraining inservice, secondary level, foreign language teachers and thus, improving foreign language education standards. This annual program includes three-hour sessions and intensive eight-hour days throughout the school year. Evaluations and anecdotal evidence indicate the program is successful and beneficial. (SM)

Reviews major tenets of the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997, including strengthening of the role of parents, ensuring access to the general education curriculum, modification of discipline procedures, and changes in how Individualized Education Programs are developed and written. Discusses potential issues in implementation and practical suggestions. (Author/DB)

Parks and recreation professionals need training in multicultural education to handle an increasingly diverse public. Research indicates that most graduate parks-and-recreation education programs do not have multicultural education or gender issues infused into the curriculum. The paper discusses the consequences of cultural encapsulation, notes ways to introduce multicultural education, and offers multicultural course models. (SM)

Discusses the effect of collaboration via e-mail links on the quality of 10- to 11-year-old students' science investigative skills in six elementary rural schools. The project identified several important issues related to teacher-inservice training requirements, development in cooperative groupwork for children, and software design. (AIM)

Examines the benefits of art education that go beyond art production to encompass an expansive view of art. Describes a kindergarten project called "Painting with Scissors" that implements this approach to art education. Through it, art became a way of knowing, understanding, and viewing the world; of constructing and expressing ideas; of bridging thought and feeling; and of appreciating beauty. (TJQ)

Discusses the use of focus groups and surveys to examine the characteristics and needs of nontraditional teacher education students, explaining the importance of open lines of communication among students, faculty, and college administrators to ensure successful programmatic implementation. Data from Bradley University nontraditional students explain how to identify group needs via focus groups and campuswide surveys. (SM)

Examines the characteristics and needs of older student teachers, reviewing research on nontraditional students and prospective teachers; discussing the unique strengths and challenges of nontraditional students; presenting teacher education's responses to this growing population; showing how teacher educators deal programmatically with older students and facilitate their transition into classrooms; and offering implications and questions generated by the research. (SM)

Examined whether changing understandings of educational purposes would constitute an important component of teachers' developing practical theories. Fifth-year teachers viewed a recorded sequence of classroom teaching/learning, then explained their understanding of what they saw. Respondents varied in how they understood educational purposes. Understandings changed over time and in relation to increased experience in teacher education. (SM)

A young woman educated in North America who came to Chile to teach experiential environmental education realized that she would have to reconcile her educational ideals with the reality of Chilean culture, which does not support questioning, critical thinking, gender equality, democratic participation, or self-directed learning--the underpinnings of experiential environmental education. (TD)

Argues that in Australia, despite complex educational laws/policies, no legal mandate that ensures inclusive education exists. The legislative structure for education is outlined from a constitutional perspective; duties, rights, and responsibilities of teachers, specifically concerning inclusion of children with disabilities in the regular classroom, are discussed from a legal viewpoint; and court cases challenging regular class placement are reviewed. (Author/MSE)

Presents a hypothetical story about gender and science teacher education. The story is a composite of many student teachers' bias dilemmas. It shows that teachers' personal teaching styles reinforce student teachers' gender-biased educational experiences. Notes that preservice, cooperating, and university teachers must recognize and address gender-related issues. (SM)