Education & Pedagogy

The former president of Teachers College, Columbia University, Arthur Levine questioned the connection between what one learns in pre-service teacher education programs and what one does as a teacher. From a meta-analysis of several studies he found that: A shockingly low percentage of principals said that their teachers were very or moderately well prepared to meet the needs of students from diverse cultural backgrounds (28 percent); to work with parents (21 percent); and to help students with limited English proficiency (16 percent.) The authors have been concerned about the education of diverse student populations in California that is why they conducted this study. Through this study, the authors wanted to assess the impact that their teacher preparation course on multicultural education has had on teachers' self-perceptions and practices as multicultural educators. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

The purpose of this study was to examine Korean elementary teachers' knowledge of and interest in gifted education, in-service training needs, and perceptions of gifted education to provide implications for developing in-service teacher training programs. "Korean elementary teachers completed the survey, Korean Elementary Teachers: Perceptions of Gifted Education and In-service Needs in Gifted Education". The results of this study show teacher training is an essential factor for improving knowledge of and interest in gifted education. When in-service training for gifted education is planned, the findings of this study can help provide guidelines for the training including employing qualified staff who are experts in the gifted education field, developing appropriate length of training sessions, finding the best time for training, and providing relevant content during training. (Contains 9 tables.)

Inspired by his meeting with Nigel Grant at the beginning of the Nineties the author explains how this influenced and accompanied his career as a Comparative Education researcher and a teacher of Special Needs in Education, with a close, personal examination of the cultural themes of personal identity. Using an anecdotal, colloquial style, he demonstrates the importance, if not the necessity, for all Comparative Education and Intercultural researchers, in parallel to their research regarding the external and exterior aspects of their subject (comparison of different school systems, of educational reforms, of philosophies of education, etc.), to carry out a study into their own interior, personal aspects that will help them to define their own cultural identity and possible, inner "diversities". In the author's opinion, understanding and practising such a "interior route to Comparative Education" can only lead to a more precise, aware use of those terms employed when describing the objects of external research.

Issues affecting pre-school education in a rural area of Kenya are highlighted in a study of a mother tongue education (MTE) programme in one indigenous language group, the Pokomo. Factors supporting the introduction of MTE include official support for MTE, the welcoming of non-government stakeholder involvement in education, the presence of individuals and organisations committed to MTE and the willingness of local education authorities to partner with organisations in the establishment of the programme. Issues which emerged as constraining the development of the programme included the dominant teaching styles, the dearth of educational resources in Kipfokomo, widespread poverty and societal attitudes and structures which exclude local languages from education settings. The tensions between enabling and constraining factors are explored, as, too, is the sustainability of the programme.

This article presents the findings of a study that explored the role and impact of continuing education on rural revitalization. A community development approach, academic expertise, and a university's resources were used to assist the citizens of Montmartre, Saskatchewan, to establish Centre 48, an arts and continuing education centre. Courses provided by Centre 48 gave townspeople and people from the surrounding area opportunities to explore new interests and to develop new social networks; in turn, the social capital gained by establishing and operating Centre 48 gave rise to new economic ventures. The results of this study illustrate how university continuing education units can contribute to capacity building in rural communities and how such social capital-building projects can serve as a catalyst for economic development.

The purpose of this study is to identify, describe, and analyze historical trends in the professionalization of the field of comparative and international education, as indicated by the founding, expansion, and evolution of the professional associations and graduate programs serving the field. Using historical and university data as well as unique membership data from the Comparative and International Education Society, the authors find that (1) professional associations and university programs in comparative and international education contribute to and secure control over expert knowledge, training and credentials; and (2) the merging of "comparative" and "international" education has contributed to the professionalization of the field. In particular, the authors find a simultaneous and complementary process of professionalization and fragmentation occurring within the field of comparative and international education. (Contains 5 notes, 3 tables, and 4 figures.)

With moves towards inclusive education, there are demands for developments in initial teacher education as regards special needs and inclusive education. This paper outlines initial training in England within an international context. It then reports findings of a recent national survey of Programme directors and subject tutors of Post Graduate Certificate in Education programmes (PGCE) for primary and secondary teachers about the initial training provision in this aspect of teaching. The main findings are about varied practices across placement schools, the commitment to the training partnership, coordination problems across the partnership and organising teaching experience of pupils with SEN. The implications of the study are also discussed in national and international terms. (Contains 3 figures.)

Much progress has been made in improving access to basic education in recent years, but international support has been less than promised and the "funding gap" to achieve universal primary education remains stubbornly present. This article identifies six interrelated factors that constrain such donor financing. Prioritization of basic education, evidence and advocacy, and aid architecture present the biggest challenges, followed by donor capacity, partner absorptive capacity and demand. We conclude that future success in attracting external financing for basic education will depend on the sector's ability to raise its political profile, make an evidence-based case for support, tap into new donors and improve its aid effectiveness. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this collaborative inquiry project was to examine teacher education practices in two early childhood degree programmes in a school of education at a regional university in Australia. All students are enrolled in these online courses as distance learners. The reconceptualised online pedagogy immersed students, peers and their lecturers in "teaching through assessment" (Edwards, 2010) in a collaborative online environment that mirrors the complexity that students are experiencing in their workplaces. This article describes the pedagogical and conceptual underpinnings we used to reconceptualise our degree programmes. It also outlines our evolving conceptualisations of learning as knowledge creation (Hong & Sullivan, 2009) in the context of our teaching and learning in online courses. (Contains 5 tables and 3 figures.)

Moving beyond "reform", teacher education programs need to be "transformed" to better prepare teachers, school counselors, and administrators to teach, guide, and lead in this complex society. Educators must have the skills, knowledge, and commitment to be part of the leadership team that assumes the responsibility for carrying the mantra of the transformational process. This mantra will require faculty to remove the silos within schools and across university campuses and collaborate with one another and key community members to prepare prospective educators who will inherit the responsibility for redesigning America's schools for the realities of more interactive, interdisciplinary learning environments. This article briefly reviews the history of reform and describes several potentially transformative initiatives currently under way to redefine and strengthen teacher education programs.

As competition for students, faculty and financial support has increased, so has the application of marketing in the field of higher education. One critical application of marketing all too often neglected, misunderstood and mismanaged in higher education is targeting customers for profitability. The purpose of this paper is to enrich the marketing practices of academic institutions as they face increasing competition for students, faculty and funding by presenting a discussion of "right," "at-risk right" and "wrong" customers for higher education. This paper reviews marketing paradigms as they have evolved over time, explains the concepts of right, at-risk right and wrong customers as they apply to higher education and identifies managerial implications critical to today's higher education administrators.

A set of customized adult education programs for working professionals at the Art Institute of Chicago provides both the kinds of experiences people in the 21st century are looking for and illustrates a distinctive way of thinking about fee-based programming and how it supports the overall museum mission. This article brings together convergent ideas about the nature of experience in the 21st-century from two recent publications in the fields of museum studies and business-psychology to create a framework for thinking about how art museum programming can capitalize on contemporary expectations about personal and professional experience to provide valuable and valued programs to diverse sectors of society. It also considers the potential relationship of the cost of the programming to its perceived value. (Contains 25 notes.)

For the past two centuries, western modern education has informed education policies and practices in Egypt. However, few researchers have analyzed the historical or current politics of educational transfer in this country. This article investigates the ways in which foreign transfer has influenced Egyptian education, both historically and currently. It concludes that current Egyptian education is a product of inappropriately adapted foreign transfers coupled with domestic interest in spreading education with little attention to its quality. Egypt has recently received considerable support from the international community and has been influenced by global educational discourses. Yet, its educational reforms have met little, if any, success as they have been introduced into a system with characteristics that are historically ingrained and resistant to change, and into a contested context of competing interest groups and a climate of mistrust. The result is a disoriented education system full of problems.

Education has a central role to play in attaining sustainable development--by inculcating values that encourage sustainable practices. To play this role effectively, education should go beyond developing cognitive understanding and ability, and address the economic, social and other dimensions of learning as well. Quality education and education for sustainable development (ESD) seek to achieve similar learning outcomes--those that enable learners to make decisions and choices that foster sustainable development--and thus are complementary. This paper presents a framework for understanding educational quality, showing how education for sustainable development can and should be a part of every aspect of a quality education rather than being presented as only a standalone subject. This framework is relevant for both industrialised and less industrialised countries. It is also relevant for all organised learning opportunities--it is not limited to schooling. (Contains 1 figure and 3 notes.)

This paper examines Initial Teacher Education students' experiences of participation in health and physical education (HPE) subject department offices and the impact on their understandings and identity formation. Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and practice along with Wenger's communities of practice form the theoretical frame used in the paper. Data were collected using surveys and interviews with student-teachers following their teaching practicum and analysed using coding and constant comparison. Emergent themes revealed students' participation in masculine-dominated sports, gendered body constructions, and repertoires of masculine domination. Findings are discussed in relation to their impact on student-teachers' learning, identity formation, and marginalizing practices in the department offices. Implications for teacher education and HPE are explored.