Education & Pedagogy

Notes that health education was incorporated into public schools in 1800s to teach evils of alcohol and other drugs. Suggests that purpose, although expanded and modified, continues today. Sees teaching methods as sophisticated and diverse to accommodate needs and personalities of students. Cites components of successful drug education programs. (Author/NB)

Comments on World Bank report. Agrees with improved primary school quality as principal focus of endeavor, but suggests that Bank views on decentralization of primary school finance are incompatible with achievement of universal primary education. Questions whether suggested cost containment measures for higher education are politically feasible. (SV)

Kent State University's College of Education implemented a computer-controlled advising system for undergraduate education students, providing information including program descriptions, deadlines and applications, student teaching, and other topics. Preliminary evaluation shows the system able to answer most-asked questions. (MSE)

Three articles on key issues in distance education, particularly in Europe, focus on different perspectives of distance education planning: an academic viewpoint (Borje Holmberg), an industrial viewpoint (Francesco Musto), and a government viewpoint, or approaches by the European Commission and member states (Nicholas Fox). (MSE)

Reform efforts in liberal education are usually launched without regard for the history and current scholarship of the field, leaving recreations of personal experience and political wrangling as the principal sources of influence on new programs. A reconsideration of liberal education, its role in the university and society, is discussed. (Author/MLW)

In order for schools of teacher education to prepare teachers as creative curriculum planners, students must be taught in situations that encourage creativity, and they must experience models of creative teaching. Several direct strategies for fostering creativity in the teacher education curriculum are outlined. (IAH)

This paper deals with environmental education aspects of national parks in terms of the World Conservation Strategy, values, and naturalist interpretive activities. Definitions of terms and details of interpretive activities and national park values are provided. (CW)

Discussed are several types of telecommunications options available to educators. Included are satellite teleconferences, telephone teleconferences, video telecommunications, computer-based educational telecommunications, and FAX. A basic protocol used with students for teleconferences is presented. (CW)

An issues-based curriculum requires teachers who can structure debates, discussions, controversy, and action. Effective teachers must be prepared with new goals, skills, strategies, and evaluation systems. Appropriate preservice teacher education programs could be structured to provide desired attitudes and competencies, all supported by teacher-developed, research-based rationale. (Author)

Science education cannot be sequestered in the laboratory; it must be an active part of our social milieu. Thus, the agenda of science/technology/society (STS) education must be to examine the interactions of science, technology, and society within a social responsibility framework. (Author)

The purpose of "Project Catalyst" is to enhance teacher competencies through academic-year workshops and two content-intensive summer institutes. The goals, eligibility and recruitment, selection criteria, format, and preliminary evaluation for the program are discussed. (CW)

The teacher education profession must develop a program to assess essential elements of professional knowledge comprising a teacher education curricula so that institutions can prepare teachers who can demonstrate that they have gained an acceptable mastery of cognitive and affective learning. (Author/CB)

The article describes a collaborative program, developed by a teacher preparation institution and a school system to respond to legislative demands, which incorporates current research, clinical supervision tecnhniques, school-based support systems, and collaboratively-developed inservice. (CB)

Data from 7,179 graduates of high schools that sent students to Altoona Vocational Technical School (AVTS) and 962 responses to a questionnaire provided information about enrollment trends, vocational credits, postsecondary experience, and work experience. (SK)

Presented is an investigation of the effectiveness of in-school preparation regarding a field trip to an outdoor education site. Methods, instrument development, and results for the research questions are discussed. (CW)