Education & Pedagogy

Examines the implementation in eastern Germany of western Germany's much-praised "dual system" of vocational education, in which students divide their time between work and school. Focuses on the role of European Union (EU) programs and funding that supported this transition. Includes information on specific EU education and training projects. (SV)

Factors that make teaching and teacher education so difficult include: client cooperation; compulsory clientele; emotion management; structural isolation; and chronic uncertainty about teaching effectiveness. Issues that make teacher education particularly difficult include: the long apprenticeship of observation; ordinary skills and knowledge; subject matter expertise that belongs to others; and pedagogical skill that is unobscure and freely given away. (SM)

Outlines the types of education needed for teachers intending to teach English in modern China, discussing difficulties for English language teachers stemming from Hong Kong's colonial history and the necessity for cultural adaptability in expatriate teachers (which is even more necessary on mainland China). Rewards and challenges for second language teachers in China are examined, noting differences in pedagogical approach. (SM)

Notes the need to rethink the importance of foundational courses in teacher education, critiquing important issues for practice; describing one foundations course; highlighting the need to examine what teachers are doing when they teach teachers; and drawing on Maxine Greene's philosophy to detail the quest to prepare teachers who can build a more just, relevant, and person- centered education system. (SM)

Addresses the shortcomings of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) position statement "Fostering Civic Virtue: Character Education in the Social Studies." Challenges the work of the NCSS Task Force on Character Education in the Social Studies on four concerns: (1) necessity and timeliness; (2) generality and specificity; (3) utility; and (4) comprehensiveness. (CMK)

There is relatively little research examining the advocated practices of teachers to indicate the nature of the potential rhetoric-reality gap that might exist if constraints were removed and teachers had complete free choice in designing their own environmental education programs. Identifies such gaps by exploring current practices and teachers' views on selected components of environmental education. (Author/SAH)

Examines the white movement within multicultural education, reviewing three representative books: "We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools"; "Race and Culture in the Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Multicultural Education"; and "Making Meaning of Whiteness: Exploring the Racial Identity of White Teachers." Suggests that this current movement to further empower whites may not be the solution. (SM)

Describes the work one teacher educator does with preservice physical educators and with other educators as part of literacy initiatives, examining accepted theories of the reading process and how physical educators can reinforce them in their work. The paper highlights five levels for integrating motor learning and reading process theories: pre-literate, symbolic, lexical, syntactic, and language of movement. (SM)

Provides an overview of compulsory moral education in Japan from 1886 through 1997, tracing the introduction of specific ideals to elementary and secondary students. Argues that moral education was used to instill conformity, docility, and social cohesion in Japanese youth in order to fulfill the priorities of the political system. (CMK)

The Flying Dust First Nation, Meadow Lake (Saskatchewan) School Division, community members, and students formed a community school council that operates all area tribal and public schools. The council is fully inclusive of First Nations people and is dedicated to inclusive, culturally relevant education that integrates community services within schools. Successes achieved after one year are described. (TD)

Studied perceived education interests, experiences, and learning preferences of parents of young children, usefulness of group characteristics in planning parent education as evidenced by a needs assessment process, and the importance of such a process. Found (1) parental interest in parenting help; (2) parental education level effects on learning preferences; and (3) need for flexibility in programs. (SD)

The University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics was selected as a pilot institution for implementing distance education in Slovenia. This article illustrates how the synergy of combining existing domestic resources and the local social/educational environment with outside expertise could bring about a self-sustainable distance education program and improve the quality of mass higher education by a traditional university. (AEF)

Develops a framework showing how to organize curriculum and instruction around competencies in vocational education, introducing the Educational Development and Assessment system used in the Netherlands to highlight procedures used and experiences found in integrating assessment and instruction in a vocational education institution. Lessons learned for future curriculum design and development are offered. (SM)

Examined the extent to which subscales and scales developed from the Distance Education Student Progress (DESP) Inventory (D. Kember and others, 1995) were associated with attrition and persistence of 258 external students in the Bachelor of Education Program at an Australian university. Discriminant analysis of 15 factors of the DESP Inventory correctly classified 73% of withdrawing and continuing students. (SLD)

Observations and interviews of 100 British 14-16 year-olds were used to analyze their explanations of the benefits of lifelong learning. Five main discourses emerged: the importance of being educated, the usefulness of education, meritocracy (belief that more qualifications guarantee better jobs), competition, and avoidance of hard times. (SK)