Education & Pedagogy

Ever since the first ideas of national independence appeared in Finland, adult education has played an essential role in shaping the destiny of the Finns. With a history of almost 130 years, during which it has continuously increased in quality and quantity, the Finnish adult education system has ensured that Finland stays among the most competitive nations in Europe and the world. At present, adult education and training is available in over a thousand institutions. Some of them provide education and training only for mature students, but the majority cater to both young people and adults. Adult education is arranged by universities and polytechnics, public and private vocational institutions, adult education centres and summer universities, adult upper secondary schools, study centres, sports institutes, music institutes, and, of course, by the showpiece of Nordic adult education, residential folk high schools. This article discusses the structure, history, organisation, legislative framework, administration, and funding of the adult education sector, as well as current and future trends of adult education in Finland. (Contains 5 notes.)

In this paper we discuss the idea of national education in Singapore. National education, broadly speaking, is a civics programme which seeks to instil a sense of place, identity and history in young Singaporeans with a view to developing national pride and commitment. We set this discussion against the backdrop of globalization and the idea of wired communities and argue that any civics programme needs to be more than simply a nationalistic agenda. To do this we have framed national education in Singapore as a civics literacy informed by the idea of multiliteracies. In doing so, we suggest that the pedagogical work of such an approach can help to sustain the nation state of Singapore yet place the civics agenda on a global stage where national education might be seen more appropriately as global education.

Initiatives to integrate engineering design within the field of technology education are increasingly evident. The National Science Foundation has encouraged and funded opportunities for technology educators and engineers to work collaboratively. However, perspectives regarding the role engineering should play within the discipline of technology education vary considerably. Implementing an engineering design focus within technology education has significant ramifications. As such, it is essential that the field recognize the key issues so that steps are taken to provide and facilitate necessary professional development. This article discusses how the integration of engineering design into the field of technology education will affect the profession's curriculum, educational philosophy, instructional strategies, and collaborative relationships. This article also emphasizes the importance of having each member of the technology education profession determine the role they would play and their involvement in the move to integrate engineering design in technology education. (Contains 2 tables.)

As violence, unethical behavior, and disrespect toward others become rampant not only in schools but also in the U.S. today, some commentators blame John Dewey and his ideas on moral education for the dramatic change in schools in the twentieth century. John Dewey, America's chief philosopher of education from the turn of the twentieth century, who influenced education--especially moral education--not only in the United States, but throughout the world, could be considered singularly responsible for this change in schools in the twentieth century, from the character-promoting mission of American education established in colonial days to the current situation in schools. Dewey's ideas on education and his philosophy still influence American thinking and schooling. However, Jacques Maritain, the most influential Catholic philosopher of the twentieth century, sharply disagrees with most of Dewey's ideas regarding moral education. In this article, the author discusses Maritain's thinking on moral education and compares Maritain's ideas on the moral principles of education to Dewey's. (Contains 27 notes.)

More than at any time in recent history, technology education has taken on an important role in American education. The emergence of economic issues and the essential role of technology in the global economy have highlighted the omission of technology in K-12 school programs. When business and industry began recognizing the role of education and the need for a competent and capable twenty-first century workforce, the importance of technology education increased yet further. With support from the Office of Science Education, National Institutes of Health, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study convened an expert panel and facilitated the synthesis of key recommendations from twelve major reports from business, industry, government agencies, and associated groups. They focused the process on recommendations for K-12 science and technology education and used a framework that resulted in recommendations for different dimensions of the K-12 system. This article presents results that specifically apply to technology education. (Contains 5 tables.)

The Consortium for Post-Compulsory Education and Training (CPCET) is a single subject consortium of further education and higher education providers of professional development relating to in-service teacher training for the whole of the post-compulsory sector. Involving more than 30 partners spread across the North of England, CPCET evolved from a long established franchise network centred on the University of Huddersfield. This article, as a matter of contextualisation, briefly outlines the background of higher education to further education franchising before providing an account of the development of this distinctive partnership. Furthermore, at a time when cross-sector collaboration has become a policy priority, it considers some implications of this experience for the postcompulsory sector as a whole. The main operational procedures of CPCET are described and some current issues are discussed. (Contains 1 note.)

This essay on graduate music education is in response to an article by David Hebert on challenges and solutions in online music teacher education that appeared in the online journal, "Research and Issues in Music Education," 5(1). The author found the article stimulating because so little has been written on the topic of music teacher education at the graduate level. It appears that graduate music education in institutions of higher learning is locked into traditions that online programs are ready to challenge. In this essay the author considers this challenge from a traditionalist viewpoint to determine if an online approach is a feasible option to music education at the doctorate and master's levels. Specifically, the author seeks to determine what the nature of graduate degrees in music education are or should be, if online and traditional curricula are in agreement in fulfilling these requirements, and if some variant or compromise is appropriate in developing music teachers at the graduate level.

A qualitative case study design was used to investigate the extent that special education program serves the student or serves the organization. If special education serves the student, then a researcher should be able to identify resulting agency and emancipation among the students. However, if special education is serving the organization, then a different picture could be painted. Special education could be serving the functionalist needs of sorting and tracking students. An unintended finding of the study was the apparent neglect and subsequent isolation and marginality of special education teachers, especially teachers who work in self-contained classes. Responses clearly reflect a deficit in social capital. With regard to students, most responses reflect a functionalist approach to serving students in the special education program in that the program sorts challenging students from the mainstream who might impede the progress of other children. These findings are discussed relative to reform for special education, including learning communities.

Teacher education in the USA lives in a policy shadow world that is jumbled and unfocused because decision-makers do not see teacher education as a public good in and of itself. Rather, it is viewed as an instrument to achieve other, more important, policy goals. Consequently, teacher education policy tends to be parsed across fields and levels of instruction, compartmentalized, and often isolated; these circumstances thwart development of consistent and coherent policy on how teachers are prepared. This article considers whether two recent national reports, "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" and "Tough Choices or Tough Times" clarify or further confound teacher education policy directions, and concludes with the caution that both reports continue the instrumental definition of teacher education, a situation that will hinder development of comprehensive and more effective policy options. (Contains 2 notes.)

In this paper, we study the connection between growth and human capital in a convergence regression for the panel of Italian regions. We include measures of average primary, secondary and tertiary education. We find that increased education seems to contribute to growth only in the South. Decomposing total schooling into its three constituent parts, we find that only primary education in the South seems to be important, while tertiary education seems to have a negative impact on regional growth. Our main results are robust to the inclusion of additional variables in the regression analysis and the use of an IV estimator. Overall, this study suggests that Italian growth benefited from the elimination of illiteracy in the South, mainly in the 60s. It also suggests a possible relationship between the level of development of an economy and returns to different levels of education, with Italian regions still far from being able to capture the positive returns from higher levels of education.

This article explores the fundamental issues related to education as a human right, particularly in the context of rapid globalization. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations' 1959 Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights all declare education to be a fundamental human right. Further discussion has continued at the Education for All conferences held in Thailand in 1990 and Senegal in 2000 as well as in the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century's report to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. However, there is no consistent definition of what amounts, qualities, forms, and content of education meet the minimum requirements to fulfill that right. In a globalized world, this issue becomes even more complex. Questions arise as to who should provide education, for whom, how, with what content, and under what conditions.

Bit by bit, the U.S. Department of Education is trying to pull down the walls that have traditionally separated general and special education. One facet of the plan is the department's support of "response to intervention," or RTI, an educational technique that bolsters the skills of academically struggling students before they fall so far behind that they need special education services. Another facet is "coordinated, comprehensive early-intervening services," a method of paying for RTI-related programs using federal special education dollars. At a conference last month, state special education directors and federal officials focused on learning more about early-intervening services. The potential to help children early in their school careers is great, supporters say. However, the rules and restrictions surrounding early-intervening services are so complex that at least some state officials are wary. Shifting scarce special education dollars to general education initiatives could provide a new opportunity--or create a paperwork burden they are reluctant to take on.

Although in the long run, neoliberalism has a track record of undermining equity and democracy, in the short run it has directed attention to education needs that have been inadequately addressed. This article sketches what teacher education in the US can do to advance equity and democracy in five areas: recruitment and admission, early fieldwork, professional coursework, student teaching, and on-going professional development. The article then examines three neoliberal pressures teacher education: (1) away from explicit equity-oriented teacher preparation, and toward preparing teachers as technicians; (2) away from defining teacher quality in terms of professional knowledge, and toward defining it terms testable content knowledge; and (3) toward shortening university-based teacher education or by-passing it altogether. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of collaborating with underserved communities as a way of pushing back against neoliberalism. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper deals with the developmental history and the current situation of special education in Korea. Special Education began in the late 1800s by the commitment of missionaries from the West. Special Education in Korea is well defined by the related laws and regulations; however, Special Education still needs lots of innovative efforts to proceed and realize what it originally aims. Special Education has developed a lot in quantity during the last few decades. In 2003, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development established a comprehensive plan about development of special education. Korea is entering a new phase of balanced social welfare. Current administration is very much concerned with the social integration. They are particularly interested in the welfare of the disadvantaged people. Most citizens in Korea believe that a society of equal opportunity, where no discrimination exists, might come. (Contains 5 tables.)

What the author explores in this essay is not so much the "whether" of general science education, but the "why." What exactly constitutes good science education, and how can one recognize when students have received it? Once this question has been answered, the answer to the "what" question--the actual content of the curriculum--is relatively easy to find. There are (at least) two different kinds of things that go under the name of "science education." One involves the education of future scientists and engineers--an endeavor that is in pretty good shape (although improvements are always possible). The other involves the education of what the author calls "the other 98 percent"--the students who will not go on to careers in science and technology. It is this latter sort of education that the author wants to discuss. In particular, he wants to ask what sort of education the other 98 percent should get in the sciences.