Audio‐Visuality Squeezed into the Classroom

Abstract

This article looks at how the Finnish education system is approaching the emergence of audio‐visual material as a teaching aid, and the problems faced by the producers of this material in coping with the different types of equipment and the differences in values between the target groups of teachers and pupils. It indicates how teachers must develop and how educationalists must be prepared to accept financial and material help from business and industry if advances are not to be delayed.     

Analysing the Role of the Teacher in Early Reading: A lesson for researchers

This paper describes two parts of a research study that examined the role of the teacher of reading in the child's first year of school. Traditional research into reading has tended to examine the child's reading behaviour or the methods used by teachers. Research into teacher effectiveness tends to be large scale and uses standardised measures of performance and analysis of task design. This paper argues that teaching, particularly with younger children, is a complex process that cannot be easily defined. The design adopted by researchers will influence findings and, above all, if research into teaching does not involve the teachers themselves, then it is unlikely that new definitions of teaching will arise. The author discusses how the inclusion in the research project of teachers' own perceptions of their role revealed different and contradictory findings to those of more established studies .     

Patterns of interaction between a mother and her Down's syndrome child: A single case ethological study

The study reports the analysis of a mother/child interaction sequence. Its focus is on the mother's teaching strategies. The child was presented with two tasks. The first task was new and not previously experienced by the child; the second task was one that had been experienced. The mother's teaching of the tasks was videotaped and analysed. The material was analysed according to ‘on task’ behaviours. The results indicated that:

1. (a) both the mother and child were able to maintain a continuous communication sequence;

2. (b) the mother structured both tasks, but structured the new task more, and allowed some flexibility in the old task;

3. (c) the language used by the mother was ‘restricted';

4. (d) in responding to her child's behaviour, the mother made more use of verbal cues and used fewer non‐verbal cues

     

The Role of the TP TESL Supervisor

The paper examines the changing role of the supervisor of Teaching Practice (TP) in the field of primary school Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). The thesis of the paper is that as the second language teaching/learning paradigm has changed enormously in recent years, the supervisor's role must likewise change to ensure harmony between the new approach to second language teaching/learning, and the model of supervision that is adopted. The writer's observations are based on data collected over six years in Brunei, but the problem of resolving disharmony between two conflicting positions is not unique to Brunei, as the writer discovered in similar situations in Africa and the Middle East. The writer argues in favour of a 'Developmental' model of TP supervision as it approximates most closely to the developmental approach to second language learning implicit in the task-based approach, which has been widely accepted as the new norm in TESL methodology.     

浅析多媒体对英语教学的影响

近年来,多媒体英语教学成为一种全新的教学方式,对于教师、学生都是一种新的体验。在英语教学中,多媒体的应用已较普遍,并在促进英语教学改革方面发挥着重要的作用。把多媒体教学引入英语课堂,是英语教学发展的趋势和必然。但是如果使用不当,反而会影响课堂的教学,适得其反。因此在运用多媒体辅助英语教学中,必须适当、合理,遵循学生主体性原则。     

Identifying a Gender‐inclusive Pedagogy from Maltese Teachers’ Personal Practical Knowledge

In secondary education 'energy' is often introduced by distinguishing different 'forms of energy' for different phenomena. Of these forms of energy, only kinetic and potential energy are accepted in current science. The question has been raised whether all forms of energy should be eliminated from secondary school science curricula. As a contribution to this discussion we will first analyse the language used to introduce 'forms of energy' in order to determine possible inconsistencies and limitations of validity, judged from the viewpoint of thermodynamics. In Part II, the results of two teaching experiments at university level will be presented. In these experiments attempts are made to build on students 'forms of energy' language as well as to challenge its limitations. As a result of both parts, conclusions will be drawn as to whether 'forms of energy' can be accepted 'as an intermediary language' and changes to the usual teaching sequence will be proposed.     

The language laboratory — a pedagogical view

The introduction of new educational systems where not only an elite but a much larger population of learners receive a working knowledge of at least one foreign language has created an enormous demand for foreign language teaching. Short of teachers and suitable teaching materials, the educational authorities have been more than willing to invest huge sums in various kinds of equipment to meet this demand without empirical evidence of the usefulness of the equipment, and, as a consequence, the field of modern language teaching has become a popular playground for manufacturers of all sorts of technical devices. The ‘language laboratory’ is one example of this development.     

高校外语教学改革的冷思考

知识经济的兴起，多元文化的涌现，全球一体化的走势，对外语教学尤其是英语教学提出了前所未有的挑战、高校外语教育改革势在必行。本文将对出现在教学改革中的几个主要问题进行思考，如：对现阶段的外语教育质量的调查的必要性：外语教学研究和规划受重视的程度；目前的外语能力评估系统的科学性；教学途径的选择以及教师素质和专业水平的提高的急迫性等。     

多媒体与大学外语教学

信息时代的到来以及全球经济的一体化,使得外语的作用也越来越明显,而多媒体的问世,给外语教学带来了深刻的变革。顺应时代潮流,探讨多媒体和外语教学的特点以及多媒体在外语教学中的作用,利用多媒体技术改革外语教学,并指出其存在的问题。     

Why Bonnie and Ronnie Can't “Read” (the Siddur)

In the last issue of the Journal (volume 75, number 4), we read about our esteemed colleague Israel Scheffler's love affair with Hebrew. In this issue, we continue the conversation about Hebrew as part of a series of articles by distinguished senior colleagues who bring the wisdom earned by a lifelong career in Jewish education.

Many of us share Scheffler's love affair with Hebrew, and we are anguished by the challenges facing the American Jewish community with regard to the teaching and learning of Hebrew language. Whenever educators sit together, no matter the setting, they discuss: What are the best ways to teach Hebrew? What are ambitious, but reasonable goals for Hebrew language learning in pre-schools, day schools and after school programs? What constitutes literacy in each of these settings?

In this article, Lifsa Schachter, professor emeritus of education at the Segal College, shares some of her ideas on a range of questions such as these. Her ideas emanate from the research literature on second language acquisition, as well as from her own experiences and experiments designed to make a difference in the domain of Hebrew language learning. Lee Shulman (Shulman, 1987 Shulman, L. 1987. Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Education Review, Spring, : 1–20.  [Google Scholar]) asserts the validity of using the “wisdom of practice” in addressing educational challenges such as this one. Hebrew language teaching is an instance where experienced practitioners hold much knowledge. Yet, little of their knowledge has been committed to writing.

We're delighted to share this article with you and hope that it encourages others to write about grappling with the challenges of Hebrew language learning in our schools. We encourage our senior colleagues in particular to share their wisdom about this and other issues that can make Jewish education vital and vibrant for the Jewish people in the twenty-first century.     

Orienting Oracy: empowerment or enslavement

Abstract

article concerns the issues raised as a result of my intervention in the oral skills of a student teacher following a BA (Ed) programme at the College of Higher Education in the university sector where I teach. Communication skills are of utmost importance in the HE sector of education and are essential attributes of those about to enter the teaching profession. Moreover, it seems to be generally assumed that students starting Higher Education will already be equipped with whatever degree of communicative ability their course requires. However, it is becoming evident a large proportion of such students are unable to cope with the communicative demands made on them. Accordingly, the case study examined has taken the student's needs as a springboard for the development of innovative and appropriate strategies which should promote the extension of oral skills on an individually tailored basis. Although the individualised oracy programme was devised by myself, it arose and developed as a result of a teaching and learning relationship, with the student's observations and response playing a major role in his own intervention. The implications are that oracy is an extremely important and sensitive issue. Consequently, students classified as having difficulties with communication need to be involved in their own oracy development in order for any support to be relevant to their needs.     

Teacher education and its reform in contemporary Japan

This article aims to describe the general framework of the teacher training system and its recent reform in Japan. As elsewhere, Japanese society is moving into an era of mass higher education provision. Since initial teacher training is provided by universities, the reform of teacher training is a part of the higher education restructuring that is also under way. At the same time, Japan is facing educational problems in compulsory education. The Educational Personnel Training Council of Japan is recommending reforms, which attempt to create a new type of teacher to cope with these educational problems. This opens the way for the Japanese state to develop more direct control over the curriculum and assessment of teaching staff in universities. The Ministry of Education is attempting to develop new control methods of 'Evaluative State' strategies. The reform of teacher education system exemplifies this shift.     

The State of Agricultural Extension: An Overview and New Caveats for the Future

Abstract

Purpose: This review paper presents an overview of changes in agricultural extension on a global scale and helps to characterise on-going developments in extension practice.

Design/methodology/approach: Through a critique and synthesis of literature the paper focuses on global political changes which have led to widespread changes from production- to market-oriented extension systems and goes on to discuss pressures on unsustainable public extension systems to reform.

Findings: It is estimated that there are over 800,000 official extension personnel globally, most of whom work in the public sector in developing countries. This review highlights the important consequences for developing countries of global extension reform and the high percentages of farmers reliant on agriculture, making effective agricultural extension a key strategy in tackling poverty and strengthening rural development. It outlines the manner in which governments around the globe have experimented with alternative approaches to extension reform, such as privatisation and cooperatives, and demonstrates how public sector extension has come to be viewed as problematic.

Practical implications: This paper identifies the practical realities of adopting alternative approaches to extension, especially in the context of poverty. It considers the challenges in reforming extension to act as facilitator and enabler, rather than as service provider, and the difficulties in moving towards reforms that promote pluralism and innovation.

Originality/value: This paper contributes to current global debates on reforming agricultural extension by providing learning of how extension services have changed. The paper provides new insights from which lessons can be drawn for future extension reform.     

A New Disciplinarity: Communities of knowledge,learning and practice

The welcome new attention paid to subject teaching should have bridged the old divide between pedagogical and disciplinary research. But this paper argues that the focus on subject, rather than disciplinary communities is part of the commodification of higher education; that what is needed to re-energise both teachers and students is an inclusive new model of disciplinary education based on an engaged community's processes and practices. Each discipline, it is proposed, will model differently its practices, knowledge creation and dissemination, its writing, its community. The model may change received ideas about the focus and central concerns of the discipline, and in modelling disciplinary learning will change teaching and assessment. The model will be discipline specific and, as such, will resist generic and imposed 'skills and outcomes' frameworks. Evolving out of practice, rather than an external agenda, it should link disciplinary and pedagogical research so that they are mutually informing and transforming.     

Shifting paradigms: Emerging issues for educational policy and practice

Abstract

Within the current national context of educational reform, educators are generating a new paradigm about teaching and learning. This shift is occurring as a consequence of rethinking nearly all aspects of schooling. The new paradigm is competing with, an older one. Time will tell whether or not the new one will replace the old one, but clearly they cannot coexist because they are so fundamentally different. The new paradigm is based on the latest research on cognitive developmental and constructivist theory, and the old paradigm is based on reductionist principles and behavioral theory.

This article creates a framework for understanding the paradigm shift, describes how the shift applies to instructional practices, synthesizes several principles and indicators that can guide the observation of teaching, and discusses issues yet to be resolved.     

The ‘McDonaldization’ of Higher Education: food for thought?

Abstract

Having completed its reform of the schools and colleges of further education, government is now set to reform higher education. At issue here is higher education in Scotland, but the analysis has wider applicability. It operationalises Ritzer's concept of ‘McDonaldization’, and the latter's dimensions of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control (both formally bureaucratic and informally fraternising). The analysis is set in relation to the government's earlier educational reforms, particularly of further education, and argues that its plans for higher education are of a piece. All this is related to current economic and cultural change: that is, to the fiscal pressures on the welfare state, and to the emergence of post‐modern culture. In conclusion, it is argued that policy for higher education will come to express what Charles Jencks has called (in relation to architecture) ‘double‐coding’: a mix of the bureaucratic form of modernity, tempered by appeals to post‐modern culture.     

外汉“现代汉语语法专题”课程考试改革

各学科、各课程的考试改革不但会因学科而异因课程而异,而且还会因授课对象而异。"现代汉语语法专题"课程考试的改革是针对外汉专业学生而进行的。通过该课程与对外汉语教学工作之间的关系给它的性质进行明确的定性,指出该课程考试改革的必要性和可行性,并就该课程考试改革的实践环节进行了尝试性的探讨,最后提出了创新意识要从小抓起;考试制度要灵活化、完善化;需要建立一定的激励机制的建议。     

“后方法”对我国外语教育研究的启示

我国各个层次的外语教育改革进行了多年,已取得了一定的成就,但是外语教育的现状尚不能适应国家的发展需要,特别是外语教学“费时费力”的低效率现象仍无多大的改观。“后方法”的引入使人们对外语教育改革与研究有了新的思路。可以利用“后方法”的原理从教育理论、教学实践和教师作用三个方面来探讨我国外语教学的改革与研究之路。“后方法”理念如运用得当对我们当前的外语教育改革甚至政策的调整有着重要的参考意义。