State Control and Governance of Schooling and Their Effects on French,German, and Spanish Learning in Swedish Compulsory School, 1996–2011

In Swedish compulsory school, students can choose to study a modern language in addition to English, i.e., French, Spanish, or German. Since 1994, instruction time for modern languages has been extended, the learning objectives have been made more attainable, and national assessment materials have been introduced. The government made these changes so that more students would study modern languages and achieve the syllabus goals. Existing statistics, however, indicate that these changes have been ineffectual compared to earlier years. Sixteen modern language teachers were interviewed about why state policies have failed. The results suggest that political intentions have not been realized for several interacting reasons. First, the state lacks a central school administration to translate political intentions into concrete goals. Second, teachers have not perceived the reforms as important. Third, government actions are not aligned with research explanations of why students do not choose to study modern languages.     

“Compulsory Schooling” Despite the Law: How Education Policy Underpins the Widespread Ignorance of the Right to Home Educate in France

ABSTRACT

Everyone in France takes for granted the existence of compulsory school attendance (“école obligatoire”) while home education remains very exceptional. Yet school attendance is not, and has never been, legally compulsory in France. How can one explain the fact that the right to home educate is little known and practiced? This article researches how public policies may foster this widespread ignorance. Drawing mainly on archival records of French Parliament debates about compulsory instruction in 1882, 1936, and 1998, it depicts various ways for lawmakers to contribute to this ignorance.     

Pupil Talk in Biology Practical Work‐‐a preliminary study

The development of a framework for analysing pupil talk is described and the reliability of scoring transcribed conversations using the framework discussed. Preliminary findings from this study on the talk occurring during small group practical work in biology focus on the forms of verbal interaction that occur, patterns of verbal interactions shown by individuals within groups and the possible link between such patterns and roles within the groups.     

A Reflection on the Critical Period Hypothesis in Second Language Learning

1.A brief review of the research on children's language acquisitionBehaviorists,e.g.Skinner,believe thatlanguage,like any otherlearned behavior,is learntby aprocess of habit-formation.They see language development as a result of adults' reinforcement andgradual shaping of infants babbling (Gleason,1 993 :1 48) .According to Littlewood(1 984:5 ) ,theprocess may be like this:the child imitates the sounds and patterns which he hears around him;peo-ple recognize the child' s attem pts and reinfor…     

New Technology and Learning: Policy and Practice in the UK, 1980–2010

A previous version of this paper was first presented in October 1998 as an inaugural professorial lecture at the University of Huddersfield. It focuses mainly upon issues related to policy and practice in schools, with some cross-referencing to higher education. It is divided into three sections: the politicised nature of policy for new technology in education in the UK; key issues from the author's research on new technology and learning; and speculations on re-organising schooling with the help of new technology. The first section provides an analysis of the aspirations of politicians and how these shaped policy, as well as assessing the successes and weaknesses of policy implementation. The second section surveys the outcomes of a number of research studies, carried out over fifteen years, and from these identifies some generic findings about the impact of new technology on learning and ways of maximising its beneficial effects. The third section suggests an approach to re-structuring schooling to make best use of the lightweight, mobile, new technology tools, which are about to be widely available.     

Learning New Ways to Teach English

This past summer several teachers attended a＂Summer Training Program＂ during which we covered three books：＂ Educator＇s English,＂ ＂ Summer Training Program Supplement＂,and ＂Student Handbook. ＂     

Learning Difficulties in School Science‐‐Towards a Working Hypothesis

Summaries

English

In an attempt to explain success and failure in problem‐solving by science students, the authors suggest that problem‐solving ability is associated with students’ ability to organize or ‘chunk’ the information provided in a problem into memorizable patterns. In line with general psychological findings, a short‐term memory capacity of 7 ± 2 chunks is accepted. If the short‐term memory is overloaded with too many pieces of information, the processing of this information (and, hence, effective problem‐solving) cannot take place unless such information can be effectively chunked. This hypothesis, which is derived from research studies, is exemplified by reference to chemical problems and its educational implications are discussed.     

Students’ Learning Activities Within and Between the Contexts of Education and Work

Many professional educational programs combine learning at an educational institute with learning in the workplace. The differences between these contexts, and the resulting challenges for learning, have been well-documented. However, there are few studies that explore the same students’ learning in both contexts, and even fewer that compare that learning to the learning that results from an integration of learning in both contexts. In this study we investigate, in detail, the similarities and differences of students’ learning activities both within and between the formal educational and workplace contexts of a professional educational program in the Netherlands. To that end, we analysed 1866 learning experiences of 148 students in a dual teacher education program. Analyses revealed that although the different contexts appear to be more conducive to certain kinds of learning activities, thereby confirming prior research, all learning activities did occur in all contexts. Our findings also confirm the value of learning that combines the educational and the workplace contexts, as this learning results in integrations of theory and practice and reflections on professional identity. Implications for dual education programs include focussing on increasing the diversity of learning activities within a single context and supporting students in learning how to learn, next to what to learn, irrespective of the context in which this learning takes place.     

The Transformation of Learning Ideology in the New Curricular Objectives

The establishment of the ＂three-dimension-in-one＂ objectives in the new curriculums has changed the ＂knowledge-centered＂ objective model in the traditional teaching syllabuses. This change will cause the transformation of knowledge learning ideology, i.e. from stressing the explicit knowledge acquisition to concerning the value of tacit knowledge. In return, the transformation of knowledge learning ideology will shed great influence on teaching processes, learning styles and assessing standards.     

Technology in the Hands of the Extension Officers‐‐Agricultural Extension in Jamaica and Ghana

This paper describes a technology‐based research pilot project currently being undertaken by The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) with Jamaica's Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Women in Food and Agricultural Development (WIFAD) in Ghana. A feasibility study undertaken concluded that the use of video with non‐linear field‐based video production equipment can be effective in demonstrating farming techniques. The premise is that video production can be done at the parish/regional level, allowing farmers and agro‐food processors to directly relate to the information relevant to their own agricultural contexts and situations. The paper describes the findings of the feasibility study and the mix of media that has been utilised for the pilot.     

Small Group Work and Creative Learning——Teaching Experience in Singapore

本文用三部分研讨、实践和评估了小组学习和创造性学习的方法。首先本文讨论了教育的基本理论和目的;其次,通过对两节点型课的描述,揭示了小组学习和创造性学习的关系及成果;最后本文对此方法进行了评估和分析.     

School to Work： Using Active Learning to Teach Business Writing

To succeed as tomorrow＇s workers in the knowledge society of the new century---a world characterized by ceaseless change, boundless knowledge and endless doubt, today＇s business writing students must develop the skills and traits needed to become creative problem-solvers, flexible team-players and risk-taking life-time learners （Bereiter, 2002a）. And teachers must play an important role in helping students transit successfuUy from school to work by finding ways to develop useful life skills and the flexibility that facilitates a willingness to work cooperatively and a readiness to learn continuously. Preparing today＇s students for tomorrow＇s work world challenges 21st century teachers to reinvent their professional personas by creating a fresh professionalism founded not on old, comfortable abilities and attitudes, but on new, unfamiliar skills and traits. For many teachers （most of whom teach exactly as they were taught--typically, following the talk-chalk model that fills a classroom with five or 10 rows of passive listeners in fixed seats, and fills a class period with 50 or 60 minutes of garbled monotones in lecture format）, learning to teach in ways they were not taught represents the greatest challenge of their careers （Silberman, 1996; Hargreaves, 2003）. Challenging students and teachers to rearrange the furniture and to reconfigure the lecture, a well-considered active learning model （Bonwell ＆ Eison, 1991） can be applied to the business writing classroom （an application unexplored in the literature） to help students develop the abilities and attitudes most required for success in the work world of the 21st century （an area explored in the ＂futuristic business literature＂）--to help students learn and transit. In fact, classes in business writing, professional writing and tecl＇mical writing can function, through the use of active learning strategies, as dynamic workshops in which students can prepare for the change and doubt of the knowledge society by becoming creat     

Comprehensive Review on“Critical Period Hypothesis”and the Role of Age in Second Language Learning

The essay makes comprehensive literature review and analysis on various scientific experiments and research about the role of age in second language learning. Moreover, the introduction and analysis of...     

A Review of: “Learning to Labor in New Times”

This article explores the limits of introductory social justice education and the ways in which a social foundations course could expand and deepen the social justice lens of current and future educators. The authors, members of an introductory graduate-level Social Foundations course, discuss the limitations they realized in their previous social justice education courses, and the importance of courses that further student's understandings of the ever-evolving ways people enact and experience identity, power, and privilege. The authors identify three main pedagogical and theoretical elements that advanced their social justice knowledge: examining theories for their potential to uncover or obscure lived experience; unpacking binary constructions of identity; and exploring the limits and possibilities of intersectional thinking. This article offers implications and suggestions for educators who seek to challenge and expand the social justice knowledge of future educators and administrators.     

Graduate Social Work Students’ Experiences with Group Work in the Field and the Classroom

For decades, group work scholars have described a discrepancy between student preparation for group work practice and opportunities to work with groups in the field practicum and professional practice. Educators in related disciplines such as counseling and psychology have expressed similar concerns. This article reports findings of a study of MSW students in a program that includes a practice methods specialization in group work. The purpose was to determine the prevalence of group assignments among all students regardless of their method specialization. A majority of all respondents reported substantial opportunities to practice group work and receive appropriate supervision. Opportunities for majors in group work were significantly greater than for their non-group work counterparts. However, a majority of all students did not feel classes prepared them for group practice. Findings suggest social work must renew its commitment to preparing all students for this practice modality.     

Work‐based Learning and Universities in the U.K.: a review of current practice and trends

This article is concerned primarily with university‐related work‐based learning in the UK. The authors trace the development of work‐based learning from its early days to the wide variety of styles and scale currently being practised. In the wake of the Dearing Report, they review the experience of work experience and sandwich courses; the move from work experience to work‐based learning; work‐based learning for those in work; and work‐based learning through technological transfer. The authors identify key variables which appear to determine the nature of different styles of work‐based learning including the tension between the twin purposes of international competitiveness and student personal development, and the willingness of the universities to move from their traditional control of the curriculum to allow a greater variety of learning experiences. The authors focus on the emergence of learner‐managed three‐way partnerships between the learner, the university, and the employer based on real‐time, work‐based projects as a way of reconciling economic benefit with personal development as purposes for work‐based learning. The article concludes by identifying some of the key educational issues which such schemes raise and identifies possible future directions in which they might develop.     

A New Model for the New Media‐‐International University: The University of the Web

This article provides an overview of the programmes, the faculty, and the instructional model of International University. This institution delivers all its courses and degree programmes using multiple media. As IU has a “virtual campus”, Internet e‐mail and course‐specific Web pages serve as the primary instructional tools for interaction between faculty members and students. All the content and media components are developed exclusively to provide an instructional model that requires faculty to contemplate their roles as teachers. The article further describes a new multi‐tiered faculty structure, the instructional design and delivery of content, the providing of student and faculty services in an on‐line environment, and the development of pedagogy to facilitate teaching and learning on‐line.