Using adult education principles for HIV/AIDS awareness intervention strategies in Botswana

This paper reports on a mainly qualitative study into company strategies for HIV/AIDS information, education and communication (IEC) strategies in the Botswana workplace. The authors argue that HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention strategies in Botswana need a new approach. The research proposal hypothesized that IEC strategies need to take account of adult education theory that promotes the active involvement of learners in developing their own curriculum. It also proposed that an Africa‐centric gender perspective should be incorporated into future IEC materials. That is, the particular cultural position of women and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection in Botswana needs to be theorized as an issue of power. Integrated with this issue is the argument that it is not always appropriate to try to persuade women to take the initiative in preventing infection when culturally they have no power to do so. The paper therefore critiques some of the adult education and feminist arguments for empowerment that do not take account of existing male power positions within the Botswana social framework. Using new educational material that derived from the research findings the authors argue for a dual strategy towards behavioural change; one that takes account of the current health crisis, but also one which uses a radical pedagogical approach that engages with ‘where people are at’.     

Adult education and the empowerment of civil society: the case of trade unions in Botswana

The paper examines the potential role of adult education in the empowerment of civil society in Botswana. It shows that adult education can be instrumental in the empowerment of trade unions as organs of civil society in a liberal democracy. It argues that the country's democratic tradition can be sustained by a strong civil society. The paper traces the history of trade unions in Botswana showing that the state has mostly weakened them through legislation. It is contended that individuals participate in trade unions as their mouthpiece when they are in trouble with capital. Most trade union members reported not being aware of adult education activities in Botswana. The paper explores some of the weaknesses of the unions and suggests how adult education provision from adult basic education to adult and continuing education at the university could help to redress the workers' problems. It concludes by mapping out some practical ways in which adult education could empower the unions in Botswana as it has done elsewhere.     

Assessing Course Content Relevance for Employment of Adult Non-Formal Education and Training Graduates in South Africa

The purpose of this article is to assess the course content relevance in contributing to wage- or self-employment of adult non-formal education and training (NFET) in the context of South Africa. The concern that informed this article is that adults who face long-term unemployment due to a lack of marketable skills remain unemployed after completing NFET programmes. Findings reveal that in the private and few public centres, the course contents included vocational skills training, a component of practicum and entrepreneurial training in order to meet the needs and objectives of the formerly unemployed trainees. For graduates who participated in the private training centres and whose objective was to become self-employed, the training course contents contributed to starting of a micro-enterprise or co-operative. The author concludes that in most of the private centres and few public centres the course contents were relevant in contributing to self-employment of the graduates. The cause is that a number of centres provided vocational skills combined with business skills in order to enable graduates to be involved in income-generating activities.     

Can children with severe learning difficulties be educated in ordinary schools?

Abstract

The education of all children in ordinary schools is now the central question of special education and of education itself. The integration debate has essentially developed along moral and ideological lines, with access to mainstream schools seen as a basic right of all children.

Whatever the moral or political commitment to integration, the unique needs of the individual child should not be sacrificed on the altar of ideology, however powerful. For this reason alone, it is important to confront and seek to overcome the serious obstacles which stand in the way of educational integration.

This paper discusses issues relating to the education of a group of children whose needs are thought to be the most difficult to meet within ordinary schools. Following a summary of the research literature and an account of individual integration schemes, an organisational model is presented which could meet the needs of all children with severe learning difficulties within an ordinary school context.     

Constraints to UPE: More than a question of supply?

The traditional approach to universal primary education (UPE) in developing countries has emphasised supply factors of schooling systems, such as the construction of schools and teacher training facilities, revisions to curricula and improvements in teaching materials. No doubt all these factors have played an important part in encouraging the growth of enrolment ratios throughout the developing world during the past two decades. But the profile of absentees from school, and the disproportionate enrolment of boys and girls in school suggest that this approach is unlikely to achieve full UPE. This paper calls for consideration of demand factors which may prevent children from attending school. Focusing on the household as the relevant unit, it examines the costs incurred when a child attends school in the developing world, and the benefits to be gained from school attendance. The paper then goes on to consider the case of Botswana, where, within the context of the goal of UPE, the government is investing vast resources in the expansion and improvement of the primary school system. Yet substantial numbers of children, boys in particular, continue to be withheld from school. After an analysis of the demand factors which prevent children from attending school in rural Botswana, the paper concludes with a discussion of the additional policies the Botswana government might find necessary to employ in order to achieve full UPE.     

成人教育的多元化发展探索

建立在终身教育框架下的以人为本的教育理念,是21世纪成人教育改革和发展的方向。不能仅仅将成人教育作为学历教育的延续,要以少学时、精内容、多实践作为课程改革方向,重视应用技术开发能力的培养。从谋求成人教育新发展出发,应理性地选择职业教育与学历教育衔接贯通的发展模式：加强继续学历教育,形成专、本、研各梯次教育形式齐全的格局...     

Diversity,adult education and the future: a tentative exploration

Diversity in its many guises is strongly championed in the adult education literature. To conceive a future for adult education that is not diverse and does not try to address the needs of diverse learners seems absurd. Yet, diversity is not a unitary concept, having many definitions and paradoxical effects. Questions arise about its future in a globalizing world. It is not obvious that all facets of diversity in adult education can thrive into the future. This paper attempts to explore the future of diversity in adult education. It applies two methodologies used in futures research to do so. One, causal layered analysis (CLA), enables the present to be analysed critically in order to explore possible futures. In this paper CLA is used to identify possible effects of globalization on diversity in adult education. The other methodology used is visioning. The adult education literature is examined for its visions of diversity. Four different visions are identified. Each theorizes diversity differently. One aims for individual personal development within an accommodating, non‐critical context. A second emphasizes personal development but within a context that is critical, striving for a more just society. A third envisions social learning facilitating change towards a critical, more just society. A fourth focuses on social learning but within an accommodating, non‐critical context. CLA and visioning enable some tentative statements to be made about the future of diversity in adult education. Chief among them is that diversity, when valued in the market place, will prosper, while diversity that is intended to act as an agent for social change will not.     

Formation des formateurs?: place dans une ��ducation de qualit�� des adultes

Training the trainers: its role in high-quality adult education ?C This article is about the crucial role of instructor training; it discusses the implications for the quality of adult learning and education. The documents arising out of CONFINTEA V and VI, the Hamburg Declaration, the Agenda for the Future and the Belém Framework for Action all recognise the critical role played by facilitators and adult instructors in the quality of adult learning and education. However, all over the world, they are undertrained and poorly paid by comparison with their counterparts in the formal education sector. In West Africa, where the average literacy rate is 20%, the situation of these facilitators and instructors and the conditions in which they work are becoming alarming, particularly since actors?? expectations of them are constantly increasing. This article aims to clarify the most important reasons for this marginalisation and then provides some key pieces of guidance on how to move forward in terms of the political context, the literate environment, skills and languages, curricula, teaching methods and learner needs, materials, monitoring and evaluation and research.     

HIV/AIDS education for health care workers: needs assessment for a model tertiary curriculum

This paper deals with the learning needs of Health Care Workers (HCWs) in the field of HIV/ AIDS. Essentially the paper covers their perceived initial education and training needs at tertiary level through to the continuing vocational professional development of HCWs who are involved in the practice of health care of people living with HIV/AIDS. The focus of the paper provides an illustration of the theme of adult education that searches for roles of social relevance in both a community and continuing professional setting, notably in the context of challenging human needs. In this illustration, the identification of the tertiary level education and training needs of HCWs by the practitioners themselves, as well as other interested stakeholders, is designed to help others who follow them practice with competence and confidence in this complex area of human need. Ultimately the continuing education of HCWs in such a challenging context is concerned with empowering people living with HIV/AIDS to come to realistic and positive terms with their condition.     

Democracy and Social Studies Education at the Junior Secondary School Level in Botswana

This paper briefly examines the concept of democracy, its relationship to education and its African context. The meaning and value of democracy in African society is discussed and it is suggested that traditional political systems represented a particular kind of democracy. It then focuses on the extent to which the concept of democracy is covered in the junior secondary school social studies syllabus in Botswana. Finally the authors make some recommendations for curricular improvement in education for democracy at the junior secondary level in Botswana as part of the continuing attempt to produce the effective citizen for the new millennium.     

Collaborating with children in exploring marginalisation: an approach to inclusive education

This article focuses on the importance of engaging with children's voices in school settings in order to understand and deal with marginalisation. Engaging with the views of children and young people is an essential part of the process of developing inclusion. It can be viewed as an approach to inclusive education, which predominantly places emphasis on the views of the learners rather than on other organisational aspects within a school context. The study reported here is from a collaborative piece of research in one primary school classroom where practitioners, children and the researcher worked together in order to identify areas of concern within the particular context, in order to address marginalisation. The benefits, as well as the complexities of engaging in such processes are discussed. Furthermore, the study has led to the development of a framework for promoting inclusion that is presented here. The framework can be used to guide a systematic way of collecting evidence that will facilitate the process of understanding and dealing with marginalisation, and promoting inclusion, that can be incorporated into the daily work of practitioners.     

非学历培训班考勤管理问题分析与对策研究

成人教育是我国高等教育的重要组成部分,也是终身教育体系中的重要组成部分,而非学历教育培训是高校成人教育工作的一项重要内容。培训班课堂考勤工作作为日常教学管理工作的重要环节,是保证成人教育非学历培训班开展正常的教学和各项活动的重要手段。具有良好的培训班出勤率,才能保证培训教学过程的顺利进行。这需要培训管理班人员、培训教师、培训学员以及培训学员的相关企业共同努力,了解、分析培训工作中考勤管理存在的问题和相关影响因素,采取有的放矢的措施解决问题,才能确保教育培训的质量。     

Changing policy,legislation and its effects on inclusive and special education: a perspective from Wales

This article, by Jean Ware of Bangor University School of Education, examines policy developments in education in Wales since devolution, and their implications for inclusive and special education. This is set in the context of the demographics of Wales, which, it is argued, have a significant influence on policy and on the nature of educational provision as a whole. The discussion initially focuses on issues related to the Welsh language. The article then discusses four policy initiatives (the Foundation Phase, the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, the Masters in Educational Practice and the proposed reform of initial teacher education and training), intended to respond to Wales's poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment, and their potential impact, as well as the White Paper on reforming the special educational needs system in Wales. It is too soon to discuss the impact of these special educational needs‐specific reforms, but the differences from the English special educational needs reforms highlight the inherent tensions in special educational needs systems. It is argued that the Tabberer Report's critique of the teacher education system in Wales, which emphasises the need for teacher education to be strongly connected to relevant research, provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education in Wales for all children; but that considerable investment, and a willingness to address the potential tensions between the different initiatives, is necessary to achieve such an outcome.     

论诚信教育在构建和谐社会中的重大意义

贯彻落实科学发展观,构建社会主义和谐社会,需要一个诚实守信的环境。诚信的形成有一个过程,它除了依靠法律法规来约束以外,还需要教育和培养。从诚信教育对社会诚信环境的形成的重要作用、诚信教育的主要内容、诚信教育的主要形式和任务等几个方面来分析、阐述诚信教育是构建社会主义和谐社会的基础,运用＂现代社会学＂理论,就如何加强诚信教育提出一些对策和思考。     

The pedagogic signature of special needs education

The goal of the following study is to identify a pedagogic signature, according to LS Shulman, for working with students who have special educational needs. Special educational needs are defined as significant limitations in personal development and learning which require particular educational measures beyond regular education. The development of a pedagogic signature should create an identity and provide guidance, particularly for teachers who are working in the context of inclusive schools with no prior knowledge or training in this regard. The study is carried out against the background of the structural uncertainty of the teaching profession and takes into consideration existing normative, theoretical and empirical approaches in education. Existing research regarding demands is largely theoretical, while empirical research is rudimentary. The present study used a multi-method approach to identify demands for working with students with special educational needs. Experts in the areas of learning disabilities and emotional/behavioural disorders completed an instrument from the field of industrial and organisational psychology, quantifying and weighting professional demands on teachers according to their importance. The results were added and validated through group discussions, creating a demand profile. By combining the results with the dimensions of a signature pedagogy, according to Shulman, it is apparent that surface structure and deep structure play a minor role in the perceptions of special needs teachers. The central importance of the implicit structure is characteristic of the pedagogic signature. This importance is represented by the target group’s emphasis on demands such as having an appreciative leadership or authenticity. An even greater emphasis is placed on the aspect of attitude – this is having a humanistic ethos. The demand profile and the resulting consequences for the practice of teaching will be considered with a view towards current problems and questions in research and practice, and particularly with regard to inclusion.     

Learning,behaviour and reaction framework: a model for training raters to improve assessment quality

This paper proposes a training model for raters, with the goal to improve the intra- and inter-consistency of evaluation quality for higher education curricula. The model, termed the learning, behaviour and reaction (LBR) circular training model, is an interdisciplinary application from the business and organisational training domain. The following three novel features adapt it to the context of tertiary education: individualised training, training on-demand and continual training. To demonstrate the applicability of the LBR model, we conducted a case study of raters involved in an undergraduate course at a Taiwanese university. A comparative analysis of intra- and inter-evaluation consistency showed the model to be an effective training instrument.     

Infusion or confusion: A meta–analysis of Environmental Education in the 21st century curriculum of Botswana

The purpose of this article is to examine the integration of environmental education (EE) in the secondary school curriculum of Botswana. In order to achieve effective environmental literacy, EE needs to be integrated into all aspects of students’ learning experience. The article draws on a variety of qualitative meta-analyses of Botswana government documents and journal articles, published between 2002 and 2012. Although EE is integrated primarily in social studies and science subjects, the findings suggested that it is in a state of confusion due to ineffective professional development of teachers and neglect of educational authorities. Teachers at the secondary level rarely include EE because students are not tested on it. The study suggested that teachers’ values towards EE, subject flexibility, integration and child-centred learning should be enhanced as strategies for halting the confusion of its infusion into the curriculum     

Religious education in Botswana—an example of development,progress and vision

This article traces the development of religious education in Botswana from pre‐colonial times to the present day. It explores the manner in which the subject has been influenced by the presence of missionary activity in the country during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as well as more recent post‐colonial developments. The challenges facing the subject in meeting the needs of citizens in a rapidly developing country are also examined.