SHOULD JEWISH SUPPLEMENTARY RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS BE LIKE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

Whether the Jewish supplementary school should be operated as if it were a public school depends on the goals of Jewish education. “In terms of ultimate goals, however, Jewish education is now at a crossroads.”¹ While all Jewish educators would probably agree with Harold Schulweis' statement that “it is our sacred task to create Jews,”² educators are not in agreement over what type of Jews we are to create and how we are to create them. Jewish educators can be divided into two groups. One group wants to create “educated, thinking Jews” — goal #1—while the other desires to shape children into “feeling Jews” —goal #2.     

THE GARY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE CHURCHES∗

The purpose of this column is to keep religious educators abreast of relevant significant research in the general field of psychology. Its implications for methods and materials in religious education are clear. Religious educators may well take advantage of every new finding in scientific research.

Each section describes a group of findings which have been reported in PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS together with titles of these works so that those who wish may go to the original source.

This column is written as a service to religious educators by the Union College Character Research Project. All abstracts are used with permission of the periodical, PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. The abstract numbers are Volume 35. Number 4, August 1961.     

PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HIGHER EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN THE EC‐MEMBER STATES, 1975‐1990

This article is an exercise in cross‐national comparative research on the financing of higher education, the countries involved being the EC countries. Before relevant comparisons could be made, agreement had to be reached as to what “higher education” is and what “students” are. It was then necessary to find some way of making accurate comparisons of monetary units and of dealing with contradictory ways in which educational statistics were and still are collected and collated. A research strategy was developed using existing sources, a specially developed questionnaire, and consultation with national experts. The results displayed biases for which corrections had to be made. They also, however, displayed a wide variety in the level of higher education expenditure in the EC countries. The project gave rise to the creation of the first comprehensive database that covers public expenditure on higher education in the twelve member states of the EC. It can be regarded as the first step in the creation of the “perfect database” on higher education expenditure which in turn would be a most valuable tool for higher education policy‐makers.

     

THE POTENTIAL FOR PALAEOBOTANY IN THE EXPLANATION OF CHINA'S PLANT GEOGRAPHY

The distributions of many plant taxa in China at the present day indicate centres of floristic importance which may be ancient,and have evolutionary significance,or which may be only their latest locations in a Cenozoic history of migrations.This paper summarizes the present and Cenozoic distributions in China of the following taxa:Nitraria,Ephedra,Carya,Liquidamber,Pterocarya,Betulaceae.It is concluded that the centres of importance of the named genera are different now from what they were at some time in the Cenozoic past;each has accomplished major migrations and suffered significant extinctions during that period.The history of the Betulaceae is less clear but in principle soluble.     

RAISING THE AGE OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN ENGLAND: A NEET SOLUTION?

ABSTRACT:   This paper problematises the official discourse of economic competitiveness and social inclusion used by the 2007 Education and Skills Bill to justify the proposal to extend compulsory participation in education and training in England to the age of 18. Comparisons are drawn between this attempt to raise the age of compulsion and previous attempts, which took place in a significantly different socio-economic context. It is argued that the needs of those most likely to be affected by the current proposal – young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) – are subordinated to the needs of an English economy that is increasingly based upon low-skill, low-pay work relations.     

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NUFFIELD ‘O’ LEVEL CHEMISTRY COURSES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

A study of schools entering pupils for the examinations of the Nuffield ‘O’ level Chemistry project suggests that, as yet, such schools are located near the original centres of project activity. Comparison of the heads of the Chemistry departments in matched samples of ‘Nuffield’ and ‘non‐Nuffield’ schools (summer 1969), established no significant difference in academic and professional training or in experience of non‐classroom employment. Nuffield Chemistry schools were found to have a larger percentage of pupils following sixth form science courses but the difference in annual, per capita expenditure on Chemistry teaching was significant only at the five per cent level.     

FIRST YEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH: THE NEED FOR ADDRESSING TEACHERS�� ORIENTATIONS IN THE ERA OF REFORM

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which three teachers’ professional experience and existing orientations toward teaching and learning mathematics and science influenced their implementation of a project-based curriculum (i.e. project-based learning (PBL)). Data sources included interviews, videotapes of classroom activity, and a teaching philosophy questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using an iterative coding technique. We found coherency between the teachers’ perceived orientations and their emergent ideas about PBL, their sense of PBL as being compatible with their goals, and the specific challenges with which they struggled. All the teachers wanted their students to be successful; however, different definitions of success led to quite different approaches toward teaching, and for the most part, these differences appeared to have occurred because of existing orientations the teachers held for teaching their discipline. Implications for professional development taking into account teachers’ orientations and thus their professional experience are discussed, as well as disciplinary challenges to using PBL.     

PRESSURE DROP IN THE VERTICAL PNEUMATIC PIPE FOR POWDER CONVEYING

Based on the former research work of the authors,the resistance of differentsolid particle suspension flow in a vertical pipe is analysed,and investigatedexperimentally.The applicable formulas of pressure drop are presented.Two types of par-ticles,talcum powder and glass beads,are convcyed in the test which has been carried outat various air vclocities of 10 to 28 m/s and at the ratio of solids-air mass flow rateranged from 0 to 2.The experimental results show a good agreement with the calculatedones.     

PUTTING CONTEXT IN CONTEXT: AN EXAMINATION OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE BENEFITS OF ��CONTEXTUALISED�� TASKS

The professional literature in mathematics education is replete with calls to use tasks that are ‘authentic’, ‘relevant’ and related to ‘real life’ and the ‘real world’. Such activities are frequently advocated for their potential to motivate and engage students, but evidence of their ability to do so is rarely presented. This paper examines evidence in relation to the effectiveness of context problems in achieving their intended purposes and thereby contributing to enhanced student participation, engagement and achievement in mathematics education. It is argued that context problems are not a panacea and that categorising problems as contextualised or de-contextualised is less helpful than the consideration of more salient aspects of tasks that impact on their effectiveness. Such aspects also relate to the purposes for and affordances and limitations of particular tasks in relation to the purposes they are intended to serve, along with attention to the contexts in which students learn mathematics. Examples of theoretical and empirical programs built on these considerations are reviewed in terms of their potential to enhance participation, engagement and achievement in school mathematics.     

THE PERIODIC LAYER IN VIBRATIONAL SOLIDIFYING TEXTURE AND ITS APPLICATION FOR IDENTIFYING THE INTERFACE

Based on experimental results,this paper presents that under specificvibrational and solidifying conditions,there are several periodic layers appearing in thecrystallization of A1-3％ Mg alloy.The mechanism of the formation of periodic layer isdiscussed.Furthermore,the use of the layers to identify the solid-liquid interface and theeffect of such layers on mechanical properties of alloy have been studied.