The Unit Approach in College Teaching

“We feel that an improved library does indeed have a very decided effect upon the quality of teaching done on a college campus” declare the authors of the following article which reports on use of A.L.A. Standards in developing a junior college library. Mr. Tanis (A.B., Calvin College; M.A.L.S., M.A., Michigan) is librarian and Dr. Jacobs (B.A., Central Michigan; M.A., Michigan; Ed.D., Wayne State) is instructor in political science and chairman of faculty library committee at Henry Ford Community College.     

The Student-Teaching Dilemma

In the following article, recent research in motivation is drawn upon to show how students' choice of courses may be more simply understood than might first be imagined. The author (A.B., M.A., Ph.D., Michigan) is associate professor in the psychology department of the University of Michigan. He contributed an earlier article to this journal, and is editor of a current volume on neuropsychology published by Harper &; Row.     

The Distinguished Teacher

Five characteristics of distinguished teachers are discussed in the following article, which treats the subject in a fresh way. One thing distinguished teachers always achieve is the stimulation of intellectual curiosity among their students, according to the dean of liberal arts, Idaho State University (A.B., Alma College; M.A., Northwestern; Ph.D., Michigan State) whose specialty is English.     

美、英、澳三国中小学校长遴选制度述评

本文介绍了美、英、澳三国中小学校长遴选制度的发展状况及校长遴选的目的、原则和方法,并提出了对我国校长选用的借鉴.     

Comprehension Assessment: Implementing and Interactive View of Reading

The need for measures of reading comprehension that are consistent with current research and theory is being addressed in the development of new state-wide reading tests in Michigan. A synthesis of research from a variety of disciplines supports the constructive, interactive view of reading that provides the conceptual framework for the new Michigan tests. The procedures for selecting and analyzing texts and constructing comprehension questions described in this article are an important first step in the development of approaches to comprehension assessment that are both conceptually and instructionally valid.     

Options for Change: A Flexible Vehicle for Curriculum Evolution and Reform

In this article we examine a flexible curricular approach known as the “Option.” The Option enables students to supplement traditional majors with a coherent set of courses and other educational experiences in a related, often interdisciplinary field. Options can act as curricular bridges between mainstream academic fields and problems of professional practice. They can also give students experience with emerging subject areas (e.g., biomedical engineering). Options serve as laboratories for experimenting with new subject areas before incorporating them fully into the curriculum as majors and minors. Hence, Options promote creativity and risk-taking by providing a proving ground for potential new academic programs.Roger G. Baldwin received his doctorate in higher education from the University of Michigan. He is currently Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University. His research interests include curriculum development and reform, faculty career development, and organizational change. Melissa J. Baumann received her doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She is currently Associate Professor of Engineering at Michigan State University. Her research interests include biomedical materials research, specifically ceramic scaffolds in bone tissue engineering and biomedical engineering education.     

Reducing the stresses and tensions of the vocational counselor in the 1980s through the use of ret techniques

The vocational counselor's role in our society is conspicuous, well-established and indispensable. Pressure to perform is exerted on the vocational counselor from several sources, including: counselor-training programs, society, clients, supervisors and vocational counselors, themselves. This article discusses the sources of stress and tension and provides a partial solution based upon the principles of Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET). The relationship between irrational thoughts and stress is explored and a structure for thinking more rationally and feeling better is provided. A brief overview of RET and 12 typical irrational beliefs held by vocational counselors are included.Paper presented at the 1981 meeting of the International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, Robinson College, Cambridge, England. Funds for its preparation were provided by the following Villanova University officials: Dr. Bernard Downey, Rev. Lawrence Gallen, O.S.A., Rev. John O'Malley, O.S.A., and Dr. Henry Nichols. Lewis Morgan and Esther Weinrach provided critical comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Total quality and adult education: A natural partnership in the classroom

This article highlights the philosophies of adult education and total quality and shows how they are combined to create a powerful educational tool. The article scans the literature, shares a case study at a community college, and offers examples and strategies for making learning a more collaborative, adult, high quality process.Laura L. Bierema obtained a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Michigan State University, a Master's degree in Labor & Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, and an Ed.D. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia. Dr. Bierema is currently a faculty member at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her interests include teaching effectiveness, women's development, organizational learning, qualitative research, and total quality management.     

Market Mechanisms in Education: School choice in The Netherlands,England and Scotland in a comparative perspective

This article analyses differences in the availability of school choice in The Netherlands, England and Scotland. A 10 variable model is used to determine that the increased availability of choice leads generally to an increased presence of the market mechanism in the three countries. However, the functioning of the market is most obvious in The Netherlands, to a lesser extent in England and even less in Scotland.     

Reading practice in Irish primary classrooms: too simple a view of reading?

This article investigates issues surrounding the adoption of the ‘simple view’ of reading. While this theory of the reading process has recently been espoused as the official view of early reading instruction in England, a recent Irish study, discussed in this article, indicated that this view of reading is also widespread among Irish teachers. This article argues that a less simple view of reading recognising the importance of cognitive flexibility, metacognition and explicit comprehension strategy instruction in reading needs to be promoted among all educators. A lack of emphasis on such explicit reading comprehension instruction has been found to be a common thread in research conducted in the United States, in England and in Ireland and is often linked to reading underachievement. Hence, the authors conclude that the implementation of a more holistic and inclusive ‘balanced’ model of reading development is immediately imperative in reading classrooms, both in Ireland and internationally.     

公立研究型大学的战略规划与变革管理——杜德斯达特高等教育改革发展的实践

密西根大学是美国公立大学的旗舰,享有公立大学之母的美誉。杜德斯达特在1988-1996年担任密西根大学校长之际,以战略规划和变革管理为突破口,将密西根大学成功转变为一所公立私助、文化多元、技术先进的新型院校——21世纪的大学。本文对杜德斯达特高等教育改革发展的实践进行了考察,认为以战略规划和变革管理推动研究型大学的跨世纪转型的经验值得借鉴,对我国一流大学建设也有一定的启示。     

大学英语教师海外培训项目研究

本文探讨的是中国大学英语教师赴美国底特律大学参加的为期三周的教师职业发展项目海外培训的成效。重点探讨中国大学英语教师在此次项目中的收获和感想、项目存在的问题以及对项目的改进意见,以期为以后更好开展大学英语教师职业发展的海外培训项目提供建设性的意见和建议。     

Practitioners’ perspectives and needs: Developing skills to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) in experiencing ‘belonging’ in English educational spaces

This article builds on Yuval-Davis’s (2006, 2007, 2011) theories of belonging, in order to relay how practitioners can support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) in developing a positive sense of belonging in educational spaces in England. To do so, the article synthesises literature surrounding theories of belonging, UASCs’ educational access in England and practices supporting UASCs’ educational attainment and sense of belonging. Further, the article considers interviews with a social worker, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher, charity sector staff member, legal expert and government workers in East England, all of whom work with UASCs. Interview analysis seeks to understand how practitioners believe UASCs find a sense of belonging in the educational spaces that they inhabit. After presenting the interview findings, the article builds on scholarly literature related to supporting UASCs’ education by discussing how practitioners, including all staff who interact with UASCs in school, college or residential accommodation spaces, can work to facilitate UASCs’ sense of belonging in educational spaces in England. The article recognises that practitioners can do so through learning to speak with low-level ESOL students, developing trauma awareness and reflexively approaching their relationships with UASCs. Thus, the article provides policy recommendations to support practitioners in doing so.     

Comparing school accountability in England and its East Asian sources of ‘borrowing’

Education reforms in England are increasingly justified by borrowing ‘best practices’ of high-performing East Asian societies, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. However, taking the reforms of school accountability as an illustrative example, this article argues that there are serious variations between England and its East Asian sources of ‘borrowing’ with regard to the ways in which schools are held to be accountable. How school accountability is organised and operationalised in practice deeply depends on socio-political priorities of each society. Therefore, education policy borrowing from East Asia to England is potentially extremely difficult. Furthermore, this article remains alert to the possibility that the claim (about improving the education system in England through imitating East Asian models) is symbolic rather than practical – symbolic in the sense of producing legitimacy for pre-existing policy agendas.     

Demystifying Accreditation: Action Plans for a National or Regional Accreditation

As part of educational reform, many institutions of higher education are undergoing accreditation processes. Based on interviews, observations, and the author's experiences in accreditation reviews, this discussion delineates three stages of planning for an accreditation process. Recommendations are organized by each stage of preparation into long- and short-term action plans with specific tasks. Analyzing the process of accreditation across institutions and programs led to the identification of common elements that can make planning an accreditation effective and efficient. This article maps the roles and responsibilities of accreditation stakeholders and the need for communication and collaboration throughout the process.Ann L. Wood earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology from The University of Michigan and a M.A. in special education and a B.A. in sociology, psychology, and education from Michigan State University. She is currently the Co-Principal Investigator for the Comprehensive Teacher Education Institute and an Assistant Professor in the Charter College of Education at California State University, Los Angeles. Her special interests are educational reform, urban education, lives of faculty and teachers, higher education, teacher development, and teacher induction     

英国高考中的表现性评价:中心评审课程作业

英国普通教育证书高级水平考试相当于中国的高考制度,其特征之一在于大规模运用了中心评审课程作业.它是指在平时教学过程由教师布置或者学生自定的、需要学生实际表现的较为真实的任务,如实验、调查、野外考察、论文报告等.课程作业的具体评分工作由各中心的教师负责,评分的标准和政策则由全国性的大学入学考试机构统一制定.英国的中心评审课程作业,也即表现性评价.它的成功经验表明,只要设计合理,表现性评价可以较好地纳入公开考试之中,这对中国的考试改革具有重要的启迪意义.     

National context and teacher characteristics: Exploring the critical non-cognitive attributes of novice teachers in four countries

The purpose of this article was to examine what education professionals in four countries (England, Finland, Malawi, and Oman) deemed as the critical (i.e., most important for effective teaching) non-cognitive attributes of novice teachers. Results from an iterative comparative case study showed that participants consistently judged certain attributes of novice teachers as critical, i.e., empathy, organization, and resilience. However, there was also differential importance placed on teachers’ relationships with the community, reflecting theorized cultural differences. The findings provide new insight into how national and cultural context are associated with the perceptions of the critical non-cognitive attributes of effective teachers.     

Educational performance or educational inequality: what can we learn from PISA about France and England?

This article evaluates PISA 2000 as a resource for providing information on educational attainment and inequality, focusing on France and England. Going beyond pupils' performance, it assesses levels of educational inequality by examining distributions of scores and the relationship between socio‐economic status and performance. This review raises methodological issues which could hamper the comparison of performance. The prioritising of ‘skills for life’ over curriculum‐based questions, together with PISA's sampling on the basis of pupils' age rather than their class/grade, works to the advantage of the English performance. The issue of low response rates in England is also raised and care is urged with regard to ranking the performance of France and England on the basis of these results. The article concludes that as a tool for comparing average performance PISA has drawbacks, but for assessing levels of inequality it is a useful resource.     

Education policy and social class in England and New Zealand: an instructive comparison

This article explores the ‘middle-class pressure thesis’, the extent to which recent education policy in England under New Labour may be shaped by the need to respond to an increasingly large and anxious middle class. It discusses why the intensification of middle-class pressure on education policy in England could be expected and outlines how New Labour's education policies can be seen as a response to that pressure. In the latter part of the article the case of New Zealand is used to ‘speak back’ to the middle-class pressure thesis in England. New Zealand highlights the potent influence of England's historic and recent class context on policy by demonstrating a setting where market policies have been embraced by policy makers but where class has played a less important role. The article suggests that although the means by which social class at the local level might act back on and help shape the direction of national education policy will be difficult to investigate, it would be a rewarding direction for future policy research related to social class.     

Using the Wider Pedagogical Role model to establish learning support assistants' views about facilitators and barriers to effective practice

This article reports on small‐scale research exploring the views of learning support assistants (LSAs) about facilitators and barriers to effective practice. A focus group was conveyed involving all the LSAs working in one mainstream primary school in the north‐west of England and thematic analysis was used to interrogate the resultant dataset. The Wider Pedagogical Role (WPR) model (Webster et al., 2011) was used as a deductive framework to conceptualise these findings under the headings of practice, deployment, conditions of employment, preparedness and characteristics. Findings revealed that LSAs could readily identify current facilitators and barriers under each of the five components, highlighting the usefulness of the WPR model. Possibilities for future research, including the refinement and further development of the WPR, are briefly discussed.