Non-traditional higher education: An “outsider's” view

A rank-and-file professor's attendance at a non-traditional higher education conference led to some salient observations: (1) Contrary to the odd-ball image they may have on some campuses, non-traditional programs can trace their lineage back to the very origins of Western universities; (2) At the same time, they represent a break with recent American University history, in that they appear to serve adult needs more than adolescent/young adult needs; (3) They are able to recognize true learning as occurring outside the parochial boundaries of grades, semester hours, etc; (4) They not only can individualize education, but they can make it an active (rather than passive) process; (5) These programs apparently strive to teach judgement and understanding,not just information; and (6) Such programs may be a functional arm of the so-called women's movement.     

Harnessing the power of superheroes: An alternative view

Superhero play offers opportunities for superfun and superlearning     

Physical and chemical change in textbooks: An initial view

The concepts of physical and chemical change have been treated in a variety of ways in textbooks. In this study 527 chemistry/science textbooks from a variety of countries and written at different levels of education were examined to see how they dealt with the topic of physical and chemical change. Textbooks have continued to cover this topic for over one hundred years. What evidence do textbooks contain about the purposes and methods of teaching this topic? Is its coverage in textbooks increasing or decreasing? When was physical and chemical change first taught and is it still appropriate to teach this topic? These and other related questions are considered in the paper.     

Stanford after the fall: An insider’s view

Isaac D. Barchas, who graduated from Stanford University in June 1989, served as a member of the committee mandated to implement the new core requirement in “Cultures, Ideas, and Values”.     

含蓄蕴藉的语言奇景--王安忆<长恨歌>语言艺术赏析之一

王安忆一方面不断探索总结文学创作的方法和小说语言特点，一方面在小说创作中对小说语言进行了许多有益的探索。《长恨歌》的语言艺术独具特色，她一改20世纪80年代具体化的语言风格而追求抽象化和含蓄蕴藉的语言风格，去实践其创作理论。本文从风格的一致性、语言的日常化和塑造能力三方面分析《长恨歌》的语言艺术特色。     

An ecological view of literacy learning

This article refutes the common, persistent belief in literacy learning as a linear, sequential process best broken down into small steps that can be taught mechanically in order to produce timely, quantifiable ‘outcomes’, regardless of the vast diversity among learners, teachers, institutions of learning, communities, cultures, media and languages. This naïve and simplistic belief, which flies in the face of virtually all evidence from direct observation, research on literacy learning, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, psychological and social science research, neurophysiology, educational theory, public policy, anthropology and communication, nevertheless remains well entrenched, despite its destructive consequences. Presented here is the evidence in support of an alternative view, an ecological perspective which takes into account the complex ecosystems within which teachers and learners learn, adapt, interact, communicate and connect. Furthermore, it presents a sensible and humane model for documenting and assessing learning and teaching ecologically, the Learning Record. This model is well supported both theoretically and practically, with over 20 years of successful implementation for thousands of students at every level, from pre‐school to graduate school; in every discipline, from maths to biology to writing; and across diverse student populations, from inner‐city schools to reservation schools, migrant populations, students with disabilities and newly arrived English language learners.