The focus of responsibility for education of the severely and profoundly retarded

The current concern for the extension of a free public education to the severely and profoundly retarded has precipitated a general assumption among many persons that the public schools will play a major role in providing educational services for this population. In view of the past failures of programs for the mildly (EMR) and moderately (TMR) retarded in the public schools, the authors advocate a new concept in delivery systems and teacher training that more appropriately reflects the needs of the severely and profoundly retarded.     

Phonological sensitivity in severely and profoundly deaf readers of French

In order to become expert readers of an alphabetical language like French, students must develop and adequately use phonological knowledge. Considering that the phonological knowledge used in reading largely comes from knowledge of the oral language, what happens when the oral language is not accessible, as is the case for many deaf children? In this study, graphophonemic and syllabic processes in pseudoword reading were assessed with a similarity judgment task. Gestual deaf subjects aged 10–18 years old (N = 24) were compared to 24 age-matched hearing subjects. The results show that deaf readers are less sensitive to the graphemic and the syllabic structures of pseudo-words than hearing readers. In deaf subjects, the results are different than chance-level in the 13–15 and the 16–18-year-old groups. These results indicate that gestual deaf readers can develop phonological knowledge even in settings where sign language is promoted.     

Aristotelian character education: A response to commentators

This article contains the responses of the author of Aristotelian Character Education (Routledge, 2015), Kristján Kristjánsson, to responses by three commentators, Randall Curren, Daniel Laspley and Christian Miller, published in this same issue of JME.     

Vygotsky and moral education: A response to and expansion of Tappan

Despite increasing studies and applications of Vygotsky’s theory of learning and development, little has been written connecting Vygotsky specifically to moral education. The most comprehensive attempt at formulating such an account is given by Mark Tappan. I critically evaluate Tappan’s account before raising several problems for his approach. I then offer suggestions for resolving these issues by turning to research in socialization theory and recommending additional sociocultural artifacts that can supplement moral education.     

Career education for the trainable mentally retarded: Issues and concerns

The paper reviews the development of the career education concept generally, and more specifically as related to trainable mentally handicapped individuals. Issues and concerns of direct relevance to this population are discussed.     

Diversifying learning opportunities: A response to the problems of mass education

The large lecture section is often perceived as a homogeneous mass of students who can be taught satisfactorily by a single teaching method — usually lectures, textbooks, and objective exams. An attempt to improve the quality of teaching and learning was made by offering three distinct options to 695 students enrolled in two large classes: (1) conventional lecture/objective exam format; (2) small groups of five to eight students; (3) independent study. The students responded with 86% selecting the conventional method, 11% choosing small groups, and 3% deciding upon independent study. Students in the conventional classes tended to have high scores on Rotter's External Control Scale and high scores on personality need scales (Personality Research Form) for harm avoidance, order, social recognition, and succorence; they also tended to be less intellectually inclined and more vocationally oriented. The students in nonconventional options tended to have high personality need scores for cognitive structure, achievement, autonomy, and understanding.Portions of this paper were presented at Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Denver, September, 1971 and the Illinois Sociological Association, Chicago, October, 1972. We are indebted to Fred Strodbeck, Robert Sutherland, Gene Jabker, Richard Clayton, Kay Clifton, and Wendy Rhodes for critical comments to an earlier draft of this paper.     

Skilling for the Workforce: A tertiary education response to enrich professional development

Tertiary Education and Management - Tertiary educators are being directed by government policy: to develop a learning environment where participants become more than passive receivers of knowledge...     

Skilling for the Workforce: A tertiary education response to enrich professional development

Tertiary educators are being directed by government policy: to develop a learning environment where participants become more than passive receivers of knowledge and to skill the workforce through technical skills and competency‐based education. Professional development is needed for compliance, and to develop and maintain generic, productivity, and technical attributes relevant to the profession. Profession and career development, for continued employability and professional recognition, involves “skilling for the workforce” through enriched self‐directed and lifelong learning. The article examines what could be a tertiary education response on the part of universities. This is through developing a learning environment which addresses the various motivating policies and common educational drivers in professional practice. It further examines the suitability of Work‐Integrated Learning (WIL), as a recognised integrative learning environment, to provide a foundation for effecting self‐directed professional development.     

The response of higher education to older adults: A federal perspective

This article examines and describes the responses of higher education institutions in meeting the needs of older people. Specifically, the article describes the concern of the Federal Council on the Aging for increased educational offerings for older people at American universities and colleges. It provides an overview of the demographic factors creating a graying society, discusses the challenge that aging presents to higher education, and cites, with examples, steps to be taken by higher education institutions to directly or indirectly benefit older persons.