Curriculum development for teacher education in the Southern Philippines: A simultaneous process of professional learning and syllabus enhancement

This paper reflects on the process of curriculum development in 21 tertiary education institutions in the Southern Philippines. Assisting capacity-building of the teaching profession is an ongoing need in developing countries, but rarely does it extend to pre-service education. In this study of one aspect of a three year AusAid-funded education development project, the process of developing syllabi for English, mathematics, science and practicum/pedagogy courses was an unfamiliar activity for the majority of the sixty Filipino teacher educators and their colleagues. These educators were used to following institution prescribed syllabi without question. The focus of this study was the educators’ participation in the intensive process of syllabus review, construction and enhancement which occurred concurrently with a series of regular professional development activities based on the needs and interests of the educators. The process was documented as it evolved and was evaluated at key stages. A major outcome was the enhancement, or construction, of more than 200 syllabi across the 21 tertiary institutions. However, an unexpected and significant outcome of the process was the development of strong cross-institutional and even cross-regional relationships and a level of collegiality not previously experienced by the participants. It is argued here that such an approach to curriculum development raises the potential for sustainable long-term outcomes in international development projects.     

Social responsibility and community development: Lessons from the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial in Honduras

This article extends understanding of the connections between education, social capital, and development through a mixed-methods case study of the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial, or SAT¹, an innovative secondary-level education system. The quantitative dimension of the research used survey measures of social responsibility to compare 93 SAT students to 88 other students in conventional Honduran schools, with samples based on the naturally occurring (non-random) presence of one of these two different educational programs in each of nine nearby Honduran communities. Preliminary findings suggest that students in the SAT program held a greater sense of social responsibility than their peers in conventional schools. Students’ statements about their own educational experiences were analyzed in order to identify some of the characteristics of the SAT program that may have led to this difference. The SAT approach to developing social responsibility is contrasted to a human rights focused approach.     

A framework for revitalisation of rural education and training systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Strengthening the human resource base for food security and sustainable livelihoods

Recent studies of the current state of rural education and training (RET) systems in sub-Saharan Africa have assessed their ability to provide for the learning needs essential for more knowledgeable and productive small-scale rural households. These are most necessary if the endemic causes of rural poverty (poor nutrition, lack of sustainable livelihoods, etc.) are to be overcome. A brief historical background and analysis of the major current constraints to improvement in the sector are discussed. Paramount among those factors leading to its present ‘malaise’ is the lack of a whole-systems perspective and the absence of any coherent policy framework in most countries. There is evidence of some recent innovations, both in the public sector and through the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and other private bodies. These provide hope of a new sense of direction that could lead towards meaningful ‘revitalisation’ of the sector. A suggested framework offers 10 key steps which, it is argued, could largely be achieved with modest internal resources and very little external support, provided that the necessary leadership and managerial capacities are in place.     

社区教育课程研发路径管窥

基于对社区教育课程特征的阐释和社区教育课程研发现状和问题的分析,认为社区教育课程研发首先应坚持固有的原则:立足社区,以人为本,在遵循整体性、发展性和多样性的基础上,构建"社区本位"的社区教育课程体系。在此基础上,论述了社区教育课程研发的路径:以成人学习观为指导,强化课程研发意识,全力开发课程资源;以教育需求为向导,开展社区教育调查,构建特色课程体系;以有教无类为先导,承续"关怀弱者"的实践传统,重构社区教育主体对象。     

Mathematical literacy of school leaving pupils in South Africa

This paper discusses some results of South African (SA) grade 12 pupils on an international test of mathematical literacy, administered in the framework of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Three questions are addressed: (1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of SA school-leavers in mathematical reasoning and social utility from an international comparative perspective?: (2) What is the growth of SA pupils' mathematical literacy from grade 8 to 12? (3) What are the background variables that influence the level of mathematical literacy of SA school-leavers? Finally some implications of the results for SA education will be discussed.     

Future-perfect/present-imperfect: Contemporary global constraints on the implementation of a post-2015 education agenda

A future-perfect global education agenda is currently being designed. Much extant research investigates the past-imperfect implementation of successive waves of global education goals. This article is based on a study that investigated the ways in which formal policy commitments in a post-MDGs agenda may be constrained by contemporary global policy practices. Using narrative analysis of interview data from key global policy actors, I argue that future policy will be constrained by: first, the assumptions that currently underlie global policy actors’ narratives of quality and equity; and second, new consensual aid implementation mechanisms that monitor narrow definitions of quality.     

全球化、知识及课程政策

当人们理所当然地把知识接受为课程时,却忽略了他们所指的知识是什么。为此,现代课程理论必须建立在一个明确的知识理论上,知识和认识论问题和理论问题一样,对所有在教育中工作的人来说都是实际问题,通过对这个问题的追问,文章建立了一个与我们置身其中的全球化世界相联系的课程理论。     

Fostering educational participation in pastoral communities through non-formal education: the Ghanaian perspective

This paper is an investigation of the impact of the Shepherd School Program, a non-formal basic education program implemented in seven pastoral communities in northern Ghana. The paper argues that non-formal basic education programs can have an important impact on the educational development of a community. However, for this to be possible, the context of such programs must answer to communities’ social, cultural, economic and other immediate needs.     

Educational reform in Turkey

There are a number of reform initiatives underway in Turkey but some of these, which are concerned with curricular and structural changes, have encountered serious difficulties. This paper begins with a brief summary of school effectiveness and school improvement research guiding many educational reforms. It then gives some information about school demographics in Turkey, and the country's performance in some international benchmarking studies. It continues with the shifts introduced as a result of recent curricular reorganisation in Turkey and, subsequently, with various issues related to their implications. Finally, the efforts to legislate some structural changes and the major controversies arising are presented.     

南非新政府的课程改革及其启示

南非新政权于1997年宣示《2005课程：21世纪的终身教育》的报告，该报告历经制定、评审和修订三个阶段，旨在以成果本位教育思想为指导，摆脱种族隔离制度时期旧的教育模式，实现课程改革从内容为本向成果为本的范式转换，以培养一批有文化、有创新能力和批判精神的新南非的合格公民，进而建设一个繁荣、民主、真正团结且具有国际竞争力的国家。其课程改革给我们的启示是，借鉴国外应立足于本国国情，同时改革的政策必须配套．尤应注重实效等。     

Challenging the myths about madaris in Pakistan: A national household survey of enrolment and reasons for choosing religious schools

There is speculation about madaris in Pakistan as sources of terrorists and about levels and reasons for enrolment, but a dearth of empirical data. We studied madarsah enrolment among 53,960 representative households; 853 focus groups of parents discussed enrolment choices. In 2004, 2.6% of all children (3.8% of school-going children) aged 5–9 years attended a madarsah. Children from urban and less educated households were more likely to attend a madarsah, but there was no difference by sex of the child or household vulnerability. Parents chose madaris because they offered an Islamic education. Our findings challenge misconceptions about madaris in Pakistan.     

Curriculum as policy: some implications of contemporary policy studies for the analysis of curriculum policy,with particular reference to post-primary curriculum policy in the Republic of Ireland

An overview of contemporary curriculum discourse shows a worrying drift to the technical; in current curriculum debates, technique is winning out over substance, procedures over principles. This article shows how this theoretical vacuum is ascribed by many in the field to the dominance of the Tyler rationale in curriculum planning. However, the symptoms of means-end rationality are not confined to curriculum - they are found across the breadth of educational studies and have reached epidemic proportions, suggests the article, in the discourse of educational reform. A number of serious implications for the lack of analysis of curriculum policy are identified and particular reference is made to the Republic of Ireland where, it is suggested, the size of the education system should facilitate greater debate. Instead, the discussions focus on the management rather than the meaning of change. In searching for sources for new curriculum theory,the author suggests that the field of policy studies offers considerable potential, in particular the work of Stephen Ball on mapping the policy cycle. The possibilities for a theory of curriculum as policies are explored. A model of a curriculum policy cycle is proposed and subjected to some analysis.     

From “time pass” to transformative force: School-based human rights education in Tamil Nadu, India

This article presents data collected at the level of practice to highlight one non-governmental organization's approach to human rights education and how household-, school-, and community-level factors mediated student impact. Findings suggest that a variety of factors at the three levels contribute to the program's successful implementation in government schools serving marginalized students (where most HRE programs are in operation in India today). These responses emerge along a continuum from ‘time pass’—a commonly used term in India for anything that does not directly contribute to greater performance on high-stakes exams—to ‘transformative force’, wherein students internalize knowledge and values related to human rights and take action based on it. Responses to HRE were characterized in four areas and representative examples are provided of each: (1) personal changes; (2) attempts to intervene in situations of abuse; (3) reporting (or threatening to report) abuse; and (4) spreading awareness about human rights.     

课程开发与课程评估一体化--多元智力理论的实践取向

多元智力理论在实践中有一个非常典型的取向--课程开发与课程评估一体化,本文从三个角度分析了这一取向的实践情况.分别是借助"通过多元智力来教"实现课程开发与课程评估一体化;借助"为多元智力而教"实现课程开发与课程评估一体化;多元智力与传统教育目标分类学结合实现课程开发与课程评估一体化.     

20世纪90年代以来的美国教育改革

20世纪90年代以来，美国政府通过择校计划、学券制和特许学校等，积极推进市场化，在教育界引入竞争机制，同时强化联邦政府对全国教育改革的干预能力，努力实行优质教育，增进教育公平，建构学习化社区，试图在新世纪继续长期保持其世界惟一超级强国的地位。其间虽然围绕择校、学券制、特许学校和联邦政府干预地方教育改革等的合法性问题展开了广泛争论，但这一系列教育改革仍然得到了积极而坚决的推行。     

An examination of the vocational education and training reform debate in Southern Africa

This paper explores the role that vocational education and training (VET) can play in Southern African responses to major socio‐economic challenges. It argues that this role will be most pronounced if it is articulated within a broader educational and economic vision that is shared by a range of stakeholders in society and supported by an adequate funding base, effective information systems and qualified and motivated planners and implementers. However, it cautions that it is also important to remember that VET reform will not in itself transform economies or societies. The paper argues that there is considerable convergence within Southern Africa around 10 themes of VET reform. It argues that there is much that is of merit in the current broad package for VET transformation but that it is essential that it is carefully critiqued and that elements are adapted to national circumstances and visions.     

论开发取向对课程的独特理解

课程研究中的开发取向不但表现为一种课程开发的技术体系,还表现为一种理解课程的独特方式。开发取向认为,课程是一种生成过程和生成结果的统一,课程开发应是一种技术化了的课程生成过程,课程是一种技术人造物,课程结构表现为课程组件之间的联系及其与知识系统之间的映射关系。     

从“主动实践”看高职《国际金融》课程教学改革

通过对＂主动实践＂教学理论依据的陈述,肯定了该种教学理念的可行性,并对＂主动实践＂教学进行了基本思路和基本教学方案方面的设计,并为配合＂主动实践＂教学,对考核方式也进行了相应的调整。文中还对当前＂主动实践＂教学的实施进行了思考,一方面该种理念应当被大范围推广,另一方面也应当肯定课堂教学的地位,确定实训是一种教学方式而非目标。     

南非“以结果为本的教育”课程模式探析

新南非建立后,针对种族隔离时期所遗留下来的各种教育问题,对教育进行了积极的改革。在课程模式上,南非政府引入了“以结果为本的教育,”结合教育改革进行了适合本国国情的探索。文章试图对南非“以结果为本的教育”课程模式的产生、概念的理解和特征三个方面进行探析,以期为我国的课程模式提供借鉴。