Improving the teaching of the arts： Pre-service teacher self-efficacy towards arts education

Arts education is an essential component of a comprehensive education, requiring highly skilled teachers to achieve quality arts integration （Andrews, 2004）. It equips students with skills necessary for the 21st century workforce, allowing nations to develop the human resources necessary to tap their cultural capital （UNESCO, 2006）. A world trend however suggests that arts teaching by pre-service teachers is subject to lack of confdence, motivation and knowledge （Henessy, Rolfe ＆ Chedoy, 2001; Russell-Bowie, 2004）. Greater recognition of confirming and disconfirming experiences that shape pre-service teachers＇ self-efficacy beliefs for arts education is necessary. This paper provides insights into a research project that attempts to contribute towards filling this void in order to improve teacher effectiveness in the arts domain. After the first semester of teacher training, pre-service teachers completed a questionnaire based on their personal teaching beliefs for instructional design, student engagement and classroom management in arts education. Findings provide a greater understanding of how pre-service teachers regulate their own behaviour for teaching the arts, acting as validation beliefs of capabilities.     

Reconstructing Prior Beliefs through Teacher Education Programs——Review of Research into Changes in Language Teacher Beliefs

This review of research into changes in language teacher beliefs reveals that carefully designed language teacher education courses are effective in reconstructing teachers’prior beliefs. When teaching practices are added to the teacher education programs, when adjustments are made to the structure of teacher education courses, and when research practices are incorporated in teacher education programs, significant changes are seen in teachers’beliefs.     

Primary school curriculum for educable mentally retarded children： A Turkish case

Educable mental retardation is a delay in acquiring basic reading, writing and counting skills emerging through late speaking and linguistic development along with social, emotional or behavioral problems. It is pointed out that such children have intelligence in the 45-74 range, and that they are incompetent in terms of language skills, perception power, memory capacity, imagination and creativeness. Primary school curriculum for educable mentally retarded children was adopted so as to implement beginning in 2001-2002 academic year. The curriculum was designed so as to apply in primary education schools where educable mentally retarded children attend or in private classes included in the body of primary education schools. It was designed in order for such children to improve their skills of understanding themselves, establishing positive social relations, adjusting to the social, technological and physical environment, and surviving independently. This current study is based on a qualitative method, and is focused on educable mentally retarded children who are at primary school age in Turkey. Having described the characteristics of such children, their needs are explained, the curriculum developed for such children is described, and teachers＇ views concerning the implementation of the curriculum are presented in this research.     

电脑游戏世界--不只吸引小孩子

Millions of Americans play video and computer games.The reasons are no mystery.The games can provide fun,action and,in some cases,education.Players can lead their favorite sports team to victory.They can imagine they are secret agents like James Bond.They can form a nation and lead it through thousands of years of war and peace.They can develop their skills at card games like poker.Game players may improve their reaction time and thinking skills.They may improve their ability to direct their thoughts,or learn word and number skills.     

The Internet as a Tool to Support Primary Education

The Internet is becoming increasingly widespread and changing the way that we are teaching and learning. The potential of the Internet enhance cognitive learning, develop problem-solving and higher-level thinking skills, and extend physical and mental ability. There are various functions of the Internet in the context of primary education for teachers’ professional use, enhancing and extending teaching and learning.     

Social and communicational skills in upper secondary vocational education and training

This article presents the methodology used by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council in the national evaluation of social and communication skills in vocational education and training. The evaluation concentrates on key competences such as learning-to-learn skills, communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurship （Implementation of Education and Stringfellow, 2005; Recommendation of the European Training 2010, 2004; Winterton, Delemare-Le Deist ＆ Parliament and of the Council of December 18, 2006 on key competencies for lifelong leaming, 2006）. The evaluation focuses particularly on skills required in the labour market. These competences are included in all vocational study programmes as a part of accompanying with other key competences. The authors＇ approach follows the principles of developmental and participative evaluation, applying the Common Quality Assurance Framework （CQAF） model, which has been accepted by the European Commission for the quality management and quality assurance framework for vocational education and training in Europe. Additional methods such as interview and statistical data gathering were used to acquire comprehensive data and ensure extensive participation of each partner involved has key competences. The evaluation material was collected from vocational education and training providers by sector （n=8） and by qualification （n=53）. Every sector and type of examination was included in the evaluation. The evaluation was based on a sample （n=130）. The evaluation data were collected from multiple sources by using multiple methods. The material included written self-evaluation reports by vocational education and training providers （n=130 which equals 95% of VET providers）, quantitative information, interviews organized by the National Board of Education and an evaluation seminar for providers as focus groups. Educational administrators, teachers, students, employers and workplace instructors participated in the self-evaluation of the vocational education and training establishments （multi-professional evaluation）.     

Bridging the gap between higher education and the Telecommunications Engineering Sector

In this paper, the growth of the telecommunication sector in Pakistan and consequent development in the related professional education is studied. The widening gap between the telecommunication industry and associated education sector is identified. The higher educational programs in Pakistan have grown very rapidly to meet the needs of the explosive growth in the telecommunications＇ engineering sector but this growth is not in synchronization with the requirements of the industry due to non-existence of collaboration and co-operation between the two. The professional education in telecommunication in Pakistan and the higher educational degree programs are very precisely focused on producing quality graduates with refined technical and mathematical skills While the telecom sector in Pakistan is in principle a service provider and a consumer market that mainly requires engineers for operation and maintenance related activities. As such the skills imparted by the education sector are rarely utilized, which results in dissatisfaction among the telecommunications＇ engineers. A survey of both the telecommunication sector and the academia has been conducted along with detailed discussions to explore the reasons for this ever-increasing gap, ways and means to arrest this trend and future course of action for the academia and the telecom sector to develop. A study related to other emerging technical fields like computer science has also been made for the comparison. On the basis of this extensive exercise outlined above, measures have been suggested to bridge the gap between the education and the industrial needs of the telecom sector. By adopting these measures not only our education sector will become more beneficial to the industry, but the industry would also get the advantage of immense potential of young graduates and the academic research.     

Fostering Cooperative and Competitive Competencies of Non-business Graduates by Economic Education

In the course of the European Bologna process, the notion of employability becomes increasingly important for universities. Graduates are in particular employable, if they exactly possess those abilities and skills, which are required by employers. Studies show that in the context of recruiting university graduates, employers do not only pay attention to expertise and soft skills, but also care about knowledge referring to products, markets, customers and competitors of their relevant industry. Employers increasingly expect economic knowledge as well as its application which is also expected by graduates, who have not completed a course of studies in economics or business administration. At this point, business skills take on greater significance. Whereas the expertise normally is achieved by completing a course of studies at university and soft skills are incorporated in a cross-section of universities, business skills are not. The article discusses, in what way, cooperative and competitive skills are predestined for enhancing the employability of graduates. With regard to business education and ethics, particular attention should be paid to the concept of competency as well as the self-determined taking on of one＇s own position. An inclusion of economic educational modules as a part of extracurricular studies can, by means of its practical with use-oriented focus, not only improve employability, but also form the basis of a reflexive professional life.     

Comparison of Higher Education between China and New Zealand in Learning

At present,many students finish high school and enroll the university education.University learning is very important education part in students'life,they are thinking about themselves,improve their identity and values,change their aims,produce knowledge and take skills into the future life and working.University offer different courses to learn,they interest in Arts,Commence and Science and satisfy all students'needs.There is an increasing number of Chinese students choose to study in New Zealand because they believe it is a safe place,it is cheaper than the other countries,and because New Zealand is an English speaking country.Most of the New Zealand universities offer foundation courses which give international students the opportunity to bring their English language skills and academic performance up to university entrance standard.This study is to find out Chinese and New Zealand higher education with some different aspects from curriculum,learning environment and evaluation.     

Confronting Challenges to the Liberal Arts Curriculum: Perspectives of Developing and Transitional Countries

Contemporary international higher education scholarship tends to focus on the global financial crisis,on massification,privatization,cross-border education,university ranking,and student mobility.However,few studies deal with the development of liberal arts programs around the world and they are often related to Western systems of higher education or that of the US,where liberal arts education has long been seen as a fundamental issue.Comparative studies,however,could help scholars to become aware of critical trends and reforms,also the impact they might have on a global society.     

The use of music to teach life skills to students with emotional disabilities in the classroom

This article discusses the teaching of life skills to urban American youths who are highly fascinated with the hip-hop culture--songs, raps, miming, lyrics, dressing and musical rhythms, especially individuals with emotional disabilities in the public schools. This is an instructional curriculum strategy to encourage positive and active participation of these students, promote perfect school attendance, encourage good behaviors, deal with anger management and motivate committed learning in the classroom. The instructors＇ understanding of students＇ culture, learning needs and styles, and using such background knowledge to educate them become imperative in this setting. These urge for innovative and leadership projects in the author＇s special education classroom necessitated the application of hip-hop music to teach life skills, reading and other functional skills in the classroom. The outcome was positive and rewarding to both the teachers and students. There are recommendations for interested teachers to devise creative teaching methods, differentiated instruction and appropriate classroom management practices to attain student achievement.     

Discusion about the Changes and Development Trend of Adult Education in China

Adult education is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained learning activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge,skills,attitudes,or values.It can mean any form of learning that adults engage in beyond traditional schooling,ranging basic literacy to personal fulfillment as a lifelong learner.In particular,adult education reflects a specific philosophy about learning and teaching based on the assumption that adults can and want to learn,that they are able and willing to take responsibility for that learning,and that the learning itself should respond to their needs.     

The Enlightenment of American Home Economics Education to the Reform of Chinese Education

Home economics education provides students with essential knowledge and skills for managing the challenges of living and working in a diverse, global society. Starting with the exploration of the background and history of American HEE development, some parts of the detailed information of American HEE education and enlightenment to the reform of Chinese education and hope it could be useful for Chinese education.     

A model formative assessment strategy to promote student-centered self-regulated learning in higher education

Adult learners are already involved in the process of self-regulation; hence, higher education institutions should focus on strengthening students＇ self-regulatory skills. Self-regulation can be facilitated through formative assessment. This paper proposes a model formative assessment strategy that would complement existing university teaching, and can be used in higher education to promote student-centered self-regulated learning with minimal effort and time input from teachers. Based on this model, a real-world teaching example on writing an essay as a challenge task has also been developed. This model strategy incorporates Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick＇s seven principles of good feedback practice that promotes self-regulation.     

Positive Effects of Bilingualism: Divergent Thinking and Its Implications for Language Education

The issue of bilingualism has been widely explored in the past decades,showing that there are multiple positive effects of"additive bilingualism".Such positive factors are closely linked with children’s cognitive development and intelligence.This paper gives a detailed review on how bilingualism plays a role in children’s divergent thinking ability.Fully taking advantage of such positive effects in language education should be a significant part for bilingual education and foreign language programs.Thus,this paper further discusses the educational implications of these theoretic findings,suggesting that an additive bilingual environment should be cultivated through multiple ways of curriculum and program planning.     

Learning for work and working to learn： Challenges within a changing UK higher education system

Higher education in the United Kingdom is currently undergoing major changes. In the foreseeable future, it will also undergo farther change. The nature of these changes can be attributed to several key areas-government demand for change, industry demand for change and student demand for change. The UK, like many other major economies and not for the first time in recent history, is having to face the implications of severe skills shortages in its workforce, coupled with the increasing competitiveness of more globalised workforees and workplaces. A recent major government report has set out the country＇s skills agenda until 2020 and UK higher education is starting to wrestle with the implications of these changes, some of which challenge the traditional preserves of university education. This paper will focus on the implications of these skills shortages and the impact that is having on UK higher education. In particular, reference will be made to the impact of the new 2 years vocational Foundation Degrees, to the shift from supply-led to demand-led higher education, the increasing integration and tensions of work-based learning and to the accreditation of Continuous Professional Development （CPD） within an academic framework. This paper presents one story of the growing and changing relationship between higher education and industry.     

Assessing graduate attributes for employability in the context of lifelong learning： The holistic approach

To promote economic and personal growth, higher education students＇ employability, ensuring their preparedness for the workforce, is emphasized. From the employer＇s perspective, judging whether a graduate is employable depends upon whether the graduate exhibits the attributes which employers value. Yet, with the growing emphasis on lifelong learning, it is important for higher education to re-consider and reframe the development and assessment of attributes of graduates in the context of lifelong learning. In this paper, these attributes will be explored in that context, and the issue of how assessment helps the development of graduate attributes is to be considered. Student engagement is proposed in this paper as the holistic, useful approach for the development of employability and lifelong learning. The holistic approach reflects the fact that what is required in a workforce is not the acquisition of knowledge, skills and dispositions per se, but the capability to make an engagement through which knowledge, skills and dispositions are connected as a whole. The lack of emphasis on students＇ engagement could lead to mistakenly selecting as important for the focus of assessment simply the acquisition of skills, knowledge or dispositions, rather than the holistic connection of these to their application in the workforce.     

Retrospective and New Initiatives for 2013

In 2010,Frontiers of Education in China underwent a complete change of direction.From publishing Chinese academic papers that had been translated into English,the journal shifted to publishing original papers,which have not appeared in print anywhere before.This important reorientation allowed us to develop a close contact with scholars studying Chinese education around the world,and to publish their insights into Chinese education in a timely manner.Prior to publication,every paper goes through a rigorous peer review process and the subsequent decisions are made with adequate communication and discussion.In working with scholars who are knowledgeable about Chinese education,including our authors,readers,and reviewers,we have developed a solid professional relationship and a valuable friendship,for which we always feel grateful.Owing to their suggestions,we have been able to introduce various initiatives for the purpose of bettering this journal.     

Elementary Teachers＇ Perceptions About Implementation of Inclusive Education

The Disabilities Education Act was introduced in June, 1997 in the Turkish Education System. The Act states that schools have a duty to educate children with disabilities in general education classrooms. All children with disabilities should be educated with non-disabled children at their own age and have access to the general education curriculum. The philosophy of inclusive education aims at helping all children learn in regular classrooms. Children learn at their own pace and style within a nurturing learning environment because schools are important places for children to develop friendships and learn social skills. Children with and without disabilities learn together and from each other in inclusive classes. On the other hand, when children attend classes that reflect the similarities and differences of people in the real world, they learn to appreciate diversity. The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of teachers about implementation of inclusive education in elementary schools. In order to collect data for this study, a questionnaire which consisted of eight open-ended questions was developed and administered to 66 elementary school teachers. The teachers worked at primary schools and taught 1-5 grades. They were asked to write their opinions and experiences about the implementation of inclusive education in the elementary schools. Primary school teachers generally have a positive attitude about inclusive education and its philosophical and psychological foundation. However, they express that they encounter some difficulties in implementing inclusive classrooms. A crowded classroom is a main obstacle to obtain desired objectives in educational activities. The levels of students＇ disability are related to effectiveness of classroom management. The effectiveness of inclusive education depends on not only the teachers＇ quality but also the school administrators＇. Some superintendents assess the effectiveness of teachers in inclusive and regular classrooms in the same way.