‘The perfect pupil’: changing aims and changing measures of success in school RE

In England and Wales, religious education (RE) in non-faith schools has gradually changed from Christian education to the study of many religions and philosophies. However, the core values of RE have continued to be related to concerns about social cohesion and the building of shared values. The article briefly discusses changes in RE since 1944 and then considers attitudes to RE among a group of year 11 pupils (age 15–16) in one large multicultural comprehensive school, collected through questionnaires and group discussions. The subject name had been changed from RE to Religious Studies (RS) in 2004. The focus here is on pupils’ ideas of ‘the perfect RS pupil’; used as a means to access their understandings of the subject’s aims and their teachers’ expectations. The most popular responses were that the ideal pupil would be knowledgeable about religions and be tolerant and empathetic. This is in accord with the current social and political agenda for RE but lays it open to criticism that tolerance becomes an end in itself encouraging indifference to religions rather than a critical, evaluative perspective.     

Deconfessionalising RE in Québec and Flanders: a comparative study

Inspired by the comparative method for RE as outlined by Bråten, this article elaborates on some similarities and differences between the present RE system in Flanders (Belgium) and the past RE system in Québec (Canada). After a brief outline of the societal level, the focus will be on the institutional level, where international, national and sub-national legislation will be examined. In addition, attention will be given to informal processes on the societal sub-national level, and especially to the debates with regard to the deconfessionalisation of RE in Flanders on one hand, and the debates on this issue in Québec on the other. This comparison will not only reveal important similarities, but also significant differences. Interestingly, it seems to be the case that especially these differences, and the particularities of the Flemish educational system, make the deconfessionalisation in Flanders even more complicated and difficult – but therefore not less urgent – than in Québec.     

Deconfessionalising RE in pillarised education systems: a case study of Belgium and the Netherlands

This article reflects on the place of RE in a pillarised education context, taking into account the fact of religious diversity and pluralisation among the school population on the one hand, and the freedom of religion and education of faith-based schools on the other. Particular attention will be given to Belgium and the Netherlands, which do not only have a comparable pillarised education model, but also have a quite similar religious landscape. After a brief historical sketch of the educational systems in both nations, attention will be given to the present situation and to the challenges of religious diversity and secularism in faith-based schools. In order to meet these challenges, recent developments concerning RE in Belgium and the Netherlands are discussed. In conclusion, we will outline some suggestions for the future of RE in faith-based schools in a pillarised education context.     

The voice of the cultural restorationists: recent trends in RE policy-making

This article considers the nature of RE curriculum policy-making from 1988–97. It concentrates on the hegemonic intent of cultural restorationists. Cultural restorationism finds expression when current political action is justified by particular interpretations being placed upon the past. This involves particular use of language and a strong emphasis on tradition, culture and the past. It is also related to economics, policy-making generally and, for this article, is particularly related to RE curriculum policy-making. The ‘voice’ of the cultural restorationists is explored and the manner in which they proceeded to impact on RE policy-making. The context of text production is explored, with its public ridicule and derision, also the marginalization of key figures and groups with skilful manipulation being made of the media. Language itself was adapted and used as a tool to achieve a manipulative and ‘ratchet-like’ effect on education. Many official documents are used positively to effect their agenda, reflecting hegemonic intent. In religious education policy-making cultural restorationism is aligned closely to a ‘Christianizing’ agenda. This involves the increased use of centralizing powers and the subsequent redefinition of the role for those involved at a local level in RE. Interview data are used from parliamentarians and those seeking to influence the processes. The article concludes that RE is increasingly subject to central control, despite its unique status vis à vis the National Curriculum.     

马克思主义哲学的功能与大学生自主创新能力的培养——兼论高校《马克思主义基本原理概论》下的哲学教育

目前大学生创新能力不高,其主要原因在于高校对大学生进行马克思主义哲学的教学中忽视了创新教育和创新能力的培养。马克思主义哲学是创新的哲学,要充分发挥它在培养大学生独立的人格、反思、批判、建构能力以及创新思维能力中的作用。     

大学批判精神对大学生厌学的影响

大学是从事社会批判的中心,批判精神是大学本性的一个集中体现。大学批判精神的失落造成大学教师人格魅力和学术威望下滑、导致教育内容陈旧和教学方法单一,而教育者、教学方法、教育内容的任何缺陷以及社会上毕业大学生不尽人意的表现都对正在接受大学教育的学生造成负面影响。     

浅论成仿吾的个性特征对其文学批评的影响

文章从成仿吾的性格特点这一角度出发，指出其个性中最为典型的五个特征，即率真、勤于反思、善于质疑、感性热情和极端偏激，并探讨了这些个性特点对其文学批评创作的影响。     

Swedish religious education at the end of the 1960s: classroom observations,early video ethnography and the national curriculum of 1962

The aim of this article is to present a unique corpus of film-recorded classroom observations of sixth-grade classes (age 12–13) in the Swedish cities of Gothenburg, Partille and Trollhättan in the late 1960s. The material documents how RE could be taught in Swedish schools in line with the curriculum of Lgr 62 which internationally was an early attempt to design an approach to religious education (RE) which responded to demands of pluralism and objectivity and before the name of the subject was changed from Christian Religious Education (CRE) (Kristendomskunskap) into RE (Religionskunskap). The aim is also to scrutinise how the documented teaching and classroom activities relate to the curriculum of the time. 52 film-recorded classes in CRE have been analysed. One result – not surprisingly, as the teachers knew that they were being filmed – is that the content of teaching follows the CRE syllabus. As Christianity occupies the bulk of teaching time, it can be questioned whether the subject meets the objectivity requirement. There were few references to the experience of the pupils and the surrounding society. The heated public debate about the subject is not observable in the classroom.     

批判精神:科学进步的推动力——谈波普尔的证伪主义

波普尔科学哲学的核心是证伪主义,证伪就是一个不断批判的过程。他认为科学在批判中进步,在批判中检验理论的真理性,在批判中树立自己的观点。他的哲学思想被概括为批判理性主义,批判精神贯穿于他的科学哲学的始终,而这种批判精神正是科学进步的巨大动力。     

彦和弃陶蠡测

《文心雕龙》为何不论陶渊明?从接受途径看,陶作当时影响不如后世深远;在"原道、征圣、宗经"原则和辞采、用典、声律等方面,陶作不契合刘勰的批评标准;陶作不能反映一时或一代风貌,不符合刘勰的创作意图。     

Critical Thinking,Autonomy and Practical Reason

This article points out an internal tension, or even conflict, in the conceptual foundations of Harvey Siegel's conception of critical thinking. Siegel justifies critical thinking, or critically rational autonomy, as an educational ideal first and foremost by an appeal to the Kantian principle of respect for persons. It is made explicit that this fundamental moral principle is ultimately grounded in the Kantian conception of autonomous practical reason as normatively and motivationally robust. Yet this Kantian conception openly conflicts with Siegel's own two‐component theory of critical thinking, which on close inspection turns out to be a version of the Humean conception of instrumental practical reason as normatively and motivationally powerless. It is concluded that Siegel cannot have it both ways: he cannot appeal both to means‐end and to robust rationality. Siegel's Kantian justification of the critical thinking educational ideal is, therefore, found wanting in terms of his own Humean premises.     

‘These religions are no good – they’re nothing but idol worship’: mis/representation of religion in Religious Education at school in Malawi and Ghana

This article draws data from two complementary studies in sub-Saharan Africa to highlight the problem of religious misrepresentation in (multi-faith) Religious Education (RE) at school in Malawi and Ghana. Employing Michael Apples’ conception of selective tradition, the article is critical of the confrontational disputation inherent in the RE in the two countries. The misrepresentation is analysed under themes related to classroom discourse and the nature of religion. It argues that RE could actually be counter-productive and thus end up misrepresenting religions instead of promoting them. Unless there is a radical shift in the areas identified, the subject will continue to present a distorted picture of religion and thus fail in its civic responsibility as a curriculum area that is perhaps best placed to inculcate pro-social values towards citizenship in a world of religious diversity.     

英语阅读教学与批判性、创造性思维能力的培养

作为人类思维的重要组成部分,批判性和创造性思维对于科技发展,经济增长,社会发展和人类进步起着重要的作用。我国现阶段的英语阅读教学对培养学生的批判性和创造性思维重视不够。本文探讨了这两种思维的含义,并讨论了如何在阅读教学中培养学生的批判性和创造性思维。     

Thinking critically: a look at students' critiques of a research article

The ability to reason, analyse and evaluate issues critically is a valued skill and ranks highly in the list of attributes expected of graduates. Much has been written about the importance and application of critical thinking in various domains, but studies on the actual manifestation of such skills in students' writing have attracted only modest interest. Even less has been written about critiques in relation to critical thinking. This study sought to investigate the form and nature of issues raised by 119 second-year biology undergraduates in their critiques of the introduction section of a research article. The study revealed that the vast majority of students tended to raise surface issues in their critiques, focusing on visible textual features such as rhetorical structure and language-related issues. The minority who raised depth issues addressed the arguments used in the reading and their significance. In light of the skewed results, a two-stage process – involving (1) summary writing and (2) the use of evaluative criteria and the Toulmin model as an overarching framework – is recommended to enhance the teaching of critical thinking within the curriculum. This study offers a glimpse into the outcomes of critical thinking, as represented by the students' critiques. It provides a bottom-up approach to our understanding of the issues raised by students in a task centred on critical thinking and so focuses our attention on specific areas for further consideration or remediation.     

L'ÉDUCATION DES MONIALES DU PARACLET AU TEMPS D'HÉLOÏSE

The author investigates the educational motifs in the theoretical work of the poet and theorist Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729‐1781), such as the development of mankind towards perfection, of education towards critical thinking and towards the creation of a man of genius, the search for truth, the priority of action instead of mere reasoning, the enlightenment of all people, the repressing of emotions in moral education, and happiness as the goal of life. These motifs and the educational practice following from them are reconstructed on the background of Lessing's conception of human nature. The criticism of the enlightenment philosophy by postmodern philosophers is briefly touched upon.     

Why a critical pedagogy of place is an oxymoron

Given the growing environmental awareness, educators – especially in science and environmental education – need to avoid embracing a ‘critical pedagogy of place’. Why conflating critical pedagogy with place‐based education is an oxymoron, and why it perpetuates the thinking and silences that undermine both the diversity of the world’s cultures and ecosystems are the main foci of this essay. The main theorists of a critical pedagogy of place – Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, Peter McLaren, and David Gruenewald – draw on a tradition of thinking that emphasizes decolonization and reinhabitation. While these words create the illusion of a culturally and ecologically sound approach to place‐based education, these theorists are unable to recognize the nature and ecological importance of the cultural commons that exist in every community – and that represent alternatives to a consumer‐dependent existence. In effect, their commitment to universalizing the process of decolonization without a deep knowledge of the diverse cultural practices that have a smaller ecological impact meets the definition of an oxymoron where two contradictory positions are assumed to be compatible. A culturally informed knowledge of place takes account of different approaches to dwelling on the land, as well as the ability to listen to the keepers of community memory of past environmentally destructive practices and of sustainable traditions of community self‐sufficiency. It is not driven by a Western ideology that takes for granted the progressive nature of change, or assumes that Western theorists possess the answers that the other cultures should live by.     

Developing critical thinking in e‐learning environment: Kuwait University as a case study

This article investigated the impact of using e‐learning models' with the principles of constructivism to enhance the critical thinking skills of students in higher education institutions. The study examines the effectiveness of e‐learning model in enhancing critical thinking of students at university level. This effectiveness is measured by a critical thinking test. The target population for this study is undergraduate information systems' students enrolled in Spring 2005 and Fall 2006 semesters at Kuwait University.     

图形创意中创造性思维之探究

在视觉艺术中,图形语言是信息交流中最直观、最简洁的传播媒介。图形是一切造型中最基本、最重要的元素,创意是图形设计的灵魂。所有的创意都以创造性思维为基础,创造性思维潜能的发掘离不开后天的培养与挖掘。从培养创造性思维主要途径,来探究图形创意中创造性思维的培养。     

朝鲜诗家南龙翼对摘句批评的承传

朝鲜诗家南龙翼的诗学理论,不仅继承了中国诗学的理论观点,更承传了中国诗学的批评方式,其对摘句批评的承传,体现了他独特的审美意识,对后世诗学批评以及诗歌创作产生了深远的影响。南龙翼的摘句批评和中国诗家的摘句批评共同构成了独具东方特色的诗歌批评方式。     

论张抗抗的散文创作

张抗抗是和新中国同龄的作家．张抗抗的散文是情与理有机统一下对人生的智性思考，是在自然山水中蕴含的深厚的人文关怀，是对社会的文明批判。张抗抗不仅是时代精神的开拓者，而且是精神家园的守护者。本文力图通过她三十年来的散文创作分析来论证这一观点。