Balancing the priorities of the classroom teacher with the imperatives of high stakes assessment of reading: An English perspective

The question underpinning this paper, and the international symposium on reading assessment at the University of Nottingham which preceded it, is this: “In what ways can we learn from each other how to improve reading assessment, at the personal, classroom, local and national levels?” This paper will attempt to answer the question “How can we learn from each other?” in the following ways: first some background information on the New Paradigms in Reading Assessment (NPRA) seminar will be presented; second, an account will be offered about what has been happening in language arts assessment (the subject termed ‘English’) in the United Kingdom, which goes some way to explaining why in England there has been a particularly urgent need to learn from the experiences of other countries; third, some examples will be given of new approaches to assessment in other countries, particularly the United States, Australia, and Scotland (which has the same government, but a different education system from that in England and Wales) from which those of us in England might learn; fourth, some principles which might underpin new assessment approaches within the English system will be put forward; and finally, an indication will be given of how some of these principles are being put into practice in classrooms in England, as pilot work on an international collaborative study.     

Early, late and non-participants in sexual intercourse: A profile of black South African first-year university students

This study investigated the differences among early-, late-and non-participants in sexual intercourse. 1817 first-year black South African university students completed a structured questionnaire, which tapped their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices about sexuality. The results revealed significant differences among the three groups with regard to their sources of sexual knowledge, approval of pre-marital sex, first intercourse partner relationship, number of sexual partners, contraceptive use, satisfaction with first sexual intercourse and parental communication about contraception.     

The Pendulum: Its Place in Science,Culture and Pedagogy

The study and utilisation of pendulum motion has had immense scientific, cultural, horological, philosophical, and educational impact. The International Pendulum Project (IPP) is a collaborative research effort examining this impact, and demonstrating how historical studies of pendulum motion can assist teachers to improve science education by developing enriched curricular material, and by showing connections between pendulum studies and other parts of the school programme especially mathematics, social studies and music. The Project involves about forty researchers in sixteen countries plus a large number of participating school teachers.The pendulum is a universal topic in university mechanics courses, high school science subjects, and elementary school programmes, thus an enriched approach to its study can result in deepened science literacy across the whole educational spectrum. Such literacy will be manifest in a better appreciation of the part played by science in the development of society and culture.     

Staff development needs and provision in Commonwealth countries: Findings from a Commonwealth of learning training impact study

The mission of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to provide staff development in open and distance education within the Commonwealth countries is noted. The paper then draws upon selected findings from the COL Training Impact Study (a study of 114 training events provided by COL over a 10-year period) and discusses the respondents' views on the needs and forms of provision that can be employed in providing staff training in open and distance education.     

Spaces for Voices: A narrative of teaching outside our disciplines

In this paper, we discuss an experiment that we conducted in our teaching practice. Without teaching experience in the other's subject (Gardner is a graduate tutor in English literature; Turner is a graduate tutor in psychology) or prior knowledge of the formal curriculum, Gardner taught a psychology seminar and Turner taught an English literature seminar. We videotaped these seminars and, alongside the students we worked with, participated in two inter-personal process recalls (IPRs) facilitated by a third-party enquirer. Our goal was to understand the extent to which teaching without subject knowledge affected the experience of teaching. In the form of a dialogue, we reflect on the thoughts and feelings stimulated by these IPRs, as well as the process of interdisciplinary research in teaching. We find ourselves confronting some assumptions about models of teaching, and questioning the espoused gap between teaching and research.     

Library of Congress Classification: Teddy Roosevelt's World in Numbers?

This article identifies late nineteenth-century American preoccupations and prejudices within the Library of Congress classification scheme, suggesting that these ought to be of concern to the worldwide community of classifiers who now apply the scheme beyond its original context. The approach of the article is both historical and critical. It uses a number of examples to demonstrate how the ideological content of the classification scheme fails to adequately represent contemporary global realities, while recognizing, and applauding, its essential pragmatism.     

Knowing Your Limitations

This article reflects on whether probability statements can usefully be made about one‐off exceptional events.