A DIALECTICIAN RESPONDS TO A PHILOSOPHER WHO HOLDS AN ORTHODOX VIEW OF KNOWLEDGE

The purpose of this paper is to examine and reject a number of criticisms which can be made against a dialectical approach to educational knowledge by proponents of an orthodox epistemology.     

Revolutions in print: Jewish Publishing under the Tsars and the Soviets

Jack Kugelmass is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a member of the faculty of the Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies, he has taught courses on the anthropological study of Ashkenazic Jewry at YIVO.     

Unravelling the mysteries of expert mental calculation

Considering that the average adult cannot perform even the most elementary of mental calculations, the calculative feats of expert mental calculators seem unbelievable and mysterious. The processes and procedures which characterize expert mental calculation will be identified through a review of the published literature. In particular, it will be argued that experts can perform complex mental calculations because of their knowledge of a variety of calculative methods, their ability to recall instantly large numerical equivalents, and their ability to remember the numbers involved in the various stages of a calculation.     

Born Again Phonics and the Nursery Rhyme Revival

People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but what they don't know is what what they do does . (Michel Foucault, quoted in Dreyfus & Rabinow, 1983, p. 187)     

Which English? Standard English and Language Variety: Some Educational Perspectives

The aim of this paper is to provoke thought on the role of standard English in the early years of education. It examines the nature and function of a standard and highlights its close relationship with political aims and its potential for liberation and oppression. The reality of language variety and bilingualism is outlined and leads to a discussion of standard English and early schooling. The paper concludes with some suggestions for avoiding the standard English trap.     

The Construction of Meaning from Text: possible effects of different reading strategies

An examination is reported of the effect of differences in reading strategies on the construction of meaning from novel length text. Following a brief review of psychological theory relevant to the question of how particular strategies could constrain meaning construction, specific differences are hypothesised in relation to Orwell's classic tale, Animal Farm. The results of an experimental examination using post‐graduate Diploma in Education students as subjects, and multidimensional scaling as the analytic technique, support the contention that reading strategies are important in the construction of differential meanings. The educational implications of the results are discussed in relation to the change in school practice from teacher‐directed reading to students reading more books but on their own or in small groups, without direct teacher intervention.     

The effects of simultaneous communication on production and perception of speech

This article reviews experiments completed over the past decade at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and the State University of New York at Geneseo concerning speech produced during simultaneous communication (SC) and synthesizes the empirical evidence concerning the acoustical and perceptual characteristics of speech in SC. Comparisons are drawn between SC and other modes of rate-altered speech that have been used successfully to enhance communication effectiveness. Of particular importance are conclusions regarding the appropriateness of speech produced during SC for communication between hearing and hearing-impaired speakers and listeners and the appropriateness of SC use by parents and teachers for speech development of children with hearing impairment. This program of systematic basic research adds value to the discussion about the use of SC by focusing on the specific implications of empirical results regarding speech production and perception.