Hybridity in a Guidance Curriculum in Hong Kong

This paper presents findings on a hybrid guidance curriculum in Hong Kong, a place where East meets West in education and in many other spheres. A qualitative case study method is applied that uses questions for understanding the ‘self’ in guidance but incorporates Confucian cardinal human relationships of parent–child, brother–sister, husband–wife, superior–subordinate, teacher–pupil and friend–friend in understanding the ‘other’ relationships. The study of ‘self–other relationship’ is combined with Lawton’s (Social change, educational theory and curriculum planning, Hodder, London, 1973) model of curriculum development in Western traditions. Data obtained from stakeholders in schools include traditional Chinese ideas as well as modern Western ideas. Implications of this framework to the study of other societies with a mix of Western and traditional cultures are discussed.

Teachers' Perspectives on Working with Children Experiencing Loss

This paper investigates one aspect of the teacher's role which is likely to cause stress and in many cases some personal grief. A significant number of teachers at some point in their career find themselves offering support to pupils who have experienced loss. Using a small-scale questionnaire, the writers investigate teachers' personal perspectives on this work. The results showed the personal distress that teachers can experience and the high self-expectations they are likely to have of themselves. The kind of support that the teachers felt they needed is described, as is the proactive work which teachers might undertake.     

Early identification and interventions for students with mathematics difficulties

This article highlights key findings from the small body of research on mathematics difficulties (MD) relevant to early identification and early intervention. The research demonstrates that (a) for many children, mathematics difficulties are not stable over time; (b) the presence of reading difficulties seems related to slower progress in many aspects of mathematics; (c) almost all students with MD demonstrate problems with accurate and automatic retrieval of basic arithmetic combinations, such as 6 + 3. The following measures appear to be valid and reliable indicators of potential MD in kindergartners: (a) magnitude comparison (i.e., knowing which digit in a pair is larger), (b) sophistication of counting strategies, (c) fluent identification of numbers, and (d) working memory (as evidenced by reverse digit span). These are discussed in terms of the components of number sense. Implications for early intervention strategies are explored.     

Dielectrophoretic manipulation of particles in a modified microfluidic H filter with multi-insulating blocks

The conventional microfluidic H filter is modified with multi-insulating blocks to achieve a flow-through manipulation and separation of microparticles. The device transports particles by exploiting electro-osmosis and electrophoresis, and manipulates particles by utilizing dielectrophoresis (DEP). Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) blocks fabricated in the main channel of the PDMS H filter induce a nonuniform electric field, which exerts a negative DEP force on the particles. The use of multi-insulating blocks not only enhances the DEP force generated, but it also increases the controllability of the motion of the particles, facilitating their manipulation and separation. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the controlled flow direction of particles by adjusting the applied voltages and the separation of particles by size under two different input conditions, namely (i) a dc electric field mode and (ii) a combined ac and dc field mode. Numerical simulations elucidate the electrokinetic and hydrodynamic forces acting on a particle, with theoretically predicted particle trajectories in good agreement with those observed experimentally. In addition, the flow field was obtained experimentally with fluorescent tracer particles using the microparticle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) technique.     

From Alternative Education to The Mainstream: approaches in Canada and Germany to Preparing Learners to Live in a Changing World

There has been a shift in the core idea of schooling in both Germany and Canada: While schools have traditionally focused on cognitive development, they now increasingly focus on ‘engaged learners’ and use integrated settings to support their cognitive, metacognitive and social-emotional development. In line with the theme ‘Learning to Be’, we argue that beliefs about the purpose of schooling are shifting from a narrow, knowledge-based approach to understanding that students need knowledge, skills and attitudes to succeed in their private, public and professional lives as adults. To this end, pedagogical concepts developed in alternative education are increasingly being implemented by mainstream schools. This article examines this significant development in Germany and Canada. We analyse current examples from mainstream schools, highlighting how they use alternative pedagogical concepts to transform the ways in which students come to know themselves as learners. In both countries, this process has been simultaneously bottom-up, driven by early-adopter schools, and top-down, driven by public awards or broad public initiatives.