Difficulties in teaching the concepts of 'amount of substance' and 'mole'

In this study the origin and evolution of the meanings of the concepts 'amount of substance' and 'mole' are described. Serious disagreements about these concepts amongst chemistry teachers and the recommendations of the international scientific community are identified. Attention is also drawn to the didactic implications that these epistemological difficulties may have for the teaching of chemistry.     

Attention Deficit Disorder as a factor in the origin of behavioural disturbance in schools

The education of children with behavioural difficulties is under scrutiny from various quarters. The provision of specialised school environments isbeing questioned and, at the same time, there is pressure to minimise the exclusion of disruptive pupils. The study reported in this article lookedat a group of children whose behaviour had prompted placement in a school for emotionally and behaviourally disordered (EBD) pupils. The results showed the overall rate of psychiatric disturbance in the group was 86% and, in particular, that the rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was 70%. These findings suggest that a significant minority of disruptive pupils may have their difficulties compounded by the presence of ADHD, and raises the question of whether specific screening processes should be established for such pupils.     

The importance of reflection in experiential learning with community and youth workers for the learning age

The New Labour government, in its Green Paper on the Learning Age, published in February 1998, put lifelong learning at the heart of its programme. In this article we aim to demonstrate that there is a direct parallel between the processes outlined in the Green Paper and the processes of experiential learning and community development by focusing on the Diploma in Community and Youth Work Studies run by the Community Work Unit (CWU) based in the Centre for the Development of Continuing Education at the University of Manchester.

Community action provides a setting for informal education. Community workers are in a unique position in relation to developing the potential for learning in the groups and individuals with whom they work. Their education and training should enable them to articulate and value their experience and reflect upon it in order to establish a meaningful basis for further self- and/or community development. We will explore how the CWU uses participative learning methods which recognize, value and use the experience and understanding of the participants as a basis for their own and others’ learning, and the relevance of these learning methods to the work practice of the participants.     

‘I guess it scares us’ – Teachers discuss the teaching of poetry in senior secondary English

This article reports on a participant‐centred research project with English teachers in a senior secondary college in Melbourne, Australia. It builds on previous research (Weaven and Clark 2009, 2011), which showed a low take‐up of the opportunities to teach poetry in Victoria's senior secondary English curriculum. This study explores the reasons why teachers of English are unwilling to use poetry texts in their senior classes. The teachers who participated in this study discussed and documented their attitudes towards the teaching of poetry and explored with each other the pedagogical challenges associated with teaching poetry. Their discussions – an analysis of which forms the empirical core of this article – reveal a range of explanations for teachers' reservations about offering poetry to their students. Importantly, these teachers were able to use professional discussion as a means to consider what changes in teaching practice could be successfully developed to facilitate more time spent on the teaching of poetry in senior secondary classes.     

Deliberative Democracy, Diversity and the Challenges of Citizenship Education

For democracies to thrive, citizens have to be taught to be democrats. How do people learn to be democrats in circumstances of diversity and plurality? We address this question via a discussion of three models of deliberative democracy: public reason (as exemplified by Rawls), discursive democracy (as exemplified by Benhabib) and communicative democracy (as exemplified by Young). Each of the three theorists contributes to an account of how to educate citizens by teaching talk. Against a commonly held assumption that the protection of diversity in a pluralist democracy requires a thin conception of citizenship education, we defend a thick conception that simultaneously fosters autonomy and participation without sacrificing tolerance of diversity.     

Raising reading standards — the Reading Partners approach: cross-age peer tutoring in a special school

This article, written by Mary Nugent, an educational psychologist working with the National Educational Psychology Service in Dublin, reviews the work done in a special school, in the Dublin area, to develop a Reading Partners Scheme. The school involved in the project, which will be referred to as St Mark's, is a special school for children with moderate learning difficulties (in Ireland described as mild learning difficulties). The Reading Partner's Scheme involved cross-age peer tutoring in reading, working with students in the 8 to 18 age range. The training, organisation and management of the scheme are outlined here. Evaluation studies indicate multiple benefits of the scheme, accruing to both the learners and the helpers. These benefits include progress in reading, enhanced feelings of self-worth and more positive attitudes to school. Ideas for further development of the scheme are described, as well as future research opportunities.