Ageing,loss, and learning: Hong Kong and Australian seniors

In this article, the discussion of loss and its relationship to learning is based on the analysis of interview data from 39 older adults in Hong Kong and 40 in Australia. The focus of the research was on ageing and learning. The phenomenon of life changes, specifically losses, and their relationship to learning was frequently mentioned, and this theme is described here. Three different kinds of loss were identified in the data as motivators for organized or nonorganized learning or for negatively affecting learning. These included loss of aspects of health, of job, or of partner. The results are potentially useful to policy makers and learning providers in encouraging older adults to engage in learning as one way of coping with loss.     

An Empirical Study of Geahigan's Inquiry Model in Learning Art at Senior Secondary School Level

The philosophical foundation for teaching art criticism in schools has been dominated by formalist and expressionist aesthetics, while from a practical point of view it has been influenced by art criticism models that emphasise observation and linguistic practices. Instead of asking students to observe an artwork and make verbal or written statements, George Geahigan proposed an inquiry‐based art criticism learning model that engages students in personal response, research, and aesthetic concept and perceptual skill acquisition activities. Using inquiry‐based art criticism as a foundation for curriculum development and connecting the model to authentic situations in schools, the present study investigated the effectiveness of the model on student learning. Fifteen secondary school teachers were invited to participate. Eight teachers taught the experimental group (n=85) with inquiry‐based curriculum plans and the other seven teachers taught the control group (n=82) with their own school curriculum plans. Students of both groups were asked to write an art criticism essay before and after the implementation of the curriculum plans. The results demonstrated that the overall improvement of the experimental group after one academic year was significantly greater than that of the control group. This article reports on the theoretical framework, methodology and results of the study. It was found that the inquiry‐based approach was a successful strategy in improving students’ skills in analysing, judging and using aesthetic and contextual knowledge in art criticism writing. The discussion focuses on the improvements that were made in the art criticism essays of the experimental group.     

Building virtual models by postprocessing radiology images: A guide for anatomy faculty

Radiology and radiologists are recognized as increasingly valuable resources for the teaching and learning of anatomy. State‐of‐the‐art radiology department workstations with industry‐standard software applications can provide exquisite demonstrations of anatomy, pathology, and more recently, physiology. Similar advances in personal computers and increasingly available software can allow anatomy departments and their students to build their own three‐dimensional virtual models. Appropriate selection of a data‐set, followed by processing and presentation are the key steps in creating virtual models. The construction, presentation, clinical application, and educational potential of postprocessed imaging techniques including multiplanar reformats, minimum intensity projections, segmentation, volume‐rendering, surface‐rendering, fly‐throughs, virtual endoscopy, angiography, and cine‐loops are reviewed using examples created with only a personal computer and freeware software. Although only static images are presented in this article, further material is available online within the electronic version of this article. Through the use of basic and advanced image reconstruction and also paying attention to optimized presentation and integration, anatomy courses can be strengthened with appropriate radiological material. There are several key advantages for the anatomy department, which is equipped with the ability to produce virtual models using radiology images: (1) Opportunities to present anatomy using state‐of‐the‐art technology as an adjunct to current practices, (2) a means to forge an improved relationship with the local radiology department, and (3) the ability to create material locally, which is integrated with the local curriculum avoiding the problem of information overload when using the internet or other commercially available resources. Anat Sci Educ 3:261–266, 2010. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

ACADEMIC EXCHANGES: EXPERIENCE AND TRENDS

The coincidence that much of Eastern Europe is democratizing at the same time that much of Western Europe is moving towards greater integration gives the universities in both regions the chance to profit from both phenomena and to train their graduates in ways that will enable them to contribute to their further development. One of the best forms of preparation is student mobility. A listing of the perceived priorities and aims of student mobility is followed by a brief statement of the engagement of the Technical University of Budapest (TUB) in mobility and exchange activities.     

Linear and orthogonal models of acculturation and its relations to cultural variables: An examination of the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA)

The Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) is the most widely used measure of acculturation for Asians. The purpose of the current study was twofold: First, the study explored the consistency of the SL-ASIA in characterizing Asian American men's level of acculturation - Asian-Identified, Western-Identified, Bicultural - using the items of the scale in orthogonal versus linear approaches. Second, the study examined the association between the two scoring methods and characteristics indicative of Asian culture—family allocentrism, loss of face, and affect intensity. An orthogonal approach suggests individuals may identify both with Asian and Western cultures, whereas a linear approach indicates an individual identifies with one culture at the expense of the other (e.g., high Asian, low Western identified). We examined the classification rates of these two methods using a large sample of Asian-American collegiate men (n = 521) and then within each ethnic subgroup of Asian men (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean). Results suggested the two methods of characterizing men consistently diverged. Across the Asian subgroups, the overall agreement rates using linear and orthogonal methods were approximately at chance. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed among acculturation scoring methods and variables indicative of social integrity and family attitude. The implications for these findings and potential future directions for the study of acculturation are discussed.     

Teacher Education in Hungary: system,process, perspectives

The author sees the Hungarian teacher education system as being in a state of transition and development and identifies a number of the planning issues to be faced.

There has existed, traditionally in Hungary, the two routes through teacher‐training familiar to many Western countries, characterised as the e'cole normale/university dichotomy. This has revealed a familiar problem: the older the age‐range for which the student is being trained, the less emphasis on pedagogy in the training.

Hungarian teacher education faces other problems. There is still a shortage of teachers, despite a high level of demand for training; demographic problems weigh heavily.

Attempts at finding solutions through mergers of institutions at different levels meet resistance, and the conflict of values from universities and teachers’ colleges echoes similar debates in, for example, France and Greece. The problems encountered raise a fundamental question: who should decide the nature of the teacher‐training programme: the specialist academics and pedagogues, or the employing community? In Hungary, the debate continues.     

香港公开大学的开放和远程教育理念

香港公开大学以“有教无类,卓越进取”为宗旨,在继承和发扬中国的传统化、借鉴国外先进经验的基础上,根据香港特殊的背景和需要,建立了独特的开放和远程教育的理念：实行开放入学,采用远程教学的灵活的学习模式,精心设计优质的自学教材,以学生为本提供良好的学习支援,善用现代教育技术,迎接远程教育的国际化。     

Towards a cross-cultural understanding of ageing and learning by senior adults in Hong Kong and Australia

Ageing and learning are value-laden concepts that are culturally relevant. Culture plays an important role in influencing what people think, resulting in different views and understandings by people from diverse cultural backgrounds. In the literature, there have been research and discussions relating culture with ageing and culture with learning to shed light on the value systems and predominant cultural values that have influenced the understanding of ageing and learning by people in different cultures. The aim of this paper is fourfold. First, it examines the concepts of ageing and learning and considers the role that culture plays in the understanding of these two constructs. Second, it draws on the predominant East–West cultural debate to shed light on the cultural values and views that have influenced the understanding and conceptualisation of ageing and learning. Third, limitations are identified for the East–West dichotomous view of ageing and learning using the Confucian perspective of learning to illustrate the inadequacies of the Eastern and Western ideas of learning, or lifelong learning, in particular. Finally, this paper draws on findings from a cross-cultural study to compare and contrast senior adults in Hong Kong and Australia, with regard to ageing and learning.