Searching for Best Practice in Initial Teacher Education: responding to the challenges

In this paper an innovative teacher education programme at The University of Newcastle in Australia is described. Public debates and reports on teacher education are the motivation for the new programme. Aristotle's ethical theory is employed to develop a new knowledge base and to ensure that old debates about the relative importance of content and pedagogy are not revisited. The paper endorses the recent Adey Review as helpful in this regard.     

A Typology of Undergraduate Textbook Definitions of ‘Heat’ across Science Disciplines

The physics and chemistry education literature has grappled with an appropriate definition for the concept of heat for the past four decades. Most of the literature promotes the view that heat is ‘energy in transit’ or ‘involves the transfer of energy’ between the system and surroundings because of a difference in temperature. Given that many undergraduate students are not learning the concept of heat in physics and chemistry alone, the goal of this investigation is to explore the conceptions of heat as presented in textbooks from across the science disciplines. An analysis of the definitions of heat from physics, chemistry, the biological sciences and the earth sciences showed a significant variation in the definitions within a discipline and between the disciplines. Specifically, the physics and chemistry textbooks used ‘energy in transit’ or ‘transfer of energy’ definitions (Class I), whereas textbooks from other disciplines typically used definitions which relate heat to ‘molecular kinetic energy’ (Class II) or they used a hybrid of Class I and II definitions. Although a universal definition of heat across disciplines may not be possible (or even desirable), we suggest that discrepancies in definitions be acknowledged and clearly communicated to students.     

Addressing issues of religious difference through values education: an Islam instance

The article’s main focus is on exploring ways in which modern forms of values education are being utilized to address major issues of social dissonance, with special focus on dissonance related to religious difference between students of Islamic and non‐Islamic backgrounds. The article begins by appraising philosophical and neuroscientific research relevant to the underpinning concepts behind such forms of education. It then explores evidence from the federally funded Australian Values Education Program, and its various related research projects, that suggests that values education has potential to impact on a range of educational measures, including those related to enhancing understanding and tolerance across lines of religious difference.     

Four Philosophical Perspectives on School Inspection: An Introduction

This article offers an introduction to the four philosophical perspectives on school inspection that are presented in the articles which follow. Several aspects of practical contexts relating to school inspection are outlined (with particular reference to England) and major points made in the articles are outlined.     

Modelling science as a contribution good

The non-rivalness of scientific knowledge has traditionally underpinned its status as a public good. In contrast we model science as a contribution game in which spillovers differentially benefit contributors over non-contributors. This turns the game of science from a prisoner's dilemma into a game of ‘pure coordination’, and from a ‘public good’ into a ‘contribution good’. It redirects attention from the ‘free riding’ problem to the ‘critical mass’ problem. The ‘contribution good’ specification suggests several areas for further research in the new economics of science and provides a modified analytical framework for approaching public policy.     

Young People,Biblical Narrative and “Theologizing”: A UK Perspective

Religious Education is a curriculum subject provided as entitlement for all students in UK public schools. Biblical narratives appear for every student age group, usually in Christian studies modules. The Biblos research project was founded to investigate how biblical narrative might be taught with integrity in public schools in a society labelled variously post-Christian, post-modern, plural, and secular. It has completed four phases of life, summarized in this article. Particular attention is given to the most recent research that sets student attitudes toward biblical narrative against their familial and cultural background. Consideration is given to what it means for students actively to engage with biblical narrative and therefore to “theologize” for themselves.