The Möbius effect: addressing learner variance in schools

Currently, educators separate out from typical students those whose learning needs vary from the norm. The norming and sorting process may earmark students as "different" without providing markedly unique instruction and without producing robust academic outcomes. An alternative to fragmentation for some students is the creation of classrooms in which human differences are valued and provided for, yet few teachers (including specialists) seem currently to have the skill or will to develop these sorts of settings. Educators need to examine the potential costs and benefits of alternative approaches to addressing the learning needs that exist among people.     

Changing Higher Education Curricula for a Global and Multicultural World

Dramatic demographic changes in the cultural and linguistic diversity of people are occurring in many nations throughout the world. These changes have challenged higher education institutions to modify their curricula and instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners and to prepare all graduates to have the awareness, knowledge, and skills to be effective in a diverse society. This article outlines a framework for changing curricula in higher education in order to prepare students to succeed in the culturally diverse, globally interdependent world. It also provides some practical guidance for undertaking such change, placing emphasis on increasing faculty expertise in multicultural and global/international education.     

Self-confidence and the re-entry experience for North American women

Seven themes emerged in a review of the literatureregarding the experience of North American re-entrywomen. The two most salient appeared to be linked tothe concept of transitions in adulthood and issuesrelated to self-confidence. The other five themes,sex-role stereotyping, discrimination, diverse careerpatterns, multiple roles, and the search for meaning,related to issues that are important in the careerdevelopment of women. These themes are discussed interms of their potential impact on women returning towork or to school. The article concludes withsuggestions for counselling, further research, andtheory development that more accurately reflects theexperience of women.     

ADHD in Schools: A survey of prevalence and coherence' across a local UK population

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most contentious issues in education at present. However there is little evidence of its incidence rate or distribution in the UK. The present study aims to determine baseline measures regarding prevalence and distribution rates across a large shire county in the UK. Implications of the findings in relation to policy decisions and some of the assumptions made for this condition are discussed. The need for reliable assessment protocols in order to elicit an accurate diagnosis for this condition is emphasised.     

Educating children on the autism spectrum: preconditions for inclusion and notions of ‘best autism practice’ in the early years

This article draws together findings from expert evidence and empirical studies to identify the preconditions for developing inclusive learning environments for young children on the autism spectrum. It concludes that in order to develop ‘best practice’, practitioners need to adapt interventions to the unique needs of the individual child, work in partnership with parents and other professionals, create enabling environments and be informed by a developmental approach to learning. Practitioners need to have knowledge of the autism spectrum and how it impacts on the child. Careful assessment of the individual child is also crucial. Finally, it is important to ensure that these young children receive direct teaching in communication and language, social understanding and skills, as well as learning with and through peers.     

Thinking Pluralistically: Dynamic Decision Making in Kinesiology

In this age of postmodern supercomplexity, universities face increased demands from many precincts in our society to respond to such issues as broader access, graduation rates, costs, and relevance, to name just a few. The cultivation of professional conditions that will help higher education and its kinesiology professoriate to not only to survive, but flourish, in an age of supercomplexity is a necessary adaptation for the future. No obvious single, coherent moral framework exists to use as a guide for today’s (and tomorrow’s) faculty. This article argues, then, for a pluralistic way of thinking by applying reason to the diverse moral frameworks in kinesiology in higher education. The purpose of this article is to explicate a moral positioning in kinesiology based on this pluralistic approach so that decision making can extend beyond the current boundaries of pragmatic thought, now prevalent in higher education. Specific examples of this approach and some accompanying strategies are offered.     

What's in their baggage? The cultural and social capital of Australian students preparing to study abroad

Governments and educational institutions promote study abroad in the belief that it offers valuable learning experiences for all students. Yet studies suggest that equitable access to study abroad is more myth than reality. This study took a narrative approach supported by survey data to explore this issue at one Australian university. The survey indicated that the majority of students are effectively excluded from the university's Student Exchange Programme, and that those included generally have high cultural, social and economic capital. Interviews revealed how multiple dimensions of privilege typically work to make study abroad imaginable, affordable and do-able for some. These findings are complicated by one student's atypical narrative, which serves to raise further questions for research.