World enough and time: The work of Mollie Hunter

The work of Mollie Hunter is published and read throughout the world. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1974 forThe Stronghold, and she was the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecturer in 1975, travelling in the United States for six weeks giving a series of addresses that have been collected inTalent Is Not Enough (Harper & Row, 1976).Peter Hollindale is Senior Lecturer in English and Education at the University of York, and author ofChoosing Books for Children (Elek). He has lectured widely in children's literature at colleges of education and in-service courses for teachers. He contributed an article on John Masefield toCle 23.     

Analysis of instruction for critical thinking in distance learning materials

This paper discusses procedures for the analysis of instructional strategies incorporated into distance learning materials, especially with regard to the development of the higher order cognitive ability—critical thinking. It examines the function of task analysis as an integral part of the instructional design process, analysing three different approaches available to the instructional designer towards the analysis of tasks required of distance learners. Comparing the learning hierarchy, the concept hierarchy, and the information processing approaches, it was found that the latter was the only one suitable for this current study because of the requirement that critical thinking be linked with domain‐specific knowledge, rather than be learned as an independent ability. Different algorithms for both the student and the designer/analyst are included as part of the information processing approach, and, although these methods are yet to be validated, they seem to offer sufficient promise, while allowing the analyst to make further decisions during the analysis.     

The Effects of Verbal Mediation Training on the Problem‐Solving Skills of Children with Partial Sight and Children without Visual Impairments

Thirty children with partial sight and 30 children with unimpaired sight aged between 8 and 12 years were randomly assigned to either verbal mediation or visual mediation training regimes. Participants were asked to complete four variations of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle and success on the task was judged on the basis of the number of moves and time taken to complete the puzzles. Children with visual impairments had some difficulty in adjusting to the requirements of the problem‐solving tasks. However, on the final and most difficult of the tasks (a four‐disc problem), the children with impaired sight performed very much like participants without visual impairments. The effect of verbal mediation training was superior to that of visual mediation training in the final trials of the four‐disc problem‐solving period for both children with partial sight and children without visual impairments.     

Establishing open and critical discourses in the science classroom: Reflecting on initial difficulties

This paper presents a reflective account of a science teacher’s endeavours to use the referent of critical constructivism to transform her pedagogical practices. The context of her action research was a Year 10 Bioethics unit taught at an independent girls’ school in Perth, Western Australia. Students were provided with opportunities to engage in open and critical discourses; many did, but a few were unwilling to participate in accordance with the teacher’s intentions. We illustrate the disruptive influence of these “dissident” students and explore the reasons for their unwillingness to suspend their disbelief in a new way of knowing (and of being) that involves a radical change in the role of language in the classroom. We conclude with recommendations for epistemological pluralism and the careful use of critical discourse for re-negotiating teaching and learning roles and creating conditions for open discourse to flourish.     

Getting Round to Clarity: What Do We Mean by Circle Time?

The use of circle time is becoming increasingly widespread in this country, but what exactly it involves and should achieve is subject to a wide range of interpretations. Such a situation can make the identification of what should count as good or appropriate practice very hard to undertake. This paper describes three examples of the development of circle time in other countries. These models are used as a means of critically reflecting on practice here. Some key points raised are the importance of the relationship between theory and practice and between specific processes and their outcomes. Lack of evaluative research and adequate training are also identified as significant issues.     

The quality of learning in Nigerian primary education

The speed with which UPE was introduced to Nigeria has meant enormous problems of both a logistical and educational nature. After six years many have proved all but impossible to overcome. While generalising may be wrong, it is questionable whether the government's objectives for UPE can be achieved. Vast regional discrepancies of implementation have meant that the reduction in the previous imblance of opportunity is unlikely. A high rate of unemployment and disaffection among terminal primary leavers will offset the concept of UPE as an investment. Grassroots support will weaken if primary schooling offers no tangible returns. A further problem is present. The curriculum of UPE has been inappropriate for a system which is terminal for the majority. Basic skills are often unlearned. The national curriculum has not been sufficiently localised and, with staff and material shortages, has been impossible to teach. In current conditions it is academic and certificate-orientated. There is an urgent need to review the structure of primary education before it is too late. A community base might be considered in the face of weakening government funding but the redesign of the curriculum is an essential prerequisite. The content and quality of education is as important as the logistics of its provision.     

STUDY COURSE PROVISION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY

This paper describes the origins, development and characteristics of a study course for teacher‐education and industrial‐design undergraduates. Starting from identification by a handful of staff of a range of student needs, the course developed an informal, gaming approach that encouraged pooling of and reflection on a wide range of participants' study practices. This approach was found to require, and indeed to prove inseparable from, a broader reflection on the roles and rules, processes, products and assessment of undergraduate study. Staff — staff and staff — student negotiations, stimulated by the processes of planning, delivering and reflecting upon this course, come to be seen as constituting a promising kind of staff and curriculum development.     

Knowledge acquisition by computerized audiovisual feedback

The present article gives an outline of the state of art in computer assisted intervention by learning-concomitant differential feedback. Based on the spectrum of possible meanings and interpretations given to the concepts ‘interaction’ and ‘interactive’ this concept is elaborated and illustrated by prototypical theoretical approaches. Based on our own empirical findings arguments are given showing that sophisticated audiovisual interactive new technologies can properly be used even on the small machines available in schools if the content materials and the flow of control given to the learner are carefully designed and based on principles of cognitive science.