The Human Rights Approach to Education in International Organisations

In this article, the work of three international governmental organisations (IGOs) dealing with human rights will be discussed, namely the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)¹ and the Council of Europe (CoE). In the first section, the main characteristics of the three IGOs in terms of similarities and differences will be elaborated. Then, their human rights approach to education will be described, dealing with the legal foundations. In the final section, the different strategies of implementation based on both their official mission statements and their present strategy papers will be evaluated under the heading ‘competition vs. cooperation’.     

大学生自杀原因分析及高校应对措施

近年来大学生自杀事件屡屡发生,并呈上升趋势。本文分析大学生自杀背后的原因,寻求解决途径,对高校生命健康教育提出建议。     

Parents' views of the efficacy of conductive education in Sweden

Parents of children who have participated in a conductive education programme in Sweden were asked questions about their reasons for choosing the programme, the expectations they had of it and how they were fulfilled. The results showed that the parents were satisfied with the development of their child, and wanted to continue to take part in further courses with their child. They appreciated the intensive training and found it motivating and enjoyable for the child. They wanted an intensive training for their child because they believed that active training could help the child to develop. The parents learned more about cerebral palsy at the courses and now understood why and how they could train their child. Most of the parents continued the training at home with the child. They experienced financial difficulties in participating in further courses, and found it difficult to stay away from work and family for a long period of time.     

陶孟和与中国近代大学教育的改革和发展

陶孟和是我国近现代史上著名的社会学家和教育学家，十分重视教育与社会之间相互影响的关系。陶孟和对中国近代大学教育的认识和改革建议是从社会学的角度出发，以社会情形变化为基础，以适应社会需求为核心，从而形成他颇具特色且比较系统的大学教育思想。     

EUROPEAN DISSERTATION SUMMARIES

To alleviate teachers’ reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of teachers’ conflicts in practical work, this study examines teachers’ ideas about teaching and learning that influence teachers’ decision‐making and action on teaching practical work. More important than knowing technical–rational aspects of practical work is to understand the internal contradictions that teachers have to resolve within themselves regarding their capabilities and beliefs about science teaching and practical work. Using stories and experiences of 38 third‐year university students in a science method course in Korea, we seek to understand the conflicts and negotiations that they experience as they make decisions regarding practical work throughout their course. Reflective writings and group discussions on their lived experiences and concerns were used to probe participants’ ideas on teaching using practical work. From written and verbal data, themes were saturated in terms of the aspects which could (dis)encourage their practice. Results suggest that there are multifactorial challenges in pre‐service teachers’ understandings and concerns in practical work. Besides time, materials, and curriculum, pedagogical assumptions and values also compositely challenge the minds of teachers. As the pre‐service elementary teachers negotiated within themselves the importance of science in classroom and social levels, the question is raised about their identities as pre‐service elementary teachers to appreciate the balance between science teaching and practical work.     

Dissolving boundaries: cross-national co-operation through technology in education

This article reports research on cross-national co-operation through Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within the statutory curricula of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the views and experiences of teachers in partner schools in the north and south of Ireland were sought on the capacity and potential of asynchronous computer conferencing and videoconferencing to generate collaborative work in a cross-border setting, to promote cultural awareness among primary and post-primary pupils, and to improve teacher and pupil competence in ICT. The results showed a significant improvement in ICT competence, and also revealed that technical training, enthusiasm and commitment were the key factors for success, and that not only did the pupils develop an awareness of the cultural identity of distant peers, but their sense of responsibility, self-esteem and motivation grew. This particularly helped less able and quieter pupils. There was unexpected rôle reversal when children helped their teachers within an ICT context, a situation not found elsewhere in the curriculum. Additionally, there were beneficial effects on literacy, group work and independent learning, and the skills acquired were transferable. The commitment of the teachers to continue this cross-national work with limited support is a measure of its potential sustainability.     

论宿舍管理在大学生思想道德建设中的意义

胡锦涛总书记在今年1月17至18日,全国加强和改进大学生思想政治教育工作会议上,指出切实加强和改进大学生思想政治教育工作,使大学生们能够与时代同步伐、与祖国共命运、与人民齐奋斗。而学生的思想问题一般都在以宿舍为中心的环境里产生。所以,对大学生的思想教育要抓好宿舍管理这一环节。对学生平时发生的思想变动,有针对性的进行教育和管理,使学生的思想在大的方向和小的问题上有及时的指引。     

合作教育思潮与当代教学实践

合作教育学以研究与利用课堂教学的人际关系为基点，以目标设计为先导，以师生、先生和师师合作为基本动力，是一种具有创意和实效的教学理论。     

Overqualified: Changing the Culture of Hiring Practices in a Public Library Special Collections Department

All too often, applicants for low level paraprofessional positions in libraries are passed over or rejected, not because they are not qualified, but because they have professional experience or advanced degrees. The rationale behind these decisions is that the overqualified staff member in a low level position will continue to look for a better position more aligned with their skills, experience, and education; and when they find another job they will leave and their positions will have to be filled again. This essay argues that this reasoning is flawed and, regardless of the perceived inconvenience, library managers and administrators should want the best and the brightest working in all levels of their library.     

福建省非公有制企业女职工特殊权益保护研究--以制鞋行业为例

福建的制鞋行业是本省非公有制企业的一个缩影。该行业女职工的特殊权益保护状况喜忧参半。为构建和谐福建,政府应采取相应的对策切实把女职工的劳动权益落到实处。