Students' lack of school success often lies in the differences between the language used at home and the "school language" they are required to use at school. A framework was drawn up in which five domains are distinguished where specific problems might be located: language-internal aspects (mastery of vocabulary, grammar, etc.),…

As more countries align their curricular frameworks with play-based and experiential pedagogies, this paper provides a critical insight into the benefits and challenges that arise in practice when a play-based approach to learning and teaching becomes a political directive in Northern Ireland primary schools. Drawing on socio-constructivist and…

This is a comprehensive report to the teaching profession as one basis for a series of town meetings to improve America's schools. Beginning with a survey of the American scene in the 1960's, it considers the role played by the schools in producing a society in which technology has outdistanced humanity. The need to make schools humane…

Presents a case study exploring how major curriculum change has affected the students in an English secondary school. Focuses on how government policy and internal curriculum restructuring have disrupted learning conditions. Suggests that quantitative-based curriculum innovation does not take into accout the cultural specificity of the school…

Ability grouping is a contentious issue in high school science education, and one that divides teachers, parents, and policymakers alike. However, it may be that current grouping systems are founded on ideas that are failing to provide for the best interests of students at any ability level. This article aims to review current practice and its…

This book brings together accounts of educators who have sought to make a difference in the lives of their students through literacy education--from university classrooms in the United States, England, and South Africa, to policy and curriculum development in Singapore and Australia. The literacy classrooms explored in the book range from the…

The ideas and case materials discussed in this study can contribute to the national dialogue on education reform and the search for excellence in all areas of education. The study attempts to clarify what the arts contribute to education. While it indicates that much more needs to be done, it suggests actions and approaches which can be utilized…

Examines issues of linguistic diversity in the inclusive classroom, focusing on South Africa, including the history of linguistic diversity in that educational context, language as a transmitter of culture, and the relationship between culture and learning style. Suggestions are made for validating and affirming every learner's language and…

This book addresses the issue of the underrepresentation of minority teachers and the lack of knowledge in schooling and teacher education concerning cultural differences and their affect on human interaction. It offers general frameworks within which specific problem situations can be addressed while also emphasizing the culture-learning…

Proceedings are summarized of a national conference which explored the nature and consequences of prejudice in adolescents and developed strategies for its reduction in the schools. Held in 1976, the conference was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and the University of California's School of Education. Participants included…

Early childhood education in Hong Kong is in a transition time. The Hong Kong government's Education Commission is urging the field of early childhood education to engage in a substantial paradigm shift in order to achieve the goals of educational reform (Education Commission, 1999a). Informed by recent overseas research, government directives…

Instruction should emphasize generic skills as much as it does occupational or domain-specific skills. Generic skills enable people to: (1) cooperate and communicate for group problem solving; (2) identify and define problems in complex environments; (3) seek, acquire, and synthesize new information; and (4) adapt to changes in the problem-solving…