Consensus is growing that high-quality early education is a critical support to all subsequent learning. In early childhood education quality is generally considered holistically in terms of the physical environment, programmatic structure (e.g., length of the school day), curriculum and instruction, and the nature of interactions between teachers…

This paper contextualises the Further Education (FE) sector in Northern Ireland (NI). It outlines the specific political, social and economic influences that have shaped its position as a major but understated educational provider in what remains a highly divided educational system that is slowly transitioning in a post-conflict environment. Key…

This paper provides a review of oracy in primary education (5-11) in England. It discusses the nature of talk, acknowledging it as integral to the learning and teaching process and traces the history and development of the place of oracy within the curriculum. The article provides a critique of related policy initiatives including various…

This paper analyses two pedagogical case studies (PCS) from a multidisciplinary perspective to highlight the problems of theoretical knowledge in tertiary physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes, school-based physical education (PE) practice and continuous professional learning (CPL) in PE. We argue that a critical view of tertiary…

This article is written in response to a recent report on a review of teacher education in Scotland undertaken by Graham Donaldson (2011). In particular it questions the recommendation that engaging teachers in professional enquiry and research-informed teaching is the way forward for developing the professional capabilities required of "21st…

For the forty-fourth time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online and onsite during the annual AECT Convention. Volume 1 contains papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with…

This article is based on quantitative and qualitative data that have been generated since 2009 on the study skills needs of early years practitioners working in England. The research has identified that developing information technology skills appears to be a particular professional development need for these practitioners. The practitioners are…

Developing and delivering curricula that are integrated and that use blended learning techniques requires a highly orchestrated design. While institutions have demonstrated the ability to design complex curricula on an ad-hoc basis, these projects are generally successful at a great human and capital cost. Model-driven design provides a…

The principal aim of this study is to explore the self-perception of change in teaching practice by lecturers who have graduated from the Postgraduate Certificate in Third Level Learning and Teaching Course over a period extending from 2000-2003. A qualitative questionnaire was distributed to the 45 successful graduates of the course to establish…

The Medical Library Association's (MLA) guide for developing continuing education courses for librarians contains three main parts: a checklist, the text, and appendixes. The checklist provides questions to be considered in determining the scope of the course, designing learning activities, choosing methods and techniques, evaluating instruction,…

A guide is presented for the purpose of providing a simple, basic outline for program development of inservice education for nursing personnel who care for the chronically ill and aged in extended care facilities. The following topics are included: (1) inservice education defined, (2) responsibility for inservice education, (3) educational…

This book is the only comprehensive guide available that provides all the tools necessary to create an ideal school. There are many education books out there but most are specific to one aspect of school improvement and do not provide a systemic framework or a total approach. This book does, and it is based on expertise that was developed and…

In order to address the significant gap between the ideas emerging from the new economic history and the economics actually taught in secondary school classes, successful strategies from a series of summer institutes are described. Each topic begins with a discussion of basic concepts and recent developments in the economic theory of that…

In initiating Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) on the campus of Emory University, project directors discovered inadvertently that an eclectic approach to the use of writing in the classroom was the most effective means of engaging Emory's faculty in a positive way. In short, Emory's WAC motto has become, "if it works; use it." As a…