In the ever-evolving realm of educational research, the design and validation of curricula is gaining prominence. Ensuring both the internal and external validity of such designs is vital, with external validity, specifically applicability, highlighting the practical feasibility and relevance in real-world educational contexts. Drawing on Dewey's…

This paper reports on a doctoral study that investigated an alternative pedagogical approach in an online VET teacher-education course offered at a mid-sized university in Australia. Students in the course were mature-aged and adding study to their role as in-service VET teachers. Building on previous research, a set of design principles was…

The principles set out in the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) "embody beliefs about what is important and desirable in school curriculum--nationally and locally. They should underpin all school decision-making" (Ministry of Education, 2007). An understanding of these principles is essential for all teachers who are involved in education in…

Education "is" changing, as is knowledge more generally, to a significant degree energised by what has been described as the digital revolution. This has been widely discussed with references to notions such as globalisation, the New Media Age, open access, and the Network Society. Something definitely to be considered is what this could…

When environmental education manifests itself in schools, it is usually a simple matter of the insertion of an environment-related activity into the science, or perhaps social studies, curriculum. However, if one finds a teacher who has "the ethic," the entire school might be "green." The fact that this ethic is spreading…

In this article, relevance of practice during university studies is highlighted, as well as the main stages of its organisation, qualitative parameters, as well as criteria and indicators that validate them are defined. Discussion on the idea that taking into consideration qualitative parameters of organising practice as a component of studies…

This article outlines a learning intervention which the authors call Learning by Design. The goal of this intervention is classroom and curriculum transformation, and the professional learning of teachers. The experiment involves the practical application of the learning theory to everyday classroom practice. Its ideas are grounded in pedagogical…

The study found that a curriculum which incorporated three empirically derived principles of curriculum design (e.g., use of a wide range of examples to illustrate each concept) was significantly more effective than a basal approach in teaching fractions concepts to 40 low-performing or learning-disabled high school students. (Author/DB)