Defines "balance" as a philosophical perspective about what kinds of reading knowledge children should develop and how those kinds of knowledge can be attained--rather than as one right approach to teaching. Outlines a set of philosophical beliefs and guiding principles for organizing a classroom reading program. Discusses benefits of…

A Difficulty Index was used to calculate the degree of difficulty in applying Knowles' adult education principles relative to material structure, student maturity, objectives, class size, and schedule to an accounting course. The course involved a significant amount of student self-assessment. (SK)

Asserts that North American medical education favors an explicit commitment to traditional values of doctoring--empathy, compassion, and altruism--but a tacit commitment to behaviors grounded in an ethic of detachment, self-interest, and objectivity. Explores differing ways (conflation, deflation, and maintaining of values) that students respond…

Discusses results of a survey of Nebraska high school journalism teachers, their use of technology and their attitudes towards it. Discusses concerns about balancing technology and its uses and demands with the teaching of good writing and good journalism practices. Discusses negative scanners, buying a digital camera, and new image-editing…

The Irish government's white paper on education expresses commitment to equality, partnership, pluralism, accountability, and quality. Especially important for adult education is an integrated approach for education and training agencies. The most serious gap is failure to provide realistic cost estimates or funding commitments. (SK)

Ways to reconceptualize cooperative education include focusing on its essence--linkage of work and academics; considering coordinators as educators; viewing it as an educational model, not a student service; valuing its principal educative function as engaging students in reflective practice; and seeing employers as partners. (SK)

Argues that "democratic education," as described in John Dewey's Democracy and Education, creates a tension between individuality and public education, and between spontaneous experiential learning and organized subject-related learning. Considers future problems of a European theory of "democratic education" after Dewey. (PGS)

The original authors of a 1987 article, "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education," in the AAHE Bulletin suggest that these principles have been among the most influential ideas of the past twenty years and have been disseminated, applied, adapted, and researched in many different ways. (DB)

To improve professional practice, educators need sound principles about how learning works to guide their pedagogical decisions, actions, policies, and practices. Such principles as teaching for fluent and flexible transfer, incorporating big ideas that connect isolated facts, and providing user-friendly feedback make learning meaningful for…

Discusses the tendency of schools to follow up poor standardized test scores with test-taking instruction, and the limitations of these standardized tests for providing authentic assessment of academic abilities. Suggests four prescriptions for educators, administrators, parents and policy makers for improving the administration and use of…

This article explores the meaning of "religious ideals" and their possible role in education. "Religious ideals" are defined as ideals that acquire meaning due to a belief in transcendence or a divine being. Two kinds of religious ideals are being distinguished, namely ideals that are constituted by a belief in a transcendent being and ideals that…

The author shares that he came across "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey in the early 1990s when he was a central-office administrator in a small school district just outside of Boston. He considers the book foundational as he thinks about leadership. (He is now superintendent in a central Massachusetts…

The problem of integrating technology into teaching and learning process has become a perennial one. Common excuses for the limited use of technology to support instruction include shortage of computers, lack of computer skill and computer intimidation. While these could affect the success of technology integration, it should be acknowledged that…

To keep students motivated, the author outlines several principles for developing listening comprehension lessons. When learners focus on a clear learning objective, retention improves. Other recommendations include keeping the same topic and objective for several activities and selecting relevant, authentic material with a clear layout and…

Current developments arising from the Bologna Process and impacting throughout European higher education trace their origins to the lifelong learning and widening participation agendas. They aim to facilitate new patterns and pathways of study and provide transparency and guidance for students. However, practical implementation of the changes in…