This book was written with the intention of presenting meaningful and interesting information about education in Japan in a way so that readers will obtain a more complete understanding of it. There are three characteristic ways the Japanese think about education: (1) there is an emotionally charged "penchant for education," which is not…

This paper describes the environmental scan that the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office initiated in preparation for its development of a strategic plan. In this scanning effort, environment is defined as "a search for information about the system's external setting." The trends are roughly grouped into five areas:…

This document outlines six learning outcomes for social studies students in grades PreK-8 in Maryland schools: (1) "Social Studies Skills" (students will demonstrate an understanding of historical and current events using chronological and spatial thinking, develop historical interpretations, and frame questions that include collecting…

This teaching unit represents a specific "dramatic moment" in history that can allow students to delve into the deeper meanings of selected landmark events and explore their wider context in the great historical narrative. Studying a crucial turning point in history helps students realize that history is an ongoing, open-ended process,…

Studies the role of mass media in the national development process. Proposes the use of metric multidimensional scaling, including economic, political, educational and media factors, between mass media and other cultural components, such as the nation-state, institutions of society (economic, educational, religious), individual self-conception,…

Using a Native American parable, compares the Standard Average European (SAE) world view with the Standard Native American (SNA) world view and the effects they have on education. Points out possible areas of interethnic confusion as a result of these two world views in communication dealing with cognitive schemes. (LC)

Critiques the argument that community college students neither want nor need exposure to humanities curricula. Examines and refutes the belief that community colleges attract second-rate and disadvantaged students. Argues for effectively enabling students to understand the components of their culture through liberal arts and basic skills…

Explores the following topics: the way the means of communication comprise a real and influential environment; the changes that radical shifts in the structure of that environment cause in social organizations and intellectual predispositions; and the role of educators in assessing the biases of the information environment. (GT)

Identifies cultural universals as general categories of traits that all cultures possess, the delineation of which can distinguish one culture from another. These include, material culture, social organization, and economic organization. Discusses teaching strategies for exploring these phenomena. Includes a sample lesson and related World Wide…

Describes an interpretive training course for Tikal National Park, Guatemala to promote environmentally sound management of the region. Goals were to ensure that local knowledge and cultural norms were included in the design of interpretive materials, to introduce resource managers to park interpretation through course participation, and to train…

Traces the shifting sentiments of Germans towards U.S. education from the end of the 19th century through the Weimar period. Most German educators admired the U.S. school system because it combined a devotion to freedom and local responsibility with a strong homogenizing and nationalizing power. (MJP)

Describes two orientations to the learning process: "transmission," transfer of information from source to receiver; and "interpretation," development of knowledge through the interaction of receiver with source. Transmission- or interpretation-based values are like a cognitive-affective filter because they form a cognitive and…

Examined how family and day care are integrated in children's lives in the United States, Russia, and Finland. Found that congruence between parents' and teachers' views concerning upbringing and education was very high within societies, while opinions between societies differed greatly. Results suggest that implementation of early education in…

Using a questionnaire, this study investigates what representatives of the American English and Mandarin cultures say when they want to refuse a request. Findings stress the differences between the strategies of refusal such as expressing or avoiding an expression of a positive attitude, or giving external or personal reasons for refusing. (18…

A case example involving a Native American family referred to a child welfare agency illustrates social work intervention strategies that encourage cultural competence, recognize power differences between cultures, promote understanding of role variations and belief systems, consider alternative approaches for helping clients with drug or alcohol…