Computer-supported discursive learning (CSDL) systems for the support of asynchronous discursive learning need to fulfill specific socio-technical conditions. To understand these conditions, we employed design experiments combining aspects of communication theory, empirical findings, and continuous improvement of the investigated prototypes. Our…

Innovation is crucial to the competitiveness of the economies of Europe, and learning is crucial to innovation. The most important trend shift is not that knowledge is becoming more important but that it is becoming obsolete more rapidly than before, so that firms and employees constantly have to learn and acquire new competencies. This involves…

This paper reports a study on teachers' domain-specific beliefs about the chemistry curriculum for upper-secondary education in The Netherlands. Teachers' beliefs were investigated using a questionnaire focused on the goals of the chemistry curriculum. The design of the questionnaire was based on three curriculum emphases: "fundamental…

This article describes the planning of a multi-agency and multi-stakeholder evaluation of the implementation of supportive housing. The Ottawa Housing"Plus" Collaborative Communities project is a collaboration between university-based evaluators and members of a local network of supportive housing providers. The objectives of the…

The new English system of student finance seeks to resolve a higher education policy trilemma created by government's desire to switch more of the costs on to students, whilst seeking to promote both increased and widening participation. The rationale for this new funding system is based upon orthodox economic analysis which, the authors argue,…

Raphael Cohen-Almagor's article "Hate in the Classroom: Free Expression, Holocaust Denial, and Liberal Education" (2008) calls for sanctions on those K-12 public school teachers whose deployment of "hate speech"--and/or associations with others who deploy it--creates a "poisoned environment" in the classroom. While…

This article reviews: (1) the establishment and functioning of EU citizenship: (2) the resulting perception of education for European active citizenship; and (3) the question of its adequacy for enhancing democratic values and practices within the Union. Key policy documents produced by the EU help to unfold the basic assumptions on which…

This creative philosophical essay demonstrates Vygotsky's principles in the form of an extended fictional thought-experiment, in which the author is "interviewed" by a fictional Ukrainian reporter, Natasha. The introduction, "Squaring Russian Theory with American Practice," gives some background in Vygotsky's and Davydov's…

The preamble to Montana's constitution, which expresses gratitude for Montana's landscape, reflects an understanding that the political culture of a place is not something apart from the place itself. By the same token, the strengthening of political culture must take place and must be studied in the context of very specific places and the people…

Critical thinkers must be critical about critical thinking itself, and because there is a close conceptual connection between critical thinking and rationality, the demand for justification for a commitment to critical thinking is tantamount to a demand for reasons that justify a commitment to rationality. Several authors have argued that the…

There is a growing dichotomy between the educational value of forensics versus the competitive aspects of individual events for both coaches and students. Competitive behavior has both an instinctual and a cognitive source. The instinctual source can be traced to evolution in a fiercely competitive world. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the…

The Institute for Earth Education is a nonprofit volunteer group made up of an international network of individuals and member organizations devoted to helping people live more lightly on the earth. This book proposes an alternative path to solve environmental problems. The program, called the earth education path, seeks to accomplish one of…

In this publication, the policy positions of the National Education Association (NEA) on early chldhood education in the public schools are delineated. The NEA's proposals for early childhood program standards are also offered. Sections of the publication concern: (1) characteristics of the early childhood arena; (2) principles and standards of…

A major purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes toward standards of practice and the nature and scope of standards of practice as they currently exist in governmental agencies, professional associations and licensing agencies, business and industry, health-related organizations, and colleges and universities. A second purpose was to…

Sex discrimination in American education remains a persistent problem that requires concerted attention from many different perspectives. This Issuegram focuses on the legal mandates requiring sex equity in public schools. A brief background indicates a history of sex discrimination in education dating back to 1783. Several important weapons for…