The New Zealand technology curriculum requires children to solve problems to meet people's needs. So who are these people? Are they the users of the product, people who are affected by the product or someone else? This article investigates the confusion and limitations that exists in the New Zealand curriculum about the terms society, community,…

This article views social work education as fundamentally a knowledge implementation enterprise. It proposes principles, partnerships, and strategies through which schools can advance evidence-based practice in social work. Such strategies should meet five criteria: They must be deliberate and strategic, they should be knowledge based, they should…

Widespread adoption of pedagogical methods promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) could enhance the effectiveness of social work practice education. Schools of social work should ensure that faculty are trained in the methods of EBP; establish a committee responsible for tracking and implementing demonstrably effective instructional innovations…

A team of secondary school language teachers and a teacher trainer developed a new method for Dutch writing instruction. The principles underlying the method were derived from insights regarding activating instruction and self-directed student learning. The development entailed two phases. In the first phase, the exploration of actual problems in…

Paper describes approach of Department of Information and Communication technologies (KIK) on Pedagogical Faculty of University of Ostrava in Ostrava (PedF OU) to development of information knowledge and skills of students of OU with the aid of modern methods and education technologies with support of information technologies (IT). It surveys the…

With the advent of faster and widely accessible information, communication and transportation technologies, people are living in an era where their actions increasingly influence and are influenced by realities in other parts of the world. Truly understanding their own communities, province and country requires gaining a deep understanding of the …

This study is concerned with different forms of assessment of pupils' skills in experimentation. The findings of three studies are reported. Study 1 investigates whether it is possible to develop reliable multiple-choice tests for the skills of forming hypotheses, designing experiments and analysing experimental data. Study 2 compares scores from…

Our project to embed formative student assessments in the Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching curriculum required a close collaboration between curriculum developers at the Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG) and assessment developers at the Stanford Educational Assessment Laboratory (SEAL). This was a new endeavor for each…

Purpose: This paper aims to demonstrate how science and engineering graduates can be recruited and trained to Masters level in precision engineering as an aid to reducing the skills shortage of mechanical engineers in UK industry. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes a partnership between three UK academic institutions and industry,…

As populations in contemporary Western societies grow more diverse, the need for teachers to better understand and work with difference productively becomes increasingly critical (Allard & Santoro, 2006; D'Cruz, 2007). However, the literature on teacher education shows that historically, teacher education programs have aimed to address…

This ERIC "FAST Bib" provides annotations of ERIC documents and journal articles that address the question of how to balance two opposing forces operating in today's schools, i.e., the forces of change and complacency, to establish an exemplary language arts curriculum that is a reality and not just a theoretical mirage. The 18…

The purpose of an instructional system is to bring about specific changes in the capabilities of individuals; that is, their potential performance of certain intellectual or motor activities. Achievement and attitudes of learners entering into instruction constitute the input of the system, while their change capabilities are the output. Because…

Based on a survey of 83 instructional developers, this chapter considers whether the instructional developer/client relationship is a consulting relationship and, if so, whether consultants employ a specific consulting model. Four models of consultation are considered--the Product Model, the Prescription Model, the Collaborative/Process Model, and…

Three bases or decision-rules for selecting and organizing content for teacher preparation programs are discussed. In order to be considered as viable content for a teacher preparation program, the concept, principle, or process must be: (1) related to student growth; (2) a necessary curricular component; and (3) logically explained by a theory of…

Cognitive style is a potentially rich, but typically overlooked, source of individualization in computer based instruction (CBI). Using information about learners' cognitive styles in the design, development, and evaluation phases of CBI production can maximize individualization. In the design phase, for example, learners' cognitive styles can be…