Criticizes introductory biology texts for merely describing living things in terms of what they can do as whole organisms and neglecting to consider the nature of life on a micro-scale. Presents possibilities for including such discussions in an introductory biology course. Contains 14 references. (WRM)

Explicates aspects of dialogue theory that may enhance understanding of educational processes in general and interactive learning processes in particular. Bakhtin's extended theory of dialogue, the concept of multivoicedness and Lotman's dual functions of texts are explained and used to analyze a Web-mediated discussion among university students.…

Documents the history and present state of science education at the primary level in Cyprus against the background of the general educational system and goals. (WRM)

Discussion of the special education ideas of Lev S. Vygotsky focuses on the application of Vygotsky's cultural-historical activity theory to special education; Vygotsky's views on the nature of handicapping conditions in children; the principles of psychoeducational evaluation of children with disabilities; the issues of compensation,…

In response to Kavale and Forness (EC 630 380), this article, rooted in the author's experiences as a learning disabilities teacher, discusses assumptions of the original article concerning social critiques and Marxism; diagnosis and classification for research or for pedagogy; validity of constructs and instruments for mental retardation; and…

Describes a new outcomes-based teacher-education curriculum being introduced in South Africa, noting its compatibility with complexity theory, which advocates self-organization, unpredictability, and randomness. While outcomes-based education is criticized for being behavioristic, for its prescriptiveness, for its rejection of modernism's…

Higher education consistently fails to see that K-12 education and higher education, although discrete, are linked by a responsibility to the students served, that the sectors face similar threats, and that ultimately they are linked in success and failure. The good news is that collaborations between K-12 and higher education have begun and are…

Explores the legal, ethical, and pedagogical aspects of the right to education. Describes a study aimed at learning what the global attitudes are toward the right to an education. Discusses globalization and its effects on education and examines the impact of international caucuses such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child. (Contains 17…

Explores the problematic issues, deficits, and open questions that have received little attention in the discussion on self-controlled learning although they arise in both theory formation and research practice. Discusses perspectives for a further development of both theory and research practice and of the practice of self-directed learning in…

Argues for the idea of deliberative democracy as an educational process where individuals bring different perspectives to on-going communication. Shows the limits of progressivism and reconstructionism and the possibilities and importance of the neo-pragmatic perspective. States that the idea of deliberative democracy is presented as a way to…

Investigated how a mathematics pedagogy course challenged teaching assistants' (TAs') beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics and informed their teaching practice. Found that TAs adopted a different set of beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics and that several constraints (institutional, cultural, a lack of…

Urges addressing leadership demands in early childhood care and education. Identifies new adaptable organizational leadership theories and the need for their growth and development. Redefines traditional leadership, discusses the strength of diversity and change in leadership, and advocates using equity and reality to transform leadership in the…

Analyzes the philosophies of Confucius and Aristotle, stating that both subscribed to the common principles that emphasize ethical education for building individual cultivation, social harmony, and the ideal state. However, Confucius emphasized his ethical and political principles without supporting the metaphysical and epistemological theories,…

Examines the importance of identity--at the community, national, and international levels and as an educational and social development construct--in the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and John Dewey. Stresses the dynamic quality of identity and its relation to social development. (Contains 46 references.) (NB)

Discusses general education as a foundational discipline within the educational sciences. Refers to the Nordic and German traditions of general education, or "Allgemeine Padogogik," which covers what the Anglo-American world refers to as educational theory and philosophy. Reports that today the interest towards the philosophy and theory…