The need for curriculum change is based on the recognition that there has been a consolidation of a number of trends that began at least 20 years ago. These trends include: changes in occupational profiles in an increasingly globalized work environment; the need to counteract social inequities and marginalization; the need to recognize diversity…

An applied dissertation was designed to improve the performance of sixth-grade social studies students based on content-area work and teacher-made tests. Teachers used difficult, low-level, performance-based assessment methods to identify student achievement. This indicated that students possessed very limited opportunities to think beyond the…

This guide is intended to help schools and classroom teachers in Alberta provide successful school experiences for gifted and talented students. Section 1 focuses on program administration, including Alberta legislation, policy, and regulations; district administration of programs; and school administration of programs. Section 2 identifies an…

Traditional ethics are founded on unquestioned principles that transcend the limitations of a particular person. The result is that behavior is judged on how well people follow rules, not on how well they treat one another. This essay contends that applying this patriarchal approach to teaching situations ignores the needs of students in…

Adventure education is filled with "doers," which improves practice but does not necessarily enhance theory. This book addresses that gap by examining the philosophy of adventure education. Chapter 1 examines foundational principles, which have their roots in the ideas of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, and Dewey, and…

This paper explores the steps necessary to develop a curriculum that encompasses the global community. The stages identified and explained include: (1) the call to membership or the need to belong; (2) the need to leave the walls of the school and journey outside the classroom; (3) the search for a leader; (4) the "transforming virtues" required…

This book provides an overview of an evolving orientation to the facilitation of growth and learning that can be summarized as "challenge education." Challenge education is a complex synthesis of a variety of therapeutic, educational, recreational, rehabilitative, and enrichment strategies. Chapter 1 outlines the historical roots of challenge…

This paper describes an innovative teacher education program designed to prepare early childhood teachers to work in inclusive classroom settings. The program was begun 5 years ago as part of a dramatic reform effort in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee. Designers of the Inclusive Early Childhood Education (IECE) program…

This manual traces the emergence of democracy in Albania from the end of the Communist system in 1990. It deals with the concepts and practices of democratic citizenship education and emphasizes the role of education in developing and sustaining democracy. The manual is to assist educators to put together the knowledge and skills they possess with…

This study sought to promote increased understanding of teachers' personal beliefs and philosophies about teaching and learning and the impact of these beliefs and philosophies on action in the classroom. Subjects were 17 elementary school regular and special education teachers who participated in an inservice course, videotaped themselves…

This manual is designed to assist Nebraska school districts in identifying high-ability students. Chapter 1, "Philosophy Regarding High-Ability Learners," explores characteristics of high-ability learners, the unique needs of high-ability learners, roadblocks to meeting student needs, the need for staff development, the importance of…

This paper describes how Open Source philosophy, a movement that has developed in opposition to the proprietary software industry, has influenced educational practice in the pursuit of scholarly freedom and authentic learning activities for students and educators. This paper provides a brief overview of the Open Source movement, and describes…

A study investigated teachers' experiences of educational and cultural change in adult education institutions. The initial assumption of the study was that the institutional shift from traditional teacher-dominated, face-to-face teaching to networked teamwork that emphasizes students' independence is not only a methodological or technological…

As the incidence of ability grouping at the primary level increases in the United Kingdom, questions remain regarding the effect of various grouping arrangements on students' personal and social development and the role of the school ethos in adopting particular ability grouping structures. This research explored the rationale given by primary…

Working with postmodern ideas, this book questions the search to define and measure quality in the early childhood field and its tendency to reduce philosophical issues of value to purely technical and managerial issues of expert knowledge and measurement. The book argues that there are ways other than the "discourse of quality" for…