The organization of institutions of higher education has been seen as operating with ambiguous purposes in vertically oriented structures that are only loosely connected. The rationale for this ambiguity is twofold: (1) to allow for creative thinking, and (2) to respect--and even encourage--the autonomy of different disciplines. But ambiguity of…

At first glance, architectural design principles would seem to hold little in common with organizing a curriculum or a college student experience. What does designing physical space have to do with creating in-class and out-of-class learning opportunities? The authors believe the answer is "Quite a bit" if you spend any time with universal…

A common outcome of entering post-compulsory education as a mature aged learner appears to be development and growth of the self. However, this is often only viewed as an outcome or considered an added benefit, rather than an integral part of the academic process itself. This paper explores the relationship between academic growth and personal…

Teachers can modify their instructional strategies with minimal training and effort, and this can result in increases in their students' self-efficacy. Self-efficacy judgments are based on four sources of information: an individual's own past performance, vicarious experiences of observing the performances of others, verbal persuasion that one…

One of the most important educational objectives of high school is to teach critical-thinking skills, and no class does this better than strategic debate. Professor Mike Allen, lead author in a definitive study on debate and critical thinking, lauded debate's promotion of critical-thinking skills. Additionally, researcher Joe Bellon discusses the…

The scope of this article is to discuss the impact of underrepresentation of girls in separate, self-contained special education classes for preschool children in a large school district in the southeastern United States. On a regular basis, preschool girls identified with special needs are being placed in self-contained classes where there they…

The authors introduce the RALLY (Responsive Advocacy for Life and Learning in Youth) approach. RALLY is a school- and afterschool-based approach addressing academic success, youth development, and mental health for youth. Based on developmental and relational principles, RALLY's main goals are to promote students' resiliency, development, and…

The Quality Education Commission (QEC) was established to make recommendations about New Jersey's educational needs in the year 2000 and beyond, study the Quality Education Act, provide opportunity for public input, and advise the governor on further action to take. The lack of clear student performance goals and accurate assessment tools,…

In his book, "Inventions: Writing, Textuality, and Understanding," Gerald L. Bruns interprets the hermeneutics of Hans Georg Gadamer. Hermeneutics is the art of interpretation. One principle of hermeneutics is that understanding always proceeds from an initializing moment of confusion, strangeness, darkness, or concealment. Concealment's…

Both marginality and moving between cultures are concepts which need to be discussed in college classes. While America and the rest of the world are becoming more multicultural through marriage, immigration, sojourn, etc., little is being done to prepare students to interact effectively with other cultures. In Milton Bennett's (1986, 1993)…

This digest argues that whole language theorists and adult education theorists have much in common, much to say to one another, and much to learn from one another. The digest first defines and discusses "whole language," then defines and discusses "andragogy," (the learning of adults) and finally asks educators to recognize…

Radio theater production has been a component of secondary and post-secondary education since the late 1920s. Since the reduction in radio theater in the 1950s, such courses have been used to prepare students for other fields--television, film, etc. Radio theater production can be approached in two ways: classic production and modern production.…

The first reading assignment one educator gives his first-year composition students helps answer their questions about what college work will be like. For this reason, he gives them Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" to read, a book which shows that the late 20th century is undergoing a vast epistemological shift, moving from…

Young children have little difficulty in creating imaginary worlds inhabited by fantastic creatures. Their play often reaches into the realm of make-believe whereby they improvise situations. Playing shop, mother and father, or doctor are examples of children's ability to try out adult roles and behaviors in a safe context. At school, it seems…

Education plays a central role in contemporary social development and change. The educational system in a given society assumes a major role in human development by making available to the individual the necessary equipment for interfacing with the network of social relations. In both developed and developing countries, education increasingly has…