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This paper examines the social meaning of subject choice in the post-16 context through a case study of Media Studies in a selective school. Students' accounts are discussed in terms of both their enjoyment of the subject and their negotiation of its ‘legitimacy’. The analysis of their comments in interviews stresses the subject's precarious position in a school where a relatively traditional hierarchy of subjects still prevails. It also considers the strength of family ‘projects’ in framing children's educational ‘choices’. Media Studies is discussed as a negotiable option primarily facilitating projections into a new middle-class sense of self-hood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study drew on Bernstein's theory and Moscovici's theory of Social Representations to investigate how children in classrooms with different types of structuration developed social representation of the curriculum. Comparable case studies were carried out in schools chosen to reflect three types of pedagogy according to Bernstein's typology. Twelve classrooms took part and ethnographic investigations were employed to compile a typology of recognition and realisation rules to map the range and type of curriculum structuration in each. Children's representations of the curriculum were investigated through specially designed tasks. Findings showed that as children gained experience of schooling they constructed more elaborate social representations of the curriculum regardless of the pedagogic mode and that classroom structuration became a feature of the junior rather than the infant children's representations. Older children in classrooms with performance pedagogies had two classifications for recognising classroom culture, while those in classrooms with mixed and competence pedagogies did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addresses the issue of the need for the development of a post compulsory curriculum adequate to the demands of the 21st century in British education. Qualitative and quantitative issues involved in the development of a 21st century curriculum; Circumstances that can influence curriculum development efforts in the country.

Discusses the factors being considered in national curriculum-making in Australia. Trends in the Australian economy; Costs of education in relation to the outcomes of schooling; Integration of education and youth policies.

Background: Over the past decades, the issue of improving teaching in higher education has been seriously addressed. Centres for instructional development, aimed at enhancing teaching, have been set up in many countries. Instructional development for early career academics is perceived to be of particular importance. Given the considerable investments made, questions are raised with regard to the impact of instructional development. Purpose: This article gives an overview of four related studies into the impact ofinstructional development at one European University – the University of Antwerp. The study is prefaced with a conceptual framework and outline of theoretical motives. The results of the four studies are reviewed together and implications from the findings taken as a whole are identified. Programme description: At the University of Antwerp, early career academics have the opportunity to participate in an instructional development programme (140 hours of study, spread over 10 months). The programme aims to strengthen academics' competency-oriented teaching conceptions and to improve professional practice. The ultimate goal, however, is to achieve better student learning. Home assignments stimulate the transfer of what has been learned during the programme to practice. Sample: Over the four studies, quantitative as well as qualitative data were gathered from 40 early career academics and from more than 1000 students at the University of Antwerp. In the first three studies, the same academics and students participated: the teachers enrolled in the instructional development programme at the University of Antwerp in 2005, some of their colleagues not enrolled in the programme, and the students of all these teachers. In the fourth study, teachers enrolled in the programme in 2000–2001 were involved. In all studies participants came from different disciplines and volunteered to participate. Design and methods: In three of the four studies reviewed, data were gathered according to a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. Twenty-three teachers who had enrolled in the instructional development programme at the University of Antwerp in 2005 were invited to take part (this was the experimental group). They nominated a colleague who was not enrolled in the programme, but whose teaching situation was otherwise comparable with their own, to serve as control teacher on a voluntary basis. The students taking the courses selected by the teachers were also involved in the research. Shortly before the start of the programme, questionnaires were distributed among the teachers and students. A post-test, using the same instruments, was conducted three months after the end of the programme. At that time, qualitative data were also gathered, by way of semi-structured interviews. In the first two studies analysis of covariance with the pre-test scores as a covariate was used to analyse the quantitative data. Two researchers independently analysed the interview data, using a semi-structured coding framework. In the third study, the student data used in study 2 was re-analysed using a multi-level approach. In study 4, long-term post-test data were gathered from an experimental group of 30 teachers, using a written survey with open questions. Results: Taken together, the results of the four studies reviewed indicate that the teaching conceptions of participants in the instructional development programme came more into line with the notions based on competency-oriented and student-centred education. However, there is nothing in the findings to confirm that the teaching behaviour of the participants comes more into line with this teaching concept, or that improved learning performances among students have been achieved. However, the results of the fourth study are encouraging with respect to the possibility of a long-term impact. Conclusions: It is suggested that the findings underline the need for an emphasis in instructional development on practical aspects of teaching. The policy of institutions should value participation in instructional development. Further, it is suggested that instructional development should not be restricted to novice teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We detail the research, development and initial outcomes of an intervention process to promote capability building in designing for e-learning at a dual mode university in the UK. The process, called CARPE DIEM, was built on a pilot study and became a Higher Education Academy 'Pathfinder' project named ADELIE. We report on the model workshop, its deployment, research and development over a 12-month period with a variety of subject groups working in small teams with learning technologists, pedagogical facilitators and librarians. Outcomes include improved scores on an institutional e-learning benchmarking exercise and increased capability for designing for online activities for students in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The model is stable enough to be tried in other institutions and continues to develop in scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes data from the Community Mapping Project, a set of statistical activities and inquiry projects within a summer seminar for high school students. In designing the Community Mapping Project, we attempted to create conditions under which urban students themselves would come to recognize how mathematics is relevant to their lives and their communities. Using mixed methods, we analyzed the pre- and postassessments and final projects of 25 high school students to investigate what students learned from their experience. We also analyzed the data from video case studies to begin to understand how learning was organized. Our qualitative analysis revealed several tensions that emerged between the goals and norms of our instantiation of a culturally relevant pedagogy and the goals and norms of our mathematics pedagogy. We argue that how these tensions are navigated mediate what opportunity students have for learning statistics. This article provides some considerations and lessons learned that may help inform both teachers who wish to rethink their mathematics pedagogy, and the designers who wish to create culturally relevant curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an analysis of the current method of accommodating students with disabilities in social work education and presents a new framework for providing universal access to all students in social work education: Universal Instructional Design (UID). UID goes beyond adapting already developed social work curricula to fit the needs of an individual student with a disability, to building in accommodations in the front-end of curriculum design that promote a more inclusive environment for all students. The 4 components of UID are discussed, along with the challenges to its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addresses the debate surrounding the issue of post-compulsory education systems in Great Britain. Features of the proposed unified system of post-compulsory education and training; Influence of the Howie Committee report on the debate about systems; Comparison between multi-track and unified systems of education; Implications of the debate on the educational system of the country.

Outlines the main details of the Associated Examining Board's philosophy syllabus and considers the problem of teaching philosophy in schools in Great Britain. Composition of two parts in the syllabus that concentrate on the history of philosophy and other various philosophical themes; Choice given to students to select two themes from possible areas like Our Perception of the External World and Faith and the Existence of God; Possibility that naive philosophical amateurs would be given a license to indulge in an undisciplined search for a philosophy of life.

The article focuses on the use of Tony Berlant's art in classroom instruction. Berlant uses tin exclusively from footlockers, serving trays, and lunch boxes. Teachers aim to introduce students in grades 4-6 to the variety of materials that artists can use through the work of a contemporary collage artist. Their objectives are to be able to identify the collage technique, to be able to discuss whether found objects can be used in art, and to be able to construct their own autobiographical collage with one found material.