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Responds to Tony Silva's 1997 article, which asserted that English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing teachers should prevent themes and topics from dominating or controlling the curriculum. This paper argues that it is sometimes helpful for writing teachers to control why and what students write, focusing on university-level English writing in general, and English-as-a- Foreign-Language (EFL) writing in particular. It examines arguments by Jones (1998a) that using teacher-assigned course themes and specific writing topics can help teach students about the processes and conventions of writing academic papers. Jones notes that assigning themes and topics can help motivate students to want to write well. According to Jones, teacher-assigned themes and topics may better help students prepare for the reality of writing academic papers for other classes, and it may also greatly reduce problems with plagiarism. The paper addresses Silva's discussion of academic freedom by saying that writing teachers may compel students to complete assignments they choose as long as they are convinced they are achieving course goals and acting reasonably in students best interests. Finally, it discusses how to cooperatively select themes and topics. (Contains 45 references.) (SM)

Many teachers hesitate to integrate film into English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classrooms because of the uncertainty of the educational efficacy of viewing an entire film in class and the motivational value of the repeated use of short film clips. However, both short film clips and longer films can be used in class to motivate ESL students and enhance their listening and speaking skills. This paper explains why the combined use of abridged feature films and short film clips is more motivational and effective for second language learners and equally attractive to management-minded teachers. It notes that the use of a combination of feature length films and film clips in class is beneficial for several reasons, such as the large amount of exposure to language that students receive via feature films, students' ability to participate in other in-class exercises when using short film clips, and the use of films in emergency situations when the teacher is out. This paper presents various film activities and provides practical guidelines for editing film materials, looking at the technology available for creating film-based teaching materials. (SM)

This paper examines the teacher's role in contemporary English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms in Taiwan. Key figures in this exploration are Confucius, Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, Socrates, and Plato. The paper explains how the power of the student meets the power of the teachers. Students' power flows through their freedom and responsibility to accept or reject the teacher's content, style, and person. The more students accept, the more students learn. The more students learn, the more they consent to die in transformations mediated by the teacher. Teachers' power flows through their ability to kill the illusional student composed of ignorance, bad habits, inattention, lack of self-control, and lack of discipline constituted by prior experiences. Teachers' caederic powers depend entirely on the extent to which they have committed the necessary killings in their own lives. Such dyings and killings are presented in terms of the compulsory, the customary, and the authentic. The paper concludes that contemporary Taiwan ESL classrooms are sites where learning as dying and teaching as killing are necessary, possible, and desirable. The paper lays out the dynamic of this "edudrama" with the help of Confucius, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Socrates, and Plato. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/SM)

This paper examines trends and issues in strategic planning for business and educational institutions on an international level. The paper is organized into sections on analysis, visions, and action plans. Under "analysis" the discussion focuses on commerce (electronic commerce, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, and stages of the e-business evolution), diplomacy (identification of big emerging markets), and return on investment (in terms of investment in human resources development and information technology). The section on "visions," emphasizes trends toward cybercommunities, cyberregions, and cyberstates, and lists examples of "best of the Web" sites, as well as sites for some of the world's fastest growing high-tech exporters. The section on "action plans" discusses business-to-business applications of technology, community-to-community technology applications, and education-to-education applications, with examples from the states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. A final section discusses the importance of international collaboration, especially between Taiwan and the United States, in planning and implementing technological advances. Visual aids for overhead projection in both English and Chinese are attached. (Contains 25 references.) (DB)

This paper examines universalism and particularism in the context of following traffic rules and cross-cultural communication in Taiwanese and U.S. adults. A universalist culture such as the United States emphasizes rules; the particularist culture of Taiwan emphasizes relationships. Universalists follow the rules no matter what; particularists believe that circumstances and relationships take precedence over rules. The paper discusses insights into the differences in driving in traffic in Taiwan and in the United States; the differences in how drivers react to traffic laws highlights the different intracultural communication rules between the two cultures. This report suggests that these differences may be expanded into all aspects of communication between the two cultures, but especially in business. Asians expend more effort on the group benefit; Americans on the individual. Networks of relationships are very important in Taiwan; they are more important than rules and laws. (Contains nine references.) (NAV)

This paper discusses the origin and philosophy of the whole language movement, focusing on the learning theory, language attitudes, language acquisition, and reading processes employed by the approach. The roles of teachers, learners, parents, and student evaluation in the whole language approach are then examined. The paper then addresses how these philosophical and theoretical principles are practiced in the classroom through descriptions of whole language practice at Sunnyslope Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. The paper concludes that the whole language approach can be a highly effective technique for first- and second-language instruction. Its ultimate goal is to foster the self-recognition, self-growth, and self-development of individuals to the fullest extent. A 30-item annotated bibliography is included. (MDM)

As part of an effort to learn from reflecting on personal history and autobiographical writing and analysis, this paper shares one teacher educator's experiences in learning to teach. The process of learning to teach a field experience course for elementary school teacher candidates at a teachers' junior college in Taiwan is described. The evolution of thoughts and experience in the process of preparing to teach the course and what to teach in the course are traced. It is acknowledged that personal background and interpretations of experience, collegial collaboration, formal scholarship in education, official documents, and practical wisdom all play an important role in shaping learning. Learning from students while conducting the course is highlighted. Considered to be an important and valuable component in preservice teacher programs in both the United States and Taiwan, field experience is organized and taught in Taiwan in ways that are significantly different from the way it is taught in most American teacher education programs. It is hoped that the thoughts and experience shared in this paper would be of interest and use to teachers in the United States and elsewhere. (LL)

Technology refers to making or doing things to extend human capability to meet our needs or wants. Both technology and engineering are closely related. The majority of faculty and students in both Kisarazu National College of Technology (Kisarazu Kosen or KNCT) and National United University (NUU) are in the field of engineering. Based upon a literature review and this author's understandings, this paper first introduces the STEM education promoted in the United States and argues the vital role of Technology and Engineering (T&E), then introduces the GO Tech promoted at NUU. GO Tech stands for both "Green Technology" and "Orange Technology." This author mainly argues that the students in both Japan and Taiwan need STEM education and should value the "T and E" in STEM, and states that "GO Tech" means "We should cherish the opportunity to learn 'T and E' and value both green and orange technologies." This author also wishes that more cooperation between Kisarazu Kosen and NUU is promoted to obtain positive synergies to help students' learning and pursue human sustainability and happiness.

This paper presents the results of a case study involving Taiwanese elementary teachers who teach science at the elementary grade school level. It advocates the position that a teacher's personal science efficacy belief influences his or her science teaching outcome expectations. It also points to an important metamorphosis that is taking place within the ranks of the elementary school system. It is believed that this transformation is related to the success Taiwan has experienced in being rated number 1 in science education (NCES 1999). (Contains 2 tables.)

In this paper the notion of "procept" (in the sense of Gray & Tall, 1994) is extended to advanced mathematics by considering mathematical proof as "formal procept". The statement of a theorem as a symbol may theoretically evoke the proof deduction as a process that may contain sequential procedures and require the synthesis of distinct cognitive units or the general notion of the theorem as an object like a manipulable entity to be used as inputs to other theorems. Therefore, a theorem could act as a pivot between a process (method of proof) and the concept (general notion of the theorem). I hypothesise that mature theorem-based understanding (in the sense of Chin & Tall, 2000) should possess the ability to consider a theorem as a "formal procept", and it takes time to develop this ability. Some empirical evidence reveals that only a minority of the first year mathematics students at Warwick could recognise a relevant theorem as a "concept" (having a brief notion of a theorem) and did not have the theorem with the notion of its proof as a "formal procept". A year later some more successful students showed a concept of the theorem as a "formal procept" and their capability of manipulating the theorem flexibly. [For complete proceedings, see ED500859.]

East Asia is the region which has experienced unprecedented growth in the past few decades. This growth resulted in the increase in education opportunities and the empowerment of women. Modernization and globalization provided opportunities for many women in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. Modern Asian women can obtain higher education and gain status in their careers; they are at the crossroads between tradition and modernity. This paper provides information about the women's movements in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. Readers obtain an understanding of globalization and its impact on women's lives in these societies. It concludes that the status of women has improved dramatically over the last 30 years; but there are still obstacles that prevent women from achieving equity in political participation, equal pay, and equal share of household responsibilities. Contains a 13-item bibliography. (Author/BT)

As we enter the 21st century, most of the countries in the world are facing three critical challenges: competing in a global economy, reversing the expansion of a permanent and disenfranchised underclass, and developing a workforce with information-age skills. Many educational reform strategies have been adopted to meet the challenges. In Taiwan, community colleges are proposed as an effective measure to cope with such challenges. The traditional functions of community colleges include transfer education, vocational-technical education, continuing education, developmental education, and community service. It is imperative to establish community colleges to carry out these functions while still maintaining the traditional characteristics of community colleges: low tuition, cost-benefit justifiable programs, and community-based learning. A draft of the Community College Act was enacted by the Ministry of Education (1998) to accelerate the establishment of community colleges. However, the theory and practice in designing such colleges must be scrutinized to smooth the inception of such colleges in Taiwan. This paper addresses the background of such inception, the current status of postsecondary technical education, and the planning strategies for the establishment of community colleges. Contains 16 references. (Author/VWC)

A new morphological model based on modern system science and engineering is constructed and proposed for curriculum research and development. A curriculum system is recognized as an engineering system that constitutes three components: clients, resources, and knowledge. Unlike the objective models that are purely rational and neatly sequential in curriculum development, this new model captures the complex interactions between a curriculum system and its social context. In the morphological model, decision making is a core action to direct system evolution in research and development. With the engineering concept of life cycle in curriculum research and development, processes of cyclic evolution of curriculum systems from problem domain to solution domain can be identified and supervised. (Contains 32 references.) (Author/SM)

This paper summarizes studies conducted on ethnography and bilingualism that illustrate the occurrence of events in context, conducted using ethnographic methods, thereby permitting a fuller, more in-depth understanding of language acquisition and development. Studies reviewed include examples of English language acquisition by a 5-year-old Taiwanese male, an Australian family raising their children in a bilingual household, bilingual education in a Chinese community, a Mexican-American community in California, and four families in arctic Quebec. Ethnographic studies offer the various forms, functions, and literacy values within the cultural framework. Findings from such studies evidence why ethnographic case study designs have been strongly supported in recent applied bilingual education. (Contains 18 references.) (NAV)

For practical reasons, teachers of English as a second language abroad may choose not to learn the local language. However, the advantages of learning even a little of the language far outweigh any inconvenience caused by extra study time. First, teachers abroad lead more comfortable lives when not depending on others for basic needs such as buying food or mailing letters. Second, they gain the respect of students and others because language-learning efforts communicate the value of language and culture and may help the teacher understand specific classroom problems such as pronunciation or discussion difficulties. Third, and perhaps most significant, is the effect that learning another language has on one's teaching philosophy, improving empathy and confidence by modeling second language practice. (MSE)

The current status and prospects of upper secondary vocational education (USVE) in Taiwan were reviewed. The following were among the key findings: (1) in Taiwan, USVE is offered in all vocational high schools (VHS), the occupational programs in all comprehensive high schools (CHS), and some senior high schools (SHS); (2) students in VHS constitute 55% of all students in USVE, with the remaining 45% enrolled in either SHS or CHS; (3) as of 2000-2001, there were 188 VHS, including 93 private VHS; (4) USVE in Taiwan is no longer terminal education inasmuch as most students enrolled in USVE want to pursue further study and 38% of VHS graduates in 2000-2001 were admitted to postsecondary education; (5) VHS are increasingly being transformed into CHS; (6) USVE programs and curricula are undergoing a process of reform that involves grouping all programs in Taiwan's technological and vocational education system into 17 clusters and introducing the concept of competency-based education to foster a more demand-oriented and learner-centered curriculum; (7) VHS will likely continue to downsize and pursue quality; (8) USVE programs will align to occupational families; (9) USVE will expand its audience to include a greater variety of students; and (10) VHS and CHS will strengthen their partnerships. (MN)

Beyond the nine years of compulsory education, Taiwan has the following two additional streams in the educational system: general academic education (GAE) and technological and vocational education (TVE). TVE has the two key features of a complete system to ensure students' horizontal and vertical mobility and a main schooling stream, parallel to the GAE stream at upper secondary and post-secondary school levels. The three levels of TVE--vocational high school, junior college of technology, and university/college of technology (UT/CT)--aim to prepare applicants for technical-managerial posts at the basic, middle, or advanced level. The key prospects regarding TVE in Taiwan are the following: (1) establishing relevant laws to further the development of TVE; (2) adapting the TVE schooling system to improve TVE graduates' access to further education; (3) keeping up with national economic development by cultivating the technical/managerial workforce; (4) developing a lifelong education system while assisting students with career development; (5) reconstructing the TVE curricula and concentrating on industry's needs; and (6) encouraging the participation of disadvantaged groups to achieve equality in education. (YLB)

For Taiwan, Republic of China, a nation with limited natural resources and a population of 22 million people in an area of only 36,000 square kilometers, the development and use of human resources plays a pivotal role in sustainable economic growth. Vocational education and training are two major human development methods. Since persons with disabilities in Taiwan account for about 2.6 percent of the total population, the government has begun to incorporate vocational training requirements for this group into recent legislation. As a result of the Vocational Training Act, public centers offer training in several trades each year to accommodate the training needs of persons with disabilities, as well as sponsoring training programs offered by private centers, vocational schools, and other organizations. The government is now starting an employment security program to combine vocational training, employment services, and unemployment subsidies for persons with disabilities, with a goal of helping them to reach full employment. A voucher program has been started to make the training more flexible. Efforts to help persons with disabilities need to include motivation and encouragement of these persons. The elements of a successful vocational program include planning, design, implementation, and evaluation. Well-planned and well-designed vocational training programs for persons with disabilities lead to successful employment outcomes. (Contains 13 references.) (KC)

This article describes high context messaging in Chinese English-language mass media. A case study analysis of said mass media, during the 1996 Taiwan sovereignty/reunification controversy related to People's Liberation Army exercises in the Taiwan Straits, is done as a means of focusing on one singular event. The exercises were staged to dampen the first-ever Taiwanese presidential elections on March 23. "China Daily," the government-owned and government-controlled English language newspaper, is studied as a representative mass media channel (being inclusive of China Radio International and China Central Television newsreporting topics). The author was in China during the aforementioned military exercises. Contains 13 references. (Author/RS)

Students in Taiwan are required to learn English, and schools are placing even more emphasis on listening and speaking skills. At the same time, English-language programming is widely available in Taiwan via cable television. Cable television is a useful instructional tool for teachers of English as a Second Language. This source of authentic English can be brought into the classroom and used as a teaching resource, and students can be taught how to use it effectively for self-study. High school students can be given a transcript of the video and then use the transcript to practice intonation and pronunciation, to study the grammar and vocabulary of commonly spoken English, and to act out selected scenes. Advice is given regarding how to choose an appropriate program, one that is both entertaining and useful for the purpose of language instruction. Possible activities are also suggested, such as asking students to guess who said what; practicing the proper intonation; discerning the emotion of the characters; completing dialogues; answering comprehension questions; and comparing cultures. Video programming provides an excellent tool for moving students from the artificially slow and clear English of teaching materials to the authentic English used by native English speakers. (KFT)

In recent years, educational reform movements and reports have appeared often in Taiwan. As a main avenue running parallel to general education, technological and vocational education (TVE) has been affected by a variety of claims made in those movements or reports. Some of the movements call for less competition to enter senior high schools, less-difficult examinations, less emphasis on "star" schools, and more even distribution of educational resources (educating the lower 80 percent, not just the top 20 percent of students). However, many calls for educational reform have not been based on a holistic perspective. As a result of the influence of educational reform, TVE has the following reform aims: (1) 1-year practical skills training will be added to the 9 years of compulsory education; (2) the ratio between the number of students in TVE institutions at the secondary level and the number of students in senior high schools will be adjusted from 7:3 to 5:5; (3) more pathways for entering advanced TVE study will be phased in; and (4) more postsecondary TVE institutions will be established and programs offered to improve access to the TVE system. (Author/KC)

High school students in Taiwan are currently required to take 144 hours of industrial arts (IA) or home economics weekly in grades 10-12. As a result of a comprehensive curriculum revision project, the following changes in IA programs in Taiwan's high schools will soon become effective: (1) IA will be called "living technology" (LT) to reflect the philosophy that its focus should be on equipping students with living skills; (2) all students (regardless of sex) in grades 10-11 will be required to take LT and home economics (approximately 72 hours of each instead of 144 hours of 1 course); and (3) problem solving will serve as a key instructional strategy in the LT curriculum. Unlike the existing IA curriculum, which focuses on introducing students to industrial technology knowledge and developing their industrial skills, the new LT curriculum will focus on equipping students with technological literacy and developing their ability to use technological skills to solve problems and continue further study. The following four domains are assigned in the new LT curriculum: technology and life; information and communication; construction and manufacturing; and energy and transportation. The new LT curriculum has been developed through a systems analysis approach, and principles underlying a variety of other curriculum theories, including human development, social reconstruction, and postmodernism, have been infused into it. (MN)