With the approach of constant changes and quality assurance in education, we have reached an optimum that no longer justifies all further investments in such changes, as the results of these investments are (and will be) minimal and insufficient. We have reached a stage where we must shift from evolution to revolution, from constant changes in…

The nature of the sustainability challenges currently at hand is such that dominant pedagogies and forms of learning that characterize higher education need to be reconsidered to enable students and staff to deal with accelerating change, increasing complexity, contested knowledge claims and inevitable uncertainty. In this contribution we…

This article provides a transcript of the Presidential Address delivered by Martin Rees, Lord Rees of Ludlow, to the Association for Science Education (ASE) Annual Conference at the University of Reading, January 2013. The address is divided into five sections under the following headings: (1) Three Reasons Why the ASE's Mission Is So Important;…

The educational reform debate has produced two contrasting models for the future. The first model is one of technocratic control, which is based on the concept of standardized tests, accountability, and a quantifiable bottom-line approach to schools. The second model grows from a call for local school autonomy, teacher participation, and local…

A comprehensive view of science and technology in curricular reforms and materials is needed to promote public understanding and participation in science issues. This paper presents the results of an analysis of the treatment of the nature of science and technology in science curricular materials in India. Textbook sections on the conceptions of…

This paper addresses the question of how the scientific community views the public understanding of science and whether there needs to be a re-conceptualization of the challenge to foster the public understanding of science, as well as whether there is a need to re-examine assumptions. It is argued that the science community's historic perspective…

This essay suggests that a profound philosophical misunderstanding exists concerning western science and its application to education and specifically to teaching. Based on the analysis of Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the paper suggests that western identifying principles have taken on the role of "games" where deep introspection is…

The Iowa-Scope, Sequence, and Coordination (SS&C) Program assists schools with reform of their entire middle school programs, grades 6-8, and features the science, technology, and society (STS) instructional approach. This reform translates to the creation of new frameworks for the school program and aims to produce "constructivist"…

The ongoing restructuring of a mobile, global, digital, postindustrial economy and the consequent trend toward commodified information present challenges to teacher librarians: emphasizing education as engaged learning, recognizing overextension, emphasizing unmeasurable spiritual and cultural values, using ecological or social-bonding models of…

Argues that there is an urgent need to renew, expand, and diversify basic science education in schools. Calls for policy that endorses science education as an essential part of the general education of all young people at the primary and secondary levels, and claims that the public and private sectors must find the means to make this policy a…

Discusses the role of science education in light of the needs of developing countries. Presents the Early Learning Science Series for Africa (ELSSA) project as an example of a developing country's attempt to produce students who are scientifically and technologically literate. (WRM)

Considering the rapid advancements in scientific knowledge and technological improvements, this paper calls for a reorientation of the curriculum and instruction of science education in Japan. The document encourages the development of a science education program which focuses on a few major concepts and then teaches children how to think…

In the mid to late 1980s, observers of education in Western Australia witnessed considerable educational change. Following an inquiry into education in Western Australia (Beazley, 1984), several major changes were made in secondary school curricula, procedures of assessment, and methods of certification. This paper explores some of the…

Today, on the eve of the 21st century, Japan is becoming an internationalized, information centered civilization. The sophistication of modern science and technology will create a demand for people who are highly productive in handling knowledge and sensitive in their manipulation of it. This advance of science and technology will also require an…

This paper examines changes in American higher education, using the metaphor of ocean tides. The tides of change in the 1980s included public demands for assessment and accountability; fairness and credibility in advantages and benefits; improved quality of education; effectiveness and efficiency; assurance that college graduates were personally…