Traces the world-wide development of distance education, including recent innovations that have enhanced its status as an appropriate and effective mechanism for adult education and training. Discusses the separation of teacher and learner, the role of the institution, the use of technical media, the clientele attracted, and some current trends.…

John C. Pittenger is not satisfied with his bureaucratic job as Pennsylvania's education secretary. He also teaches a social studies class, coaches a college squash team, and tries to inject some life and humanity into the state's public schools. (Editor)

The need of American youth to be responsible and contributing members of society has led to the rise of "youth participation" projects across the country. Various programs have been established to enable young people to participate in meaningful activities. (JN)

This chapter explores some of the historical underpinnings of collaborative learning and highlights the issues involved in designing collaborative approaches including roots of collaboration in education, epistemological theory, reframing the student and teacher roles, and shared inquiry as a process of reform. (MLW)

Addresses the effectiveness of teaching methods in English primary school classrooms. Evaluates the interventions designed to change primary educators' teaching methods by replicating the Observational Research and Classroom Learning Evaluation (ORACLE) study that was originally conducted in 1976. Compares the results from the original study to…

Compares and contrasts two types of schools, the standard versus the interactive model. Topics include an emphasis on process versus an emphasis on results; constructivism and the changing roles of teachers and students; school culture; answers versus questions; and future versus present. (LRW)

Our examination of three schools demonstrates how students can be involved in school reform by giving input about problems, helping design the reform, and sharing implementation responsibilities with adult leaders. Their involvement affects both the reform--as students leave their fingerprints on it--and the students themselves, who show signs of…

This paper analyzes the stages of educational development beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, when mass economies began to emerge, immediately after World War II. This essay covers the last 40 years that have been characterized by rapid change and the most fascinating acceleration in the history of humanity. During those four decades, education…

Acknowledged or not, students are curriculum theorists and critics of schooling. Useful lessons can be learned by drawing them into the dialogue about the purposes and practices of education. The addition of children's perspectives can help education become an adventure in which teachers, researchers, and children together learn new questions as…

This article discusses the role of second language teachers in relation to the changing role of language departments at the university level. Of the many factors involved in setting up a successful language program, student participation and the role of the teacher are among the most important. The teacher's qualifications should reflect the…

Follow-up to a 1965 study of the relationships of student self-concept, values, vocational choice, and education suggests that (1) while career choice may be harder for this generation of students, they have higher expectations, and (2) the real personal values guiding career choice may be revealed only well after schooling is completed. (MSE)

To facilitate the integration of technology into the learning environment, the Office of Instructional Computing at the State University of New York at Stony Brook engages students as peer mentors and as technology mentors to faculty. Examines the two mentoring relationships, the design of the programs, and the pros and cons of such programs. (PEN)

The history of legal education in Bulgaria is chronicled from the late nineteenth century through the communist period to the present day. Aspects examined include the politicization of education, curriculum changes, and the roles of students and faculty. Issues likely to arise in the future are also examined briefly. (MSE)

Develops existing arguments about the need to rethink ways in which environmental education is conceptualized, interpreted, and enacted by schools, teachers, and students working within their communities. Argues for multiple approaches to develop and deliver educational goals deemed appropriate by a community of practitioners with different…