Innovation is essential for the education sector. The ways in which curriculum decision making is organised reflects different implicit approaches on how educational systems pertain to promote innovation in education. Curriculum holds an outstanding place when seeking to promote innovation in education, as it reflects the vision for education by…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2013, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 1 to 3 of June. Education, in a global sense, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the…

The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a multiple-choice test designed to monitor students' understanding of force and related kinematics. Outlines how the FCI was used to evaluate student learning following a newly developed approach to teaching mechanics in a Finnish upper secondary school. Offers an example of the benefits that can follow from…

Non-formal adult educational programs in Scandinavian and North American popular movements have often been used to advance popular, democractic movements in both areas. Folk schools are often viewed as a panacea for social and educational problems, but as the findings here demonstrate, it is not just education but the mobilization of people around…

Finland is challenged to make the most of globalization by reinforcing its positive aspects. The 1990s taught that success in creating innovations is a key factor for success of business and societies. A precondition, high-level technological and business know-how, requires systematic input into producing social innovations that prevent societal…

Recent reform in Finnish elementary-level schools is affecting secondary and higher education as well. The five articles in this Bulletin describe some of the changes. "The Goals of School Democracy Reform" is a statement of educational goals: a democratic citizenry, educational planning coincident with national goals, the guarantee of…

The public sector in Finland faces tasks and challenges in promoting science, technology, and innovations in conditions of global change. Sustainable economic, social, and cultural development will continue to demand comprehensive development of the innovation system based on solid cooperation between the public and private sectors in the country.…

These 24 papers represent the proceedings of a program presented by the research network on vocational education and training (VET). They include "School-Arranged or Market-Governed Workplace Training?" (Ulla Arnell-Gustafsson); "Prospects for Mutual Learning and Transnational Transfer of Innovative Practice in European VET"…