Interaction between science and design and technology (D&T) in schools is seen by many educationalists and industrialists as being desirable. During the period 1970 to 1990 progress was made in the UK, however the advent of the national curriculum compartmentalised subjects thus hindering further progress. Bodies in the UK such as the Office…

Argues for increasing the use of nontraditional methodologies in the reading of Shakespeare's plays for secondary school students. Discusses the "myth of Shakespeare" and his plays as a cultural inheritance, an attitude that is implicitly encouraged by the British National Curriculum. Posits that children in the classroom should be in…

Describes the New National Curriculum of Industrial Arts Education that is used in Japan. Discusses the administration and content of the program and how it will continue into the twenty-first century. (JOW)

A National Curriculum for postgraduate science teacher training courses in England and Wales was first introduced in September 1999. Reviews the new curriculum and associated assessment procedures and raises points for discussion. Particular attention is paid to the implications for prospective high school physics teachers. (Author/MM)

Examines the location and status of poetry writing within an assessment-driven curriculum. Argues for the development of an assessment model that could remove the mystique surrounding poetry and establish it on an equal footing with prose text types in the National Curriculum for English. (SG)

Analyzes two initiatives in Australian education that have attempted to influence the future directions of high school chemistry curricula: the concept of a national curriculum encompassing eight key learning areas and the reform processes of individual state governments. Presents a radically different syllabus produced by the State of Victoria as…

Reports the findings of a questionnaire-based study of the experiences of secondary science teachers under the British National Curriculum. Suggests a model for future control of the science curriculum. (Author/CCM)

Describes one secondary educator's experiences teaching in Belfast, Northern Ireland, noting differences in education practice between Northern Ireland and the United States. The article highlights the pastoral system (in which teachers monitor students' welfare), the national curriculum, and changing schools (schools are beginning to try an…

The future of physical education (PE) depends on the quality of emerging committed professionals and their ability to teach across the different activity areas contained within the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE). It is a role that requires extensive subject knowledge and perceived competence in the ability to use it effectively.…

This article illustrates imaginative ways in which the building blocks of a liberal education (the systematic intellectual disciplines) can be assembled into a school curriculum. The advocacy of liberal education as the distinctive work of schools does not require a curriculum of isolated academic subjects. The historic ideal of the school as a…

This paper reviews a decade of development of technology education at the secondary school level in Australia. It traces the influences, both national and international, which have pressed the nation's education systems to introduce technology studies into the school curriculum. The increasing globalization, the movement of capital and labor, the…

Good history teaching should not be the responsibility of a single department working in isolation. The history subject community as a whole should work together to ensure that history teaching is of as high a quality as possible. This does not mean that every department, and every teacher, should do exactly the same things. It means, rather, that…

Defines economic awareness as a critical awareness of the use of scarce resources. Identifies the three major perspectives of economic awareness as knowledge, procedure and needs-based. States that it is possible to coalesce these perspectives into a fourth eclectic perspective, and to provide guidelines for teachers in line with the national…

Discusses how films of Shakespeare's plays can be used to teach literary analysis in the classroom and to nurture an interest in Shakespeare. Suggests some books for teachers which specifically address Shakespeare and film. (PRA)

Faced with government-mandated restructuring, Dutch secondary schools and universities are networking to tackle school and professional development concerns. The collegial network helps teachers interpret and influence government policies, learn from one anothers' experience, tap into external expertise, and develop new educational approaches,…