This article explores the merits, possibilities and difficulties of making intra and trans-disciplinary"border crossings" essentially of an ideational kind. Drawing ideas from complexity literature, the article lauds the potential of "concept studies" as means of making such crossings and addressing enduring issues (e.g., of…

Using social media in education requires putting some building blocks for success in place. A strong foundation for successful use of social networking in education starts by securing parent/guardian and student agreements. Social networking provides a powerful platform for learning and connecting. Facebook is not just for sharing status updates…

This paper explores the potential contribution of education to sustainable development. Drawing on recent evidence it argues that education could play a stronger role--a position reinforced by the new sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, securing this contribution will have to be achieved in an era where educational delivery will be…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse knowledge systems and channels of innovation diffusion in Tajikistan. In particular, I look at the formation of agricultural advisory services (AASs) and how these provide a vital source of knowledge and innovation for farmers during the transition process. Methodology: Empirically, this paper draws…

We argue the emergence of a shift in U.S. language education policy discourses from an equity/heritage (EH) framework focused on equity for English learners and non-English heritage languages, toward a global human capital (GHC) framework linked to neoliberal considerations of the language skills of individuals and nations. This discursive shift…

Consider the oyster. Like all good metaphors, it has done some morphing since the days of Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor." Newer bands of shell material have repainted the mollusk metaphor, transforming it from ostracism, opportunism, and exploitation to openness, opportunity and exploration, and thus an apt symbol for the…

This work is a comparative study of JSCE results between the 6-3-3-4 system (2006 & 2008) and the 9-3-4 (UBE) system (2009 & 2011) in Port Harcourt using a comparative/evaluative survey design. A cluster sampling technique was used to compose a sample of 2,487 drawn from the population of 17,139 candidates in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011 in…

In this paper, we report on an investigation into sustainability education in schools in the Australian state of Tasmania following the implementation of the Australian Curriculum. Sustainability is one of three cross-curriculum priorities in the new national curriculum and is the focus of this research (sustainability cross-curriculum priority…

Elective Home Education is a legal, minority approach to the compulsory education of children. I review the potential contribution of the historical analysis of "domestic pedagogies", presented in this Special Issue, for home education practice in the UK. By drawing on narratives of a period at the cusp of the perceived normalcy of…

Research indicates that motivation plays a central role in literacy development. Recent investigations have revealed that reading motivation begins to erode as early as second grade. Therefore, it can be suggested that motivation must be carefully considered during early literacy instruction. However, such motivating instruction can be effectively…

Despite determined effort much more needs to be done to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education outcomes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the first Australians with the oldest continuing cultures in human history. Governments across Australia affirm the right of Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to…

In discussing personal stances professionals might take towards their practice, Hoyle contrasts two orientations that can be placed at the ends of a continuum. The first pole, the so-called "restricted" stance, is characterised by teachers relying principally on experience and intuition, and focusing on daily classroom practicalities.…

The process of enculturation, initially a mimetic matter, was raised to the level of 'the art of teaching' when methodology made its first appearance. As R. G. Collingwood noted in his 1933 "An Essay on Philosophical Method," it was Aristotle who first proclaimed that "Socrates was essentially the inventor of method." Socrates'…

The writing of this essay coincided with the author's first meeting as a member of the newly established Task Team for the Council on Higher Education (CHE)--an advisory body to the national Ministry of Education--to review the state of higher education in South Africa over the past twenty years since its transition to a post-apartheid society.…

Following an era in which the National Curriculum has been very prescriptive, and based on specific knowledge, the current proposals offer greater flexibility. Accountability has not gone away but the fine detail of what is taught, and how, is for schools and teachers to decide. Instead of setting top levels of achievement demoralisingly…