Describes the Geography 16-19 Project, a National Curriculum program in operation in the United Kingdom since 1976. Examines the project's approach to curriculum planning which emphasizes process-oriented, inquiry-based learning that focuses on interrelationships between people and their environments. Considers implications for higher education…

Discusses the teaching of particle physics as part of the A-level physics course in British secondary schools. Utilizes the quark model of hadrons and the conceptual kinematics of particle collisions, as examples, to demonstrate practical instructional possibilities in relation to student expectations. (JJK)

Describes the relationship and interdependence of environmental education and economic and industrial themes. Explores the need for these themes to be linked when introduced into school curricula and the extent to which this is happening within the National Curriculum of England and Wales. Suggests ways to enhance this integrated approach. (22…

This article examines the nature of language education and the national curriculum for language education in Italian elementary and secondary schools. Analysis of the curriculum shows the place given to the development of language awareness and of conscious knowledge of language in Italian schools. (seven references) (MDM)

Discusses idea that education "for" the environment should begin as early as do other components of the British National Curriculum, continue throughout, and not be regarded as the poor relation of education "about" the environment. Maintaining the health of the environment is considered by the author to be the most important task that will face…

Examines Scotland's increasingly standardized national curriculum and testing reforms. Discusses centrally determined innovations, relationships between curriculum and assessment, reforms' effects on classroom, and teachers' role. Compares elements of encroaching "market model" reforms in England, Wales, and United States, suggesting…

Children with autism have special characteristics (such as communication problems, lack of common sense, and resistance to change) that present a challenge in gaining access to Great Britain's National Curriculum. Possible problem-solving approaches include creating a thinking environment, teaching cognitive strategies, and developing…

Reviews the Standard Assessment Tasks used to evaluate pupil performance relative to the National Curriculum in England and Wales. Asserts that the system of assigning students to one of 10 levels of attainment is criterion-referenced, whereas the test is norm-referenced. (CFR)

Shows how a memory aid can help teachers focus their short-term planning in terms of curricular and formative assessment. Delineates the essential elements of high-quality, short-term planning in science education. (DDR)

A survey of all secondary schools in a southern English county found that 4.6% offered outdoor education courses, 15% had discontinued such courses in the last 5 years, 46% included outdoor/adventure activities in physical-education curricula, and 88% ran short residential trips temporarily replacing the school curriculum. Discusses obstacles and…

Under traditional Confucianism, China's school system became authoritarian, rigid, and undemocratic. In recent decades, China had one national curriculum and one unified set of textbooks. Now, text publication is more varied, curriculum planning and writing is becoming more democratic, and Western ideas are incorporated to spur economic…

Background for understanding the experience of Muslim immigrant students in French schools. Discusses the philosophy of equal education as equal access to the same knowledge (defined exclusively by the state and teachers); lack of teacher accountability; examination-based selection; and church-state separation. Describes government responses to…

Explores the role and significance of co-operation, or clustering, between small primary schools in rural areas across England and Wales. Describes small-school cluster groups in detail and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of clustering based on the opinions of sample headteachers. Considers the future of cluster co-operation. (Contains…

Examined attitudes of 186 early childhood educators regarding the "Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning on Entering Compulsory Education" survey in the United Kingdom. Found that, although there is some consensus among preschool workers in different settings concerning early-years curriculum priorities, those within an education…

Describes how bilingualism has progressed in schools in Sheffield (England) with the employment of bilingual teachers and the research and guidance of central services, such as the Sheffield United Multicultural Education Service. Curriculum development initiatives are outlined, and the impact of these initiatives on mainstreaming bilingual…