Background: Given rising expectations for higher education institutions to rely more on private sources of funding, there is a search for viable models and directions that promise success. But the models used by successful institutions are often unique and not applicable to institutions needing guidance. Aims or focus of discussion: The aim of…

The author traces the growth of K-12 online learning in the United States from its modest genesis in the mid-1990s with 50,000 students to the more than 4 million enrollments today, the fastest scaling ever of any innovation in K-12 education. The evolution from one-size-fits-all online courses to innovative, blended instructional models that are…

In this article, the author presents the science and engineering practices from the recently released "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011). The author recognizes the changes implied by the new framework, and that a new generation of science education standards will present new…

Students--and their best interests--are the focal point of curriculum reform in basic education in Hong Kong. Since 2001, Hong Kong has sought to reform basic education so as to enable every student to become "all-rounded." At a practical level, this has meant the cultivation of students' ethics and values, intellect, physical fitness,…

This article addresses the question of the implications for professional education of economic, social and political changes that are transforming the boundaries, accountabilities and governance of professional practice. We argue that approaches to professional education that are uni-disciplinary and focused on the individual, cannot prepare…

Although fish farming in Cameroon started in the late 1940s, currently the country meets only half of its domestic demand for fish. This article examines the complex issue of farmers' adoption decisions and attempts to answer why there is a lag in the diffusion process. The theory of behaviour modification and key variables of adoption form the…

Purpose: By comparing two small high-tech firms specialising in medical technology this article seeks to answer the following questions: What are the key characteristics of innovation processes in the case firms? How do the mutual relationships between mental, social and physical spaces explain the different pathways in the innovation processes in…

Current instructional and learning models insist that when teachers prepare lessons for their technology and engineering classes, they must begin with a sense of what students already know. In preparing lessons, many teachers use their years of classroom experience as data to inform them about students' prior knowledge and about student…

Thanks to its dedicated teachers and committed students, Massachusetts leads the nation in student achievement and classroom innovation. Massachusetts has made education its top priority because it's the path to a more fulfilling life, a more rewarding career and a richer society. The author has personally experienced the transformative power of…

A context-based module to introduce secondary school students to the study of the optical properties of materials and geometric optics is presented. The module implements an innovative teaching approach in which the behaviour of the chosen application, in this article, the optical fibre, is iteratively explored and modelled by means of a…

Plant species utilized by Cherokees have been documented by several authors. However, many of the traditional uses of plants were lost or forgotten in the generations following the Trail of Tears. The pressures of overcoming the physical and psychological impact of the removal, adapting to a new landscape, rebuilding a government, rebuilding…

Urban schools are faced with challenges such as low academic performance, increased incidents of violence, lack of parental engagement with educators, and school personnel burnout. Wraparound counseling is a holistic prevention tool that combines the best practices of counseling and special education for use in the school setting. (Contains 1…

So it appears that the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) could benefit from intervention aimed at increasing its translational footprint, thus promoting continued recognition and support as a valuable social enterprise. The author greatly appreciates Critchfield's ("Translational Contributions of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior," "The…

The aim of this work is to develop a proposal for a methodology in the university environment that enables us to design our course with an approach based on the development and acquisition of competences within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), allowing a transition from a model focused on teaching to a model focused on…

In this article, the author comments on the articles in this special issue of "Innovations in Education and Teaching International (IETI)." The author recently saw a documentary called "Reel Injun: The Hollywood Indian" about the way American Indians are represented in Hollywood films. Watching this documentary amidst reading…