Purpose: Several arguments have been put forward about why distributed leadership in schools should contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning. This paper aims to investigate the extent to which conceptual and empirical research in the field is aligned to this goal. Design/methodology/approach: The discussion of alignment was…

When any object of external sense, or of thought, occupies the mind in such a degree that a person does not receive a clear perception from any other one, he is said to attend to it. The principle that is excited in his mind by a perception, or thought, is commonly called the faculty of attention; a faculty which may be justly said to be the…

This article reviews Philip Barnes' account of problems with religious education (RE), and explores the practical implications of his position. Acknowledging his compelling logic--that RE is premised on an acceptance of all religions as equally theologically true--this article argues for optimism: with controversy and ambiguity moving to centre…

Many commentators have noted that growing commercialization of college sports has made it increasingly difficult for universities to reconcile the gap between college sports and the fundamental mission of higher education. This article considers those individuals who choose to be a student athlete in good faith, and suggests strategies that can be…

Building on insights of Seymour Fox, I explore the often-decisive role of "good timing" in the introduction of potentially powerful innovations (ideas, practices, etc.) into practical domains like education. After examining key readiness conditions that make for good timing, I argue that the field of Jewish education is in many ways now ready to…

While a good class with a guest speaker requires plenty of advance preparation, the real clincher is for the teacher to create a tight fit between the course objectives and the speaker's purpose in being there. The speaker has to play an essential role in fulfilling the learning objectives of the course; if that doesn't happen, the students will…

Retention, attainment and progression have become key issues in post-compulsory education in the UK, as the policy agenda of increasing and widening participation has taken hold. Keeping students in the system, enabling them to gain qualifications and thereby progress to higher level courses is a key educational goal. Yet alongside increasing…

A number of taxonomies of educational objectives are described, including: (1) cognitive taxonomies by Bloom, Guilford, Gagne and Merrill, Gerlach and Sullivan, and DeBlock; (2) affective taxonomies by Karthwohl and Raven; (3) psychomotor taxonomies by Ragsdale, Simpson, and Harrow; and (4) D'Hainaut's integration of the other models. (GDC)

Systems analysis offers a useful approach for the redirection of counselor education. The formulation of training objectives stated in terms of what the counselor candidate will be doing as a result of instruction is an intrinsic part of the systems approach. (Author)

The Gronlund technique in writing objectives for general classroom instruction and the Mager technique in writing specific job objectives are discussed in light of the over emphasis on specific objectives which may result in the teacher concentrating solely on the objectives of a teaching unit rather than the intention of the unit. (EA)

How instructional objectives look to a mathematics teacher is described. (MM)