The challenge of combining research and practice in HRD [Human Resource Development] led to continuing debate concerning who are scholar-practitioners and how they combine research and practice in the workplace. A study of seven scholar-practitioners provides some answers for HRD scholar-practitioners on connecting research and practice. The…

This article seeks to contrast two constructions of teachers and teaching in England. The first construction is to be found in government documentation, which privileges a technical-rational approach. The second is to be found in film and advertising for the profession, where the teacher is represented as an altruistic and charismatic subject. In…

This paper sets the scene for a collection of papers based on "The impact of policy on learning and inclusion in the learning and skills sector," a research project funded from January 2004 until July 2007 by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of their Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP). We raise some…

This article raises some questions about the current policy context of debates on the link between research and teaching in academic work, specifically within university education departments. It draws selectively from a research project which investigated education academics' perceptions and experiences in Scotland and England but focuses…

This paper traces the origins of the concept of personalisation in public sector services, and applies it to school education. The original conceptualisation stressed the need for "deep" rather than shallow, personalisation, if radical transformation of services were to be achieved. It is argued that as the concept has been disseminated and…

Modern cooperative learning began in the mid- 1960s (D. W. Johnson & R. Johnson, 1999a). Its use, however, was resisted by advocates of social Darwinism (who believed that students must be taught to survive in a "dog-eat-dog" world) and individualism (who believed in the myth of the "rugged individualist"). Despite the resistance, cooperative…

Including reflective practice in tertiary learning design is one way of working towards making effective learning possible for students. This article considers how elements of reflective practice in teaching delivery and assessment have been successful in satisfying principles of effective teaching in the context of the study of law at first year…

Business professors in the twenty-first century have been engaging in another form of problem-based pedagogy to unite business school and business practice. This teaching methodology, called "active learning," has become the new case method in college courses. Like the case-based approach, active learning bridges the gap between theory and…

The role of curriculum-based data in educational decision making, particularly with regard to the assistive technology (AT) consideration process, has become increasingly important. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and other demands for school accountability require teachers to be more thoughtful about all decisions regarding students…

The assessment for learning framework in education has become big business: huge quantities of time, money and energy have been invested in England, Wales and more recently the USA. This article shows that the assessment for learning theory is inefficient and often contradictory. Black and Wiliam's earlier work provides much of the theoretical…

This article proposes a theory- and practice-based model for adapting physical activities. The ecological frame of reference includes Dynamic and Action System Theory, World Health Organization International Classification of Function and Disability, and Adaptation Theory. A systematic model is presented addressing (a) the task objective, (b) task…

This article describes the emerging field of metagenomics, a potent new tool that vastly expands the ability of scientists to study the myriad capabilities of microbial communities and the as yet unrecognized relationships and interactions of microbes with other forms of life and the environment. The birth of this exciting new field provides the…

Detailed analyses of adult-infant interaction among some European and North American populations have revealed that it resides on characteristics such as synchronous timing, phrasing, pitch contours and variations of dynamic intensity that are essentially musical in nature. Moreover, this musicality of infancy is the medium which enables and…

This study was designed to illuminate the state of education in Taiwan by constructing Educational Indicator Systems. The study, sponsored by the National Science Council between 1998 and 2000, was the first comprehensive indicator project to cover all educational levels in Taiwan. Various research methods were used, including panel discussion,…

This article explores some of the main challenges of improving the teaching of evidence-based practice in schools of social work. The priority challenges are the needs for a general professional cultural shift, for adequate curricula, to overcome the controversy of scientific methodology, to better understand the state of the art of the…