In 2003, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), recognizing the need for a standard definition of distance education, issued a monograph that posed a definition of distance education as "institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications systems are used…

This article explores the potentials of new pedagogical approaches, assisted by digital technologies, to transform today's learning environments and create learning for the future--learning environments which could be more relevant to a changing world, more effective in meeting community expectations and which manage educational resources more…

English further education and American higher education and continuing education institutions have valuable lessons to teach each other. American community colleges can learn from English standards and assessment practices and innovative partnerships. English further education institutions can learn from Americans' emphasis on accessibility to…

The use of students' second language as the medium of instruction in schools is quite common in former colonies of Western countries. Schools in Hong Kong have had this kind of experience for more than 150 years. In this study, three factors, namely economic, political, and educational, are found to affect the choice of medium of instruction in…

Childcare practices such as feeding, toilet training, sleeping arrangement and discipline in three Asian countries (China, Japan, and India) are compared. These countries differ from each other in culture, religion, language and ethnic makeup from Euro-American culture. The differences in childcare practices are broadly related to the differences…

In this paper we present a study conducted within the framework of an in-service professional development program for junior and senior high school mathematics teachers. The focus of the study is the analysis of processes encountered by the staff members, as members of a community of practice, which contributed to their growth as teacher…

Cooper, president of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, dismisses the contention that some children are just not able to learn. His organization, in partnership with school districts, has studied the causes of and potential solutions to the achievement gap and has seen encouraging progress in several school districts where…

In recent years sociocultural theory has provided an important conceptual tool for re-thinking many practices in early childhood education (e.g. Anning, Cullen & Fleer, 2004; Edwards, 2001; Edwards, 2003). While much has been gained, many taken-for-granted practices still remain in need of critique. Although the term "Child…

Purpose: This article aims to deliver synoptic perspectives on the evolution taking place in corporate university management best practice. Design/methodology/approach: The insights are based on the author's co-creative client experience in the design, management and impact studies of this business and organisation development intervention. The…

Purpose: Coaches leave an indelible mark on all their athletes by striving to exemplify the highest moral character, behaviour and leadership. Coaching is said to be as much an art as a science, and demands creativity and individual interpretation of people and situations. The aim of this study was to present the educational system for training…

Critical theorists consider schools as sites of ideological struggle. The following is an account of Suzette's (pseudonym) attempts to define the educational practices in a women's prison according to the democratic principles suggested in the Task Force Report on Federally Sentenced Women: Creating Choices, (Correctional Service of Canada, 1990).…

Getting research-based instructional practices into the hands of professionals who teach students with learning disabilities is one of the most significant challenges for educators. This paper describes some of the major factors accounting for the gaps that exist between the special education research and classroom practice and presents four major…

With the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) approaching, the question is "how well positioned is Australia to respond to the challenge of educating for sustainability?". The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief summary of ESD status, needs and innovations at the national level within Australia. ESD is…

The purposes of this paper are twofold. First, we argue that the rationalistic assumptions on which dominant conceptions of the coaching process rest are rather unrealistic. We therefore hold that they have relatively limited potential either for a theoretical understanding of coaching or for guiding practitioners. Second, we tentatively offer the…

Service-learning is an educational practice that has been used successfully in many disciplines, and is defined as "a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of…