Drawing on the idea of powerful knowledge, this book interrogates the epistemic quality of education in schools, in terms of what students are expected to know, make sense of and be able to do through the curriculum. In doing so the authors acknowledge the significance of transformation processes through which specialized knowledge, developed in subject disciplines, is reshaped and re-presented in educational environments. Moving beyond the narrow knowledge vs skills debate of the 20th century, the authors look at how we might democratise and open up access to 'knowledge of the powerful' for all through the school curriculum. Arising from the work of the Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education network (KOSS), funded by the Swedish Research Council (2019-22), this book draws on studies conducted in a range of national contexts, including from Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and considers the implications for curriculum innovation at policy, programmatic and classroom level.
This book explores how science learning can be more relevant and interesting for students and teachers by using a contextualized approach to science education. The contributors explore the contextualization of science education from multiple angles, such as teacher education, curriculum design, assessment and educational policy, and from multiple national perspectives. The aim of this exploration is to provide and inspire new practical approaches to bring science education closer to the lives of students to accelerate progress towards global scientific literacy. The book presents real life examples of how to make science relevant for children and adolescents of diverse ethnic and language backgrounds, socioeconomic status and nationalities, providing tools and guidance for teacher educators and researchers to improve the contextualization and cultural relevance of their practice. The book includes rigorous studies demonstrating that the contextualization of science learning environments is essential for student engagement in learning science and practitioners' reflections on how to apply this knowledge in the classroom and at national scale. This approach makes this book valuable for researchers and professors of science education and international education interested in designing teacher education courses that prepare future teachers to contextualize their teaching and in adding a critical dimension to their research agendas.
In the continuing global call for educational reforms and change, the contributors in this edited collection address the critical issue of teacher learning from diverse national contexts and perspectives. They define "teacher learning that matters" as it shapes and directs pedagogical practices with the goal of improving student learning. This book weaves together major studies, research findings and theoretical orientations to represent a globalized network of inquiries into the what, how and why of teacher learning that shapes teacher skill and knowledge. Teacher learning matters on an international scale because teachers are the portals through which any initiative for change and reform is realized. Recognizing that a highly skilled teaching force is instrumental to improving student achievement adds import to generating interactive dialogue on teacher learning around the globe.
"Mathematics teacher education includes the mathematics content teachers need to understand, the ways that pedagogical approaches are developed, the messages about the nature of mathematics teaching and learning, and the interface between tertiary preparation and school contexts. Scholars from Sweden, France, Malawi, Singapore, New Zealand, Brazil, the USA, and Canada provide insights for the mathematics education community's understanding of how teacher educators in different countries structure, develop, and implement their respective mathematics teacher education programs. Several themes emerged across the chapters including: varied approaches to developing culturally responsive pedagogies and/or Indigenous perspectives to ensure equity and diversity for all students; issues and challenges in fostering partnerships and collaborations among various stakeholders, with partnerships involving connections with mathematics classroom teachers, school districts, and/or mathematicians or mathematics departments; strategies for developing mathematics knowledge for teaching, providing insights into messages about what it means to learn mathematics in terms of content and pedagogy; and preparing teachers who have flexibility and resourcefulness. This book will be of interest to those responsible for higher education, including teacher educators, researchers in mathematics teacher education, instructors of graduate courses preparing future teacher educators, as well as policy makers"--
Curriculum can be defined in a variety of ways. It might be viewed as a body of knowledge, a product, or a process. Curricula can differ as they are conceptualized from various theoretical perspectives to address the needs of teachers, students, and the context of schooling. One reason to study curriculum is “to reveal the expectations, processes and outcomes of students’ school learning experiences that are situated in different cultural and system contexts. … further studies of curriculum practices and changes are much needed to help ensure the success of educational reforms in the different cultural and system contexts” (Kulm & Li, 2009, p. 709). This volume highlights international perspectives on curriculum and aims to broaden the wider mathematics education community’s understandings of mathematics curriculum through viewing a variety of ways that curricula are developed, understood, and implemented in different jurisdictions/countries. Within this volume, we define curriculum broadly as the set of mathematics standards or outcomes, the messages inherent in mathematics curriculum documents and resources, how these standards are understood by a variety of stakeholders, and how they are enacted in classrooms. The focus is on the written, implied, and enacted curriculum in various educational settings throughout the world.
Drawing together an international author team from Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK, this book examines how we might democratize and open up access to 'knowledge of the powerful' for all. This book moves beyond the narrow knowledge vs skills debate of the 20th century to interrogate the epistemic quality of education in schools, and is a valuable resource for reflecting on the design and implementation of teacher education. Based on a range of national studies by the Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education network (KOSS), funded by the Swedish Research Council (2019-22), the chapters explore teachers' powerful professional knowledge and the implications this has for innovation in teacher education, policy and practice in educational settings.
PBL in Engineering Education: International Perspectives on Curriculum Change presents diverse views on the implementation of PBL from across the globe. The purpose is to exemplify curriculum changes in engineering education. Drivers for change, implementation descriptions, challenges and future perspectives are addressed. Cases of PBL models are presented from Singapore, Malaysia, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain and the USA. These cases are stories of thriving success that can be an inspiration for those who aim to implement PBL and change their engineering education practices. In the examples presented, the change processes imply a transformation of vision and values of what learning should be, triggering a transition from traditional learning to PBL. In this sense, PBL is also a learning philosophy and different drivers, facing diverse challenges and involving different actors, trigger its implementation. This book gathers experiences, practices and models, through which is given a grasp of the complexity, multidimensional, systemic and dynamic nature of change processes. Anette Kolmos, director of Aalborg PBL Centre, leads off the book by presenting different strategies to curriculum change, addressing three main strategies of curriculum change, allowing the identification of three types of institutions depending on the type of strategy used. Following chapters describe each of the PBL cases based upon how they implement the seven components of PBL: (i) objectives and knowledge; (ii) types of problems, projects and lectures; (iii) progression, size and duration; (iv) students’ learning; (v) academic staff and facilitation; (vi) space and organization; and (vii) assessment and evolution. The book concludes with a chapter summarizing all chapters and providing an holistic perspective of change processes.
The present book shares critical perspectives on the conceptualization, implementation, discourses, policies, and alternative practices of environmental education (EE) for diverse and unique groups of learners in a variety of international educational settings. Each contribution offers insights on the authors’ own processes of re-imagining an education in/about/for the environment that are realized through their teaching, research and other ways of “doing” EE. Overall, environmental education has been aimed at giving people a wider appreciation of the diversity of cultural and environmental systems around them as well as the urge to overcome existing problems. In this context, universities, schools, and community-based organizations struggle to promote sustainable environmental education practices geared toward the development of ecologically literate citizens in light of surmountable challenges of hyperconsumerism, environmental depletion and socioeconomic inequality. The extent that individuals within educational systems are expected to effectively respond to—as well as benefit from—a “greener” and more just world becomes paramount with the vision and analysis of different successes and challenges embodied by EE efforts worldwide. This book fosters conversations amongst researchers, teacher educators, schoolteachers, and community leaders in order to promote new international collaborations around current and potential forms of environmental education. This book reflects many successful international projects and perspectives on the theory and praxis of environmental education. An eclectic mix of international scholars challenge environmental educators to engage issues of reconciliation of correspondences and difference across regions. In their own ways, authors stimulate critical conversations that seem pivotal for necessary re-imaginings of research and pedagogy across the grain of cultural and ecological realities, systematic barriers and reconceptualizations of environmental education. The book is most encouraging in that it works to expand the creative commons for progress in teaching, researching and doing environmental education in desperate times. — Paul Hart, Professor of Science and Environmental Education at the University of Regina (Canada), Melanson Award for outstanding contributions to environmental and outdoor education (Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association) and North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)’s Jeske Award for Leadership and Service to the Field of EE and Outstanding Contributions to Research in EE. In an attempt to overcome simplistic and fragmented views of doing Environmental Education in both formal and informal settings, the collected authors from several countries/continents present a wealth of cultural, social, political, artistic, pedagogical, and ethical perspectives that enrich our vision on the theoretical and practical foundations of the field. A remarkable book that I suggest all environmental educators, teacher educators, policy and curricular writers read and present to their students in order to foster dialogue around innovative ways of experiencing an education about/in/for the environment. — Rute Monteiro, Professor of Science Education, Universidade do Algarve/ University of Algarve (Portugal).
This title presents perspectives on the relationship between curriculum research and instructional design, as well as new developments in the use of information and communication technology.
In the spirit of encouraging international dialogue between researchers and practitioners, often working within isolated traditions, this book discusses perspectives on science education for the gifted informed by up-to-date research findings from a number of related fields. The book reviews philosophy, culture and programmes in science education for the gifted in diverse national contexts, and includes scholarly reviews of significant perspectives and up-to-date research methods and findings. The book is written in a straightforward style for students studying international perspective modules on undergraduate, but especially masters and doctoral degrees in Science Education and Gifted Education. Gifted education has come to be regarded as a key national programme in many countries, and gifted education in science disciplines is now of major importance to economic and technological development. Despite these national initiatives and developments, there are very few discussions on gifted education in science from international perspectives. This will be a valued addition to the scholarship in this emergent field.
