(1999). CONFINTEA: Follow-Up Report to the General Conference of UNESCO. The Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) and its "Hamburg Declaration" and "Agenda for the Future" have already had demonstrable impacts in various areas of adult education policy and practice. The following are among the specific areas and activities developed as a result of CONFINTEA: (1) promotion of a new vision of adult learning based on the premises of equal focus on local culture and global context and equal focus on identity and equality; (2) creating a culture of lifelong learning (the One Hour a Day Campaign, Adult Learners' Week); (3) gender equity (Education Watch; monitoring and evaluation from a gender perspective; regional follow-up on gender and adult education); (4) empowering people (programs for prisoners; programs for older persons; literacy programs in developing countries and in industrialized countries; programs for indigenous populations); (5) building networks (development of the worldwide Adult Learning… [PDF]
(1999). A Rationale for Multicultural Art Education Focused on the Florida Model. Why focus on art instead of on some other discipline to approach intercultural understanding? This paper argues that because art is about the spirit, the self, the soul, the things that people think are important, it should be the key choice. To lay the foundation for this argument, the paper addresses art as communication of core values and ideas. Art is aesthetically framed communication from one human being to another about things that count which implies that most often the aesthetic component in art serves as an extrinsic function beyond the decorative. It finds that one way to understand people is through their art. The goal of multicultural education in Florida is to prepare students to live, learn, communicate, and work to achieve common goals in a culturally diverse world by fostering understanding, appreciation, and respect for people of other ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, language, and cultural backgrounds. The paper identifies six instructional premises for… [PDF]
(1989). Radical Thinking in Adult Education. Occasional Paper No. 1. These five papers represent original research on various issues important to the field of adult education that draws on Syracuse University's collection of adult education materials. "Back to the Future with C. Wright Mills and the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults" (Ollie Owen) provides background on Mills, the Center, and the situation in which they interacted. "Adult Education and Feminist Theory: Radical Thinking in Adult Education" (Jane Hugo) traces Hugo's personal history of involvement in feminist thought, outlines feminist theory, and explores the problems of implementing that theory in adult education work and in the graduate study of the field. "On the Idea of an Emancipatory Pedagogy" (Brent Snow) examines feminist theory, the approaches of Freireans, and the approaches of human potential activists. "Eva vom Baur Hansl: Brain-Ideas vs. Life-Ideas" (Bernita Bowen) discusses the extensive materials in the Hansl…
(1968). Education for International Understanding: A Critical Appraisal of the Literature. The focus of attention in this study is on literature advocating education for international understanding, particularly those works available throughout the United States since 1946. The purpose of the study is to subject the literature to analysis with the intent of: 1) identifying major, alternative positions; 2) appraising these positions by using a certain conception of an adequate means-ends argument; and, 3) offering tentative suggestions for lines along which a reconstructed view might be worked out. An argument paradigm is developed to serve as a guide in laying out the various positions on education for international understanding, which are: 1) attitudes of friendliness toward other peoples; 2) knowledge of other cultures; and 3) strategical wisdom. It is concluded that a reconstructed position is needed so that the educational activities (means) prescribed are more directly related to the goal of peace. A revised position is tentatively suggested that would subsume, but…
(2003). International Bureau of Education–Overview and Strategy, 2002-2007. The International Bureau of Education (IBE) is an academic institute directed toward empowering educational activities in the field. Since 1969, the IBE has been an integral part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), while retaining wide intellectual and functional autonomy. In 1999, the IBE became the UNESCO institute responsible for educational contents, methods, and teaching/learning strategies through curriculum development. Currently, the IBE works toward achieving Education for All, aiming to ensure that Education for All contributes to living together in peace, to development, and to justice. This overview and strategy booklet contains 12 sections: (1) "World Trends and Educational Challenges"; (2) "New Educational Models Required"; (3) "How to Promote Curriculum Development Processes That Improve the Quality of Education"; (4) "Curriculum as a Tool for Educational Change"; (5) "Making an… [PDF]
(1989). Youth Development: A Case Study from Honduras. This case study documents the experiences of a Peace Corps volunteer who worked as a Youth Development volunteer with disadvantaged institutionalized youth in Honduras. Youth Development volunteers provide direct services in the areas of vocational education, recreational programming, informal education, and counseling. Many are assigned to residential youth centers for homeless, abused, or abandoned children, where they work closely with host-country counterparts. Each volunteer should develop a deliberate and well-informed practice theory based on both research in the field of child development and personal experience. Most residential programs for homeless youth are total institutions where children are isolated from family and peers. Such institutions often aggravate the problems of the youth they were designed to help. Public education could provide needed social interaction, but most disadvantaged youth require special assessment and remedial support to overcome learning… [PDF]
(1983). New Technology: Servant or Master of Social Science Education?. The introduction of computer technology into social science education in elementary and secondary schools in England stands to inhibit some of the positive developments in these subjects in recent years. Currently, objectives of social science education for the multicultural society in Britain are the enhancement of respect for self and of respect for others. The Inner London Education Authority has sponsored educational programs to promote peace, reduce racism, and increase the toleration of homosexuals. Women's studies and religious studies are further examples of this trend. Classroom methods foster a pluralism of values, beliefs, and strategies. However, the use of computers in the social sciences has created shifts in objectives and contents from affective and qualitative to cognitive and quantitative. The content of subject matter has been rearranged to that which is teachable by computers. Further, the introduction of this new technology is premised not on educational…
(1968). The World and the American Teacher: The Preparation of Teachers in the Field of World Affairs. This book represents a 2-year study of the problems and possibilities for extending the education of teachers to include education in international and cultural pluralism. It presents evidence and conclusions drawn from visits to a 50-institution cross section of colleges and universities where teachers are prepared and from conferences with educators, government officials, students, United Nations personnel, and members of private organizations and public agencies. The "Introduction" reviews the methodology of the study and places it in the context of current activity in the field. Chapter 1 is a background analysis of the dimensions of the problem of educating teachers in the American system and its cultural and social setting. The role of "Colleges for Teachers" is dicsussed in Chapter 2, particularly with reference to programs of such groups as the Peace Corps. Chapter 3 reviews programs of "International Experience Abroad and at Home" which are… [PDF]
(2006). Infinite Rehearsal of Culture in St Catherine Jamaica: Heritage as Tourist Product, Implications for Caribbean Pedagogy. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, v14 n3 p315-327. Over the last 20 years educational policies across the globe have become more closely aligned with industry interests. Jamaica is no exception. But what does this mean when the country's leading "industry" is tourism? It is no coincidence that in this decade the Ministry for Education became the Ministry for Education and Culture. When one of the main threats to the industry is seen to be the country's reputation for violence as substantiated by rising murder rates and increasingly vicious crime scenarios, what is the Ministry's response? One has been the introduction of the PALS (Peace and Love in Schools) curriculum, underwritten by the Tourist Board. The article examines the texts within this curriculum and how they position the identity of children and adults, and distinguish between Jamaicans and foreigners. The author then examines material collected during ethnographic fieldwork in the summer of 2000 with Jamaican youth in which issues of violence, tourism and the… [Direct]
(1980). Public Policy and Futures Bibliography: A Select List of Canadian, American, and Other Book-Length Materials, 1970 to 1980, Including Highly Selected Works Published Between 1949 and 1969. This bibliography of public policy and general futures literature is intended primarily for educators and educational policy makers in Canada and particularly those who are responsible for shaping education in Ontario. The bulk of the entries are items published in Canada and America between 1970 and 1980. Also included are some selected items published between 1949 and 1969 and several pre-1949 classics. Section I cites books and research on education at all levels and the future. Entries in the second section represent other themes among the general futures literature. Sections three through five cite bibliographies and directories, books and periodicals dealing with policy, planning and future studies. Major subject categories which emerge are: Canadian unity, constitutional reform, politics and government, economics, and social and cultural issues. Other predominant themes include various global views of the future, peace, war, affluence, poverty, development and…
(1991). The Culture of the Workplace in Botswana: Implications for Management Training and Research. Information about the values of workers in Botswana is provided in this paper in order to formulate a basis for more effective management education, research, and practice. Questionnaires were administered to 158 persons from Botswana (i.e., Batswana) who attended the Institute of Development Management (IDM) during 1985-89. Their responses were compared to those who attended courses between 1987 and 1990: 35 IDM students from Lesotha (Basotho), 30 IDM students from Swaziland (Swazi), and 31 American Peace Corp trainees. Responses given by persons from Botswana, Lesotha, and Swaziland differed from those of Americans with regard to perceptions of an ideal job, managerial preferences, power distance, individualism/collectivism, and interpersonal relationships. Given the differences between Americans and Batswana in individualism, power distance, and several other values, the relevance of some American management theories for Botswana is doubtful. A conclusion is that research is…
(1998). Chasing the Buddha: Bringing Meditation to Experiential Education. The field of experiential education can be enhanced through the use of meditation. The vision statement of the Association for Experiential Education includes the aim of creating a just and compassionate world. This goal can be approached one person at a time by encouraging each individual in the field to become a just and compassionate person. Such a person must have the skills to cultivate peace of mind–skills provided through the ancient tool of meditation. Meditation may be defined as the effort to pay attention, intentionally and nonjudgmentally, to the experience of the present moment and to sustain this attention over time. One form of meditation, mindfulness meditation, has no religious or ideological connotations and has the primary goal of bringing understanding into one's own thoughts and actions through a calm and focused mind. Formal and informal techniques of mindfulness meditation are briefly described. Meditation has clear health benefits related to stress reduction…
(2000). International Perspectives on Adult Education. Trends and Issues Alert No. 14. A number of perspectives on adult education are evident in the international literature, with publications from the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education held in Hamburg, Germany, in July 1997, a particularly rich source of information. A clear trend in the conference and the documents it produced was the critical importance of adult education and adult learning \for fostering ecologically sustainable development; for promoting democracy, justice, gender equity, and scientific, social, and economic development; and for building a world in which violent conflict is replaced by dialogue and a culture of peace based on justice.\ Publications from the conference discuss roles for adult education in achieving these goals. Lifelong learning is another clear trend in international publications; however, many policies related to lifelong learning emphasize economic issues that focus on human capital rather than social issues, a potentially negative influence on adult education…. [PDF]
(2005). Women in History–Bella Stavisky Abzug (1920-1998). Journal of Women in Educational Leadership, v3 n3 p157-159 Jul. Bella Stavisky was born in New York City on July 24, 1920. She was born to activism: her father's butcher shop was called the Live and Let Live Meat Market, in protest of WWI. Her parents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and when her father died there was no son to say Kaddish for him, so 13-year-old Bella marched into Temple each day for a year to offer the prayers, a role traditionally forbidden to women. After graduating from high school, Bella attended Hunter College in New York. Her dream was to be a lawyer. Harvard, her first choice of law schools, did not accept women, so she went instead to Columbia, where she met her husband, Martin (Maurice) Abzug. It is notable that in that day, Martin put aside his dreams of becoming a writer, and in order to support Bella's ambitions, he worked as a stockbroker. Her first claim to fame as a lawyer came when she traveled to Mississippi while eight months pregnant to defend Willy McGee, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Local… [Direct]
(1983). World Concerns and the United Nations: Model Teaching Units for Primary, Secondary and Teacher Educators Based on the Work of Participants in the UN Fellowship Programme for Educators (1975-1981) and the UNESCO Associated Schools Project. This sourcebook is designed to provide prototype materials on world issues suitable for adaptation to national and regional needs. Materials can also be adapted for many curriculum subjects at levels ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. A total of 26 units are organized into five sections. Following a foreword, introduction, and guidelines, a section on "Education and the New World" contains four activities for teacher education focusing on the following themes: the impact of world change on education and limited views of the world. The second section, "We the Peoples" contains five activities for grades K-3, focusing on commonalities of the world's people, diversity, equality, and community. The third section, "Developing Our Community" consists of five intermediate grade activities emphasizing community and group identity and respect. "The Great World Changes," section four, focuses on global awareness, civic responsibility, and rights of…