(2023). Developing Visions Developing Visions for the Future? A Reflection on Utopias in Music Teacher Education. Visions of Research in Music Education, v41 Article 2 p3-17. As society changes, new challenges arise for education. Major social upheavals have led to increasing awareness of social justice issues and critical reflection within the field of music education, as well as calls for social and educational change. In this article, five music teacher educators discuss how music teacher educators and pre-service music teachers can develop spaces for envisioning future music teacher education through utopian thinking. We consider utopias as social dreaming reflecting a desire for a better way of life, and utopian pedagogy as experimenting to envision new alternatives, tell new stories and construct new realities. The article starts with outlining theories of utopia and utopian pedagogy, before moving on to reflecting on challenges related to music teacher education. A situation where pre-service music teachers were invited to think utopian is then critically explored, as is our double position as researchers/educators. Finally, we address the… [Direct]
(1992). The Effect of Teacher Preparation on Student Views of Learning. Student dissatisfaction concerning education has been an issue for decades. A 1972 investigation into the thinking of youth found that respondents were neither satisfied nor confident regarding the situation they faced and were pessimistic about the future. The primary purpose of the study reported in this paper was to examine whether students in teacher preparation training in 1992 (n=267) differed in their viewpoints regarding schooling from college students not enrolled in teacher preparation training (n=206); the secondary purpose was to compare students' responses in 1992 with those reported in 1972. The study focused specifically on students' responses concerning the purposes of higher education, their views of schooling, and their viewpoints on the future. Compared to the 1972 sample, the 1992 sample expressed a greater degree of agreement with the statement \more education can prepare one for a more profitable career\ and far less agreement with the statements \I came to… [PDF]
(2002). Issues for the 21st Century. Social Science Docket, v2 n2 Sum-Fall. This publication is dedicated to social studies education at all levels. Articles and teaching ideas in this issue are: "Defending Multicultural Education, Academic Freedom, and Democracy in the Wake of 9/11/01" (A. Singer); "Teachers Respond to 'Defending Multicultural Education'"; "'Any Other Day': Dealing with the Tragedy of the World Trade Center Disaster" (L. Klein); "Civic Learning through Deliberation" (R. H. McKenzie; L. Hellerman); "Representative Democracy: A New Perspective" (A. Rosenthal; M. Fisher); "Defending First Amendment Rights in Schools" (M. Pezone); "Human Rights Education at the Dawn of the 21st Century" (D. N. Banks); "Nuclear Controversy: Sourcebook for an Inquiry Curriculum" (A. Shapiro); "A History of Great Britain and the U.S. in the Middle East" (A. Singer); "Understanding a Globalized World" (P. Bell); "Book Reviews"; "Talking with Children… [PDF]
(2005). Framing the Conversation: Social Studies Education and the Neoconservative Agenda. Social Studies, v96 n4 p143 Jul-Aug. For years many from the Left have been calling for educational reform, pointing out the shortcomings of public schooling for its antidemocratic structures and policies, irrelevant and sometimes racist curriculum, and myriad other faults. And social studies teachers and curriculum developers have borne the brunt of much of these criticisms. Now the Neoconservatives have come along and said much the same thing about social studies education in this country. In Where Did Social Studies Go Wrong? (WDSSGW), funded and published in 2003 by the Fordham Institute, editors Lemming and Ellington declare, \The only possible interpretation of the state of social studies education at the turn of the 21st century is that the field is moribund.\ Their call for reform might at first sound like that of the Left, but they are actually advocating very different kinds of changes. In fact, the reasons they cite for the field's demise include many of the reforms–which they claim \dominate\ the social…
(1996). Waging Peace in Our Schools. The Resolving Conflicts Creatively Program (RCCP) described in this book asserts that schools must educate the child's heart as well as the mind. RCCP began in 1985 as a joint initiative of Educators for Social Responsibility Metropolitan Area and the New York City Board of Education. The program started in 3 schools in New York City and has expanded to more than 325 schools nationwide, serving over 150,000 students. RCCP focuses on three dimensions of creating safe and caring schools: (1) conflict resolution; (2) valuing diversity; and (3) enhancing social and emotional learning. Chapter 1 describes a vision of learning that promotes emotional literacy, conflict resolution, and diversity education. Chapter 2 describes the "peaceable" classroom in which this vision is enacted. In Chapter 3, "How To Wage Peace: The Skills of Conflict Resolution," and Chapter 4, "Valuing Diversity: Creating Inclusive Schools and Communities," the specific concepts and…
(1993). Iowa Women of Achievement. Goldfinch, Iowa History for Young People, v15 n2 Win. This issue of the Goldfinch highlights some of Iowa's 20th century women of achievement. These women have devoted their lives to working for human rights, education, equality, and individual rights. They come from the worlds of politics, art, music, education, sports, business, entertainment, and social work. They represent Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and European Americans. The first woman featured is Carrie Chapman Catt, who served for 51 years as an officer in either a state or national group supporting women's suffrage. Seven of those years she was president of the largest national group, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The next woman highlighted is Edna Williams Griffin, a black woman who dedicated much of her life to civil rights and peace organizations. The third article tells of Cora Bussey Hillis and her work to support children's rights. The fourth woman recognized is Pauline Humphrey, the first black woman to own and operate… [PDF]
(1981). Brooklyn College. The First Half-Century. The history of the first public co-educational liberal arts college in New York City, from 1930 to the present is examined as a reflection of American higher education during this period. Part 1, "The Early Years," discusses how free education came to Brooklyn, life in the Borough Hall district, the academic scene, student movements, and the change from Borough Hall to Flatbush. Part 2, "The Gideonse Era, 1939-1966," examines the college under the direction of Harry Gideonse, the changing ideas in academe, the student body, Communism and the staff, World War II and its aftermath, and the growth of the university with emphasis on the city university. "The Interegnum, 1966-1969" in the third part includes discussion of the storm that swept the campus with the Vietnam War, the peace movement, and minority access. Part 4, "The Kneller Decade, 1969-1979," focuses on: the direction of John W. Keller; the changes in the concept of the college in the…
(2023). School and Community Relationships in Mexico. Researching Inclusion in Education from Critical and Decolonial Perspectives. British Journal of Sociology of Education, v44 n8 p1359-1377. This paper takes the notion of inclusion as an imperfect and contested project toward educational and social justice, which seeks to address social and historically constructed exclusion. It aims to problematise 'inclusion research' of school and community relationships in Mexico by examining the orientations and implications for inclusion of doing educational research aligned with a more 'Western' critical approach to social justice as opposed to research explicitly situated in a decolonial and intercultural perspective. It firstly characterises how inclusion is dealt with by critical and decolonial perspectives. Secondly, through a comparative exploration of two ethnographic research projects about school-community relationships, it analyses the implications of both approaches and explores the articulation between 'substantive power' and 'formal power' in the research, arguing for the need to include an epistemic and ontological dimension in inclusion as social-justice-oriented… [Direct]
(2023). Some Aspects of Non-Formal Education in Montenegro. International Society for Technology, Education, and Science, Paper presented at the International Conference on Studies in Education and Social Studies (ICSES) (Antalya, Turkey, Oct 20-23, 2023). This paper investigates the collaborative opportunities between formal and non-formal education providers to enhance learning, development, and peacebuilding. It emphasizes the complementary nature of formal education, known for its structured curriculum, and non-formal education, which prioritizes experiential learning. By identifying common interests and initiating collaborative efforts such as internships and research collaborations, it can lead to creating the link between theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The role of education in peacebuilding is highlighted, showing how both educational approaches can foster social cohesion in post-conflict societies. Recommendations for policymakers include fostering partnerships, promoting internationalization, and providing funding to support collaboration. The paper suggests evaluating the effectiveness of such programs through criteria like education quality, participation levels, and participant feedback. A case study of… [PDF]
(2001). Creating a Culture of Human Rights, Democracy and Peace in the New Millennium. Proceedings of the International Conference on Children's Rights Education (2nd, Victoria, British Columbia, August 18-22, 2001). The 2nd International Conference on Children's Rights in Education hosted approximately 150 child-centered international policy makers, who discussed the implications and implementation of children's rights to guide educational policy, research, and practice. This report presents an annotated agenda of the conference proceedings and, based on the presentations and discussions, a number of recommendations that describe the elements and the context that need to be in place to make children's rights in education a reality. Opening presentations are annotated, dealing with the role of conferences in policy change, implications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for a 14-year-old, and the significance of general comments on the Convention's article 29, on the aims of education. Subsequent presentations then summarized pertaining to the following areas: (1) the CRC and the protection, education, and participation of children; (2) education and culture; (3)… [PDF]
(2009). Identity Formation and Affective Spaces in Conflict-Ridden Societies: Inventing Heterotopic Possibilities. Journal of Peace Education, v6 n1 p1-18 Mar. In this article, we present vignettes from two projects–one in Cyprus and the other in South Africa–to show how some classrooms enact "heterotopic" affective spaces that oppose normal/ized identities, that is, identities grounded in polarized trauma narratives. The notion of heterotopia is a spatial concept developed by Foucault to emphasize the importance of space in power relations, subjectivities and knowledge development. Our aim in this article, then, is to consider issues of identity formation in relation to educational discourses and practices in conflict-ridden societies by focusing on the significance of affective spaces and to look more broadly on the relationship between identity formation and affective spaces in this context. Heterotopic pedagogies, we argue, can become affective cultures of social and political importance within schools in ways that may critically oppose the normalized conflicting ethos. (Contains 5 notes.)… [Direct]
(2009). Perceptions of "the Other" in Children's Drawings: An Intercultural Project among Bedouin and Jewish Children. Journal of Peace Education, v6 n1 p69-86 Mar. This article presents research on an intercultural project supervised by teacher trainers and implemented by two Jewish student teachers in a Bedouin school in the south of Israel. The student teachers developed and taught an English language unit on the differences and similarities between Jewish and Arab cultures for the purpose of promoting intercultural awareness and acceptance. Figure drawings of Jewish and Arab people made by the children were analyzed qualitatively as measures of changes in attitudes and stereotypes before and after the educational intervention. We found that many negative stereotypes were changed as a result of the culture unit taught by the student teachers. As teacher trainers and researchers, we present this project as an example of an educational intervention for the promotion of intercultural understanding. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)… [Direct]
(1996). Information and Communication Technologies in Development: a UNESCO Perspective. The rapid development and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has a direct and dramatic impact on all aspects of life. The traditional distinctions among media, publishing, telecommunications, computing, and information services have become blurred, and new paradigms for creation, dissemination, and exploitation of knowledge continue to evolve. In this transformation from an "industrial" to an "information" society, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has a unique intellectual and ethical mandate to make these new technologies work for social, cultural, and economic development, in the interest of democracy and peace. This report focuses on the social, cultural, ethical, and legal implications of the information revolution, with emphasis on its impact in areas of public concern such as education, libraries, cultural production and exchange, the media, research, and environmental management. The report… [PDF]
(1981). Personnel Recruitment and Retention in Rural America. Recruitment and retention of special education teachers and related services staff have been persistent problems of rural school districts nationwide. High teacher attrition rates have serious ramifications for personnel development and program stability. Effective recruitment strategies for rural areas have four main components: (1) emphasis on qualities of rural schools and communities that reinforce intrinsic motivations and meet teachers' social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs; (2) appeal to persons with lifestyles, interests, and attitudes consistent with local cultural norms; (3) use of individualized \hot buttons,\ such as advertising the rural lifestyle as an escape from urban problems or using the \Peace Corps\ approach; and (4) \selling\ the school district through creative marketing techniques. Teachers who stay in a rural area typically have goals, mores, expectations, and lifestyles similar to those of local residents. Thus, the school district must develop… [PDF]
(1995). International Military Education and Training: An Assessment. McNair Paper 44. This report presents results of a study team's analysis of the extent to which International Military Education and Training (IMET) serves U.S. interests. It describes whether IMET has done the following: (1) facilitated access to senior military and political leaders and promoted communication between the United States and recipient countries; (2) provided an effective introduction to U.S. political values; (3) contributed to improving political-military relations in recipient countries; and (4) served as an important asset for interoperability in coalition peace and humanitarian assistance operations. The analysis of IMET's effectiveness is organized in five parts: the legislative roots of the program and its relationship to foreign military sales; the structure of IMET in FY 1995, emphasizing the importance of IMET's original synergy of English language training, a professional course of instruction conducted in the United States, and the Department of Defense's Informational… [PDF]