In this study, we researched the relationship between the terms "curriculum" and "Course of study", as well as explained the background and key principles of the Course of Study that was revised in ...2017. Based on these things, we explored the common subject matters considered when formulating the curriculum for special needs education. In addition, we reflected on the formulation of a flexibly organized curriculum for students with multiple handicaps.
The purpose of this study was to clarify questions related to utilizing the Course of Study (COS) when subject instructions were provided in a special needs school for children with intellectual ...disabilities. Semi-structured interviews on instructional practices and the utilization of the COS were conducted with novices and their mentor teachers. Quantitative text analysis employing KH Coder software using the collected dialogue data revealed that the novice teachers struggled to understand the children's characteristics and to match their teaching style to the educational stage indicated in the COS. On the other hand, the mentor teachers regarded the commentary for subject instructions in the COS as a useful reference when the learning objectives were determined based on the children's actual characteristics. In the future, since the COS commentary includes a great deal of information, the development of an easily reference tool on its contents will be necessary.
This study aims to developed a physical competence scale for elementary school students, and thereby clarify what kind of physical competences Japanese elementary school students learn in physical ...education as well as what characterizes physical competence for students according to grade and sex. We administered a questionnaire survey to 871 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students in Japan. We found that the physical competence of elementary school students could be assessed in terms of five factors comprising a total of 19 items: a feeling of control, a feeling of approval, a feeling of omnipotence, a feeling of superiority, and a feeling of progress. Furthermore, we found that Fifth graders had significantly higher scores for a feeling of control than sixth graders did, and boys generally scored better in physical competence than girls did, except feeling of superiority. The physical competence scale developed in this study can be used to better understand elementary school students’ perceptions of their own competences and experiences in physical education classes. The results of this study also indicate that improving physical competence is not always positive. For instance, the “feeling of superiority” should not be encouraged. In other words, high levels of the “feeling of superiority” could cause serious discord in classmate interaction, including the exclusion or isolation from teams of children who are unskilled at exercise. This must be examined more closely in future teaching research.
This study aims to developed a physical competence scale for elementary school students, and thereby clarify what kind of physical competences Japanese elementary school students learn in physical ...education as well as what characterizes physical competence for students according to grade and sex. We administered a questionnaire survey to 871 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students in Japan. We found that the physical competence of elementary school students could be assessed in terms of five factors comprising a total of 19 items: a feeling of control, a feeling of approval, a feeling of omnipotence, a feeling of superiority, and a feeling of progress. Furthermore, we found that Fifth graders had significantly higher scores for a feeling of control than sixth graders did, and boys generally scored better in physical competence than girls did, except feeling of superiority. The physical competence scale developed in this study can be used to better understand elementary school students’ perceptions of their own competences and experiences in physical education classes. The results of this study also indicate that improving physical competence is not always positive. For instance, the “feeling of superiority” should not be encouraged. In other words, high levels of the “feeling of superiority” could cause serious discord in classmate interaction, including the exclusion or isolation from teams of children who are unskilled at exercise. This must be examined more closely in future teaching research.
This study aims to developed a physical competence scale for elementary school students, and thereby clarify what kind of physical competences Japanese elementary school students learn in physical ...education as well as what characterizes physical competence for students according to grade and sex. We administered a questionnaire survey to 871 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students in Japan. We found that the physical competence of elementary school students could be assessed in terms of five factors comprising a total of 19 items: a feeling of control, a feeling of approval, a feeling of omnipotence, a feeling of superiority, and a feeling of progress. Furthermore, we found that Fifth graders had significantly higher scores for a feeling of control than sixth graders did, and boys generally scored better in physical competence than girls did, except feeling of superiority. The physical competence scale developed in this study can be used to better understand elementary school students’ perceptions of their own competences and experiences in physical education classes. The results of this study also indicate that improving physical competence is not always positive. For instance, the “feeling of superiority” should not be encouraged. In other words, high levels of the “feeling of superiority” could cause serious discord in classmate interaction, including the exclusion or isolation from teams of children who are unskilled at exercise. This must be examined more closely in future teaching research.
The diverse and egalitarian nature of Estonian education has been attributed to the relatively high degree of teachers autonomy. Among other things, teachers are free to decide how and where to ...teach, and it is very common to teach in out-of-school settings such as museums, science centres, etc. The network of different learning sites that schools use has not been thoroughly described in previous literature and is thus somewhat hidden and vulnerable to rapid societal changes. Thus, this article aims to describe the practice and perceived role in formal education of on-site educators from museums, environmental centres, and other similar institutions of science and culture.Seven semi-structured focus-group interviews were carried out with 27 educators. This purposeful sample was compiled with the help of experts in the field. The limitation of this sample was that it brought together representatives of outstanding providers of curriculum-related learning activities, and so it describes the practice of excellent rather than novice or un-motivated educators. On the other hand, such a sample gives us a deeper understanding of the best practices and possibilities of the field. We found that similarly to previous results, the core practice of on-site educators involves creating, developing, and carrying out learning activities, and general organisational work. Based on the interviews, the practice of on-site educators can be described as flexible, spontaneous, collaborative, seasonal, place- and theme-specific, and project-based. Their practice is also diverse in terms of tasks both on daily/yearly basis and throughout their careers, thus illustrated by low routine and high creativity. The background of on-site educators is diverse and there are no standard career or education paths, but they can be described as strongly oriented towards constant self-development and learning, although the majority of interviewees had obtained both theoretical and pedagogical training from university and had also worked as teachers at some point in their careers. They enjoy their work and feel that it is important to connect students with nature, culture, art, or whatever their field is, to enrich their lives, support their studies, and build a better society. Thus, they often explain the value of their work through the lens of life-long learning of their students. We conclude that out-of-classroom education in the form of field trips to museums and other similar institutions is deeply connected with curriculum and helps to achieve sustainable development goals. However, as the funding for field trips has steadily increased in the past years and there are more and more schoolteachers who have no professional pedagogical training, an increasing number of schoolteachers seem to be unprepared to support students in out-of-school learning environments. We describe and expand on good practices to support schoolteachers in out-of-school learning activities and in collaboration of museum on-site educators and schoolteachers; for example, joint training programmes for in-service schoolteachers and on-site educators (especially for supporting students with special needs and content- and language-integrated learning in the context of Russian speaking students), and career changes between schools and museums (on-site educators becoming teachers and vice versa). We documented some clever funding schemes that act as boundary objects and enhance collaboration between schoolteachers and on-site educators, but we also suggest avoiding pressuring the content of learning activities through funding, as this could hinder teacher autonomy and lead to unnecessary standardisation.
We suggest creating coherence between different ministries who govern schools, museums and providers of environmental learning activities, and involving on-site educators more in wider educational discussions. Education is much more than schools, and on-site educators should be considered as equals to schoolteachers when it comes to funding and decision-making about education.
The article deals with the issue of improving the preparation of pre-service teachers of choreographic course of study for the independent arrangement of their educational activities in the process ...of professional education. The author defines that the ability to self-organization is one of the key competencies of pre-service teachers, which is based on the skills of educational self-organization. With these skills, students gain the opportunity to effectively plan, diagnose, monitor, adjust and evaluate their learning and its effectiveness. The paper substantiates the essence of the concept of «skills of educational self-organization» and discloses its content, taking into account the specifics of special disciplines and the nature of educational (scientific-theoretical, methodological, creative-interpretive, pedagogical, ballet-master, artistic and performing) activities of pre-service teachers-choreographers. Focusing on the current trends in the increase in the number of academic hours planned for independent work, and the gradual transition in the training of specialists to distance and mixed forms of education, the article emphasizes the importance of developing and applying special pedagogical principles and conditions for organizing vocational education of students-choreographers based on educational self-organization and self-education. It has been determined that scientific principles underlie the study of pedagogical theories, processes and phenomena and guide the strategy of their development. In the context of the formation of the skills of educational self-organization of pre-service teacher of choreographic course of study, expedient pedagogical principles are determined: the principle of personal-semantic coordination, the principle of professional self-presentation, the principle of personalization of training. It is indicated that the developed special pedagogical conditions can create favorable circumstances in the educational process for achieving the set goal. Effective pedagogical conditions for the successful formation of the skills of educational self-organization of pre-service teacher of choreographic course of study are: activation of students’ motivation for independent activity, support for the initiative of self-education of future specialists, ensuring the development of the volitional sphere of students.
1957年蘇聯發射首顆人造衛星,促使美國聯邦政府推動課程改革。1959年的伍茲霍爾會議,是凝聚此波課程改革共識的重要會議。起初,改革聚焦科學領域,其後社會科亦被納入改革範圍。社會科改革的倡議者,將此次課程改革稱之為新社會科運動。主波課程改革的領導人物Bruner,亦曾實際參與課程改革方案,此即「人的研究」課程方案。此一方案跳脫傳統課程著重知識的傳遞,轉而強調培育學生的思維能力。其次,Bruner將其教育理念體現於MACOS之中。但課程發展實務經驗,亦促成Bruner學術重心的轉移。也就是從重視兒童內在的認知發展,轉而重視經驗與意義的獲得過程。 The launch of the Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957, prompted the federal government to push for curriculum reform. The Woods Hole Conference in 1959 aimed to build consensus on this curriculum reform. Initially, the reform focused on the field of science, and later social studies were also included. The proponent of social studies reform called it the new social studies movement. Bruner, the leader of curriculum reform, has also actually participated in the curriculum reform project, which is the MACOS project. This project broke away from the traditional curriculum that focusing on the transfer of knowledge, and instead emphasizes the cultivation of students’ thinking ability. Second, Bruner embodies its educational philosophy in MACOS. However, practical experience in curriculum development has also contributed to the shift of Bruner’s academic focus. That is to say, from the emphasis on the inner cognitive development of children, to the process of acquiring experience and meaning.