Schooling for the future

If home-based education is effective, can schools be "de-schooled" by allowing the "invitational school" to replace the "custodial school".

School grounds have considerable influence on children's attitudes and behaviour—not only in terms of the grounds themselves, but also in relation to the school as a whole.

Keith Ballard argues that the commitment to individualism and to a commercial market model has implications for our working lives. The ideological belief that we are primarily motivated by self-interest carries with it the implication that we are not to be trusted, but need “incentives” to make us work. Relationships must be contractual and written down. Engagement with others thus becomes a technical matter. This context has redefined what it means to be a teacher.

A study of how Otago primary school teachers were implementing environmental education investigated the strategies teachers use and the factors that assist them, especially in terms of implementing education “for” the environment. The findings indicate misconceptions among primary teachers regarding environmental education, and point to the need for education in environmental education for all primary teachers.

Recently we have been hearing a great deal about something called the “knowledge society”. What is all this about, and why hasn’t there been much discussion of the educational implications of participation in this “new” society? Jane Gilbert explores some of the issues.