set 1989 : no. 1

In 1990 it may be relatively easy to set up state-funded schools in New Zealand which do not teach in English. Although many countries have parallel school systems teaching in different languages, somehow, in Australia and New Zealand the idea seems strange. What are the facts about going to school in a language which is not the major language? Does it hurt?

Learning only testable facts will not be enough for survival. Learning fact-finding skills will not be enough. Independent thinking, being able to make good decisions, having clear values and a store of useful knowledge are needed.
So teachers want to help students develop effective methods for handling the overwhelming flow of information surrounding them. This means adapting your thinking in a flexible manner. Adapting and regulating your cognitive processes is the key to independent… Read more

Early this century one particular piece of 'wisdom' about human nature gained endorsement from very different sources. These suggested that early characteristics, whether genetically or environmentally influenced, were set into a fixed mould, thereafter changing with the greatest difficulty or not at all. In advance of reliable empirical evidence these views arose from three unrelated and at that time over-simple theories: genetic, psychoanalytic and behaviourist. They each implied that… Read more