Peer mediation for conflict management: a Singaporean case study

The burgeoning interest in conflict and its management has recently begun to impact on schools and school systems worldwide. Motivated by a concern for increasing levels of violence in schools and student�student conflict, many school administrators are looking at conflict management programs as a means of dealing with the problem. Most of the more widely used programs have their origins in the United States; their appropriateness and effectiveness in other countries and cultures is, at best, unknown, and in some respects open to conjecture. In this paper the cultural appropriateness of a peer mediation program in a primary school in Singapore is the subject of investigation. The study also addresses, in an exploratory manner, the effectiveness of peer mediation as a mechanism for student�student conflict management

The importance of being accessible: The graphics calculator in mathematics education

The first decade of the availability of graphics calculators in secondary schools has just concluded, although evidence for this is easier to find in some countries and schools than in others, since there are gross socio-economic differences in both cases. It is now almost the end of the second decade since the invention of microcomputers and their appearance in mathematics educational settings. Most of the interest in technology for mathematics education has been concerned with microcomputers. But there has been a steady increase in interest in graphics calculators by students, teachers, curriculum developers and examination authorities, in growing recognition that accessibility of technology at the level of the individual student is the key factor in responding appropriately to technological change; the experience of the last decade suggests very strongly that mathematics teachers are well advised to pay more attention to graphics calculators than to microcomputers. There are clear signs that the commercial marketplace, especially in the United States, is acutely aware of this trend. It was recently reported that current US sales of graphics calculators are around six million units per year, and rising. There are now four major corporations developing products aimed directly at the high school market, with all four producing graphics calculators of high quality and beginning to understand the educational needs of students and their teachers. To get some evidence of this interest, I scanned a recent issue (April 1995) of The Mathematics Teacher, the NCTM journal focussed on high school mathematics. The evidence was very strong: of almost 20 full pages devoted to paid advertising, nine featured graphics calculators, while only two featured computer products, with two more featuring both computers and graphics calculators. The main purposes of this paper are to explain and justify this heightened level of interest in graphics calculators at the secondary school level, and to identify some of the resulting implications for mathematics education, both generally, and in the South-East Asian region

Explaining the success of the world's leading education systems: the case of Singapore

International comparative data on student performance has led McKinsey & Company, among others, to suggest that education systems will inexorably converge in their developmental trajectories with principals and schools enjoying more autonomy. This article challenges these assumptions through referencing Singapore where schools and professionals are still tightly controlled in key resources, curricula and assessment, and where other key factors contribute to its success – thereby evidencing multiple pathways to success

Special report on Lingnan College 30th anniversary

Since its foundation in 1967, Lingnan College reached its 30th anniversary in 1997. Over the last three decades, Lingnan College grew and transformed from a small private college operating with a few classrooms to a degree-granting institution with a new and purpose-built campus in Tuen Mun. Lingnan College\u27s 30th anniversary celebration in 1998 reached the apex and the year also marked the 110th anniversary of Lingnan University in Canton founded in 1888. Special report was published in South China Morning Post to commemorate and celebrate the occasion of the 30th anniversary and the College\u27s remarkable achievements over the years.https://commons.ln.edu.hk/lingnan_milestone_newspapers/1006/thumbnail.jp

IMPACT, Fall 2016

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/impact/1014/thumbnail.jp

Trans-Cultural Journeys of East-Asian Educators: The Impact of the Three Teachings

This paper presents the joint journeys, from the East to the West, of three emerging educators, who reflect on their lived experiences in an Asian educational context and their shaped identities through a connection between the motherland and the places to which they immigrated. They have grounded their identities in the inequities they experienced in Asian education and described their experiences through a cultural and social lens as Asian teachers studying in Canadian institutions. They story their lived experiences by using a Photo-voice research method to elicit the narratives of their East-to-West transcultural journeys. The major finding is the reconstructed identity of each of the researchers. The data collected through ‘Photo-voice’ sheds light on the influence on teachers’ mindset of the Three Teachings or Religions—Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism — across Asia on teachers' mindset, which are seen to cause inequities among the marginalized. The purpose of this research is an attempt by the authors, who have immersed themselves in each other’s journeys, to discuss how they have reformed their educator identities in a Canadian educational context in which equity, diversity, and inclusion are acknowledged

The Cowl - v.81 - n.13 - Jan 19, 2017

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 81, Number 13 - January 19, 2017. 28 pages

Supportive discipline is here to stay : Texas high schools make headway against the school-to-prison pipeline

The discipline models employed in U.S. schools tend to swing back and forth like a slow pendulum. Following the tragic shootings at Columbine in 1999, districts around the U.S. began to employ policies now known as zero tolerance. By the middle of the 2000s decade, Texas school districts and state legislators — progressive and conservative alike — realized that zero tolerance no longer worked. Together, lawmakers, regional education service centers and school districts began to roll back zero tolerance. Gradually, educators implemented aa variety of supportive discipline methods across the state. By the time of the 2014 Federal letter from the civil rights offices in the Education and Justice Departments, Texas schools had already made great headway in reducing exclusionary discipline while simultaneously improving student behavior. Texas can be a model for other states. This is a 6800 word piece of longform journalism, written to be suitable for publication in a magazine such as Texas Monthly or The New YorkerJournalis

Of, By, and For the Community: The Story of PUENTE Learning Center

Reviews the 20-year development of the learning centers, located in East and South Los Angeles. Examines the impact of the center's preschool, kindergarten, and after-school programs for youth, and education and job training programs for adults

Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs

Data from the 2008 administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) examination reveal an alarming 84% of districts did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress for the "special education subgroup" in both subject areas. In addition, 53% of Grade 10 special education students failed to earn a passing score on the MCAS in all three subject areas (ELA, math, science and technology).In light of these findings, the Rennie Center's recent report, entitled Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs, highlights schools making progress in educating students with special needs. The Rennie Center's study features four districts, two vocational technical high schools and one additional K-8 school that is "beating the odds" in serving students with special needs. The report examines the status of special education in the Commonwealth including legislation surrounding special education, the incidence of students receiving special education services and the distribution of students by disability type in different types of districts. These include the state's ten large urban districts, the 50 most demographically advantaged districts, charter schools and vocational technical schools. Among the findings, vocational technical schools educate more special education students (23%) than all other types of districts yet spend less on special education students and get solid results. Out of the 25 districts with the lowest percentage of special education spending, 23 are vocational schools.The report identifies the core practices of districts ranking in the top 5-10% for growth in the performance of students with special needs. Districts that are making progress no longer isolate students with special needs in separate classrooms; instead they adapt their general education classrooms to accommodate the needs of all students. These districts have adopted a culture in which faculty view "all kids as my kids" and in which general and special education teachers collaborate to design curriculum that meets the needs of all learners -- including those with special needs.In a series of recommended next steps, the report offers several considerations for district leaders and state policymakers. It highlights the importance of data, including the use of ongoing formative assessment to provide teachers with timely feedback. The report recommends that schools and districts adapt their instructional practice and curriculum to best meet diverse students' needs. The Rennie Center report also pushes for further study of effective practices found within the state's thirty vocational technical schools. Finally, the report urges the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and districts to work together to disseminate effective practices in educating students with special needs