As the construction of identities is said to be within and not outside discourse, identities are thus produced in specific historical and institutional sites and within specific discursive formations and practices. Th...As the construction of identities is said to be within and not outside discourse, identities are thus produced in specific historical and institutional sites and within specific discursive formations and practices. These formations and practices, under which identities are produced, are explored within the Diaspora space of West Yorkshire occupied by Sudanese Muslim women. The paper interrogates Sudanese women's identities and questions how the experiences of exile and Diaspora transform women's identities and influence the gender roles to which they relate. This study is an attempt to add to migration, refugee, exile and "race" studies and the studies of Black and religious identity in the Western Diaspora space. The paper maintains that if all identities are thought to operate through exclusion, then identities are constructed through difference. Therefore, the identities of African Muslim women are constructed through the relation to the Other.展开更多
This paper argues that ritual is not only restricted to religious activities, but can also be ethological, sociological, and ecological in nature. The artistic, stylistic, and functional characteristics of one particu...This paper argues that ritual is not only restricted to religious activities, but can also be ethological, sociological, and ecological in nature. The artistic, stylistic, and functional characteristics of one particular festival of the Bamana in Mali to celebrate the harvest and new planting season will be analyzed. This festival primarily takes on the form of animal masquerades in which masks, puppets, drumming, singing, and dancing are blended into a ritualistic celebration of a certain cultural identity. The Bamana culture has lost religion as a marker, as Islam is now the dominant religion in Mali, but traditional social relationships and morals among the Bamana as a patriarchal society are concretized and objectified by their animal masquerades. Apart from being a seasonal festival, events from the past are commemorated; customary gender roles are defined; and some fundamental and complex social concepts are reinforced by a performance mode which relies on a collective memory and oral transmission.展开更多
Recently, the scale of higher education for adults is expanding and at the same time, the teaching quality is declining, which has been increasingly focused on. In order to improve the teaching quality, at first, it i...Recently, the scale of higher education for adults is expanding and at the same time, the teaching quality is declining, which has been increasingly focused on. In order to improve the teaching quality, at first, it is necessary to build up a set of integrative and complete teaching quality evaluation system, which is composed of class, course major and college respectively from the aspects of learning and teaching because of the particularity of the students and teaching modes of higher education for adults.展开更多
Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program has aimed...Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program has aimed to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. educational institutions by establishing a native speaker presence. As one of the first group of Fulbright Chinese Language Assistants, the author worked at the College of Wooster in the United States from August, 2005 to May, 2006. At the beginning of the paper, the author gave a brief introduction of Fulbright FLTA program. Then the author described five cultural activities that Fulbright FLTAs could employ in foreign language learners' learning process: giving presentations, teaching songs, watching movies, organizing free tea or coffee breaks, and holding free talks. The following section discussed two phenomena that FLTAs should avoid, that is, ethnocentrism and cultural stereotyping. The author pointed out in the conclusion that Fulbright language assistants should make efforts to be qualified cultural ambassadors.展开更多
This paper outlines the rationale of Bantu education that was available for South African Blacks from 1953 to 1992. The paper is of the opinion that challenges of constructing a new education system in post-apartheid ...This paper outlines the rationale of Bantu education that was available for South African Blacks from 1953 to 1992. The paper is of the opinion that challenges of constructing a new education system in post-apartheid South Africa cannot be fully grasped without a proper understanding of the pervasive impact of Bantu education on the majority for a period of almost 60 years. It also discusses the educational vision and goals of the important organizations in the liberation movement such as the African National Congress, the Azanian People's Organization, and the Pan Africanist Congress that continue to shape educational debates in the present educational reform context. The paper argues that the present curriculum by its very history and origins does not address the problems that have been created by the ideology of the former South African education system. Salient to these problems is the over-emphasis on Christian/European education that is not realistic in many regions of South Africa. The paper argues that curriculum has to reflect the cultural and racial diversity in South Africa, and further suggests that all languages and cultures in South Africa are essential in the building of an anti-racist and anti-sexist society. The monitoring of academic activity in a democratic education system can be confusing to teachers who have been trained within the confines of an apartheid (Bantu) education. The paper therefore suggests that more funds will have to be put aside by the government to upgrade the pedagogical approach of teachers so that they can be able to deal with their new role of leadership and the developing of content, and tackle issues of sexism/racism both in and out of the classroom.展开更多
We intend to establish how species diversity is dealt with, within the study of the ecosystem, in books for the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education, ESO (15-16 year-old students). The analysis was carried out...We intend to establish how species diversity is dealt with, within the study of the ecosystem, in books for the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education, ESO (15-16 year-old students). The analysis was carried out using a key issues dossier based on school science, which not only provides a description of reality, but also introduces a theoretical explanatory framework. Regarding species diversity, we focused on the descriptive approach, considering the link between diversity and trophic relationships, ecological succession and ecosystem stability through change, consequences for biodiversity of human activities and mechanisms to face such consequences; and on the explanatory perspective, which provides an interpretative answer for all the aspects previously mentioned. The findings drawn from textbooks show that biodiversity is linked both to the study of the ecosystem and to the impact of human societies on its maintenance. However, such study is particularly focused on the descriptive, rather than on the explanatory level. So, teachers should improve the study of biodiversity foresting a balance between descriptive and explanatory level.展开更多
This paper probes the problems of pedagogy within the South African context. The paper is written against the backdrop of the South African educational system that is at the crossroads regarding its adoption of a part...This paper probes the problems of pedagogy within the South African context. The paper is written against the backdrop of the South African educational system that is at the crossroads regarding its adoption of a participatory form of education (i.e., an educational system that is rooted on egalitarian ideals) or a system of education that is more elitist and has little, if any, to do with the uplifting of the historically marginalized. Since the paper is based on a conceptual analysis of theories of non-formal and/or adult education, the praxis of the argument is informed by philosophers who have written extensively on the subject. Solid and educational policies are also compared in order to formulate conclusions and strategies based on the analysis of educational trends that encourage democratic ideals.展开更多
This work aims at discussing the concept of critical and plurilingual English teaching within the context of the Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program recently implemented at the University of Campinas, Brazil. T...This work aims at discussing the concept of critical and plurilingual English teaching within the context of the Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program recently implemented at the University of Campinas, Brazil. This program aims at widening possibilities for public students to have access to Higher Education. The teaching of English as a foreign language is part of the curriculum and one of the challenges faced was to design a language course that meant to be meaningful to students and able to develop the necessary knowledge and literacies for active citizenship as well. A discursive approach to language was adopted and, this way, Bakhtinian theories, re-contextualized to the educational field, support the claim for the development of critical literacy in the process. Along with the concept of multiliteracies, linked to the notion of speech genres, the idea of a plurilingual, plurivocal, and pluristylistic language teaching is theoretically discussed and briefly illustrated. The results show that such an approach successfully led to meaningful and critical practices in the language classroom in Higher Education.展开更多
This paper seeks to do three things: (1) examine the linguistic situation of Cameroon; (2) identify the language(s) used in education; and (3) discuss whether in the light of the social linguistic evidence, t...This paper seeks to do three things: (1) examine the linguistic situation of Cameroon; (2) identify the language(s) used in education; and (3) discuss whether in the light of the social linguistic evidence, the current choice of language for education (English) is well motivated. The methodology employed is a socio-lin some randomly selected urban centers in Cameroon for example, Buea, Bamenda, Kumba, guistic survey of etc.. The results suggest among other things: (1) that Cameroon is a highly multilingual country with over 280 home languages and (2) that while English is the language for Anglophone education, Pidgin English is actually the predominant language and the first language for most Anglophones. Based on these findings, the author proposes Pidgin English as the choice language for early education in Anglophone Cameroon (the southwest and northwest regions). Pidgin English is the only language which expresses Cameroonian reality. It is spoken by more than 70% of the population. It is the only language that is not associated with a particular tribe, religion, or with a specific colonial government.展开更多
More than ever before, multilingualism is a key resource that opens the doors for participation in internationalisation and in the globalization process and participation in the knowledge society. As such, it is of ou...More than ever before, multilingualism is a key resource that opens the doors for participation in internationalisation and in the globalization process and participation in the knowledge society. As such, it is of outmost importance that governments consider language learning as an educational priority. Mozambique is no exception to this rule, as it has also already acknowledged the need not only to teach languages of wider communication such as English, French, and Portuguese, but also the Mozambican national languages. The present paper discusses the importance and value that is attached to multilingualism in Mozambique and focuses particularly on Foreign Language Teaching and Learning at tertiary level. This paper reports specifically on data collected through a questionnaire given to first year university students at Universidade Pedag6gica in Maputo, in June, 2008. In addition, it examines the university's language policy of providing English language teaching to first year students, focuses on some of the constraints that presently affect the development of productive and receptive multilingualism, and suggests ways of making foreign language learning more effective展开更多
This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church (CC) in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze...This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church (CC) in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Catholic groups work, in particular groups of Pastoral Youth and Charismatic Renovation prayer groups. As a result, observations are presented from an ethnographic work in groups identified with the spirituality of Liberation Theology and from charismatic ones. Besides, the text shows, from participants' experiences, the differences between both perspectives of religious living and the detachment and lack of dialogue which exists inside Catholicism.展开更多
An exploratory study of the traditional homestead forest of two different religious groups (Hindu and Muslim) in one selected floodplain area of Bangladesh was conducted over a period of six months from January to Jun...An exploratory study of the traditional homestead forest of two different religious groups (Hindu and Muslim) in one selected floodplain area of Bangladesh was conducted over a period of six months from January to June 2002. The species' (both tree and shrub) preferences, similarities, use and sources of planting materials, spacing and location of species in the homesteads of both Hindu and Muslim communities were studied. It was found thatMangifera indica as tree species andOcimum sanctum as shrub species were the best preferred species of the Hindu community.Artocarpus heterophyllus as tree species andLawsonia inermis as shrub species were found best preferred by the Muslim community. Floristic similarities between the two groups were found 86.57% in tree species and 78.48% in shrub species. Both seed and seedlings of tree and shrub species as planting materials were used by the highest percentage of both the religious communities. For tree species, homegarden was reported to be the highest source (39%) and for shrub species, nature was the highest source (40%), which was found in the Hindu community. Key words Species preferences - Species similarity - Planting materials - Hindu - Muslim - Homestead forests - Floodplain area - Bangladesh CLC number S72 Document code A Biography: Md. Danesh Miah (1971): male, Assistant Professor in the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh.Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai展开更多
This paper reports on seven years of collaborative research with the Department for Education and Child Development. The longitudinal study examines the impact ofa multilingual literacy approach as it has been applied...This paper reports on seven years of collaborative research with the Department for Education and Child Development. The longitudinal study examines the impact ofa multilingual literacy approach as it has been applied in the teaching of French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish across 12 different schools in South Australia. The move to introduce the study of additional languages in Australian primary schools has yet to establish wide-ranging and on-going student engagement and often fails to progress students beyond simple pragmatic language use. It is argued that a new approach integrates languages in daily classroom literacy practices can redress this situation: a multilingual literacy approach. The theoretical framework that drives this approach draws from the notions of universality and transfer that are established in the literature. A critical realist paradigm provided a framework for integrating research methods: employing contingency theory and pragmatic methods of philosophy also ensured that values and hermeneutics were not sidelined in the explanation of the study's acts and outcomes. This longitudinal study demonstrates that when the aforementioned theoretical notions bridge the research-practice divide and are adopted into daily classroom teaching and learning activities, there is a qualitative and quantitative improvement in students' literacy learning展开更多
文摘As the construction of identities is said to be within and not outside discourse, identities are thus produced in specific historical and institutional sites and within specific discursive formations and practices. These formations and practices, under which identities are produced, are explored within the Diaspora space of West Yorkshire occupied by Sudanese Muslim women. The paper interrogates Sudanese women's identities and questions how the experiences of exile and Diaspora transform women's identities and influence the gender roles to which they relate. This study is an attempt to add to migration, refugee, exile and "race" studies and the studies of Black and religious identity in the Western Diaspora space. The paper maintains that if all identities are thought to operate through exclusion, then identities are constructed through difference. Therefore, the identities of African Muslim women are constructed through the relation to the Other.
文摘This paper argues that ritual is not only restricted to religious activities, but can also be ethological, sociological, and ecological in nature. The artistic, stylistic, and functional characteristics of one particular festival of the Bamana in Mali to celebrate the harvest and new planting season will be analyzed. This festival primarily takes on the form of animal masquerades in which masks, puppets, drumming, singing, and dancing are blended into a ritualistic celebration of a certain cultural identity. The Bamana culture has lost religion as a marker, as Islam is now the dominant religion in Mali, but traditional social relationships and morals among the Bamana as a patriarchal society are concretized and objectified by their animal masquerades. Apart from being a seasonal festival, events from the past are commemorated; customary gender roles are defined; and some fundamental and complex social concepts are reinforced by a performance mode which relies on a collective memory and oral transmission.
文摘Recently, the scale of higher education for adults is expanding and at the same time, the teaching quality is declining, which has been increasingly focused on. In order to improve the teaching quality, at first, it is necessary to build up a set of integrative and complete teaching quality evaluation system, which is composed of class, course major and college respectively from the aspects of learning and teaching because of the particularity of the students and teaching modes of higher education for adults.
文摘Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program has aimed to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. educational institutions by establishing a native speaker presence. As one of the first group of Fulbright Chinese Language Assistants, the author worked at the College of Wooster in the United States from August, 2005 to May, 2006. At the beginning of the paper, the author gave a brief introduction of Fulbright FLTA program. Then the author described five cultural activities that Fulbright FLTAs could employ in foreign language learners' learning process: giving presentations, teaching songs, watching movies, organizing free tea or coffee breaks, and holding free talks. The following section discussed two phenomena that FLTAs should avoid, that is, ethnocentrism and cultural stereotyping. The author pointed out in the conclusion that Fulbright language assistants should make efforts to be qualified cultural ambassadors.
文摘This paper outlines the rationale of Bantu education that was available for South African Blacks from 1953 to 1992. The paper is of the opinion that challenges of constructing a new education system in post-apartheid South Africa cannot be fully grasped without a proper understanding of the pervasive impact of Bantu education on the majority for a period of almost 60 years. It also discusses the educational vision and goals of the important organizations in the liberation movement such as the African National Congress, the Azanian People's Organization, and the Pan Africanist Congress that continue to shape educational debates in the present educational reform context. The paper argues that the present curriculum by its very history and origins does not address the problems that have been created by the ideology of the former South African education system. Salient to these problems is the over-emphasis on Christian/European education that is not realistic in many regions of South Africa. The paper argues that curriculum has to reflect the cultural and racial diversity in South Africa, and further suggests that all languages and cultures in South Africa are essential in the building of an anti-racist and anti-sexist society. The monitoring of academic activity in a democratic education system can be confusing to teachers who have been trained within the confines of an apartheid (Bantu) education. The paper therefore suggests that more funds will have to be put aside by the government to upgrade the pedagogical approach of teachers so that they can be able to deal with their new role of leadership and the developing of content, and tackle issues of sexism/racism both in and out of the classroom.
文摘We intend to establish how species diversity is dealt with, within the study of the ecosystem, in books for the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education, ESO (15-16 year-old students). The analysis was carried out using a key issues dossier based on school science, which not only provides a description of reality, but also introduces a theoretical explanatory framework. Regarding species diversity, we focused on the descriptive approach, considering the link between diversity and trophic relationships, ecological succession and ecosystem stability through change, consequences for biodiversity of human activities and mechanisms to face such consequences; and on the explanatory perspective, which provides an interpretative answer for all the aspects previously mentioned. The findings drawn from textbooks show that biodiversity is linked both to the study of the ecosystem and to the impact of human societies on its maintenance. However, such study is particularly focused on the descriptive, rather than on the explanatory level. So, teachers should improve the study of biodiversity foresting a balance between descriptive and explanatory level.
文摘This paper probes the problems of pedagogy within the South African context. The paper is written against the backdrop of the South African educational system that is at the crossroads regarding its adoption of a participatory form of education (i.e., an educational system that is rooted on egalitarian ideals) or a system of education that is more elitist and has little, if any, to do with the uplifting of the historically marginalized. Since the paper is based on a conceptual analysis of theories of non-formal and/or adult education, the praxis of the argument is informed by philosophers who have written extensively on the subject. Solid and educational policies are also compared in order to formulate conclusions and strategies based on the analysis of educational trends that encourage democratic ideals.
文摘This work aims at discussing the concept of critical and plurilingual English teaching within the context of the Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program recently implemented at the University of Campinas, Brazil. This program aims at widening possibilities for public students to have access to Higher Education. The teaching of English as a foreign language is part of the curriculum and one of the challenges faced was to design a language course that meant to be meaningful to students and able to develop the necessary knowledge and literacies for active citizenship as well. A discursive approach to language was adopted and, this way, Bakhtinian theories, re-contextualized to the educational field, support the claim for the development of critical literacy in the process. Along with the concept of multiliteracies, linked to the notion of speech genres, the idea of a plurilingual, plurivocal, and pluristylistic language teaching is theoretically discussed and briefly illustrated. The results show that such an approach successfully led to meaningful and critical practices in the language classroom in Higher Education.
文摘This paper seeks to do three things: (1) examine the linguistic situation of Cameroon; (2) identify the language(s) used in education; and (3) discuss whether in the light of the social linguistic evidence, the current choice of language for education (English) is well motivated. The methodology employed is a socio-lin some randomly selected urban centers in Cameroon for example, Buea, Bamenda, Kumba, guistic survey of etc.. The results suggest among other things: (1) that Cameroon is a highly multilingual country with over 280 home languages and (2) that while English is the language for Anglophone education, Pidgin English is actually the predominant language and the first language for most Anglophones. Based on these findings, the author proposes Pidgin English as the choice language for early education in Anglophone Cameroon (the southwest and northwest regions). Pidgin English is the only language which expresses Cameroonian reality. It is spoken by more than 70% of the population. It is the only language that is not associated with a particular tribe, religion, or with a specific colonial government.
文摘More than ever before, multilingualism is a key resource that opens the doors for participation in internationalisation and in the globalization process and participation in the knowledge society. As such, it is of outmost importance that governments consider language learning as an educational priority. Mozambique is no exception to this rule, as it has also already acknowledged the need not only to teach languages of wider communication such as English, French, and Portuguese, but also the Mozambican national languages. The present paper discusses the importance and value that is attached to multilingualism in Mozambique and focuses particularly on Foreign Language Teaching and Learning at tertiary level. This paper reports specifically on data collected through a questionnaire given to first year university students at Universidade Pedag6gica in Maputo, in June, 2008. In addition, it examines the university's language policy of providing English language teaching to first year students, focuses on some of the constraints that presently affect the development of productive and receptive multilingualism, and suggests ways of making foreign language learning more effective
文摘This work analyzes the discourse and the practice of the youth from the Catholic Church (CC) in order to present experiences and dialogues present in contemporary Catholicism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Catholic groups work, in particular groups of Pastoral Youth and Charismatic Renovation prayer groups. As a result, observations are presented from an ethnographic work in groups identified with the spirituality of Liberation Theology and from charismatic ones. Besides, the text shows, from participants' experiences, the differences between both perspectives of religious living and the detachment and lack of dialogue which exists inside Catholicism.
文摘An exploratory study of the traditional homestead forest of two different religious groups (Hindu and Muslim) in one selected floodplain area of Bangladesh was conducted over a period of six months from January to June 2002. The species' (both tree and shrub) preferences, similarities, use and sources of planting materials, spacing and location of species in the homesteads of both Hindu and Muslim communities were studied. It was found thatMangifera indica as tree species andOcimum sanctum as shrub species were the best preferred species of the Hindu community.Artocarpus heterophyllus as tree species andLawsonia inermis as shrub species were found best preferred by the Muslim community. Floristic similarities between the two groups were found 86.57% in tree species and 78.48% in shrub species. Both seed and seedlings of tree and shrub species as planting materials were used by the highest percentage of both the religious communities. For tree species, homegarden was reported to be the highest source (39%) and for shrub species, nature was the highest source (40%), which was found in the Hindu community. Key words Species preferences - Species similarity - Planting materials - Hindu - Muslim - Homestead forests - Floodplain area - Bangladesh CLC number S72 Document code A Biography: Md. Danesh Miah (1971): male, Assistant Professor in the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh.Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai
文摘This paper reports on seven years of collaborative research with the Department for Education and Child Development. The longitudinal study examines the impact ofa multilingual literacy approach as it has been applied in the teaching of French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish across 12 different schools in South Australia. The move to introduce the study of additional languages in Australian primary schools has yet to establish wide-ranging and on-going student engagement and often fails to progress students beyond simple pragmatic language use. It is argued that a new approach integrates languages in daily classroom literacy practices can redress this situation: a multilingual literacy approach. The theoretical framework that drives this approach draws from the notions of universality and transfer that are established in the literature. A critical realist paradigm provided a framework for integrating research methods: employing contingency theory and pragmatic methods of philosophy also ensured that values and hermeneutics were not sidelined in the explanation of the study's acts and outcomes. This longitudinal study demonstrates that when the aforementioned theoretical notions bridge the research-practice divide and are adopted into daily classroom teaching and learning activities, there is a qualitative and quantitative improvement in students' literacy learning