In 1988, Richard Morin, a Grade 9 teacher in Prince Edward Island, Canada was removed from the classroom for showing his students a film that was critical of Christian fundamentalism. The ensuing court battle, which eventually resulted in Morin's vindication in 2002, has received surprisingly little attention. I begin the analysis with a careful…

The objective of this study was to facilitate inservice high school and university teachers' understanding of the difference between the terms "hypothesis" and "prediction." The context for understanding these terms was Columbus's discovery of America (as in the previous study). Control group teachers (N = 94) were evaluated before the discussion…

Current theory, policy, and practice of lifelong learning are strongly influenced by ideas about the transformations that are taking place in contemporary societies. One influential set of ideas emphasizes that because of the rapid changes that are taking place in the (late-) modern world and because of the erosion of traditions, there is a…

The purpose of this article is to develop a method of approach that can be used to explore the meaning and use of artifacts in education by applying a socio-cultural perspective to learning and artifacts. An empirical material of video recorded physical education lessons in Sweden is used to illustrate the approach in terms of how artifacts in…

In this paper I consider how Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics can complement the pragmatic theory that has informed the field of service-learning, and with its emphasis on community and respect for others, can offer an orientation to further the work of service-learning and community engagement in a mutually satisfying way for…

The paper puts forward the argument that critical thinking (and its teaching) should be approached by taking into critical account operations of authority that blunt the reflective disposition toward written texts. The empirical grounds of this argument have been examined by means of a specific study. The study explored in a higher-education…

Wisdom has been a topic of religion and philosophy since the dawning of human civilization. But only during the last two or three decades wisdom has become a topic of empirical research in developmental psychology, adult and old age education, as well as in management and leadership studies. The aim of this paper is to elaborate a new definition…

Where you live should have something to do with what you teach. In the Arctic, the idea of place-based education--teaching and sharing knowledge that is needed to live well--is central to the UARCTIC consortium and the 4th International Polar Year educational reform effort. A place-based issue oriented context can engage students in chemistry…

In this article issues related to policy and education in the Canadian Arctic are critically put to question. The focus is on the struggle for Inuit education, language issues, and supporting minority rights, with pragmatic solutions proposed to the problems confronting Nunavut.

The Sami are an indigenous people of the Arctic, and through a resolution of the United Nations, Norway is bound to take care of the Sami culture and language. Since 1987 the Sami have had their own curriculum, but they have no mathematics syllabus. In this paper we summarize the legal acts that take care of the Sami culture within the Norwegian…

In this technical report, an innovative cultural preservation program for implementation in Athabascan villages is presented. The parameters for success in implementing such a project is discussed based on a workshop with Athabascan elders.

A major problem of education in isolated, predominantly First Nations communities in Ontario's far north is that prescriptive statements and ideological preferences assume discussions about the purposes of schooling in these communities. Frequent suggestions, sometimes implicit, and sometimes explicit, indicate that the ideal condition for…

Sociologists began defining the term "culture" long ago in order to serve the specific research interests of practicing scientists. The definitions served scientists' purpose well. The term culture became popular beyond even the discipline of sociology. For example, there is a normative sense of the term that serves practical pedagogical purposes…

Psychologists, philosophers, and educators have traditionally interpreted the phenomenon of insight learning as the result of the sudden comprehension of abstract/conceptual ideas. The present article shows that such phenomenon may also follow and emerge from the kinetic movements of the human body; that is, we conceptualize insight learning as a…

This article shows how Yup'ik cosmology, epistemology, and everyday practice have implications for the teaching of school mathematics. Math in a Cultural Context (MCC) has a long-term collaborative relationship with Yup'ik elders and experienced Yup'ik teachers. Because of this long-term ethnographically-oriented relationship, the authors--both…