Key Competencies For A Successful Life And A Well Functioning Society

This volume lays out relevant normative, definitional and conceptual criteria for defining and selecting key competencies in an international context.

Across the globe citizenship education is high on the reform agendas of policy makers and educators. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the entry of former Soviet bloc states into the European Union, the fragmentation of the former Yugoslavia, the major population movements from poor to rich countries, and the increased threats of international terrorism and civil wars in many states have all added to the need to provide up-dated and reflective approaches to citizenship education. Within nation states, the impact of globalisation on social, economic and political structures has caused power shifts across and within international borders demanding greater citizenship awareness and participation. The effect of these changes and the practice and needs of citizenship are profoundly affected by the distinctive particulars of the places in which they occur. This is an essential ingredient in any understanding of what is happening and of any program addressing the resulting citizenship challenges. Too often, citizenship education has been perceived simply as a matter for schools. In this book, the discussion is extended to embrace post-school education. It is acknowledged that the educa

This book explores the socially and individually determined nature of media literacy, addressing the central question of how individuals’ media activity can be explained and evaluated. It examines people's media activity through the relationship between their competence to act and actual actions. Further, the book discusses the social factors that foster self-determined media activity, including people's abilities and skills and the associated knowledge that facilitates such skills, from the perspectives of various social science disciplines. Lastly, it applies these theoretical reflections to two empirical studies. Overall, this book provides a fundamental introduction to theories of media socialization, media literacy and media competence, and to the relation between media and socialization. It analyses international discourses on children, media, media literacy, and digital literacy. This book is of interest to scholars and researchers in the field of media studies, including media sociology and media education, communication, and cultural studies.

Pick and Sirkin show how IMIFAP, a Mexican NGO, has employed a development strategy to encourage the establishment of a participatory, healthy and educated citizenry. The program strategy is grounded in Amartya Sen's approach to sustainable development through expanding individual's capabilities and freedoms. It presents the Framework for Enabling Empowerment (FrEE) and the step by step strategy "Programming for Choice," based on the practical experience and evaluation of IMIFAP's programs. The end goal is to achieve sustainable community and individual development that can be expanded across a variety of life domains (social, economic, political, education, health and psychological). The book shows how community development can be enhanced if people are enabled to make accountable choices and expand their alternatives. International development efforts will not be sustainable if we continue to build schools without quality teachers; health clinics without enhancing logistical and psychological access and improving quality of care; and laws that are not enforced. Institutions will only flourish if their leaders and bureaucrats enhance their personal capabilities. The central premise of the book is that enhancing skills, knowledge and reducing psychological and contextual barriers to change are central (and often neglected) aspects of sustainable development. IMIFAP was founded in 1984. Through its health promotion and poverty reduction work it has reached over 19 million people in 14 countries through over 40 different programs and over 280 educational materials with support from over 300 funding agencies and government and private institutions. Its mission is to enable society's poor and vulnerable to take charge of their lives through helping them develop their potential. We have found that through the IMIFAP "I want to, I can" programs people take the control of their lives in their own hands. Examples of these results are presented including numerous testimonies.

This book transforms our current understanding of assessment practice in different educational settings and cultures. Drawing upon the resources of language games and critical realism the authors argue for an innovative engagement with the philosophical, theoretical and practical foundations of assessment. What is the connection between learning, motivation and assessment? Is assessment for learning a motorway or a blind alley for improved learning outcomes? How can creativity be assessed through the eyes of the connoisseur? How can assessment cultures be understood as forms of life and language games? Do new forms of society transform our assessment practices? A critical appreciation of the work of Royce Sadler is offered for assessment specialists.

This collection of essays examines how God's justice and mercy intersect in the lives of individuals and their communities, with a view to the establishment of personal and social well-being in the world. The authors, drawn from England and Australia, approach the theme from a variety of methodological and interdisciplinary perspectives. Theological, exegetical, historical, healthcare, moral, and visual arts approaches are brought to bear in an investigation relevant for the identity and mission of the church in a world characterized by cycles of revenge, the perpetration of injustice, and the marginalization and persecution of various ethnic groups. The practical outcome of these studies has wide-ranging relevance for our attitudes toward indigenous peoples, the well-being of single and married people, healthcare throughout the ages, the spiritual care of people (including those suffering dementia), the personal experience of trauma, issues of moral judgement, and the abiding value of the creative arts.

Although universal schooling has been adopted as a goal by international organizations, bilateral aid agencies, national governments, and non-profit organizations, little sustained international attention has been devoted to the purposes or goals of universal education. What is universal primary and secondary education intended to accomplish? This book, which grew out of a project of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, offers views from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America on the purposes of universal education while considering diverse cultures, religions, and professions. It is the first book in which renowned authors from around the world have proposed, considered, and debated goals of basic and secondary education, engaging in a constructive dialogue on one of the most pressing issues facing education today.