The Spring 2010 (VIII, 1) issue of Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge includes faculty and student papers and contributions from the 2010 Annual Conference of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching at UMass Boston on topics: “Constructing the Innocence of the First Textual Encounter,” “Examining a First Amendment Court Case to Teach Argument Analysis to Freshman Writers at an Art College,” “The Absent Professor: Rethinking Collaboration in Tutorial Sessions,” “Visual Literacy for the Enhancement of Inclusive Teaching,” “When Literature Is Evangelical: Pedagogies of Passion,” “Creating Networking Communities Beyond the Classroom,” “Framing Cultural Diversity Courses Post U.S. 2008 Presidential Elections,” “The Difference Between You and Me: Faculty Identities at Play in the Classroom,” “Toward a Non-Eurocentric Social Psychology: The Contribution of the Yogacara,” “Service-Learning and Authenticity Achievement,” “Academic Achievement of Turkish and American Students,” “The Miseducation of Ms. M,” “Culturelessness and Culture Shock: An American-Asian Experience,” “From Construction to Social Work: Finding Value in Helping Others,” “My Work Utopia: Pursuing A Satisfactory Work Life Amid an Alienating World,” and “The Loss of a Culture with an Accent: A Sociological Reflection on My Assimilation into the American Culture.” Contributors: Alex Mueller, Cheryl Nixon, Rajini Srikanth, Angelika Festa, Arianne Baker, Kristi Girdharry, Meghan Hancock, Rebecca Katz, Meesh McCarthy, Jesse Priest, Megan Turilli, Mary Ball Howkins, J. Ken Stuckey, Apostolos Koutropoulos, Marjorie Jones, Suzanne M. Buglione, James William Coleman, John W. Murphy, Dana Rasch, Eyyup Esen, Melanie Robinson, Tara Cianfrocca, Albert Marks, Irene Hartford, Dora Joseph, Anna Beckwith (also as journal issue guest editor), Vivian Zamel (also as journal issue guest editor), and Mohammad H. Tamdgidi (also as journal editor-in-chief). Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge is a publication of OKCIR: The Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research in Utopia, Mysticism, and Science (Utopystics). For more information about OKCIR and other issues in its journal’s Edited Collection as well as Monograph and Translation series visit OKCIR’s homepage.

The Spring 2010 (VIII, 1) issue of Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge includes faculty and student papers and contributions from the 2010 Annual Conference of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching at UMass Boston on topics: "Constructing the Innocence of the First Textual Encounter," "Examining a First Amendment Court Case to Teach Argument Analysis to Freshman Writers at an Art College," "The Absent Professor: Rethinking Collaboration in Tutorial Sessions," "Visual Literacy for the Enhancement of Inclusive Teaching," "When Literature Is Evangelical: Pedagogies of Passion," "Creating Networking Communities Beyond the Classroom," "Framing Cultural Diversity Courses Post U.S. 2008 Presidential Elections," "The Difference Between You and Me: Faculty Identities at Play in the Classroom," "Toward a Non-Eurocentric Social Psychology: The Contribution of the Yogacara," "Service-Learning and Authenticity Achievement," "Academic Achievement of Turkish and American Students," "The Miseducation of Ms. M," "Culturelessness and Culture Shock: An American-Asian Experience," "From Construction to Social Work: Finding Value in Helping Others," "My Work Utopia: Pursuing A Satisfactory Work Life Amid an Alienating World," and "The Loss of a Culture with an Accent: A Sociological Reflection on My Assimilation into the American Culture." Contributors: Alex Mueller, Cheryl Nixon, Rajini Srikanth, Angelika Festa, Arianne Baker, Kristi Girdharry, Meghan Hancock, Rebecca Katz, Meesh McCarthy, Jesse Priest, Megan Turilli, Mary Ball Howkins, J. Ken Stuckey, Apostolos Koutropoulos, Marjorie Jones, Suzanne M. Buglione, James William Coleman, John W. Murphy, Dana Rasch, Eyyup Esen, Melanie Robinson, Tara Cianfrocca, Albert Marks, Irene Hartford, Dora Joseph, Anna Beckwith (also as journal issue guest editor), Vivian Zamel (also as journal issue guest editor), and Mohammad H. Tamdgidi (also as journal editor-in-chief). Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge is a publication of OKCIR: The Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research in Utopia, Mysticism, and Science (Utopystics). For more information about OKCIR and other issues in its journal's Edited Collection as well as Monograph and Translation series visit OKCIR's homepage.

Political transformations have a decisive power to shape education systems in general and teacher education programs in particular. How these processes unfold is especially interesting in educational systems which are not generally known to Anglo-Saxon educators, like Germany, Russia, or China. Several chapters in this volume discuss the impact of statewide political transformation on teacher education programs. Political transformation is one of the important features of societies in the second half of the 20th century. Political transformations and changing ideologies are part of the history of teaching and teacher education. It is important to be aware of this process in order to keep the accumulated experience of the teaching profession alive and contribute to present day education policy and practice. Bringing ideological-political perspectives to bear on teacher education can deepen our understanding of the relation between society and teacher education. Moreover, it highlights the pivotal role that teachers play in any society. This volume presents different ways of analyzing teacher education programs through the lens of different ideologies and the influence of societal transformations.

This collection of essays offers practical advice, insights and strategies for teaching science more effectively and engagingly. The guide is appropriate for new instructors, and is even of interest to those who have been teaching for many years.

The diversity of research domains and theories in the field of mathematics education has been a permanent subject of discussions from the origins of the discipline up to the present. On the one hand the diversity is regarded as a resource for rich scientific development on the other hand it gives rise to the often repeated criticism of the discipline’s lack of focus and identity. As one way of focusing on core issues of the discipline the book seeks to open up a discussion about fundamental ideas in the field of mathematics education that permeate different research domains and perspectives. The book addresses transformation as one fundamental idea in mathematics education and examines it from different perspectives. Transformations are related to knowledge, related to signs and representations of mathematics, related to concepts and ideas, and related to instruments for the learning of mathematics. The book seeks to answer the following questions: What do we know about transformations in the different domains? What kinds of transformations are crucial? How is transformation in each case conceptualized?

The breakneck speed of change in today’s societies creates enormous challenges for educational institutions at all levels. This volume explores ways how to manage change in educational processes and contexts, focusing, in particular, on the concepts of transition and transformation. How do we educate a skilled workforce, sensitive professionals and responsive citizens who are able not only to cope with change but also to adopt required roles as agents of change? How do we prepare students and employees to cope adequately with changes and transitions in their careers and personal lives? The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future. The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future.