This book is an exposition of how political, cultural, historical, and economic structures and processes shape the nature and character of curriculum landscapes globally. By developing theoretical connections and providing contextual background, Kumar explores how colonialism and imperialism, state-led ideological control, and the wave of neoliberalism and capitalism insidiously impact the process of curriculum development in different parts of the world. Kumar also underscores how intellectual movements such as Marxism and postmodernism have shaped curriculum theory in varied political and economic settings. By emphasizing the connections between and among diverse cultural and political conceptualizations of curriculum, this volume contributes to the internationalization of curriculum studies discourses.

The ISATT 40th Anniversary Yearbook, presented over three volumes, celebrates the contributions of ISATT members over time and offers current scholarly research to inform current and future teacher education and teaching.

Curriculum can be defined in a variety of ways. It might be viewed as a body of knowledge, a product, or a process. Curricula can differ as they are conceptualized from various theoretical perspectives to address the needs of teachers, students, and the context of schooling. One reason to study curriculum is “to reveal the expectations, processes and outcomes of students’ school learning experiences that are situated in different cultural and system contexts. … further studies of curriculum practices and changes are much needed to help ensure the success of educational reforms in the different cultural and system contexts” (Kulm & Li, 2009, p. 709). This volume highlights international perspectives on curriculum and aims to broaden the wider mathematics education community’s understandings of mathematics curriculum through viewing a variety of ways that curricula are developed, understood, and implemented in different jurisdictions/countries. Within this volume, we define curriculum broadly as the set of mathematics standards or outcomes, the messages inherent in mathematics curriculum documents and resources, how these standards are understood by a variety of stakeholders, and how they are enacted in classrooms. The focus is on the written, implied, and enacted curriculum in various educational settings throughout the world.

This volume addresses problems and emerging trends in curriculum and technology, and discusses educational matters at the intersection of national and international challenges. It takes the reader on a journey considering issues in curriculum research and practice and developments in teacher education and technology. The book also shows that curriculum as an applied discipline has direct and indirect influences not only on schooling, but also on uncertainties of society, vulnerable groups and global changes. It will be of great interest to curriculum scholars, educators and practitioners, especially when distance education and remote teaching are on the agenda of all education systems throughout the world.

This book presents an international perspective on examining and putting into practice new innovations in science education. The chapters are organized into three parts, each of which addresses a key area in science education research. Part I of this book (Students’ conceptual understanding of science) addresses issues related to the identification of students’ science concepts, and the influence of everyday understandings on the construction of science concepts. Part II (Making science concepts plausible for students) addresses the pedagogical concerns of teachers in making science ideas plausible and logical for their students. Part III (Science teacher learning) reports on science teacher learning in Australia and Hong Kong. The focus is on the interaction between research and implementation, or how theory can be realized in classroom practice, with contributions from both non-Western and non-English-speaking contexts and Western and English speaking countries. Taken together, the papers have a common focus on the relationship or integration of theory and practice in science education. They demonstrate a concern to address education reform directions, putting into practice recommendations from science education research, and improving the quality of science education. The contributors of this book come from seven different areas around the world. These contributions have been essential in making the discussions in this book multi-perspective and relevant to an international audience, thus allowing it to emerge to join the international discourse on improving science education. The studies reported in this book provide insights for future research addressing science education reform directions, students’ learning needs and different classroom contexts. The discussions and the findings reported are relevant to science educators, teachers, student teachers, graduate students in education, curriculum developers and those responsible for education policy.

This edited volume explores diverse perspectives and discourses of curriculum studies contributed by scholars both within and outside the majority world.

This volume offers a cross-national analysis of teacher education programs designed to prepare teachers for work in middle level schools. The book showcases 15 detailed case studies of courses at institutions across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa—including from countries currently underrepresented in middle level literature—which provide detailed information on programming whilst foregrounding the political, social, and cultural factors which have influenced priorities within teacher education. Underpinning the book is a comparative case study framework, used to identify divergences and commonalities within and across nations whereby factors such as globalization, policy, and socio-cultural views of teaching and adolescence are explored as determinants of the nature, success, and challenges of middle level teacher preparation. This text will benefit scholars, academics, and students in the fields of middle level education, teacher education, and international and comparative education. Those involved with educational policy and politics, as well as teacher training and the sociology of education more broadly, will also benefit from this volume.