https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37100 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:34:52 GMT 2026-04-06T14:34:52Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19076 Title: Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies : Volume 8, Issue 1 Abstract: Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 8, No. 1 (2003). Special issue dedicated to "Learning in Science in the Mediterranean Region", guest editors Constantinos P. Constantinou and Michalinos Zembylas. Description: Contents include : Education denied; Costs and remedies by Katarina Tomasevski (Book Review) / Keith McGregor - Stedina ghat-taghlim fis-Sekondarja (An invitation to teaching in secondary schools by Terence Portelli and Antoinette Camilleri Grima (Book Review) / Peter Mayo Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19076 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19075 Title: Teaching and learning science in Palestine : dealing with the new Palestinian science curriculum Authors: Wahbeh, Nader Atallah Abstract: Since the establishment of the Palestinian Curriculum Development Centre in 1995 and the development of the First Palestinian Curriculum Plan in 1996, the Ministry of Education has introduced, for the first time in Palestinian history, textbooks for grades one, two, six, and seven. The need for a comprehensive evaluation process for these new curricula has been highlighted by many Palestinian intellectuals, thus questioning the efficacy of the technical approach followed by the Ministry of Education. In the first section, the paper briefly outlines, the specific challenges and tensions in teaching and learning science in the new Palestinian curriculum. I examine the complex history of science education in Palestine during the Israeli occupation and illustrate how the occupation has contributed to the above challenges and tensions. In the second section, the paper discusses the vision adopted by the Al-Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development (QCERD) which takes an approach to curriculum evaluation and research from socio-cultural perspectives. This vision views the science curriculum as process and praxis, and focuses on what occurs in Palestinian science classrooms. It involves working directly with science teachers at the preservice and in-service levels, in order to encourage reflection, dialogue and critical inquiry. In the third section, the paper presents the results of ongoing research projects carried out by QCERD concerning curriculum evaluation. Taking the Palestinian school as a unit of analysis, and the science classroom as a laboratory in which each teacher is a researcher, educational theories are translated into a hypothesis that is testable in practice, and the science curriculum is developed and evaluated through a dynamic interaction of action and reflection. Additionally, the paper focuses on how science teachers mediate the overt science curriculum as well as the hidden curriculum, which is embedded in the daily interactions and regulations of school life. I argue that the science curriculum transmits authoritarian knowledge and values by placing the teacher at the center of the educational process, and by neglecting competencies that are necessary for democratic practices in the classroom. The paper concludes by offering a set of concrete policy recommendations about the importance of involving teachers in the process of curriculum evaluation in a way which empowers them as practitioners to reflect on the norms and values that are being presented in the science curriculum and the Palestinian curriculum as a whole. Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19075 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19074 Title: Some problems encountered in the introduction of innovations in secondary school science education and suggestions for overcoming them Authors: Pinto, Roser; Ametller, Jaume; Couso, Digna; Sassi, Elena; Monroy, Gabriella; Testa, Italo; Lombardi, Sara Abstract: This paper discusses some problems in innovating in the context of the school system in Catalonia and Italy. The process leading to reform of secondary education is briefly described. The issue of teachers’ interpretations and reactions to the guidelines of reforms and innovations is focused on. For basic science education, two specific innovative teaching proposals about Energy and Motion/ Force are briefly described, together with a study of teachers’ interpretations of their rationale and guidelines. The main transforming trends of these interpretations are discussed: these indicate that since teachers are major actors in the school innovation process, unless they internalise the proposed approaches, no real, successful implementation in classroom practice will take place. Finally, some guidelines and recommendations are suggested, which will interest education policy makers and teacher education agencies. Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19074 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19073 Title: Mediterranean models for integrating environmental education and Earth sciences through Earth systems education Authors: Orion, Nir; Fortner, Rosanne W. Abstract: Practitioners of modern environmental education frequently find themselves collaborating with those who are engaged in integrating the science disciplines in search of answers to natural hazard prediction/protection, understanding the deep sea and space, and especially confronting pressing environmental concerns with a basis in Earth sciences. Indeed, it is a lack of understanding of Earth systems processes and feedback mechanisms that has resulted in humans initiating or exacerbating environmental problems for centuries. In this paper the authors provide a perspective on the established fields of environmental education and Earth science, and propose a practical combination that is of larger global import as well as more personal relevance than either of the originals: Earth systems Education. The role of the Earth systems education model in integrating the science curriculum is discussed with regional examples from Israel and Cyprus. Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/19073 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z