Suchergebnisse

The first instances of mentoring in the teaching profession – which eventually grew to cover all phases of teacher education (i.e., preservice, induction and continued professional development) – occurred in the early 1970s in the United States, followed closely by Europe (Kerry & Shelton Mayes, 1995). In the UK, in particular, the rapid growth in the early 1990s of school-based mentoring by teachers during initial teacher education (ITE) was propelled by a political decision to move the preparation of future teachers away from higher education (HE) and locate it in schools (Kerry & Shelton Mayes, 1995). Roughly at that time, Sultana (1995) made a plea to introduce mentoring in the ITE programmes organised by the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta. His intention, however, was to recognise and utilise the situational expertise of teachers in schools rather than to eliminate ITE from HE (see Sultana, 1995). There was in fact one notable attempt in the early 1990s to move the Faculty in this direction with a mentoring programme designed for students specializing in primary education, but in spite of the largely positive results the initiative met a natural death when the requested support structures to sustain this programme failed to materialize (see Azzopardi & Bonnici, 2000). Since then, to the best of our knowledge, the Faculty has effectively continued to marginalize or ignore what skilled and competent personnel in schools have to offer in the preparation of future teachers. That is until very recently. ; peer-reviewed

"The Mediterranean has once again come into its own in global geo-politics, attracting international interest that goes well beyond the typical stereotypes propagated by the tourist industry. Popular movements clamouring for democracy, conflict zones that have a spill-over effect well beyond the region, efforts to engage with globalisation on its own terms-one and all play out in various sectors of society, education included. Educational Scholarship across the Mediterranean: A Celebratory Retrospective brings together in one volume a selection of the best articles that have appeared in the Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, whose first issue was published in 1996. Each chapter highlights challenges faced by education systems across the region, seen from the perspective of leading scholars who draw on original empirical data, a broad spectrum of theoretical frameworks, and personal experience to reflect on education-related topics. Among these we find critical considerations of the role of the economy, demography, gender, social stratification, religion, politics, culture and language in shaping educational systems and practices. Much has been achieved in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean over the past 25 years-and yet, a consideration of the continuities as much as of the ruptures is instructive, showing how education remains both a transformative and reproductive force in communities"--

NCPE's commitment to eliminating gender equality in Malta comes forth again with this research exercise. As you will read in the following pages, through the European Social Fund project – ESF 3.47 Unlocking the Female Potential, NCPE has embarked on a mission to further understand certain realities that limit the involvement of women in the labour market. Throughout this research, we have sought to identify the needs of specific female target groups that make up the national context. Among other objectives we delved deeper into the variances between the needs of male and female entrepreneurs, the hardships of temporary and casual workers whose employment is considered vulnerable, the perceptions of employed females with regards to the glass ceiling and glass cliff, how Maltese women view financial independence, the effects of social security benefits on the decision to take up employment, the skills available in the inactive segment and which roles females not contributing to the labour force see themselves in, as well as a thorough study of the Gozitan female population on how they view employment and how Gozitan society views employed females. It has been an exciting journey through two very full years of research to discover and bring to you these findings. In the 2nd chapter, we have also included policy recommendations that we hope will address the most urgent needs when it comes to gender inequality and discrimination. Important conclusions that can be covered in future studies as well as in future legislation can also be found here. In the analysis we have also assessed the impact of relevant policy actions and projects. We trust that this research will be fruitful and will be useful for policy development in order to enhance gender equality. Special thanks go to M. Fsadni & Associates involved in this research as well as to all NCPE staff. ; peer-reviewed