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In academic and real life, issues of water have been predominantly ruled by a single approach. Such an approach, I argue, is the enemy metaphorical vision and I contend that this metaphorical vision comes particularly from the Dutch culture. It is further argued that the Dutch enemy vision, while not only problematic and giving rise to questions, is also nearly global in extent now. Running alongside the Dutch dominated Western metaphor I argue for the existence of another approach to water and floods. This is the Lozi flood approach in Western Zambia. The Lozi metaphorically view floodwaters as a patelo (ie. an open space in the centre of a village, public place). In effect, we have two contrasting views, namely, the 'enemy' and 'patelo' flood metaphors belonging to the Dutch and Lozi cultures respectively. Indeed, in the course of writing and researching this thesis I came to realise that the Dutch vision of water as enemy may be seen as metaphorical in itself for Western attitudes and policies towards water and floods. Throughout the thesis the Dutch enemy vision stands in as metaphor. This needs to be understood. Particular contexts are reviewed in order to understand the enemy/patelo issue and include (a) the Western flood-hazard school of thought (b) the Western Zambian experiences (c) environmentalism and (d) the 'serviceknowledge' concept for the role of universities in the dissemination of knowledge and understanding. Since the view of floods originating with the Dutch is, arguablyl considered to be a problem and now global in extent, the idea in this inquiry is to propose as a partial solution materials which would be seen, debated and assessed internationally. Theoretically, the proposed solution consists of an exercise in environmental education and a 'serviceknowledge' concept of education as defined in the text. In practice, the theoretical and abstract concept of serviceknowledge takes the tangible form of a pamphlet (for the local Zambian public) and the 'video script in embryo' (for the international public outside Zambia). Moreover, in practically carrying out the study, I adopt a mixture of three research paradigms, namely, the positivist, interpretive and action research paradigms. The pamphlet and video script are, in effect, both research instruments and dissemination techniques. The results of the inquiry are reported in discussion. My position moves from two contrasting ideas of natural floods to three different and contextually based interpretations of the biblical flood story. The study concludes with a hope that our knowledge of and attitudes towards floods and flooding, as well as modes of university public service in education, will have increased slightly in the course and aftermath of this inquiry.

<p> Implementation of the common core state standards began in 2010 for public school districts across the United States, and research about the impact of these standards on teaching and learning in smaller rural schools is limited. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe how K-12 English language arts teachers in rural remote schools integrated the common core state standards into curriculum, as defined by Aoki&rsquo;s theory about planned and lived curriculums, which formed the conceptual framework for this research. Participants included 8 K-12 English language arts teachers from 2 rural remote public school districts located in a western state. Research questions addressed curricular and instructional alignment, and data were collected from individual teacher interviews and reflective journals, observations of instructional lessons, and curriculum documents. Data were coded and categorized to determine themes and discrepant data (Charmaz, Merriam, and Miles, Huberman, and Salda&ntilde;a). A content analysis was used for documents. Results indicate that teachers aligned curriculum with common core state standards by using previously adopted textbooks, developing alignment documents to address standards, creating unit and lesson materials independently, and participating in limited collaborative planning with colleagues. Recommendations include continued investigation into rural teachers&rsquo; professional development needs, collaborative planning practices, and use of curriculum materials within and across grade levels. This study contributes to positive social change because improved rural education impacts rural remote students, communities, and educators, who play a valuable role in developing a national curriculum.</p>

Abstract In 1994, the Executive Management Committee (EMC) of Technikon Pretoria took a strategic decision to develop educational programmes in environmental management and sustainable development. The EMC also decided to integrate these programmes with the development and implementation of an environmental management policy for Technikon Pretoria. This paper describes, in the form of a case study, the project embarked upon, which brings together the development and implementation of the curriculum, research and development, management processes for sustainability, community service and national and international cooperation. The paper discusses successes and failures, and the significant lessons that could be learnt from the experience.

<p> In today&rsquo;s global world, higher educational institutions and businesses are increasingly making use of virtual world learning environments to foster collaborative opportunities for adult students and employees across geographic boundaries, space, and time. Often, however, organizations place the responsibility for learning new skill sets on their adult learners. As a consequence, educators and employers alike argue this new, more complex virtual environment can create a steep learning curve for novice adult learners, causing frustration at the increased time it takes for novices to acquire necessary skills and confidence within the environment. This paper documents the ongoing creation and design of a new adult learner-focused, self-paced, structured skills-based curriculum and virtual world learning environment with situated, virtual world activities for novice adult learners. The primary focus of this project is to move the adult learner from novice to a more experienced user of virtual world environments. </p>