Chinese Numbers Today speakers of Chinese use three written numeric systems namely the Arabic numerals used worldwide and two indigenous systems. The most familiar indigenous one is based on Chinese characters that correspond to numerals in the spoken language. The second indigenous system is the Su(1)zhou(1) or hua(1)ma(3) – literally meaning picture number which is based on the rod system (see later). Today the hua(1)ma(3) system is only used for showing prices in Chinese markets or on traditional invoices. Chinese people are fascinated by numbers and wherever you go in the country there are numbers everywhere and not just in
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COLLABORATION
Richard Evans is the Chairman of the CIPHE’s Education and Training Group. In this issue of ETM, he explores the importance of collaboration between the worlds of education and industry. The weakest link Evidence shows conclusively that students perform and achieve much better in their studies and future employment if they have undertaken work experience, whether they are on so-called academic or vocational programmes. Furthermore, the evidence shows conclusively that the earlier that experience occurs, the better prepared the students are to more fully understand the needs of employment, which in turn assists them to make better informed decisions about
College Learning Resources -Are They Really Worth It?
Learning Resources Development Group (LRDG).1995. Transcript of talk given in September 1994. by Dr Richard Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further & Higher Education The immediate answer to this question is an emphatic yes! College libraries and learning support services and their staff must now be at the hub of any learning institution. Their capability and importance cannot be questioned. The reasons for their importance include the continuing move to: Learner centredness for the more diverse student population of the future. Curriculum frameworks. New technologies. Resource management for the benefit of learners financial physical human All these elements must be
Connecting with The World of Work
Fusing Workforce Development with Further and Higher Education. Dr Dick Evans reports on the annual UVAC conference which took place at the end of last year. Over 170 delegates in York for the 2004 annual conference of the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC). As the title suggests the central theme for the event was the crucial issue of linking the worlds of education and work. Currently this topic is high profile as a result of a number of developments including the creation of Foundation Degrees (FDs), the publication of the Tomlinson Report, the new QCA framework, the government’s skills strategy
CONSEQUENCES
Richard Evans is the Chairman of the CIPHE’s Education & Training Group. In this issue of ETM he continues with his views on issues that will have an affect on the plumbing industry. Perceptions This article focuses on the continuing crisis in the industry resulting from the shortage of qualified practising plumbers. The article in the last issue highlighted that fewer training places means fewer plumbers qualify. However, more funda- mental is the negative attitude towards practical occupations, coupled with a still prevailing perception about technical and vocational qualifications as somehow second class. Funding Since the early 1990s as a
CONTEXT – AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT
Richard Evans is the Chairman of the CIPHE’s Education and Training Group. In this issue of ETM, he continues the theme of exploring various elements of vocational qualifications and their relationship with teaching technical and vocational programmes in Further Education. Technical and vocational One of the many strengths of the FE sector and its staff, is their recognition of the importance of context in teaching technical and vocational programmes. One of the challenges of teaching in FE, is the need to address the development of a vocational focus in curricula, particularly the content of the material and the critical aspects
Convergence v. Divergence
As colleges are required to make even further so-called efficiency gains, a classic contradiction and paradox is presented to colleges who are trying to manage the current situation. Institutions are now expected to deal with a very harsh and steep reduction in their resources from the Funding Council, just at the time when we are beginning to open up access and attempt to increase participation of the new learners of the future. We are therefore confronted with two opposite and in many cases opposing forces arising from convergence of funding and the divergence arising from the increasingly diverse learner populations.
Cutting Remarks
The long-term should be taken into account before singing the praises of downsizing, writes Richard Evans. Recent articles in the education Press indicate that 1996 is to be the year for cuts in staffing in the Further Education sector following the issuing of 188 notices. Announcements in last year’s budget will sadly mean that schools and universities will also be making staff redundant. Following on from the previous two years, Further Education is again being subjected to totally unacceptable levels of cuts, dressed up by the Government and the funding councils as necessary and attainable efficiency gains. The FE sector is
Don’t Catch the Drift
Colleges must not sacrifice their Further Education (FE) work in an effort to make themselves like universities, says Dick Evans Suddenly, politicians are talking about the dangers of academic drift and the shift from vocationalism without realising their policies are driving these trends, Do they really understand the meaning of these terms and, more importantly, the dangers that they will bring? First, consider “academic drift”. Following the announcement that the Government wants one in three young people in higher education by the year 2000, many further education colleges felt they should play their part in realising this target. No real
Educating the Energy Technician
Dick Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further & Higher Education. Over the past five to ten years, the further education sector has seen a serious and steep decline in enrolments in vocational science, engineering and construction. The reasons for this decline are multidimensional and reflect the major transformations that have occurred, not only in the world of work but also within the workings of the global economy. The long and deep recession in construction and engineering has seriously impacted on the number of students studying these subjects in further education. As companies have downsized and outsourced their services, fewer staff