Case writing: An art and A science
The study of management in the food system is undergoing a fundamental change with the growing use of the cash study method of instruction. This approach has been found to produce the higher order thinking skills desired in managers. Unfortunately, the number of management cases dealing with the food system is very limited. This article helps address this need by explaining how those interested in writing cases might do so. First the article describes the context of case writing. Then ten characteristics found in most good cases are explained. Finally a process for writing cases is presented which describes how the ten characteristics are developed when a case is being written. Though case writing is presented as a process, it is seen as an art, and a good case is seen as a literary accomplishment.
Using the case method of teaching
The case method is increasingly popular with instructors teaching about management in the food system. While many have adopted this approach, others would like to but feel they need to know more about the method before doing so. This article aims to help them by explaining this technique. It starts by describing what case studies, or simply “cases,” are, and the benefits of their discussion in class. Then it describes the roles and responsibilities of students and instructors when working with cases. Finally, it gives instructors pointers on how to produce effective class discussions using cases. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Initial Teacher Training: the French view
ABSTRACT This paper, against the background of trends in the development of initial teacher training in Europe as a whole, identifies and explains some of the recent, radical reforms which were introduced in France by a socialist government. These include the need to raise the status and the competence of the teaching profession; the creation of new teacher‐training institutions of university status (Instituts universitaires de formation des maitres); the introduction of common entry qualifications at degree level for both primary and secondary levels; the harmonisation and the extension to 2 years of the post‐degree teacher‐training course and the increase in emphasis placed on professional training, both theoretical and practical. These reforms provoked a storm of protest and an examination of the reasons for this reveals a multiplicity of crucial questions which have far‐reaching implications.