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After the first applications in the early 1990's, the practice of SEA in Brazil has been going through a slow, but important evolution. In this paper we elaborate on the main aspects of this evolution, based on the findings of a comparative study that put the practice of SEA in different contexts into perspective. SEA systems considered included consolidated (UK, Spain and Portugal) and unconsolidated (South Africa, Mexico, Angola and Mozambique) systems. The Brazilian system is characterised by a disperse structure and a low level of self-organisation, which makes integration with plan making difficult while, at the same time, stimulating "flexible" and "adaptive" SEA processes. We suggest that the lack of both, institutional drivers and a clear procedural framework are hindering further development of the Brazilian system.

After the first applications in the early 1990s, the practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Latin America has been going through a slow, but important evolution. In this paper we elaborate on the main aspects of this evolution, based on the findings of a comparative study that put the practice of SEA in different contexts into perspective. SEA systems considered included consolidated (UK, Spain and Portugal) and unconsolidated (South Africa, Mexico, Angola and Mozambique) systems. The Brazilian system is characterised by a disperse structure and a low level of self-organisation, which makes integration with plan making difficult while, at the same time, stimulating “flexible” and “adaptive” SEA processes. We suggest that the lack of both institutional drivers and a clear procedural framework are hindering further development of the Brazilian system.

Does a national script exist? We have reservations about an affirmative answer to this question for two major reasons. First, it is dangerous to attempt to identify a teacher's "script" from a selection of "snapshot" lessons. Second, such a characterization may suggest implicitly that a teacher's approach is almost invariable from lesson to lesson. Our detailed analysis of a sequence of lessons by a teacher in Shanghai has shown that variation between lessons certainly does occur but, despite such variation, we can identify a "pattern" of teaching over time that characterizes a teacher's approach. We define a "pattern of teaching" to mean: The identifiable features of a teacher's classroom practice, occurring in a repeated manner over a period of time, that together constitute the characteristics of the teacher's style.