The development of sustainability literate teachers has been identified as a key challenge for the implementation of education for sustainability in Australian schools (Skamp, 2010) and elsewhere (Nolet, 2009). This paper reports on the first year of a participatory action research project that investigates the learning of school teachers, teacher…

The intent of this paper is to examine the current educational literature relevant to interdisciplinary instruction. Its focus is to provide educators with information to facilitate planning for effective interdisciplinary instruction, particularly at the secondary level. Current research literature indicates that using an interdisciplinary, or…

It is argued that the three basic issues that have typically been the concern of formative evaluation (comprehensibility, appeal, and usefulness) tell us very little about the role that an instructional product can play in the ongoing environment of the classroom. The focus in this paper is on the field test, i.e., on research situated within the…

As part of the education reform movement seeking change in both teaching and teacher education, a graduate teacher education course at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, "Integrating Museum Resources into Classroom Instruction," offers teachers a chance to engage in problem solving for their own students through varied…

Reviewing accreditation standards and employer needs surveys emphasizing the importance of general skills for graduating occupational students, this paper describes the 5-year process utilized at Tacoma Community College, in Washington, to develop and implement a general education program for its occupational degree and technical certificate…

Many educators suggest that deteriorating academic quality in schools can be addressed with the help of an approach to curriculum development called "curriculum integration," which presents a holistic view of knowledge to learners. One reason among many to move from subject-focused curriculum to curriculum integration is that the former fails to…

Autonomous schools in Israel are faced with the challenge of integrating centralized and decentralized curricular approaches. The curriculum structure by which schools attempt to comply with national curricula standards and achieve school autonomy is examined. Case studies of three primary schools involved document analysis, observation,…

This article discusses how the utilization of the visual capabilities of a World Wide Web site can enhance the development of teacher curriculum design employed in graduate level education courses. In using these Web sites, teachers have an opportunity to peruse numerous visual samples as a basis for creating integrated and interdisciplinary…

This report describes four components of an instructional management program that was implemented by a large public school system in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1981. The four program components are the following: (1) A districtwide uniform curriculum; a districtwide standardized criterion referenced testing program; a performance-based student…

This paper presents the theories of L.S. Vygotsky as a conceptual framework for implementing instruction that supports concept development and promotes higher level thinking skills in students. Three major components (i.e., language, scientific and spontaneous concepts, and the zone of proximal development) of Vygotsky's socio-cultural-historical…

A set of career cluster standards was developed for the school-to-careers division of a large urban school district that is moving toward a career academy model for high school education. The process used to develop the standard was based on a standards development model consisting of the following stages: synthesis; collection of input; and…

This paper traces the evolution of curriculum reform in Mississippi from a state level, norm-referenced accountability system to a performance-based, centralized accreditation system that integrates instructional management requirements into improvement standards. Accountability legislation has primarily been concerned with quality of student…

Support for Teachers Enhancing Performance in Schools (STEPS) is a World Wide Web and CD-ROM electronic performance support system (EPSS) designed for preK-12 and preservice educators to assist in designing and developing lessons, units, or curricula; this tool was developed around school reform and accountability initiatives in Florida. To…