In this article, the authors introduce engineering and technology teachers to the process that led to the National Research Council's framework for K-12 science education and some of its content and delve into the dimensions of the framework that should be of most interest to engineering and technology teachers. The framework articulates a vision…

A study of instructional planning periods was undertaken in late 2013 pursuant to West Virginia State Code §18A-4-14 which states: "The state board shall conduct a study on planning periods. The study shall include, but not be limited to, the appropriate length for planning periods at the various grade levels and for the different types of…

Distance education course designers working alone often do not have the luxury of fully developing their instruction before releasing their courses to students. The Individual Iterative Instructional Design (I3D) model is useful for educators who both develop and present their distance learning instructional units in areas ranging from higher…

The Layers of Necessity Model developed by M. Tessmer and J. F. Wedman (1990 and following) proposes that designers create multiple layers of instructional design (ID) activities depending on the particularities of different design situations. To enrich the understanding of the model, a replication was conducted of a study conducted in 1992.…

This report is one of five submitted as products of a "Study Designed to Assist Planning of Research on Significant Instructional Features in Bilingual Education Programs." The reports are intended to assist the National Institute of Education (NIE) in its plans for a major new research study in bilingual education. The present report…

Presents a case study in simulation design based on a dispute resulting from a border incident between two imaginary nations. The steps involved with the basic design of social simulations for upper-elementary and secondary social studies classes are described. (AM)

The Upside Down Tree Design (UDT) shows how teachers can use curriculum planning to improve academic standards. UDT employs the "design down" approach, where the design of the curriculum is arranged down from the general to the specific, but the delivery of the curriculum is presented up from specific to the general. The text explores…

In order for educators to plan for thinking skills in the curriculum, what is meant by thinking must first be determined. Drawing from current research, this report provides working definitions of thinking skills and practical models to explain the working relationships among different levels and different kinds of thought processes. These…

Discusses how to develop a chapter based unit, a very brief planning scheme that enables a social studies teacher to organize instruction drawing upon content from a single textbook chapter. This involves identifying a focus generalization, describing major concepts and subconcepts, preparing performance objectives, and developing key questions.…

To explore the principal's role as instructional leader in school improvement strategies, this research brief focuses on characteristics of effective schools, a profile of effective principals, and a discussion with Dr. Steven Bossert, Associate Laboratory Director for Research and Development at Far West Laboratory in San Francisco, California,…

The Component Model of Functional Life Routines provides a systematic structure for the specification of behaviors relevant to student competence, thus providing guidelines for determining meaningful forms of participation in functional activities and meaningful assessment of progress in these activities for severely disabled students. (CB)

Advocates a systems approach to designing educational systems in a changing world. The intellectual technology of systems design is outlined; and a design architecture is described that addresses definition of the new system, system specifications, key functions, organizational issues, and the systemic environment. Organizing perspectives for…

Planning for instructional use of microcomputers should start with the curriculum, not with computers. Planning is a necessity and it should be a fluid process. A planning model offered by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium starts with an analysis of current curriculum to identify the content, skills, and attitudes that are considered…

It is argued that computer assisted instruction might be an answer to the scheduling problems resulting from the implementation of mastery learning programs in the public schools. The mastery learning model proposed by Carroll and the transformation of this model into a working model by Bloom are described. The difficulty of implementing mastery…

Discusses strategic teaching, a process for organizing and representing subject content, for helping students think about their own learning processes, for organizing skills instruction, and for managing classroom instruction. Provides an example of strategic instructional planning and a graphic that shows step-by-step procedures for the planning…