The concept of knowledge utilization and the nature of practical decisions are analyzed to investigate how research knowledge and effective teaching practice are related. It is argued that the personal commitments of teachers, common sense, and normative requirements can also be valid bases for action. The author points out that an over-reliance…

A theoretical model specifying the underlying knowledge and procedures whereby human subjects can generate effective initial descriptions of scientific problems was formulated. The model is prescriptive since it does not necessarily try to simulate the behavior of actual experts nor assume that their performance is optimal. The model, elaborated…

The preparation of preservice teachers to use technology is one of the most critical issues facing teacher education programs. In response to the growing need for technological literacy, the University of Northern Colorado created a second methods course, Tools and Technology of Secondary Mathematics. The goals of the course include (a) providing…

To what extent and in what ways do issues about content and the teaching and learning of content figure in the conversations between novices and their mentors? This paper explores that question by means of four cases drawn from a large data set about two different first-year teacher programs, an induction program sponsored by a university and a…

An inquiry attempted to build an agenda for research that would result in a cognitive theory of instruction capable of informing educational practice and extending the limits of knowledge about how people learn and develop. What would such a theory look like, how close are we to having one, and what directions must be followed to further its…

A series of three experiments obtained objective measures of skilled and unskilled writing that was prepared in response to a potentially hostile audience. The principal differences between the two groups of writers were that skilled writers were far more likely than unskilled writers to go beyond the narrow constraints of the task, to generate…

This 46-item teacher rating form assesses the respondent's knowledge of basic concepts and teaching techniques related to the education of learning disabled children. The respondents are asked to rate their personal understanding of these terms along a five-point scale, ranging from excellent understanding (complete familiarity) to poor…

Many elementary and junior high school students do not become proficient with common and decimal fractions because they have established few connections between the form they learn in the classroom and understandings they already have. (Author/GC)

Provided are synopses of selected presentations and discussions that evaluated and provided an understanding of the role of empathy in human behavior toward animals. Factors hampering such empathy, origin of empathy and altruism, and childrens' attitudes toward and knowledge of animals were among the areas explored. (BC)

The subject of the paper presents establishing basic characteristics, forms and levels of knowledge interconnectedness in teaching, especially in mathematics and biology teaching. The analysis was realized by considering basic theoretical views in this field, as well as by establishing features and levels of knowledge interconnectedness in the…

Preservice training that provides for contact with different kinds of exceptional children as well as for lecture discussions about them was found to have an advantage over training limited to lecture discussions in the realm of attitudes and behavioral intentions, but not in factual knowledge. (SBH)

Discusses experiences with the use of problem-based learning as applied to knowledge-rich biochemistry courses. Concludes that problem-based learning is not only effective in promoting habits of mind that support higher order thinking but also a powerful vehicle for conveying knowledge by imparting separate bits of knowledge as interconnected…

Describes how one group of beginning preservice teachers constructed meaning about portfolios during an introductory course in the teacher education programs. Surveys of students who had and had not participated in a portfolio-like intervention indicated that intervention students had significantly increased knowledge and understanding of the…

Presents ways that counselor educators can use their class meetings to help students integrate knowledge, skills, and supervised practice in an introductory group course. Sample observation and reflection forms are appended. (Author/LSR)

Suggests that asking children to color within the lines does not stifle their creativity but is similar to expecting children to stand in line for the bus or write neatly. Proposes that expecting students to color within the lines is establishing a basis of knowledge and control from which they can eventually explore more creative avenues of…