"Hands-on" activities play an important, but controversial, role in early science education. In this study we attempt to clarify some of the issues surrounding the controversy by calling attention to distinctions between: (a) type of instruction (direct or discovery); (b) type of knowledge to be acquired (domain-general or domain-specific); and…

Case-based methodology has been a staple of teacher education coursework for many years. However, commercial case studies do not always meet specific teacher candidates' needs or match their experiences in school settings. Teacher educators in an Early Childhood program in a midwestern university developed an innovative use of case-based…

Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics courses since they offer a valuable alternative to verbal and algebraic descriptions by offering students another way of manipulating the developing concepts. If graphs are to be a valuable tool for students, then the level of the students' graphing…

A conceptual framework is constructed to integrate teacher actions, teacher knowledge, and state of the art assessment methodologies. Section 1 discusses teaching in terms of tasks, and Section 2 considers the knowledge base teachers draw on in order to accomplish those tasks. Section 3 illustrates the relationship between teacher actions and…

Scaffolding refers to the instructional support that instructors or more skillful peers offer learners to bridge the gap between their current skill levels and the desired level. An aspect of scaffolding that is often ignored is the fading of support as the learner masters the skill. It has been suggested that there is a risk of over-relying on…

Ten high-ability middle school students participated in a 13 week enrichment program on inferential statistics. Consistent with the NCTM Standards, classes emphasized problem solving in real world contexts and the communication of mathematical ideas. Students struggled with written assignments, yet worked effectively in pairs, small groups, and…

The relationships among teaching, testing, and learning are examined and reconceptualized based on different theories and computer adaptive testing. Approaches that integrate teaching, testing, and learning include: (1) behavioral psychology; (2) cognitive psychology; and (3) computer adaptive testing (CAT). Some behaviorists have assumed that all…

In most elementary schools in the United States, students get their first systematic introduction to history as a discipline and to chronological treatment of U.S. history as subject matter in fifth-grade U.S. history courses. To develop information about the knowledge and misconceptions concerning U.S. history that fifth-grade teachers can expect…

This report presents a profile of students at Utah State University who are considering becoming secondary school teachers. Data were obtained from two questionnaires: one administered upon the student's entry to the first required course in the secondary education program and the other when the student exited from the course. A summary is given…

The purpose of this study was to compare the performances of undergraduates on a knowledge test of reading (before and after student teaching) with the amount of effort committed to reading instruction by their respective supervisory teachers. The Artley-Hardin "Inventory of Teacher Knowledge of Reading" was administered to three classes of senior…

A study was made of the attitudes of educators toward the relative importance of mastery of subject matter and mastery of teaching skills in teacher education programs. Three groups were sampled: 687 public school teachers, 448 public school principals, and 182 members of local boards of public schools. Responses to a mailed questionnaire revealed…

This instrument was originally designed to provide a five year pre and post measure of the effectiveness of the Curriculum and Instructional Development Center at Valencia Community College. The purpose of the instrument is to ascertain faculty members' awareness and use of numerous alternative teaching styles. Four areas are covered by the…

Final course grade expectations of students in two models of instruction (mastery and nonmastery) were investigated. The intent of the study was to examine expectations between groups and to analyze within-mastery effects on self-perception of performance. Using preinstruction grade expectation, postinstruction grade expectation, Grade Point…

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is invited to design a core curriculum for associate degree programs for paraprofessionals and other individuals interested in the field of education. All candidates who pursue Associate of Applied Science Degrees for Paraprofessionals will receive special training that will assist them in…

This study describes cognitive and social aspects of children's development of scientific literacy in a Schools For Thought (SFT) classroom. SFT is an educational reform project that applies cognitive research about the active, reflective, and social nature of learning into classroom practice. Participants were fourth graders from a…