In the past decade, Romania has passed through a profound educational reform. The main outcomes concern tangible progress concerning regulations and the curriculum. In spite of these impressive changes, gender sensitivity and gender fair policies have been largely absent from objectives, subjects, textbooks, assessment and evaluation. The…

Language learning motivation plays an important role in both research and teaching, yet language learners are still largely understood in terms of North American and European cultural values. This research explored language learning motivation constructs in a Chinese cultural setting, where large numbers of students are required to study English.…

This research investigated social and academic outcomes from single-sex classrooms in a Tasmanian coeducational government primary school. Interviews, observations and surveys formed the basis of the evidence. Teachers, parents and children reported positive benefits from the class organisation, but these differed according to gender. Staff…

How do teachers conceptualize and deal with context of mathematics word problems in their teaching? This question is discussed based on a study of 14 experienced teachers at the elementary, junior high and senior high school levels. Bruner's notions of paradigmatic and narrative modes of knowing formed the basis of analysis of data from sources…

"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…

In this chapter, critical race and expectancy violation theories are used to deconstruct students' resistance to a female faculty member of color, a Muslim Arab American who wears the traditional Islamic cover. The author provides a narrative of her teaching experience and some techniques she has used to face such resistance.

Teachers may be the most important element of an effective school, but does that mean that K-12 improvement must wait on the ability of schools or systems to recruit, nurture, and retain outstanding teachers? Such a strategy implies that widespread excellence hinges on the ability of publicly funded school systems to attract more than 3.3 million…

Background: This longitudinal study examines the long-term effects on the achievement of students at a diverse suburban high school after all students were given accelerated mathematics in a detracked middle school as well as ninth-grade "high-track" curriculum in all subjects in heterogeneously grouped classes. Despite considerable…

"Science for Girls: Successful Classroom Strategies" looks at how girls learn, beginning with the time they are born through both the informal and formal education process. In the author's current role as professor of science education, Dr. Goetz has surveyed hundreds of female elementary education majors in their junior and senior year of…

This digest debunks myths about developmentally appropriate programs (DAPs) and discusses essential characteristics of developmentally appropriate practices. Common myths or erroneous assumptions about DAPs assume that: (1) there is only one right way to implement a DAP; (2) DAPs are unstructured, and practitioners offer minimal guidance to the…

This collection of papers represents an effort by their writers as a group to develop a multicultural perspective to be used in exploring educational and other issues in diverse contexts. The nine papers include: (1) "Culture, Schooling, and Education in a Democracy" by Victoria R. Fu; (2) "Diversity in America: Historical, Social, and Political…

This book is written for preservice and inservice teachers who work primarily, but not exclusively, with children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The materials and methods for teaching culturally diverse students are most appropriate for children of elementary and middle school age. Using techniques of cooperative learning and incorporating…

This study examined characteristics of passive and active learners among college students enrolled in remedial classes and students enrolled in regular academic classes. Active learners are typically analytical, focused on task, tolerant of new ideas, curious, adept at processing information, able to develop other ways to solve a problem,…

This document, which is intended for business educators at all levels, outlines two approaches to facilitating international business communication by adopting a global approach in business communication and related business education courses. In the first half of the document, the following steps in implementing the separate-course approach, are…

This volume is the first in a series (developed in response to a needs assessment survey of special educators in Alberta, Canada) providing practical suggestions about instructional strategies, classroom management, preparing individual program plans, and understanding special needs. Book 1 highlights strategies for differentiating instruction…