This paper examines Japan's current educational reform and discusses its impact on student learning. Section 1 describes the main features of the reform efforts, which focus on choice, diversity, flexibility, competition, and excellence in education. Section 2 looks at Japan's changing system of teacher education, noting the dropping rates of…

Describes a high school U.S. history class that combines experiential learning with local history. The class models their historical inquiry after a fictional character in, "The Secret of Gumbo Grove," who uncovers her hometown's secrets. A class trip to the local cemetery provides opportunities for historical research. (MJP)

An inquiry-based curriculum can become the vehicle for bringing students out into the community and bringing the larger world to the classroom. The article describes one Hawaiian teacher's elementary curriculum that encouraged talking, sharing, and collaboration and incorporated reading and writing for real purposes into the curriculum. (SM)

Reports on 29 veteran secondary social studies teachers' reactions and responses to the New Social Studies movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Results indicate the magnitude of the gulf that exists between the concerns of theorists and the issues that are important to teachers. (CFR)

New teaching methods and curricula that show promise in their ability to provide limited English proficient (LEP) students with a good education in both science and English are discussed and illustrated. Discriminatory practice has led to the clustering of LEP students into low ability tracks without consideration of their actual abilities and…

In this paper, pilot sessions in Rwanda and Nepal are analysed to evaluate the therapeutic benefit of active science for traumatised child refugees. The nature of the activities, choice of tools, organisation of the sessions, group size, and the role of the educators are investigated. Despite the lack of quantitative assessment, practical…

This multi-level teacher's guide for the metric system was developed by a committee appointed by the Alabama Metric Education Advisory Council. It forms a core from which a comprehensive program of study and activities may be developed. Information in the guide includes: (1) a measurement overview; (2) goals and objectives of metric instruction,…

This paper examines a range of studies done on the "Geometric Supposer" software and its use since the mid-1980s. It describes how the "Geometric Supposer" is a response to the call for reform by the mathematics community to create classroom environments that allow students to construct their own knowledge. This approach to…

This book grew out of the experiences of three teachers as they learned to document young children's work in their respective schools. Part I of this book enables readers to learn about documentation. Chapter 1 provides the rationale for the study of documentation, and chapter 2 explains the windows framework that guided the teachers in thinking…

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students should…

Cultural and language barriers, particularly among Indian and Spanish American students, face 40% of New Mexico's school age children. This often forces them to become disadvantaged as they progress through the public schools. The present 1968-69 study has devised guides for teaching physical education while giving second language practice in…

This paper recounts observations of differences in the interactions of adult students when they are engaged in traditional worksheet tasks in contrast to small group activities and summarizes recent research on the benefits of group work in adult mathematics learning. It offers a selection of group and pair activities designed to foster…

Proposes the use of literature to introduce new mathematical concepts. Presents a story to develop the concept of grouping, and follows with 11 activities related to the story in which students use dramatization and manipulative materials to develop new groupings, predict outcomes, validate their predictions, and discuss findings to develop the…

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students should…

The "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students should…