Maintains that preservice education courses (or "methods" courses) need to provide teacher candidates with opportunities to use their own stories and experiences in a naturalistic or "researching" approach to teaching young children. This approach will help preservice teachers learn how children use their past experiences…

Discusses six instructional approaches to aesthetics: (1) historical-philosophical; (2) cultural literacy; (3) aesthetic inquiry; (4) social-critical consciousness; (5) cross-cultural and multicultural; and (6) aesthetic perception and experiences. Examines instructional applications of these approaches, assess their flexibility for classroom…

This study, involving 4 high school seniors with learning disabilities, found that an initial vocational social skills simulation intervention delivered at school led to generalization in 8 of 12 target behaviors (3 behaviors per student). Subsequently, in situ training at the work site produced generalization in four of six behaviors. (Author/JDD)

Asserts that the development of abstract knowledge and critical thinking skills has been extolled as a primary goal of education. Reviews research in problem solving and other educational endeavors. Maintains that learning abstract solution principles is enhanced when instruction is accompanied by examples illustrating those principles. (ACM)

Describes a study in which elementary school students were required to collaborate in studying a hedgerow, producing boundaries and sketches. Results stress the importance of talk in learning. The hedgerow lesson presented an ideal situation for developing personal knowledge through the explanatory discussion of information with peers. (SM)

A symposium that focused on the education of chemistry teachers in China at predominately the middle and high school levels is discussed. The topics of curriculum and textbook reforms, instructional uses of modern technology, science-technology-society, collaborative efforts with educational psychologists, hands-on laboratory work, and the…

Describes a first-year teacher's efforts to become a teacher and her experiences of the complex relationships among control, subject matter, and teaching. The article stresses the importance of the institutional context within which the beginner works, noting her relationship with her department head and mentor. (SM)

Describes how an eighth grade teacher uses differential procedures (cognitive apprenticeship) to supervise preservice teacher interns in early, middle, and late field experiences; presents tables which offer the teacher's descriptions of her work alongside descriptions using the vocabulary of cognitive apprenticeship. (SM)

Describes how teachers can improve introductory soil science courses by applying concepts taught in the classroom to actual field situations. Presents a specific example of a field exercise designed to illustrate soil properties and processes with respect to their environmental settings. (11 references) (Author/MCO)

Contends that writing across the curriculum, including the visual arts, has become a major educational trend in the past decade. Argues that writing helps shape the processes of art criticism and appreciation. Includes suggestions for writing assignments and examples of student writing. (CFR)

Presents an interdisciplinary instructional unit focusing on the Mayan Civilization. Describes the use of interactive story telling and guided imagery to heighten student interest and involvement. Provides suggestions for using these methods to teach about other countries or civilizations. (CFR)

Presents Gold Rush Day, an annual eight-week project emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach for fourth graders. Describes the preparation and implementation of the project. Includes a description of interdisciplinary learning achievements. (CFR)

Describes a school districtwide program in which secondary students produced operas as part of the regular and extracurricular curricula. Details events dating from 1985 illustrating the growth and development of the program. Contends that the program was an intellectually rewarding experience and an excellent public relations activity for the…

Describes how a sixth grade class in Findlay, Ohio, became involved in events in McClellanville, South Carolina, where Hurricane Hugo severely damaged a school. After students viewed a videotape of the damage, they planned actions to provide relief that ultimately involved their entire school. Underscores the project's meaningfulness and…

Discusses the following themes that pervade individual articles in this volume: (1) critical reasoning; (2) inductive anthropology; (3) active learning; (4) discovery; (5) open versus closed anthropology; (6) reflexivity; (7) cross-cultural comparisons; (8) films; (9) holism; and (10) problems in the 1990s. Suggests that these themes will be at…