The fields of instructional supervision, adult development, teacher education and mentoring, and ongoing professional development are synthesized in this text. Examples and case studies are drawn from local systems in North Carolina as well as state, national, and international public school/university consortia to identify emerging trends in…

Based on the papers presented at the 1996 Symposium of the Jean Piaget Society and highlighting the extent to which Piaget's ideas have served to scaffold contemporary thinking about every aspect of conceptual development, this volume examines the nature of conceptual development, its foundations, and the sources of its novelties. The chapters…

Educators, researchers, and policymakers now acknowledge the importance of early childhood education for all preschool children. Unfortunately, studies have found that while most preschool children spend at least a portion of their days in care outside the home, they are not in settings of sufficient quality to produce later learning outcomes.…

Several studies have examined the effects of music instruction on children's abilities in other disciplines. Other studies have explored the effects of listening to music on adults' spatial abilities. Noting that these two sets of findings have been confused, leading to claims that listening to music can improve children's academic abilities, this…

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this pamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the fifth month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers information on topics including infant medicines,…

Several studies have examined the effects of music instruction on children's abilities in other disciplines. Other studies have explored the effects of listening to music on adults' spatial abilities. Noting that these two sets of findings have been confused, leading to claims that listening to music can improve children's academic abilities, this…

Noting that the curriculum in early childhood education is dramatically different from that at other levels of education, this volume seeks to clarify some of the issues related to early childhood curriculum development and its bases in both personal knowledge and knowledge from the different disciplines to achieve a "balanced curriculum."…

This teacher guidebook is intended to be a comprehensive resource for second language teachers wishing to use and teach language learning strategies to their students. It is intended to be used by both English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers and teachers of such foreign languages as German, French, and Spanish to American native speakers of…

This publication presents essays that offer exemplary teaching practices and theoretical discussions concerning critical thinking. Covering a wide range of topics, the essays include a varied selection of readings that contemplate how teaching can become a powerful experience for both educators and students. The essays focus on classroom learning…

This paper describes the development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in secondary chemistry and physics preservice teachers. Teacher beliefs are intricately tied to how they make decisions for implementing instructional strategies, and those beliefs aid in the development of pedagogical content knowledge. A model for pedagogical content…

This study sought to determine the extent to which instructional processes characterized by cognitive complexity influence the development of general cognitive abilities during the first, second, and third years of college. The sample for the study consisted of incoming first-year students at 18 four-year and 5 two-year colleges and universities…

To date, no studies have focused solely on community college students' epistemological beliefs and the courses students pursue. The purpose of this study was to determine if a semester-long community-college course designed to increase critical thinking skills could help students attain more sophisticated levels of epistemological beliefs. A…

Thinkback is a new instructional process that uses "thinking aloud" strategies developed by Arthur Whimbey and derives its name from the technology of instant video playback. Thinkback is a generalization of techniques described in the program "Problem Solving and Comprehension," which has been used for more than 20 years. The…

This book explores the conceptual and historical bases for examining creativity, cognitive functioning and creativity, cultural influences on creativity, research methodologies for examining creativity, assessment of creativity, and effectiveness of major creativity training models. Chapters include: (1) "Issues in Studying Creativity in Youth"…

Discusses improvement in self-concept, self-management of behavior and learning, and reduction of emotional dependence for slow learners which resulted from feelings of personal control and effectiveness when using computer-assisted instruction. Guidelines for improving instructional software and current research investigating effects of computer…