Presents five brief articles related to middle-level learning. The articles are, "Using Children's Diaries to Teach the Oregon Trail"; "Living the Geography of Joseph and Temperance Brown"; "The ABCs of Small Grant Acquisition for Social Studies"; "Isomo Loruko: The Yoruba Naming Ceremony"; and "Child…

A study investigated the impact of peer revision on writers' final drafts in two rhetorical modes, narration and persuasion, among 14 Spanish-speaking college students of English-as-a-Second-Language. Results revealed 74% of revisions made in peer sessions were incorporated into final drafts, and writers made many further self-revisions,…

Compares factors in the literature associated with successful outcomes in distance education with the experience of providing an inservice teacher-education program on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Presents the method of a satellite- and telephone-based course and evaluation of this graduate level inservice course. (Author/CR)

A survey of 1,249 Queensland University of Technology (Australia) students concerning their learning environment found that they feel effective teaching is relevant, experiential, and interactive, while ineffective teaching lacks structure, is inappropriately paced, lacks variety, and occurs in a classroom with inadequate discipline. Implications…

A prototype collaborative communication model was employed in vocational, academic, alternative, and Job Corps classrooms serving students with communication inadequacies. Instruments for evaluation of work-force entry-level communication skills were developed, and support services targeting weaknesses were provided. Results have been positive at…

A study compared the effectiveness of two methods (medium-size class instruction and large lectures with tutorial sessions) for teaching mathematics and statistics to first-year business students. Students and teachers overwhelmingly preferred the medium-size class method, which produced higher exam scores but had no significant effect on…

Recommends ways that cross-cultural content can be effectively presented in general psychology courses. Includes avoiding the marginalization of cross-cultural materials and perspectives, using accurate terminology to make cross-cultural comparisons, and raising awareness about bias within the cross-cultural literature. Offers relevant examples…

Argues for using oral history studies to develop language skills and teach social science concepts to limited-English-speaking students. Interviewing family and community members provides students with a familiar context, while translating and transcribing sharpens their language skills. Includes an oral history case study. (MJP)

Considers the difficulties experienced by the East German School system adjusting to a more progressive educational philosophy. Specifically, contrasts the traditional East German geography instruction (focused solely on physical geography) with the West German emphasis on social issues and problem solving. Many East German instructors distrust…

Examines the effects of electronic mail and bulletin boards on teachers' perceptions, instructional practices, and student involvement in an elementary social studies program. Although responses were generally positive, the study suggested mandating teacher team leaders to facilitate integrating the technology into the curriculum. (MJP)

In a foundations-of-education course based on experiential learning, 120 college students formed partnerships with elementary school children and, using letters and interviews, asked them about teaching and learning. It was found that the students clarified their educational philosophies, enhanced communication skills, and overcame preconceptions…

This paper explores teaching strategies for communicating complex issues and ideas to a diverse group of students, with different educational and vocational interests, that encourage them to develop critical thinking, and explores pedagogies appropriate to the multidisciplinary field of Aboriginal studies. These issues will be investigated through…

Advances in information and communication technologies give us the ability to reach out beyond the time and place limitations of the traditional classroom. However, effective online teaching is more than just transferring traditional courses to the World Wide Web (WWW). We describe how we have used "off the shelf" software and the infrastructure…

This study investigated the impact of haptic augmentation of a science inquiry program on students' learning about viruses and nanoscale science. The study assessed how the addition of different types of haptic feedback (active touch and kinesthetic feedback) combined with computer visualizations influenced middle and high school students'…

This study examined the impact of an inquiry-based instructional intervention on (a) children's ability to conduct science inquiry overall and to use specific skills in inquiry, and (b) narrowing the gaps in children's ability among demographic subgroups of students. The intervention consisted of instructional units, teacher workshops, and…