A study explored the way various levels of narrative voice in historical texts influence high school students as they carry out a common historical problem-solving task. Participants, 30 students in a suburban Seattle (Washington) high school, wrote a historical essay after reading an introductory text excerpt and six historical documents. Half of…

This final report describes the outcomes of Project MAPS (Monitoring Authentic Problem Solving), a project that developed multimedia computer-managed assessment environments to overcome the barriers educators face in using problem-solving performance assessment (PSPA) with students with disabilities. MAPS software was developed for 6 alternate…

Designed for parents of students with disabilities living in Oregon, this brochure describes the general mediation process that parents can use to resolve special education services disputes with schools. It begins by discussing what mediation is and the characteristics of a trained mediator. It addresses the requirement for making mediation…

The first volume of this proceedings contains the papers presented at the 21st annual meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Papers include: (1) "Research, Rhetoric and Reality" (Lyn English); (2) "I Keep Six Honest Serving Men" (Peter Galbraith); (3) "The Intension/Intention of Teaching…

The second volume of this proceedings contains the papers presented at the 21st annual meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Full papers include: (1) "Teachers Interpreting Algebra: Teachers' Views about the Nature of Algebra" (Brenda Menzel and David Clarke); (2) "Long Odds: Longitudinal Development of…

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 profile is designed as a recording sheet for monitoring an individual student's progress throughout the school year. Kindergarten assessment materials and the "Strategies for Instruction in Mathematics" suggests tasks and questions that can be used for on-going and summative assessment. Directions for use and descriptions of levels of…

This profile is designed as a recording sheet for monitoring an individual student's progress throughout the school year. Sixth grade assessment materials and the "Strategies for Instruction in Mathematics" suggest tasks and questions that can be used for on-going and summative assessment. Directions for use and descriptions of levels of…

This profile is designed as a recording sheet for monitoring an individual student's progress throughout the school year. Eighth grade assessment materials and the "Strategies for Instruction in Mathematics" suggests tasks and questions that can be used for on-going and summative assessment. Directions for use and descriptions of levels of…

This handbook is designed to identify, build, maintain, and expand teachers' personal and professional effectiveness using "MegaSkills." Section 1, "Knowing Your Leadership Strengths," focuses on identifying strengths, exploring how adults learn, and considering new dimensions for successful education. It also discusses seven habits of good…

This guide provides assessment, education, and treatment strategies for children with Asperger syndrome. It discusses assessment, and provides guidelines for securing and implementing services and determines appropriate placement. The following recommendations are also provided for general intervention strategies: (1) skills, concept, appropriate…

Problem-based learning (PBL), initiated when learners meet the problem scenarios, develops learners' skills and subject matter content to make the transition from beginner to more expert problem solver. Beginning students might benefit from simple, well-structured problems, in which the understanding of sets of rules and principles results in a…

This study examines undergraduate non-science majors' perceptions of a cooperative-collaborative science pedagogy employed in a course on global change that was one course in a pilot project of a newly-designed environmental science program. Non-traditional evaluation tools such as portfolios, focus groups, group assessments, and self-assessments…

Facets of problem solving instruction (PSI) were studied in German mathematics classrooms. Nine different facets of PSI were identified from the research literature, and a video rating form was developed to assess these facets and teacher effectiveness. Videotaped mathematics lessons (n=147) for German eighth graders from the sample for the Third…

ToonTalk is an animated interactive world inside of which one can construct a very large range of computer programs. These programs are not constructed by typing text or arranging icons, but by taking actions in this world. Robots can be trained, birds can be given messages to deliver, and so on. This paper describes the design and preliminary…