Effectively teaching low-achieving and learning disabled students is challenging. Concept-based instruction is recognized as a particularly effective technique for helping students in these populations attain high levels of achievement (Tindal, Nolet, & Blake, 1992). The maze (a reading selection where certain words have been deleted and…

A project addressed the lack of rural school laboratory facilities and limited opportunities for staff development by training 22 high school physics teachers in rural Missouri to use videotaped "virtual" laboratory experiments and student data-collection worksheets. Surveys identified 19 topics for which physics teachers reported…

The Indiana Weather Project (IWP) investigated how the joint application of situated learning and constructivist theory might support elementary school students' understanding of weather systems. Results indicated significant cognitive gains during the multimedia weather unit. (SD)

Demonstrates how the development of transferable skills can be promoted as a matter of policy in undergraduate geography programs and implemented throughout individual classes. Defines transferable skills as skills of a widely applicable nature independent of the disciplinary context. Presents two examples of transferable skill development in…

Describes a high school world history class field trip structured like a scavenger hunt. Following weeks of preparation the class journeyed to San Francisco (California) looking to answer the question, "What is Culture?" At various locations, the class conducted interviews, collected artifacts, and answered questions. (MJP)

Compares the activities of different groups of music teachers during rehearsals and the amount of time spent on each activity. Dependent variables included preparation time; initial teacher talk; and time in warm-up, playing of instruments, breaks, and dismissal. Discovers that student teachers talked most and allowed students to play least. (MJP)

Summarizes a two-week experiment where seventh graders researched and produced map products using both traditional and computer-assisted techniques. Quantitative results showed little difference in learning content between the groups but qualitative results suggested that students prefer the computers. Includes graphical analysis and tabular data.…

Presents the findings of a six-year staff development program for multigrade teachers. Discovers a significant increase in the time on task levels of the pupils and the instructional and classroom management skills of the teachers. Discusses the implications of, and problems with, the study. (MJP)

Examined teachers' beliefs on what constitutes developmentally appropriate literacy instruction. Three teachers were interviewed, observed during planning and instruction time, and asked to reflect on their beliefs and practicing. Through practice, they came to believe that appropriate literacy instruction involves a variety of instructional…

Data was released from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the 1980s that showed a decrease in students' problem-solving abilities and conceptual understanding but an increase in performance on items requiring lower-ordered thinking skills. To address this decline in performance, leading disciplinary organizations, such as…

This study addressed the need for empirical tests of the global instructional design (ID) model as a toolkit for classroom teachers in authentic settings; and the performance improvement challenge of finding effective, efficient methods of professional development for preparing graduate assistants to teach. Participants were eighteen teaching…

The authors compared traditional and Web-based versions of an environmental education program in terms of their effectiveness in raising knowledge and promoting attitudes of environmental issues. They used a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design. Results showed a statistically significant increase of knowledge…

This article describes a one-year study of 120 fifth grade students whose teachers participated in a program entitled Project SMILE (Science and Mathematics Integrated with Literary Experiences). The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the classroom implementation of Project SMILE positively influenced the classroom…

The last 20 years have seen immense gains in computing power available to schools and a wide variety of useful educational software and services. Professional development in the computer area, however, has not resulted in the widespread use of computers in classrooms. This article reports on the use of the Charles Sturt University Remote Telescope…

This article primarily focuses on how one social studies teacher education faculty member incorporated technology into a series of social studies education courses. The integration involved both a technology-related project for students to complete and the modeling of technology use to facilitate learning. The article describes the project and the…