Many professions are increasingly emphasizing the role of reflection, encouraging educators to look for appropriate ways to help students engage in reflective practice during their professional preparation. Journal writing is an insightful and powerful instructional technology utilizing strategies that foster understanding and the application of…

This study investigates whether the generation of exploratory talk in grade seven, second-language science classrooms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, has a positive effect on learners in terms of their problem-solving and reasoning skills and whether socio-cultural "milieus" (urban, peri-urban and rural settings of schools)…

Intended for teachers, this book is a compilation of articles on effectively creating and maintaining an interactive classroom, one in which the teacher uses a wide repertoire of teaching strategies, organizational tools, problem-solving techniques, and consensus building methods. Section 1 discusses improving schools and schooling's role in…

This curriculum guide, which was designed for an exploration/orientation course in home economics aimed at encouraging and developing personal creativity, contains the following materials: a course description, course objectives, background information for instructors, curriculum guide interpretation, an abbreviated course outline, a detailed…

This educational simulation is designed to develop planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and writing skills to teach students about U.S. history and geography as they travel the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails as emigrants. The manual is divided into two parts. Part 1, "Product Instructions," contains: (1) "The Product…

The National Student Research Center (NSRC) is dedicated to promoting student research and the use of the scientific method in all subject areas across the curriculum, especially science and mathematics. The NSRC facilitates the implementation of a nationally recognized, innovative, and highly effective approach to instruction called the Student…

Outdoor education, a general term describing the use of resources outside the classroom, has long been considered a method to improve student learning. This book aims to create a bridge between current school reform efforts and the field of outdoor education. Chapter 1 introduces the idea of outdoor education and relates several recent educational…

This Master's project was designed to implement and evaluate classroom intervention and training in conflict resolution for elementary school students. Subjects were first and third graders from a rural community in north central Illinois. To document the extent of existing student conflict, a teacher survey and journal, playground behavior…

This book presents 21 case studies of young children with disabilities in a variety of family situations and settings, for early interventionists to study in planning and applying recommended practices. Section I, "Defining and Delivering Quality Services in Early Intervention," provides two introductory chapters: "The Search for Quality…

A third-grade teacher and a teacher educator argue that, in an elementary mathematics class in which the teacher is encouraging the children to communicate and justify their mathematical ideas, the features of a mathematical task shape the mathematical discourse. They conjecture that divergent tasks, problems with many correct answers, may…

This essay focuses on teachers as peacemakers. Peace education is discussed as multifaceted and cross-disciplinary, emphasizing the teaching of peace, nonviolence, conflict resolution, social justice, economic well-being, political participation, and environmental concern. The report asserts that any curriculum for young children should stress a…

The major purpose of the Higher Education Survey (25 statements rated 1=very well to 5=very poor) was to determine if there is agreement between higher educators ratings, those of employers, and graduates themselves in terms of Saginaw (Michigan) Schools'"graduate standards" which are: (1) academic achiever; (2) self-directed learner;…

A workshop for language teachers focusing on cooperative learning techniques is described. First, an example of the effectiveness of cooperative learning is demonstrated using a simple classroom game requiring interaction to solve a problem. The activity provides an opportunity for learners to practice questioning techniques in an authentic…

This book contains a set of authentic performance assessments that offer students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and multiple science abilities through communication, problem solving, inventiveness, persistence, and curiosity. The specific knowledge and science abilities are drawn from those identified in Benchmarks for Science Literacy…

This study sought to discern the extent to which a sample of talented math and science students displayed domain-relevant skills possessed by those expertly trained in history. Subjects' experiences varied in terms of their exposure to primary source materials. The students were presented with five different kinds of documents related to the…