F. A. Korthagen and J. P. A. Kessels (1999) advocate the adoption of the realistic approach for teacher education. The realistic approach provides developing teachers with experiences that call into question the adequacy of their beliefs. When the developing teachers are in a state of flux, the approach both supports reflection for refined…

Evaluated teaching activites focusing on scientific concept of "animal" with three age groups: 5 (N=15), 9/10 (N=23) and 14 (N=20). Results suggest that these activities modified some students' concept of "animal" toward the scientific one, and that not understanding basic concepts (such as animal) may cause difficulties in…

American 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children participated in an art program synthesizing the Suzuki Music method and an art instruction method developed by Yoshio Tamano. Children receiving the self-paced art lessons at home gained more in concept formation and painting skill than did a control group. (PP)

The neuropsychologic performance of 27 children (about 6 to 13 years old) with early-treated phenylketonuria (PKU) was evaluated and correlated with their serum phenylalanine concentrations at several ages. (Author/SEW) Journal Availability: The Journal of Pediatrics; The C. V. Mosby Company, 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141.

Investigated 90 Form Two students' (grade nine equivalent in USA) alternative conceptions and instructional strategies to affect change from alternative to scientific conceptions. Results indicate significantly larger improvement in acquisition of science concepts (mass, volume, density) by experimental groups resulting from strategies/materials…

The responses of students, asked to retell stories they had read, were studied through language miscue analysis. The research yielded insights in how readers: (1) predict the author's message; (2) form concepts essential for comprehension; and (3) relate stories to their cultural background. Implications for classroom instruction are discussed.…

Suggests, by argument and example, that the views which children bring with them to science lessons are, to them, logical and coherent, and that these views have considerable influence on how and what children learn from their classroom experiences. (Author/SK)

Describes the advantages of an ecological and active approach to classroom management, presents an analysis of how such an approach might be developed, and discusses several issues which need to be addressed in order to improve classroom management. Twenty-nine references are listed. (Author/CHC)

Developmental changes in the interaction between word order and structural cues were investigated. Hebrew-speaking children between 4 and 10 years old interpreted noun-verb-noun utterances. Both word order and structural cues affected interpretation by all subjects, though the role of structural cues increased with age. (Author/DB)

Discusses problems associated with teaching physics in English and students' native languages. Reviews studies on the topic, including Whorf's linguistic relativity. Includes suggestions for further research. (SK)

Using the movement approach, a physical education teacher has designed a k-6 program in which concepts are organized to progress from unit to unit as well as from grade to grade. The program helps children retain skills and information. Content progressions for striking (net games) are shown. (PP)

Describes cognitive mapping techniques compatible with the information processing view of human thinking. Student knowledge was assessed by clinical interview and performance on paper-and-pencil tasks. Concept maps and semantic networks were then constructed. Uses that these assessment tasks and representations might have in science education are…

The infant's impressions of his environment are viewed by several philosophers, including Jean Piaget. There has been some past tendency to suppose that, prior to the acquisition of language, the infant has no real impressions about his environment. More recent understandings consider that the infant is capable of conceptualization and can express…

Two presentations at the 1981 International Conference on Chemical Education are summarized: (1) current and future rationales for chemistry instruction and use of Gowin's V for more effective chemistry teaching and (2) creative adaptability toward challenges of chemistry content, society, and the individual, focusing on learning chemistry by…