Deconstructs the prevailing paradigm of childhood development. Argues that childhood is a social construction and traces changing images of childhood throughout history. Criticizes well-intentioned but devitalizing day care and kindergarten practices. Argues for a child-centered perception of childhood. (FMW)

Correcting misperceptions regarding safety and emergency response is the first step toward reducing the incidence of injury to children. Some widely held misperceptions are identified and corrected. Topics include burns, poisoning, car safety, and falls. In addition to adult misperceptions, some common children's misperceptions are briefly listed.…

Learning-disabled students may have some characteristics that make them particularly vulnerable to suicide. This article describes common misconceptions about suicide, discusses danger signs indicative of suicide risk, outlines steps in crisis intervention, and lists suggested information pamphlets and films. (JDD)

Suggests that the imposition of order on history perpetuates a historian/history teacher dichotomy. Illustrates prevailing fallacies in the teaching of history: (1) the moniker fallacy; (2) the one-school fallacy; (3) the contextual fallacy; and (4) the wave fallacy. States that an avoidance of these fallacies will at least partially reconcile…

Describes the statistical paradoxes that arise when unit costs, averages, rates, ratios, percentages, or proportions are compared. The discussion covers the possible misinterpretation of library statistics resulting from these paradoxes, using as an example the Association of Research Libraries statistics on average expenditure per added volume.…

Research conducted by the Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum shows arts-integrated schools are the most promising way to improve American education. CABC's work is based on three principles: arts are cognitive domains triggering multiple forms of learning; effective arts education is an important educator model; and arts education will…

Ninth- and 10th-grade students (n=310) participated in a study designed to determine the effect of three variables (viewing a demonstration, engaging in student to student discussion, and/or reading a refutational text) on conceptual change in physics. Results revealed that reading the refutational text helped students change their intuitive ideas…

Identifies some of the major factors underlying common problems that students have in acquiring an understanding of chemistry concepts. Suggests and discusses the use of concept maps as an aid in ensuring that meaningful learning rather than rote learning has occurred among students. Contains 32 references. (ZWH)

Shows that the conventional wisdom about the extreme inaccuracy of stopwatch measurements during the acceleration and free fall of objects is mistaken. (ZWH)

Deals with the problem of the proper interpretation of discourse between students and teachers in classrooms. Presents several interpretations of a concrete classroom protocol in terms of misconceptions. Draws on Davidson's principle of charity and distinguishes between belief and meaning to present an analysis that interprets the discourse…

Presents a brief overview of historical and cross-cultural data that points to the universality of some main physics conceptions. Summarizes articles from the science education literature that emphasize the relevance and influence of a number of cultural factors, such as language, world view and traditional beliefs, reasoning patterns, and…

Despite its failings, Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" is valuable for emphasizing cognition as significantly affecting human performance and social achievement; acknowledging human differences; and offering a frightening depiction of contemporary American society. The authors err in reducing intelligence to a stable, immutable…

Illustrates, categorizes, and analyzes typical mathematical errors in algebra and trigonometry made by high school and lower division college students. (16 references) (Author/MKR)

Tainted by failure, rooted in myth, and marked by questionable practice, public-private partnerships in education are risky. Performance contracting failed miserably in the 1970s. Faulty privatization rationales include myths surrounding SAT test scores and the "bloated bureaucracy" and "money doesn't matter" arguments. Neither…

District officials often assume that decentralization will produce immediate improvement, uncover abundant building-level expertise, and spawn productive, harmonious decision making. Staff development must be geared to eliminating false expectations, developing a thorough knowledge base, and understanding how to control and evaluate the program.…