This book is a compilation of 47 wide-ranging papers presented at the International Conference on Play and Play Environments. The introduction reviews both the historical recognition of the value of play by various philosophers and educators and the historical disregard for childhood that has prevailed through the centuries, particularly in…

This document presents case studies of eight demonstration projects selected to assess the practicality and feasibility of a monograph for improving and measuring the impact of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction provides background of the project that developed that monograph and information on the case studies, including…

This chapter examines, from four perspectives, the ways in which educational research, development, and evaluation activities in the United States are organized, controlled, and supported, and considers whether research can be properly used to shape educational policy and practice. First, the size and historical development of the research and…

Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of context variables in interpreting research findings. The Procedures for Adopting Educational Innovations (PAEI) Project at the Texas Research and Development Center for Teacher Education has been attempting to identify and conceptualize important research-based and clinical-based context variables. An…

Contradictory research findings on teachers and teaching are frequently the result of overlooking or neglecting a systematic approach to teaching, using principles of human learning to enhance pupils' learning and their enjoyment of learning. In discussing teacher preparation, it is pointed out that task analysis is a crucial operation, in which…

The federally-funded New York Bilingual Education Multifunctional Support Center provides support services for Title VII and other bilingual education programs, and actively promotes the analysis and application of research findings relating to bilingual instruction and teacher training. It promotes professional development activities that are…

In October of 1985, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) awarded contracts to 29 universities and one regional education center to conduct three-year efforts aimed at research-based improvement of teacher education. All have university-school collaboration as a major theme, and will spend up to one year in development of…

After assessing its programs and teacher education research, it was decided by the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University that the ultimate goal of the programs would be to develop teachers who would be problem solvers who were able to assess each unique classroom situation and select from alternative strategies the strategy that is the…

This study used a questionnaire designed to assess teachers' and administrators' perceptions of teaching performance and their perceptions of the importance of various teaching knowledges and skills. The purpose of the study was to suggest how survey research can be used to examine teachers' perceptions of their performance in context and in…

This paper addresses the demands for change in the teaching and learning of mathematics in the schools of America. Many of the demands stem from the way rapid changes in information technology have altered our economic and social culture. In particular, these technological changes have changed both mathematics and its applications. Given these…

This compendium provides information about 29 three-year teacher education projects, funded by the Department of Education in 1985. The projects seek to demonstrate that research utilization and sound practice can improve the preparation of teachers. The projects were developed and are operating collaboratively with local schools. Each has a…

There is no easy way to get from research on teaching to teaching practice; moreover, trying to make teaching practices directly out of research can have destructive effects for teaching. Research can be extremely beneficial when results are linked with teachers' goals, and when teachers are aware that a specific occasion is appropriate for…

Prepared under provisions of a federal grant for preparing teachers of handicapped students in both regular and special education classrooms, the inservice project described in this report was intended to retrain both regular classroom and special education teachers in a Texas school district in the research-based strategies of spelling…

The progress of a group of student teachers who used action research techniques in their student teaching experience was studied. Action research is designed to yield practical results that are immediately applicable to a specific situation or problem. Action research strategies were used by student teachers to identify and find effective ways of…

Maryland's School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP) program involved 24 local education agencies (LEAs) in implementing one or more research-based instructional models: Active Teaching, Mastery Learning, Student Team Teaching, and Teaching Variables. A summary is presented of: (1) descriptions of each of the instructional models;…