Reports on the development of a comprehensive education program "Step by Step: A Program for Children and Families" in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Designed for young children from birth to age eight and their families, this program attempts to share U.S. teaching methods that promote democratic principles…

Presents a rationale for integrating outdoor education with all subject areas that focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of outdoor education, authenticity of outdoor experiences, and affective component of outdoor education. Summarizes information submitted to Canada's Ministry of Education and Training from secondary science teachers and…

Argues that in higher education, values and priorities of the enterprise's "producers" have little in common with those of the "consumers," and identifies areas in which this is apparent, including tuition, college choice, selection of a president, program development, faculty rewards, state subsidies, institutional budgeting, and school…

Provides a brief overview of the historical development of art education. Notes the relationship between 19th century art education and manufacturing jobs and contrasts this with current art education and a changing job market. Maintains that art education must remain relevant to, and cognizant of, social changes. (MJP)

Describes the process of problem-based learning (PBL), discusses the history of the movement, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of PBL. Explains the advantages of PBL in developing desirable attributes in biochemistry graduates which include being able to generalize, being able to interpret data, and possessing knowledge of relevant…

Reports on a pilot study designed to assess the potential of computer-marked tests for allowing students to monitor their learning. Students' answers to multiple choice tests were fed into a computer that provided a full analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Students responded favorably to the feedback. (MJP)

Describes how the job characteristics model (J. R. Hackman), used by industrial-organizational psychologists to enhance the motivating potential of jobs in industry, can be applied to increase student motivation. The job characteristics model describes the relationship between the core characteristics of skill variety, task identity, task…

Paper considers the strategy of using aligned policies to encourage more ambitious instruction for all students from the perspective of elementary classroom teachers charged with implementing such instruction. Nine elementary teachers' responses to their local school district's efforts to press more ambitious ideas about literacy instruction are…

Recounts a portfolio writing assignment designed to help students develop better study skills, increase metacognitive awareness, and use self-reflection to evaluate their performance during the semester. Students completed surveys and journal entries assessing their strategies for reading and studying, as well as, performance goals, emotional…

Compares the differences in purposes for literary campaigns when conducted in developed and developing countries. Considers literacy goals of students, teachers, administrators, and government policymakers. States this primary difference: developing nations' literacy campaigns identify literacy as instrumental to national and individual…

Many British students with severe learning difficulties cannot realistically be expected to complete Level 1 requirements of the National Curriculum. These students remain marooned on Level 1 and become failures through continual comparison with higher achieving peers. They should be offered appropriate non-National Curriculum programs of study…

Describes examples drawn mostly from urban areas that required the building of coalitions between schools and communities to create a new, more democratic context for curriculum development. Cited are the nationwide Vocational Education Project, the Southern Coalition for Educational Equity, and the "Rethinking Schools" progressive newsletter in…

Presents a lesson plan from the Alberta (Canada) Education Curriculum on ethics for upper elementary or middle school students, designed to be completed in four class periods. Outlines instructional goals, materials, and procedures. Objectives are that students will be able to list qualities of a good person, identify standards of right and wrong,…

Examines the organized contradictions linked to the simultaneous bureaucratization and professionalization of academe that restrict excellence in undergraduate instruction. Presents a general systems model that points out the need for a coordinated set of changes which, if institutionalized, could lead to an academic revolution. Responses by Lee…

Describes the objectives, implementation methods, and classroom methods used by high school teachers of English participating in the Permantapan Kerja Guru (PKG): Strengthening of the Work of Teachers Project in Indonesia. The PKG is a teacher development program intended to help teachers develop their confidence and personal and professional…