Though lecturing reflects the outmoded view that communication consists of action rather than transaction, large lecture classes are a reality that must be engaged. An interpersonal communication course can be adapted to the lecture hall and need not include the traditional lecture as the only teaching method. Students should be allowed to…

Nationally, interest in family life and parenting programs has grown amidst concern for "basic education." Parenting education in today's schools may be justified because of increased family stress and deteriorating family support systems. Most parenting and family life courses are offered within home economics departments, have a narrow…

Unquantifiable changes affecting attitudes of teachers, administrators, and students who were involved with a four-year comprehensive staff development effort are discussed. A brief overview and analysis of the Napa-Vacaville Follow Through Research Project describes the program designed to improve student engaged rates and achievement at two…

The Computer Assisted Diagnostic Prescriptive Program (CADPP) is a customized databased curriculum management system which permits the user to load the following into a filing/retrieval software system: (1) learning characteristics of individual students (e.g., age, instructional level, learning modality); (2) skill-oriented characteristics of…

WICAT Systems, Inc., produced a "proof of concept" instructional videodisc in college biology with support from the National Science Foundation. The project involved simultaneous development of content design, instructional strategies, software, and hardware, with a principal focus on evaluation of the instructional videodisc in the classroom.…

Written by English teachers considered successful in directing collaborative learning, this collection of essays focuses on the effective use of collaborative learning in the English language arts classroom. The essays and their authors are, as follows: (1) "None of Us Is as Smart as All of Us" (Dana Herreman); (2) "Collaborative…

Teaching science at the elementary school level requires an experiential approach to engage students' interest. One teacher at a small American Indian tribal school volunteered to teach one science lesson per week to each elementary class. Untrained in the techniques of teaching science to young children, he began with a discussion of the four…

This paper suggests the importance of considering factors outside of the classroom in accounting for the presence of inquiry, and identifies some of these factors. The conclusions are based upon a study of staff developers and teachers who took part in the Bank Street College Mathematics, Science and Technology Teacher Education project.…

A December 1983 survey queried the chief state school officers of the 50 states on the extent to which distance learning techniques are used in public education in their states. Respondents were asked to focus on interactive forms of distance learning, such as audio and video teleconferencing. A total of 28 states (56%) responded, with the…

This book describes 119 award-winning projects from a program which established a national teachers' competition to select and disseminate superior teacher-planned and developed programs which use photography as an integral part of the K-12 school curriculum. All subject areas, grade levels, and states are represented in summaries of projects that…

The introduction of microtechnology into the educational system will generate changing demands in the environment that will affect concepts of learning and transmission and the definition of nonformal education. Challenges for educational managers in the coming decade will include (1) recognizing that the benefits of the instructional applications…

Research findings indicate that major breakthroughs in education will have to occur through direct cortical intervention, using either chemical or electronic means. It will eventually be possible to build sophisticated intelligence amplifiers that will be internal extensions of our brains, significantly more powerful than present day computers,…

This report advocates the implementation of accelerated schools as a new strategy for at-risk students by focusing on the success of the model Accelerated Schools Program (ASP) at Stanford University. Under this program, conventional schools with large at-risk populations can be transformed into accelerated schools. Designed to accelerate at-risk…

The first report of an ongoing case study examining the impact of using a laboratory of microcomputers as a tool for teaching science and social science courses in a high school, this paper reports on a sociological investigation of the organizational change in the structure and functioning of the school brought about by the introduction of the…

This compilation of abstracts represents 39 projects that were funded by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia under Adapter Grants (which involve experimentation with instructional methods or techniques) or Developer Grants (which involve the implementation of a uniquely innovative teaching method or other instructional procedure).…