A 5-year project conducted in three comprehensive schools in a small community near Helsinki, Finland, was designed to integrate new information technology into the curriculum and to assist teachers in changing traditional instructional practices. General goals of the project were: (1) to make the knowledge and learning process more active; (2) to…

Originally developed in an elementary science program called the Science Curriculum Improvement Study, the learning cycle (LC) teaching approach involves students in an active learning process modeled on four elements of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development: physical experience, referring to the biological growth of the central nervous…

This sourcebook contains nine papers on various aspects of collaborative learning for students with emphasis on college level instruction (though some material relevant to secondary elementary education is also included). Contributors address what collaborative learning is, how is it implemented, how to assess it, and where it is used. Each…

Use of educational games to supplement traditional classroom lectures is purported by some researchers to increase interest, motivation, and retention, as well as to improve higher order thinking and reasoning skills. This paper reviews proposed benefits of using games as cognitive tools, and discusses the complexities of assessing those benefits.…

Community college instructors and administrators need to understand teacher immediacy research and the role of immediacy in the multi-cultural classroom. Immediacy can be viewed as a combination of nonverbal behaviors used to accentuate a verbal message and reduce physical and psychological distance between interactants. Janis Andersen's research…

This series of one- to two-page abstracts highlights a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the community college. Topics covered in the abstracts include: (1) internationalizing the curriculum through focused interaction; (2) improving the small group approach to learning; (3) writing across the curriculum with early essay…

A study was done of the relationship between school district central offices and school-based innovations in a large urban school district. The study looked specifically at the work relationships among central office personnel and their behaviors and attitudes toward school-based innovations. Data were collected through a survey administered to 30…

The Adaptive Dimension refers to the concept of making adjustments in approved educational programs to accommodate diversity in student learning needs, and to practices undertaken to make the approved core curriculum, instruction, and the learning environment meaningful and appropriate for each student. Adaptation takes into account the shift away…

Developed by a fulltime faculty member at Pima Community College (PCC) in Tucson, Arizona, this booklet is intended to provide concepts and techniques to help Associate Faculty develop the most interesting and useful teaching practices possible. Chapter 1 discusses the importance of education, the purposes of the booklet, and reasons for teaching;…

Fourteen papers from six countries are included in this volume. Several have been translated from French or German. The papers are grouped as follows: (1) Creativity and Language Learning: "Creativity, Brain, and Language" (M. Bergstrom) and "Creativity and Interactional Competence in Foreign Language Learning" (E. Oksaar); (2)…

A fifth-grade teacher researched the experts, observed master teachers, and experimented to find out what worked best for her and her students as she made the transition from the basal to the process approach to teaching the language arts. Taking courses and meeting with others helped support her decision to change. During the process of change,…

This collection of 16 studies examines the wide variety of issues surrounding bilingual education and reviews program design, evaluation, and classroom strategies. The following chapters review the 20-year history of bilingual education and concomitant political issues: (1) "Bilingual Education: Issues and Perspectives" (A. M. Padilla);…

An innovative instructional intervention model is presented that represents a promising approach to the education of language minority students. One of the four handbooks produced to document and disseminate the findings of the Innovative Approaches Research Project (IARP), this handbook describes the IARP model for providing science and…

After fleximode was introduced into the Western Australian TAFE system, its cost and effectiveness compared with traditional delivery systems were evaluated. Fleximode, as practiced in Australia, was adapted from a mode of study pioneered in England. It offered students the independence of off-campus study in combination with access to college…

This document reports the results of the Allegheny Conference Education Fund's mini-grant program which was responsible for funding over 230 teachers, at all grade levels, in the Pittsburgh Public School system during 1981-1982. The following topics are covered: (1) the definition and purpose of a mini-grant, a description of the review committee,…