Asserts that economics can be taught more effectively at all grade levels using the whole-language approach. Describes the role of teachers, students, and the instructional process in the whole-language classroom. Discusses student evaluation using portfolios and includes a portfolio description table used in an economics class. (CFR)

Reviews research on interactive computer learning. Examines the extent to which learner-computer interaction and learner-learner interaction can interfere with or support one another. Finds that viewing collaborative learning as joint negotiation of a common problem helps to define optimal characteristics of educational software. (CFR)

Describes three educational efforts in Kentucky that address the issue of access to mathematics for all children: (1) Learning Algebra through Technology, Investigation, and Cooperative Experiences (LATTICE) (high schools); (2) the Kentucky K-4 Mathematics Specialist Project; and (3) Partnerships for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM)…

Explores the need for teachers to examine their orientations toward and methods of teaching public speaking to African Americans and other students of color. Ways in which public speaking courses can be reshaped to be more inclusive of the learning and expressive styles of such students are discussed. (SLD)

Describes a classroom study of 20 self-selected, college-bound, U.S. history students in which the students created a story, poem, painting, or other art form after studying a unit on immigration. Includes several examples and descriptions of students' poetry, writing, and other creative projects. (CFR)

Maintains that the adult male inmate population at a maximum security correctional center is a logical if difficult audience for effective lessons about the Bill of Rights. Presents two scenarios with accompanying instructional procedures and student discussion questions. (CFR)

How knowledge of children's thinking in mathematics derived from a cognitive science research model was used by a first-grade teacher to make instructional decisions over four years is described. The curriculum, teacher expectations, and method for using research-based knowledge are reviewed, along with the teacher's knowledge and beliefs. (SLD)

Task engagement and conceptual change were studied for 12 sixth graders in 2 classrooms where teachers and instructional materials provided students with extensive support to understand science better. Results indicate that some students recognize the value of science learning and demonstrate cognitive engagement, whereas others pursue alternative…

Evaluates the effectiveness of a course using a constructivist approach in reducing Dutch secondary school students (n=190) misconceptions about force. Concluded that the lessons were effective in changing students' ideas in regard to forces in rest situations and frictional forces and that learning effects were equally distributed over student…

The involvement of program beneficiaries in a study of the educational problems of homeless children is described. The 3 stakeholder groups were the 9 teachers, 7 shelter staff members, and 20 homeless parents. The equitable participation of the parents was an achieved goal that enhanced evaluation findings' validity. (SLD)

Describes using the writing process as an instructional strategy in science classes to encourage critical thinking. (PR)

Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

Argues that a virtual field trip can complement and enhance a real one. Discusses the benefits and pitfalls of both types of field trips. Outlines a series of student and teacher activities combining an actual field trip and a virtual one to Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota. (MJP)

Reviews peer-led substance-abuse prevention programs for middle school youth to determine whether they are efficacious in minimizing substance use. A meta-analysis of 120 studies examined program features and effectiveness. Results indicated that interactive peer interventions for middle school students were statistically superior to…

Examines the interactive potential for teaching four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) in the context of what is available across a range of multimedia technologies, from CD-ROMs to the World Wide Web. Identifies three levels of interactivity in the multimedia environment and notes the advantages that multimedia…