A study compared the Spontaneous Writing Quotient (SWQ) of the Test of Writing Language-3 to teacher progress ratings of 147 students (grades 3-5) in the local writing curriculum. Corrected coefficients ranged from .39 to .48, offering only low to moderate support for the criterion-related validity relative to the local curriculum. (Contains…

Reports a study that sought foreign language teachers views of what texts and topics were essential to the foreign language methods cannon. Links results with findings from a review of the literature on foreign language methods courses and offers thoughts regarding implications for the future of foreign language teacher development. (Author/VWL)

Considers how the new infusion of technology into school systems provides the education culture the opportunity to reflect on its protocols and practices. Topics include teaching methods; teacher collaboration and attempts at a systemic approach; and information technology support from people with technology backgrounds rather than education…

Describes three relational patterns of community college students in their course experience: survivor, adjustor, and encounterer. Uses Passmore's theory of closed and open capacities as a framework for a model of planning and implementing instruction to move students from survivors or adjustors to encounterers. (Contains 12 references.) (AUTH/NB)

Reviews studies that address the gender gap in primary and secondary science classrooms concerning interest in the subject as well as academic performance. Suggests strategies to encourage female participation in science. (KHR)

Describes an after-school program in New York City designed to help inner-city high school students understand ecological concepts. (KHR)

Describes a science lesson that provides students with hands-on experience explaining the principle of buoyancy. (KHR)

Presents a lesson on trees and forests that incorporates inquiry strategies by examining meaningful relationships between growth, physiology, and the utilization of trees. (KHR)

Considers alternative assessment techniques as vehicles for improving student learning. Describes a deductive model for teachers to write open-ended questions that are directly linked to their daily science teaching. (KHR)

Offers a psychological role that external representations can play in the process of refining intuitive ideas into scientific knowledge. Presents an argument for this role through historical analysis of Galileo's ramp experiments, then through documentation of an innovative 6th grade classroom activity. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/YDS)

Reports on the findings of a study designed to develop three-dimensional virtual reality technology (VRT) learning programs for middle school students and evaluate the program's educational value. Focuses on the topic of structure and function of the eye. Concludes that VRT simulations allow comfortable interaction with computers and increase the…

Describes a course that uses student-designed laboratory experiments for a one-semester, junior-level physiology course. Discusses advantages and pitfalls of using this methodology. (Author/KHR)

Describes an educational game in which students get the opportunity to review Lewis structures and molecular geometries through problem solving activities as a team. (YDS)

Presents a spiral puzzle to test students' ability to remember the names of organic reactions and reagents. (YDS)

Compares the effects of three different teaching methods: (1) traditional instruction through listening to a lecture, reading, and participating in discussion; (2) instruction with teacher-constructed self-teaching resources; and (3) instruction with student-constructed self-teaching resources. Determines their effectiveness and the time required…