This CD-ROM is designed for classroom and individual use to teach and learn about food chains and food webs. Integrated animations, custom graphics, three-dimensional representations, photographs, and sound are featured for use in user-controlled activities. Interactive lessons are available to reinforce the subject material. Pre- and post-testing…

The Design Assessment Scale for Elementary Schools (DASE) assists educators and architects in planning and designing developmentally appropriate learning environments for elementary schools. This article examines DASE, its introduction and development, the first step in the instrument's validation process, and the initial reliability coefficients.…

Methods of effectively teaching algebraic thinking in elementary schools as well as secondary schools is the topic of the following 19 papers. Papers include: (1) "Transforming Algebra from an Engine of Inequity to an Engine of Mathematical Power by 'Algebrafying' the K-12 Curriculum" (J. Kaput); (2) "Developing a Coherent and…

This study brings an anthropological perspective informed by sociolinguistic discourse analysis to examine how teachers, students, and scientists constructed ways of investigating and knowing science. The teaching and learning processes for a group of third grade students and how, in the following academic year, these same students drew upon their…

The ability to use algebra in describing and analyzing real-world situations is becoming a basic skill for all students. The main focus of this book is on patterns, functions, and relationships. Information and ideas on how algebraic thinking can be developed in the years leading to a formal algebra course are included. K-8 teachers are offered a…

This final report documents the activities and outcomes of the 3-year outreach project AHEAD (At Home & At Day Care). Over the course of the three years, AHEAD Outreach conducted eight AHEAD Trainers' Training Institutes that provided AHEAD trainers with up-to-date content in the early intervention field, training techniques, hands-on experiences,…

This book chronicles practitioners' struggles in implementing information technology, identifies the existing barriers to implementation, and provides a set of frameworks from the current understanding of this process to support learning through information creation. The chapters are: chapter 1, "A Model for Organizational Learning: The…

This document is a guide for teaching and learning concerning inquiry education. It identifies scientific inquiry in correlation with the National Science Education Standards and discusses the various functions and strategies for assessment. Contents include: (1) Inquiry in Science and in Classrooms; (2) Inquiry in the National Science Education…

This teacher's guide stresses the need for more singing in schools and cultural institutions. Cultural traditions "charge" songs with amazing energy. The charge comes from the sense of identity the song creates. When a song connects people emotionally with a culture, the deep-rooted traditions of that culture add meaning to the singing. Children…

Collaborative, participatory, and empowerment research (D. Fetterman and others, 1996) presents particular challenges and special rewards for evaluators working with children. This paper describes some of what one evaluator learned from the process of designing and using in data collection and analysis a structured interview for children (ages…

In 1995 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the Health School Menus Initiative (HSMI) to ensure that school age children are provided meals that are consistent with dietary guidelines and current nutrition information. The USDA developed review instruments to evaluate the implementation of the HSMI nationwide. These…

Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross have developed strategies for assessing classroom teaching effectiveness at the college level. The assessments are generally ungraded activities which focus on current course work. This paper examines the following assessment activities within the context of teaching and technology: (1) "Muddiest…

This paper discusses instructional design for distance education. The first section summarizes principles of instructional design systems, including the systematic process, considerations related to planning for instruction, and issues associated with the separation of the instructor and students. Issues to address in the planning process are…

This document summarizes sound ideas for teaching science, including developing thematic units of study; integrating subject matter; conducting embedded, ongoing assessments; using student input constructively; and grounding instruction in reliable learning theories. Four philosophies of education are mentioned to help in designing a science…

Distance education is an alternative method for delivering academic course work to students unable to attend traditional campus-based classes. This Digest presents information on the many forms of distance education and keys to successful teaching with distance education. Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is…