Several classroom demonstrations are described that have sparked student involvement in undergraduate courses in probability and statistics. These demonstrations involve experimentation using exams and statistical analysis and adjustment of exam scores. (Author/SLD)

Explores the working group model for mathematics teacher education and presents group investigations from the areas of number theory, probability, and geometry. Argues that by working in groups, sharing ideas, and making and testing conjectures, prospective teachers gain confidence in their own ability to do mathematics and develop a variety of…

Claims that the major obstacle to active learning techniques comes from students. To free class time for active learning, students must take on the responsibility for learning factual information on their own. Looks at ways to explain the benefits of active education and to orient students in this approach. (RJM)

Traces the history of the project as a teaching method from the art academies of Renaissance Rome and Paris to European and U.S. technical universities, manual training and industrial arts, and the influence of Kilpatrick and Dewey in the early 20th century. (SK)

Presents the details of the Shakespeare Frolic Project, a multimedia approach to teaching works of Shakespeare that involves students in writing, analyzing, drawing, reading, and performing. Presents an introductory exercise and describes various student activities. (RS)

This essay proposes a model for providing alternative instruction to gifted learners, emphasizing development of independent, creative, abstract, complex, and transformational thinking skills. Essential commonalities and differences between good instruction in general and good instruction for the gifted are discussed, as are the model's…

Describes the development of a method for the evaluation and comparison of interactive information retrieval systems, which are based on the concept of a simulated work-task situation and the involvement of real end users. Highlights include real and simulated information needs; relevance assessments; and the dynamic nature of information needs.…

Problem-based learning is a student-centered pedagogical strategy that poses real-world situations and provides resources, guidance, instruction, and opportunities for reflection. Examines problem-based learning, provides a rationale for its use in the curriculum, identifies problems inherent in designing and implementing problem-based learning,…

Describes a study conducted at Rutgers University (New Jersey) that observed 24 graduate students' relevance judgments during information retrieval. Discusses implications for finding relevance dimensions, the measurement of relevance, thesaurus construction, evaluation of information retrieval, and variables affecting relevance judgments. (LRW)

Argues that the primary responsibility of school boards is to ensure that the school remains dedicated to its mission and to help integrate the school's values and mission into day-to-day operations. Presents a framework for assessing the integration of school mission, focusing on the overlapping stages of articulation, education, integration,…

The views of contemporary social studies teachers on citizenship education were studied through Q-technique in 39 Minnesota teachers and a national sample of 361 teachers. Identified perspectives of cultural pluralism, legalism, assimilationism, and critical thinking are discussed, and their implications for teaching practice explored. (SLD)

Discusses supportive career counseling acts within the framework of three types of support: (1) emotional support; (2) informational support; and (3) appraisal support. Provides specific illustrations of appraisal support interventions. Looks at the role of support in examining life-role salience, and its influence on the identification and…

Discusses the importance of stories as teaching/learning tools. Claims that stories can illustrate concepts, honor cultural diversity, introduce new goals and directions in student thinking, and provide transitions within a class. Connections are drawn to work in social constructionism regarding the making of meaning. (RJM)

Describes how a teacher used the "hypothesis-test" approach in elementary and junior high classrooms, teaching alone or team teaching, to be proactive about students needs instead of reactive to their disruptions or silence, to help kids who need it before they cry out, and to introduce them to the sweet taste of success before they encounter…

Offers a description of three prominent pedagogical approaches observed in freshman English teaching assistants (TAs): expressivism, formalism/mimeticism, and rhetoricism. Finds that, although a teacher may teach from all perspectives, usually one is emphasized. Studies and presents examples of each type. States that the rhetorical type is…