As a result of the new era in science education reform, professional associations in science such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have developed science standards for grades K-12. This paper describes a model for utilizing the AAAS Project 2061 benchmarks for these standards in a science methods course. The course…

There is a myth in the African American community that only a few students are bright enough to effectively learn quantitative skills, and many African American students attend college with the assumption that they are not good at mathematics and as a result cannot choose majors that require the mastery of quantitative skills. African American…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a problem solving based instructional model on earth science students' achievement and alternative frameworks. Students' opinions toward the instructional method were also investigated. The investigations employed a pretest/posttest control group design to detect any significant change.…

The purpose of this study was to survey the quantity and quality of laboratory work conducted by Grade 11 and 12 biology students in British Columbia High Schools, to analyze student performance on laboratory based questions on Provincial examinations, and to examine the curriculum for recommended laboratory work. Examination and curriculum data…

This manual offers alternatives to high school sociology teachers who wish to enhance their teaching by moving beyond the traditional lecture approach. Exercises and applications directly involve the students in several areas of sociological research. The chapters have several exercises and applications in addition to student activity sheets.…

In Taiwan, technology education used to be called "industrial arts," but was changed to "living technology" in 1997. The goals of craftwork in elementary school are to provide an understanding in the areas of presentation, appreciation, and practical application of the arts. Curriculum content is divided into the three areas.…

The concept of integrating language instruction with subject matter instruction is not new to language educators. It has been attempted for many years in adult education, in university programs for foreign students, and in specialized language courses for scientists, businessmen, and other professionals. To some degree, it has also been a part of…

Each year, thousands of men and women from English-speaking countries go abroad as English teachers through volunteer agencies such as the Peace Corps or Voluntary Service Overseas, or through myriad other church, government, business, and academic organizations. For these novice teachers, the challenge of learning what to do in the classroom is…

Educators participating in distance education have generally not received training in the production of effective video, although they do need to be able to appear in video suitable for effective instruction. The level of video quality required is referred to as "informal" video. Rapid prototyping is a concept in which formative…

Although experiential activities require minimal effort and time commitment on the part of instructors to implement, such activities capture students' interest, assist them in understanding course concepts, and generate excellent class discussions. As a test of experiential teaching techniques, several personality scales were used in a social…

This study examined 65 preservice teachers' metaphors for describing roles of the mathematics teacher. Previous research suggested that metaphors for teaching typically ascribe three distinct roles of the teacher: teaching, assessing, and classroom management. The findings of this study reveal that student metaphors were not systematic across the…

An adaptation of the standardization approach to assessing differential item functioning that applies to all item responses, including omits and not reached, is described. Applications of this method to evaluate differential speededness show that there is evidence of differential speededness for Blacks and Hispanics, but not for Asian Americans.…

In preparing a special needs student for employment, a variety of assessments should be used based upon the skill level of the individual student. Past challenges and successes in vocational education must be examined. These past challenges and successes are the building blocks and roadmaps necessary for individual success. During the planning…

A study examined the linguistic forms in the discourse of speakers during a language test to indicate why they use certain specific forms over others. Ten children were given the Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language--Simple Sentence Level Test (GAEL), a language proficiency test for hearing-impaired children in the age group of 4 to 8 years.…

This education kit was compiled by Iowa's Nongame Program to celebrate the successful reintroduction of the peregrine falcon (Cedar Rapids, July 1989) after its near extinction in the state in the 1960s. This resource unit was developed to enhance the education of students and teachers in Iowa about endangered species and specifically the…