The Level 5 activity book is designed to help children learn that writing messages and stories will help them see the value of learning to spell. The workbook's program is based on the ideas that accurate spelling contributes to the clarity of written messages; spelling accuracy shows attention to detail, sending a positive message to teachers and…

This study examined the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of faculty and students about the use of nontraditional pedagogies such as active learning, collaborative/cooperative learning, and the encouragement of student participation and involvement in the learning experience. The data came from two surveys of faculty (n=136) and students (n=676)…

An inquiry approach to learning is a process whereby students explore, investigate, search for information, discover and seek solutions without much guidance from the teacher in an open classroom environment. Inquiry teaching is not the only method that can be used in the classroom. Unlike other instructional methods, inquiry does involve students…

This lesson plan was developed through "Economics International," an international program to help build economic education in the emerging market economies. It provides a lesson description; appropriate age level; economic concepts; content standards and benchmarks; related subject areas; instruction objectives; time required for…

The 1990 election of Dona Violeta Barrios de Chamorro as President of Nicaragua marked the end of the Sandinista era and the return of U.S. foreign assistance the following year. Education was prominent in the U.S. assistance package. Since early 1994, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Nicaragua has funded a…

Presents brief annotations of 20 books and journal articles (published between 1967 and 1997) identified by the contributors to this themed issue as useful for the work they present in this issue. (SR)

Presents some of the early history of instructional development models; discusses the role of models in instructional development; reviews some of the more influential models; and discusses the possible impact of selected trends on future models of instructional development, including electronic performance support systems and rapid prototyping.…

Constructivism emphasizes the learner as an active meaning maker and problem solver. This article reviews constructivism's basic principles, analyzes implications for curriculum work, and explores a constructivist unit-development process. Planners must decide degree of curricular integration, establish unit parameters, identify the problem, draft…

Proposes the use of cases and instructional modules to teach invention, engineering design, and technology management. Discusses the case method in graduate business education, cases and modules in engineering education, using cases in class, and the development and distribution of cases. Presents examples of using cases about total quality…

Presents a paper based on the Northwest Region Presidential Address given at the Manchester Metropolitan University that makes the plea that science should be at the top of the science teacher's agenda. Asserts that learning is a continuing process for both teachers and pupils. (JRH)

Synthesizes current thought in neuropsychology, philosophy of cognition, and science education. Suggests that dualistic views and those based solely on biological structural-functional analyses may be insufficient to explain the active role of the learner. Presents 10 principles of neurocognition as a context for analysis of learner-centered…

The challenge for education in today's knowledge age is developing students' capacity for sustained creative work with ideas. Although even the youngest students don't fear the abstract, working to improve ideas is an acquired disposition. Creative production is a progressive design process. Software is described in which students, as a community,…

Describes a class demonstration in which students learn about Jean Piaget's concepts of schemata, assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. Explains that students work in pairs (but cannot see one another) where one teaches the other how to make a duplicate of an already constructed block model. (CMK)

Discusses the design and maintenance of computer-based teaching and learning environments and illustrates consequences of evolution and change in Web-based courses. Focuses on changes in content; format of the course; infrastructure, including hardware, systems, and software; and pedagogy, or instructional design, including knowledge modeling,…

Explains the fight or flight reaction and presents a hands-on activity for high school students. Uses crayfish behavior as an example. (Author/SOE)