Globally, educators and researchers use different terms to describe instructors' approaches when presenting instructional material in formal and informal settings. Terms commonly used to describe instructional approaches include teaching/instructional strategy, teaching/instructional method, and teaching/instructional technique. Although…

In our knowledge-based society, K-8 students need to develop increasingly sophisticated skills to read, write, and speak for a wide variety of purposes and audiences. Including an extended case example from a linguistically diverse school, this book guides school leaders to design and implement advanced literacy instruction through four key…

This paper critiques Aumaugher's argument which states that the traditional view of concepts as a class of things with common attributes is an insufficient one, and, instead, offers a counterview, stemming from the work of Wittgenstein, which says that a concept is a term's use in the language. Aumaugher states that concept-terms are not always,…

Ideational pluralism refers to "disagreements which occur between teacher and students as to which facts and positions are acceptable when dealing with issues in science classrooms." Discusses why ideational pluralism exists; related theory (logical and philosophical aspects); rationale for addressing the topic; positive and negative…

Defines self-directed learning and explores its importance for elementary education. Focuses on ways in which classroom practices and conditions can encourage or discourage capabilities and dispositions to engage in self-directed learning. Describes the ideal classroom environment with respect to demands, supports, opportunity, and goal structure.…

Describes learning to teach as a task involving learning to think and act in ways appropriate to the profession's demands. Describes the language of practice, using common sense and practical analyses of knowledge and action. Illustrates these concepts with a study of student teachers and applies architecture's pattern language to teaching.…

This theoretical analysis articulates verbal rule properties and use implications, describes an empirical study examining characteristics of problem solving performance when verbal rules are instructed as a problem solving method, and discusses role of verbal rules in problem solving and implications for learning procedural skills. (MBR)

Acting as a sliding signifier, the term "critical thinking" has been bandied about for years now by educators who often ascribe widely varying meanings to it. Researchers and writers mainly stress the "thinking" half of the phrase, often leaving unexamined what it means to be "critical." Those in the fields of critical pedagogy and critical…

This article proposes a four-component framework for understanding the literacy of individuals with visual impairments, and defines two levels of literacy--basic (or academic) and functional (or practical) literacy. Implications are drawn for development of self-advocacy skills, development of standards for judging literacy in this population, and…

This study compared active student response (ASR) error correction and no-response (NR) error correction while teaching science terms to five elementary students. When a student erred, the teacher modeled the definition and the student either repeated it (ASR) or not (NR). ASR error correction was superior on each of seven dependent variables.…

Clarifies definitions of simulation, game, drama, and exercise, and describes a study of 17- to 19-year-old students which was designed to determine their public speaking anxiety level after using seven classroom simulations to prepare them for the experience. Students' personal development and behavior throughout the experience are discussed.…

Discusses some of the processes children use in learning words and putting them into intelligible contexts. Describes some of the difficulties children can have when trying to learn new vocabulary. Briefly reports on efforts to use interactive video technology to enable children to access new words. (TW)

This book contains 16 papers about informing family and consumer sciences educational practice through action research. The following papers are included: "Informing Practice through Classroom Inquiry" (Linda Peterat, M. Gale Smith); "Focusing Praxis Research on Sexism in a Primary Classroom" (Emily Sutherland);…