Poor literacy and numeracy levels in schools have raised questions in South Africa, as they have internationally, on the quality and appropriateness of initial teacher education for preparing teachers for the complexities faced in schools generally and for the mediation of literacy and numeracy in the early years in particular. This paper profiles…

Discusses a study to determine whether using a specially-designed taxonomy-linked curriculum unit on cities teaches the higher level thinking process of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to academically gifted students more effectively than a curriculum without such specific materials. Concludes that it does. Results are presented. (Author/DB)

Common threads running through the social studies curriculum reform recommendations include the following: (1) the study of democratic beliefs; (2) student civic participation; (3) the study of modern issues that call for global interactive connections; and (4) restructuring survey courses to avoid repetition and add depth. (MLF)

This historical review describes the basic curriculum of the 1890s, the shift to occupational analysis and the cross section approach in the 1920s, a combination of traditional and cross sectional approaches by the 1940s, the effect of the Vocational Education Act of 1963, and the impact of the Perkins Act and the educational reform movements of…

This overview of the recommendations made in the report "Charting a Course: Social Studies for the 21st Century" summarizes recommended course content by grade level. (MLF)

Designed to aid K-12 teachers in preparing a unit on the West, this paper summarizes the role of black cowboys in the Arizona territory and provides strategies and resources on teaching the subject. Section 1, an introduction, contains a list of unit objectives and discussion of instructional methods and techniques. Sections 2 through 8 contain…

To help elementary and secondary school social studies classroom teachers develop and implement units on China, materials and information are presented on review outlines and examinations on Chinese history and politics, classroom exercises on Chinese character writing, vocabulary terms, and resource materials. (DB)

This concept paper outlines the rationale for a project on the development of science curriculum for K-8 high ability learners. The rationale was developed through a synthesis of major recommendations from national science reform reports and from a review of the literature on effective science curriculum for high ability learners. The paper begins…

This report considers one school's approach to science education, examining in particular the development of a two-semester required unified science course. Designed to be useful to all students and applicable to all areas of science, the course is characterized by a high degree of teacher teamwork, as in developing instructional materials.…

A holistic approach to early childhood education requires attention not only to what we know about child development and its implications for teaching, but also to the content of the curriculum. This collection of chapters on research and practice on developmentally appropriate integrated curricula is combined in a manner to assist theorists,…

This paper discusses the history, development, and impact of the curriculum reform movement from 1950 to the present. It explores criticisms and accomplishments, outside influences, and the current possibilities of reform. Beginning with rumblings of dissatisfaction in the early fifties, the movement grew into a full reform of science education…