In order to bring the benefits of new education approaches, strategies, and tools to classrooms around the world, we need champions of innovation to blaze the path and serve as role models of creativity and exploration. Teachers are uniquely positioned to serve in this critical role.

This paper is a response to Hoban and Neilsen's (2010) Five Rs model for understanding how learners engage with slowmation. An alternative model (the Learning MMAEPER Model) that builds on the 5Rs model is explained in terms of its use in secondary science preservice teacher education. To probe into the surface and deep learning that can occur…

Romain Bertrand is a middle school math teacher and Opportunity Culture enthusiast. As the 2012-13 school year wound down, he was already thoroughly looking forward to the next--when he will become a multi-classroom leader at Ranson IB Middle School, taking accountability for the learning results of 700 students. At Ranson, a Project L.I.F.T.…

As teachers learn new pedagogical strategies, they crave explicit demonstrations that show them how the new strategies will work with their students in their classrooms. Successful instructional coaches, therefore, understand the importance of modeling lessons to help teachers develop a vision of effective instruction. The author, an experienced…

Litton Industries has been investigating methods for analyzing training problems and designing appropriate systems of individualized instruction to address those problems. This work can be referred to as the development of the Instructional Systems Analysis and Selection (ISAS) procedures. ISAS is a collection of questions, comparison matrices,…

This issue of "Stepping into the Classroom" reaches the broad ends of the spectrum of experience to showcase two authors who have worked hard to learn from personal experience and translate ideas into practice. Greg Van Nest, a veteran teacher of six years, had gone to many national conferences, but in Nashville in 2006, he came away knowing he…

The Modern Distance Education Project for the Rural Schools (MDEPRS) of China has a wider scope and serves a larger population than any other informational project in the world. It likely will result in a far-reaching informational revolution for basic education in China. Here, we introduce three main innovative models of material delivery, the…

Suggests a variety of techniques for the instructional designer to implement and develop materials, and curricula that will be used and benefit all involved. (JEG)

Defines instructional development, describes the scope of the research and knowledge base upon which its practice is built, comments upon the sufficiency of the investigation into the components of that knowledge base, and poses questions for future research. (Author)

This article presents a rationale for instructional variety based on the differences in the learning style of the students and on the objectives of the curriculum. A models of teaching approach for planning is described. A long-term professional development plan to implement teaching models for instructional variety is presented. (MT)

Dialectical thinking has values for education that have been largely overlooked by researchers and educators. Dialectical thinking refers to the ability to view issues from multiple perspectives and to arrive at the most economical and reasonable reconciliation of seemingly contradictory information and postures. Dialectical thinking is a form of…

Provides a theoretical framework for designing a children's literature course that requires preservice teachers to critically analyze literature in ways that are personally meaningful. Suggests how preservice teachers can read children's literature intensively rather than extensively. (PA)

Perhaps writing is equated with process. But, there are too many complicating factors that make it difficult to evaluate the success or failure of prewriting and drafting assignments--the process and the value of each step is different for each individual. By teaching students to recognize the cultural contingencies of textuality, the status of…

Addresses the fact that a very small number of programs in science education were identified as outstanding in the field by the National Science Teachers Association. (NKA)

The seven-step Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) outlines the stages people move through when adopting an innovation. The 4Mat System applies learning style research and research on brain dominance to teaching practices. When combined, the two systems form a comprehensive model for staff development. (PGD)