The UK National Audit Office (NAO) commissioned RAND Europe to look at the evidence showing the effectiveness of reform of mathematics teaching in primary schools in England. This study looked at government-sponsored evaluations of mathematics reform in England, independent evaluations of the educational outcomes of mathematics reforms in England,…

Some solutions are offered for three large-class testing problems: how to offer students an opportunity to be assessed in an essay format without straining the available grading resources; deal with students who miss a required examination; and generate large numbers of new, relevant examination questions regularly. (MSE)

Describes a method for improving engineering student performance in large classes, based on Bloom's four variables for improvement of the educational process, which include time, intelligence, testing, and personality. Describes manipulation of these variables for a more effective undergraduate engineering program. (DS)

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School administered identical, simultaneous objective structured clinical examinations to large medical school classes and found the method logistically and psychometrically feasible. Potential for use of the test to make pass-fail grading decisions and proposals for modification of administration and…

Teacher-centered presentation is generally considered the only way of teaching in large classes, whereas a learner-centered communicative approach is not considered feasible. This applies even more to language teaching, where the difference between the native speaker's knowledge and the students' command of the language hinder communication. In…

Describes an experience with Do-It-Yourself Placement (DIYP), a procedure to cope with problems arising from a combination of large classes and an emphasis on analytic grammar skills to the neglect of reading and writing skills relevant to the context of study. Obstacles to change in approaches to second-language teaching are discussed. (13…

Notes some of the concerns about calculus education that were expressed at a recent conference of the National Academy of Sciences. Lists problems with unwieldy textbooks, poor teaching, large classes, and low standards. Suggests that the increasing use of computers and advanced calculators can help reform calculus instruction. (TW)

Techniques developed to improve student participation and student evaluation in a large-group college course in advertising include role playing in talk-show-style discussions of controversial issues, breaks in lectures to play a trivia game, a three-minute writing assignment, teacher movement among students, and changes in testing policies and…

The instructional settings and teacher-learner relationships observed in English-as-a-second-language classes at the secondary and university levels in Poland by an American senior Fulbright lecturer are characterized by very formal instruction with heavy emphasis on pronunciation and grammar exercises, large classes with little opportunity for…

The development of an indirect oral proficiency test for foreign languages by the Defense Language Institute is described. The technique uses taped questions to elicit answers, also taped, that are evaluated according to the Foreign Service Institute's oral proficiency rating scale of 0 to 5. Tape recordings are used because of the large numbers…