We assume many things when considering our practice, but our assumptions limit what we do. In this theoretical/philosophical paper I consider some assumptions that relate to our work. My purpose is to stimulate a debate, a search for alternatives, and to help us improve mathematics education by influencing our future curriculum documents and…

Content analysis of connected instructional discourse depends on the fundamental distinction between the content to be learned ("intrinsic") and the content intended only to support the learning processes ("mathemagenic"). Depending on the expected outcome of learning and the learner's entering competencies, the nature and…

This study attempted to measure the functional availability of knowledge and skills acquired in high school biology as they affect the achievement of students in a first year university course. The study, referred to as retrospective curriculum evaluation, uses a self-assessment instrument, the Knowledge and Prior Study Inventory (KPSI). An…

This study explored the relationship between classification achievements and mathematics scores. A series of 16 items which included many of the traditional tasks used in Piagetian examinations of intellectual function, were used in group presentations. Ten of these tasks required concrete operations including class inclusion, additive…

This paper presents an argument in support of "training little scientists" based on the requirements of participation in a media-laden, democratic society fraught with scientific claims and counterclaims. This leads to a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of various approaches to science education, including how they play out in practice.…

Methods that have been employed in McGill University's (Montreal, Quebec) program of research into the nature of learning are described. The methods illustrate four phases of inquiry: conceptualization or model-building; data gathering techniques; data representation; and data analysis. For the university's learning task project, the development…

The gap between learning and assessment is apparent both in the beliefs of children, who often see no connection between the two, and in the practices of teachers, who do not choose to use the most recently developed means of assessment. This gap stems from management theory and from learning theory. Traditional management in the United States has…

Issues related to the estimation of individuals' vocabulary size are discussed, including the rationale for vocabulary size research and the psychological, pedagogical, and quantitative approaches to vocabulary research and methodological problems associated with them. Some results from a large-scale assessment of Finnish comprehensive school…

Evaluators of software for education must make a series of decisions about which issues have a direct impact on their choice of software. Instructional context analysis is the first step, including identifying the learners, the instructor, the learning environment, and technical needs and limitations. The next step is instructional goal analysis;…

In spring 1986, Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) initiated a program to provide part-time, off-campus instructors with the professional support required to improve teaching effectiveness. The plan involved training 14 "master teachers" to function as evaluators of part-time, off-campus instructors. Master teachers have a minimum of 5 years of…

This paper analyzes mastery learning as an alternative to curriculum planning and discusses implementation of the strategy in a prekindergarten through eighth-grade school district in Red Bank, New Jersey. The paper briefly describes district schools and circumstances affecting the school board's decision to implement mastery learning; discusses…

This report discusses the impact of and presents guidelines for developing a computer-aided instructional (CAI) system. The first section discusses CAI in terms of the need for the countries of Asia to increase their economic self-sufficiency. The second section examines various theories on the nature of learning with special attention to the role…

This paper describes paradigms for research into school learning conducted at the primary/secondary and tertiary levels. Paradigms discussed include the Process-Product paradigm, the Mediating Process paradigm, the Classroom Ecology paradigm, J. Carroll's Model of School Learning, B. Bloom's Mastery Learning model, and the multilevel causal…

This paper, a teacher's informal account of her own professional growth and teaching experiences over a 10-year period, focuses particularly on her experiences as a participant in a non-credit seminar on children's thinking and on the impact this seminar had on her teaching. The seminar included wide-ranging questions of philosophy, teaching…

An ecological framework for predicting citizen participation in grassroots community organizations and predicting community disorder problems (such as crime and fear) was developed and tested. The framework, which is called an ecological framework for sustainable community learning and development, delineates the relevant economic, political,…