The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explain how the Common Core State Standards may have influenced teachers' practices and philosophies regarding literacy instruction. Conducted in five kindergarten through second-grade classrooms within one elementary school, this research study collected semi-structured interviews, classroom…

This paper reports on the second phase of a joint teacher/researcher project that explored teachers' understandings of the potential of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) as a tool for primary school children's collaborative group work. By examining teachers' written analyses and discussions of work carried out in their own classrooms, the paper…

The idea of using mathematical research in the classroom to collect real data has been spoken about within education for many years. The question is, why should teachers bother with real data from their students' worlds and how do they actually put it into practice in the classroom? When using the mathematical research strategy for collecting,…

Documents growth in reading fluency and answers persistent questions on fluency. Illustrates fluent reading and the changes in fluency that occur during the school year through a classroom research project and the collection of more than 2,800 1-minute oral-reading samples.(MG)

Introduces the topic of this journal issue: ethnography as a resource for understanding classrooms as cultures. Presents excerpts from student essays to show the knowledge students have about life in classrooms and about classroom cultures. Offers a list of premises and questions to help make visible the often invisible patterns of life in…

A study examined the effects of using children's literature to introduce new science concepts to kindergarten children. Subjects, 48 kindergarten students, were arbitrarily assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. The experimental group was taught a unit on oceans using children's literature to introduce the science…

This action research project reports on the effects of classroom size on the quality of work conditions, academic achievement, and students' behavior. The kindergarten through third grade levels were targeted at three schools, one in a suburban setting and the other two in a growing rural area. For the 1999-2000 school year, the urban school had…

This collection of stories from a teacher's classroom highlights the problem-solving potential of very young students if they are engaged and challenged from the beginning. Arranged by month of the school year, each of these 10 stories is a suggestion for a classroom lesson. Together the stories provide a comprehensive picture of what can be…

Supports auditory research which clarly demonstrates that auditory perception is adversely affected by noise. (Author/RB)

Contrasted the effect of direct manipulative experiences with objects that sink and float with effect of instructional experiences that incorporated discrepant events for five- and six-year-old children (n=113). The findings suggest manipulation is not an adequate means of helping children develop concepts of floating/sinking; their success may be…

Basic qualitative research was conducted in classrooms of two teachers in order to examine the nature of their enacted curriculum. Hidden curriculum was investigated as one component of the enacted curriculum in the two classrooms. One teacher taught a regular first grade class, and the other taught a class of developmentally handicapped children…

Discusses children's interest in names, and the importance of this interest for their developing literacy. (MM)

Finds that stories are used considerably in early education to develop various aspects of both language and conceptual learning. Analyzes how one storytelling experience in a classroom for ages 5-6 provided a whole range of opportunities for developing relevant and meaningful learning, particularly for bilingual learners--the story itself becomes…

Examines whether the consistent or inconsistent use of pitch labels during instruction in pitch terminology affected French kindergarten children's identification of pitch in the two chosen classes. Finds that the children who were taught one pair of terms provided significantly more correct verbal responses than did the group who learned two…

A study investigated differences in literacy teaching and learning between those classrooms following the "Literacy Initiative for Teachers" (LIFT) program and those using normal teaching techniques. A subsidiary aim was to document the staffing ratios throughout the day in the classrooms and the amount of time devoted to English. One Reception…