Traditionally, art has been viewed as a "frill." Many schools find themselves without an art specialist or with limited access to art teachers due to budget cuts. As a consequence, the responsibility of art instruction falls on the classroom teacher. A positive attitude toward art and toward its educational value is a first major step in securing…

A study examined the general nature of the teamwork and beliefs of four "activists" (elementary school teachers in southwestern Michigan who were selected on the basis of their joint efforts to influence county-wide writing curriculum). Data included interviews, field notes, and documents gathered during the set-up and running of a Young…

Small clusters of teachers in four schools in the Detroit Public Schools, in cooperation with Wayne State University, have pioneered an on-the-job project designed to try out several ideas that have been increasingly discussed and analyzed in the literature on inservice education. These teachers, along with preservice education students, school…

The objective of this analysis on use of time in the classroom was to show whether or not students who spend more time in a particular content area also show higher achievement in that content area; the qualified conclusion is that more time yields more learning. (JD)

Contends that the use of commercial published curricula, particularly textbooks and teacher's guides, is widespread in U.S. church-sponsored programs of religious education. Reports on case studies of five church-school teachers on their curriculum development and lesson-planning procedures. (CFR)

During a seven year period science materials, designed to promote discovery learning for children aged five to thirteen, were developed and revised on the basis of a formative evaluation. Student and teacher data were analyzed in order to determine which curriculum materials contributed to cognitive and affective objectives. (BJG)

This study, carried out in connection with the 1971-72 field test of the "Developing Mathematical Processes" program, was an investigation of relationships among the teacher characteristics, teaching behaviors, and criterion-referenced student performance in mathematics. Students in 15 class samples of size six, along with their…

Often too little attention is paid to the implementation of a new curriculum developed with considerable expenditure of both funds and energies. It is suggested that a greater fidelity of use would be achieved by a multilevel approach to implementation spanning several years. (JS)

Questions whether current social studies curriculum units and learning activities contribute to the goals of citizenship education. Contends that student attitudes about citizenship are seldom affected by typical social studies instruction. Asserts that teachers must understand and accept larger educational goals and develop classroom activities…

This paper describes the case of Cassandra Singer, a third-grade teacher finishing her first year of using Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP), an innovative mathematics curriculum. Drawing from interviews and observations, the document explores relationships between Cassandra's knowledge and beliefs about mathematics, how it is taught…

An experienced second grade teacher participated in three two-hour planning sessions in which she planned for the course of instruction for the school year in mathematics, science, and writing. The teacher "thought aloud" as she planned, and two researchers present took written notes. In general, her yearly planning was aimed at setting…

Points out that all good teachers can use kidwatching in the classroom to monitor children's knowledge and growth in literacy. (JL)

Recent research shows that students' understanding of many scientific topics is influenced by misconceptions that conflict with accepted scientific theories and persist even after instruction. In this study, student misconceptions were identified and used as a basis for analyzing the classroom behavior of teachers and students and for developing…

The primary objective of this study was to describe those mental processes in which teachers engage while making preactive planning decisions. This objective was approached by means of a detailed descriptive case study of one elementary teacher's planning decisions for a five-month period. The study was designed to address a need for descriptions…

This article presentes ethnographic research observations of a project to support the Cleveland teachers' efforts to meet the new standards for mathematics and to empower themselves to make decisions about curriculum. The manner and extent to which the teachers became engaged in the effort to reform mathematics instruction for intermediate level…