In initial teacher training, the call to use IT tools, and to integrate them into the virtual learning space, is not conjectural but is an example of introducing new technologies in the complexity of educational sciences. For this reason we approached the use of new technologies in the courses and seminars of subjects from the curriculum of…

In this lively and groundbreaking book, arts educator Marit Dewhurst examines why art is an effective way to engage students in thinking about the role they might play in addressing social injustice. Based on interviews and observations of sixteen high schoolers participating in an activist arts class at a New York City museum, Dewhurst identifies…

This dissertation focuses on the perceptions that young people have of federal government websites and of the U.S. government, as well as exploring possible connections between the perceptions of government and government websites. Not only is this a virtually unstudied area of e-government and youth information behavior, but it is also of…

This article describes a study that attempted to evaluate the integration of wikis as an educational tool in successfully achieving the learning objectives of a fifth-grade linguistics and literature course. A mixed-method approach was employed--data were collected via questionnaires, reflective journals, observations, and interviews. The results…

Purpose: In this research, the authors examined how social communication profiles during classroom activities differed between children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and typically developing pair-matched peers. Method: Twelve pairs of children were observed in their classrooms 20 min a day for 4 days across 2 weeks. Coders…

This learning module, which is part of a staff development program for health occupations clinical instructors, presents techniques for assessing students' learning styles. It includes learning activities dealing with theories pertaining to learning styles; facts and principles of learning styles; the elements of learning style; and the use of…

Four stages of formative evaluation and questions concerning the process of the Individualized Science program are discussed. (DEP)

Observing young children at play is a very common and useful method for identifying the presence or absence of certain developmentally appropriate skills. Such observations can vary from general overviews of typical classroom activities to extensive and highly detailed data-collection systems. Although educators should use a series of…

This research investigated the effects of two contrasting pre-k curricula, relative to practice as usual, on subsequent academic achievement. One curriculum had a strong literacy focus, the other was a less didactic "developmentally appropriate" curriculum that allowed children to have more influence on classroom activities. The purpose…

Researchers as well as others evaluating teachers or programs are often interested in the verbal and non-verbal behaviors related to the learning of students in classrooms. The Student Record of Behavior (StRoBe) is a classroom observation instrument designed to provide simple low inference information concerning student behaviors related to…

Lesson plans designed to increase the observation skills for intermediate elementary students and provide them with a variety of sensory experiences in learning situations are presented in this document. Lesson plans include objectives, outlines for both indoor and outdoor learning experiences, materials and equipment needed, and evaluation…

Late in 2007 New Visions for Public Schools, a New York City reform organization, received a grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation to organize select high schools and community partners into delivery systems that could improve student achievement. New Visions asked Policy Studies Associates, Inc. to provide research support for this effort in the…

This social studies curriculum guide is designed for grades K-12. Divided into seven sections, the first section offers a brief introduction and calls attention to the laws and rulings in Indiana which affect the teaching of social studies. Section two outlines the guide's rationale which stresses that knowledge must be combined with rational…

Assessing School-Age Child Care Quality (ASQ) is a five-step process which guides program staff as they evaluate the quality of their program so they can develop priorities and improve achievement of goals. The five steps in the ASQ process are: (1) preparing for program improvement; (2) gathering information; (3) building the Action Plan; (4)…

This symposium focuses on the development and uses of a comprehensive evaluation system within a long-term research and development project in primary education. Issues and problems associated with this development over the past four years are discussed. These issues and problems include: (1) eudcational accountability; (2) parent participation,…