Explores changes in students' (n=250) thinking about basic chemical ideas during a context-based curricular approach. Suggests that 16- to 18-year-old students enter chemistry courses with a wide range of misunderstandings about chemical reactions, but understanding improves steadily as the course progresses. Concludes that even misunderstandings…

Argues that inquiring must be the dominant feature of education. Notes that traditional education has treated children's thinking and inquiring as of little pedagogical worth; yet education that prepares for the exercise of judgment rests upon teaching students to cultivate the thinking process. Argues that schools must accept responsibility for…

Sylwester says education must begin relying more on biology than social and behavioral science. All brain systems move from a slow, awkward functional level to a fast, efficient level. Contributions of metacognition, self-regulation, emotions, reflective and reflexive responses, comparison, and classification to cognitive development are…

Discusses the need for technology competencies in higher education; considers barriers to technology adoption; describes a needed paradigm shift from teaching to learning; and contends that for universities to remain competitive, they must develop training programs for faculty that emphasize learning and provide support to integrate technology…

Reports on a study of whether limited use of inquiry activities as a supplement to a traditional lecture and demonstration curriculum would improve student achievement in introductory physics classes for preservice teachers and general education students. Finds that students who engaged in inquiry investigations significantly outperformed other…

Analyzes accreditation for early childhood education programs in the context of two major schools of thought: "academic" learning versus "developmentally appropriate" learning. Suggests that the accreditation criteria of the National Association for the Education of Young Children be integrated with those of the North Central…

Considers the problem of defining quality in English language teacher education, given the diversity of interests and stakeholders in this field and the range of definitions of teaching. Ultimately, quality can be achieved and sustained by attending to process rather than product in training and by developing professional skills and judgment…

Discusses the benefits and challenges of technology in the teaching of foreign languages. Benefits include accessibility in time and space and an accessible learning process. Challenges include providing sufficient access to learning for everyone who has adequate preparation, fostering the right kinds of learning outcomes for course graduates, and…

Presents results of a meta-analysis conducted on the literature concerning the effects of feedback on learning from computer-based instruction. Effect size, analysis of variance, multiple regression, and posttest data are described, and the critical role of feedback in computerized instruction is discussed. Contains 50 references. (Author/LRW)

Explores kinesthetic and musical intelligences. Emphasizes the importance of understanding the physical reality of the body and sensory receptors as well as the dimensions of feeling and expression. Summarizes Tomatis's interpretation of the auditory and vestibular functions of the ear. Conveys the community and spiritual values of music, dance,…

Discusses designing schools that blend intense educational planning with school architecture and the notion of shared school and community facilities. Additionally discussed are differences between urban and rural school designs, technology in school design, differences in design requirements of foreign schools, and the direction of the school…

Examines primary teachers' confidence and identity as science teachers in tandem with their views on the British National Curriculum and the warrants they give for those views. Collects data using in-depth interviews with a small sample of primary teachers, setting their views in the context of their science-related life stories. (Contains 28…

A CD-ROM addressing learning styles, information technology, critical thinking, and study/learning skills was evaluated by 33 Royal Air Force personnel aged 24-48. Ease of use was hindered by lack of screen printing and bookmarking. Most found the learning experience satisfying and identified advantages, limitations, and aspects requiring…

Describes the ImpacT2 evaluation of students aged ten to 16 in the United Kingdom that uses image-based concept mapping to explore the impact of networked technologies on students' learning. Explains a method for interviewing young students and discusses implications for the way that information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in…

Within-class experimental designs are subject to diffusion effects whereby both experimental and control students benefit from the intervention, thereby contaminating the control group and biasing evaluations of intervention effects. In support of diffusion effects, this study showed that a classroom intervention resulted in higher academic…