"What is a fandom, and why do fandoms matter for school?" Fandoms are passionate communities dedicated to appreciating and engaging with texts of interest (movies, TV shows, books, bands, brands, sports teams, etc.) via personally and communally meaningful literacy practices. It is increasingly obvious that scripted literacy curricula…

This article describes an attempt to bring disciplinary historical inquiry into the social studies classroom. This work emerges from a five-school 6-month intervention in San Francisco, "Reading like a Historian", which found main effects for student learning across four quantitative measures: historical thinking, factual knowledge,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate socio-cultural factors underpinning curriculum change by examining teacher beliefs in the context of professional development. Scottish teachers in the study were participating in policy implementation based on formative assessment. Teachers were selected who were positive about the formative assessment…

Australian policy initiatives and state curriculum reform efforts affirm a commitment to address student disengagement through the development of inclusive school environments, curriculum, and pedagogy. This paper, drawing on critical social theory, describes three Australian projects that support the cultivation of teachers' beliefs, knowledge…

Study describes the use of learning environment data to evaluate the effect of new curriculum at the formative stage of development. Results support the use of learning environment data as a diagnostic instrument in formative evaluation of curriculum development efforts. (Author/DS)

Provides ways for teachers to make ninth-grade general mathematics courses more pleasant and productive. (MD)

Identifies factors linked to the promotion of creativity and outlines their implications for secondary school teachers. (FL)

Presents a case study exploring how major curriculum change has affected the students in an English secondary school. Focuses on how government policy and internal curriculum restructuring have disrupted learning conditions. Suggests that quantitative-based curriculum innovation does not take into accout the cultural specificity of the school…

Presents findings from observations of 11th- and 12th-grade mathematics classes in Goa, India. Discusses classroom environment, senior-year curriculum, teacher background in India, and sources of student motivation. Includes sample questions from the comprehensive year 12 high school mathematics examination. (KHR)

This study began as an examination of the amount and scope of economics information taught in three high school history classes. Results revealed that the teachers' inflexible control of information caused students to become alienated from the classroom activities and cynical about the validity of any information conveyed there. (AM)

Examines a classification system that offers a framework for discussing and choosing questions regarding curricular organization, classroom environment, and teaching and learning strategies. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

Describes how categories from the curriculum can play a central role in the interactional construction of students' identities. Follows one adolescent who came to enact the identity of disruptive outcast in the classroom. Argues this development was facilitated by discussion of a curricular theme. (CAJ)

This module provides a framework for designing a functional curriculum for students with disabilities. Topics addressed include designing and using a functional curriculum, analyzing student needs, and conducting job analysis. A list of 14 references is included, and examples of forms are provided. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses…

Classroom climate has often been labeled the "hidden curriculum." The positive or negative interpersonal communication between teacher and student influences student self-concept and academic performance. Teachers should be committed to the enrichment of the curriculum through the tenets of humanism and the creation of a positive classroom…

This instructional resource describes ways in which J. A. Banks' typology of the stages of ethnic identity development and related curriculum goals can be applied to literacy instruction. Banks' definitions of the stages of development and the curriculum goals for each stage are provided. Strategies for analyzing materials and developing relevant…