The statistical preparation of in-service teachers, particularly middle school teachers, has been an area of concern for several years. This paper discusses the creation and delivery of an introductory statistics course as part of a master's degree program for in-service mathematics teachers. The initial course development took place before the…

The aim of this article is to describe the model developed for the teaching practice component of the pre-service Distance English Language Teacher Training Program (DELTT) at Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. The steps taken to improve the model over a six-year period will be explained and the recent developments in the teaching practice…

What and how to teach in the K-16 classroom history has been a perennial and, at times, heated debate. Beginning as early as 1892, the question of what knowledge is of the most worth and what should be the central function of the history curriculum became a focus of many interested in education. It was felt that the teachers needed to move away…

"Learning Theory and Online Technologies" offers a powerful overview of the current state of elearning, a foundation of its historical roots and growth, and a framework for distinguishing among the major approaches to elearning. It effectively addresses pedagogy (how to design an effective online environment for learning), evaluation (how to know…

To attain highly efficient instructional conditions, it is important to adapt instruction to the individual trainee. This so-called personalization of training by dynamic/automatic task selection is the focus of this paper. Recently, cognitive load measures have been proposed as a useful addition to conventional performance measures like speed and…

A new division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), the Division of Instructional Development (DID), invited papers by five leaders in the field to provide a starting place for defining and exploring instructional development (ID). The first paper argues that definitions are restrictive and should be used only…

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance for instructional sequencing in emotional literacy curricula. First, the concepts of instructional sequence and the problems involved with instructional sequence in the affective domain of learning are addressed. Then, through the analysis of the emotional literacy curriculum, Promoting Alternative…

The jagged study zone model helps designers to create educational environments which challenge the learner and make the learner to commit to the learning process. The characteristics of a jagged study zone can be explained by showing how its features are related to traditional closed and open learning environments. The requirements for a jagged…

Learner objectives, text, practice exercises and answer sheets are provided on the history of educational technology, which includes three major periods: Audiovisual Instruction (1920-1945), Audiovisual Communications (1945-date), and Instructional Systems Analysis and Design (1950-date). The terms "educational technology" and "instructional…

This second of a two-part article focuses on the history of instructional design in the United States. Starting with its origins during World War II, major events in the development of instructional design are described. Factors affecting the field over the last two decades, including increasing interest in cognitive psychology, microcomputers,…

Discusses learning style theories and shows how being aware of learning styles can benefit both teachers and students. A case study at the University of Louisiana indicated a prevalence of auditory learners. Despite this finding, educators must be prepared to accommodate all learning styles. The research concludes with a summary of teaching…

Describes some of the many conceptions of learning that have guided the field of instructional design in two main periods: one focusing on learning from an objectivist perspective, which lasted most of the 20th century, and one focusing on learning from cognitive and social constructivist perspectives, which has dominated the past decade. (AEF)

This digest briefly reviews connections among the literature on the adoption of innovations, technology integration, and the value of reflection in encouraging educators to explore the integration of new educational technologies into their current teaching practices. An approach to prompting reflection is described, which uses structured guidance…

As a new century approaches it is time to re-assess the foundations on which instructional design currently rests, as well as the "mode of thinking" that it promotes. Traditional theories regarding instructional design have largely been implicitly based on out-moded eighteenth century conceptions of the physical universe (a mechanistic world view)…

Philosophy of technology has much to offer technology education. Insights into the real nature of technology and its relationship with science and society can help technology educators to build a subject that helps pupils acquire a good concept of technology and use concepts in technology. Research has shown that the learning of concepts and the…