The goal of the Quality Improvement Program Plan (QUIPP) for Special Educators, developed by New York City Public Schools in New York, was to improve the quality of instruction for students with disabilities by expanding the knowledge and instructional abilities of special education professionals. The program, available in elementary and…

This study hypothesized that: the mode of instruction used at a zoo exhibit and the familiarity (low, medium, high) of an animal to visitors interacts with the amount of knowledge they demonstrate about the animal; a relationship exists between visitors' demonstrated knowledge of an animal of a given level of familiarity and attitude toward…

This paper summarizes and evaluates published research examining the use of simulation games in educational settings. Findings regarding the effects of simulation games on interest, attitudes, feeling of efficacy, knowledge, and intellectual skills are reviewed. Research shows that interest is usually aroused by the games themselves, but not…

Reviews literature dealing with children's understanding of economic concepts. Suggests that developers of economic education curriculum for elementary school should be aware of cognitive development and of children's informal economic learning from parents, the mass media, and interactions in economic behavior settings. (Author/DB)

Teacher training is discussed, focusing on the role of knowledge and performance in the training of skills, problems of design, and the effects of training methods. Research on the application and validity of training programs in the classroom and current knowledge of effective program components are reviewed. (TJH)

In contrast to the dominant "common elements" knowledge transfer theory, an interpretive perspective is developed, according to which appropriate transfer is socioculturally rather than objectively defined and is selective. Via a synthesis of cognitive research, thinking-skills instruction features effective in promoting transfer are identified.…

Investigation of the effects of special education classroom experience on 61 preservice elementary school teachers' knowledge of characteristics of learning disordered or emotionally disordered children and teaching and management techniques found that limited experiences and coursework did not increase the teachers' knowledge. (Author/CB)

Describes six strategies for teaching vocabulary: exclusion brainstorming, knowledge rating, connect two, semantic feature analysis and semantic gradients, concept ladder, and predict-o-gram. (HOD)

To help plan effective teaching strategies, it is important to determine students' existing knowledge about the topic to be taught. Interviews with New Zealand students showed that they hold nonscientific ideas about soil. These student views should be respected by teachers. They should be discussed and compared with scientific viewpoints. (RM)

Learning in the wholetheme approach is defined as reorganizing one's own intuitive knowledge base, as opposed to storing facts. This presentation discusses several thematic organizers to illustrate their role as a teaching tool in helping learners reorganize their own intuitive knowledge base. Intimately tied to the brain's ground-figure processes…

The educational advantages and features of learning centers are presented. (Author/MF)

Innovation in medical education is needed in curriculum, teaching methods and testing programs, as well as involvement of administrators and faculty. (IR)

Examined reports by mathematics teachers of their degree of familiarity with various standards and assessments, then compared these reports with teachers' reports of their instructional practices in the classroom. Teacher awareness of state curriculum guides and state assessments has increased since 1995. (SLD)

Surveyed attitudes and knowledge of parents with children in a university-based preschool regarding developmentally appropriate preschool practices (DAP). Found that many parents understood developmentally appropriate practice. Most parents believed that children learned through play with other children and exploration of the environment. Mothers…

Discusses issues stimulated by Elizabeth Hatton's examination of teachers' work as "bricolage" in a prior article. Explores the connection between creative potential and pedagogic knowledge and the science of the abstract and the concrete. Presents potential reforms that could enhance teachers' capacity to gain pedagogic knowledge. (JS)