Recent research by Swain (2000a, 2000b, 1998, 1995), Swain and Lapkin (2001, 1998, 1995) and Kowal and Swain (1997, 1994) has examined the role of collaborative tasks in focusing immersion students' attention on the need for explicit knowledge of grammatical forms and lexical items in the production (especially written) of French texts. This is…

This study explored the process and outcomes of constructivist methods of enhancing science understanding in the topic areas of light and the earth in space. The sample was drawn from a group of 41 nine-year-old children, delivered in four two-hour weekly sessions. Each session involved different combinations of interactive discussion and…

Educators can no longer count on public approval, trust, or support to help them guide students' learning. External forces are now calling the shots of daily practice through state and federal accountability testing, unfunded legislative mandates, print and television media exposes, as well as special interest groups lobbying for their students…

Assessment is the key to developing an effective program and tracking the progress of each individual student. In turn, the pillar of assessment is collecting accurate, objective data. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of collecting accurate data on student performance in order to be accountable for the instruction and learning…

This study investigates differences in eighth-grade mathematics students' engagement in standards-based curriculum and instruction practices between block and traditional-schedule schools. Survey data were gathered from 156 middle level mathematics teachers to access the use of standards-based curriculum and instruction practices in their…

For decades traditional methods of testing have been criticized for saying relatively little reliably about students' ability as well as causing anxiety, which can negatively affect students' recall of learned information. The reform movement with its innovative approaches focusing on learner-centered education perceives assessment as an…

This project was coordinated and funded by the California Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS) and Girard Foundation. Cal-PASS is a data sharing system linking all segments of education. Its purpose is to improve student transition and success from one educational segment to the next. The original version, Version 1.0, of this…

One may receive the most benefit from an evaluation of an educational program or the performance of a teacher if the evaluation process is approached from a Total Quality Management (TQM) point of view. Under the philosophy of TQM, the purpose of any evaluation process is to provide feedback for the continual improvement of the educational process…

This book assists teachers to understand why basing instructional practices on cognitive theories of instruction can better prepare students to become strategic learners. The volume synthesizes and distills findings from current research and identifies instructional components that enable teachers to implement strategy instruction in the basic…

This book offers a philosophy about classroom assessment that places students at the center of the assessment equation. Classroom assessments must define for students what is expected of them, and they must provide the basis for decision making by students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community. Part I of this volume, the first five…

Five-to-10-year-old children identified familiar melodies presented in three ways: intact, wandering with the same key, or wandering outside the key. Previous work with rhythmically uniform melodies had shown a regular developmental progression in the use of contour, tonality, and exact pitch intervals in melody identification. In this study, with…

Sixty students in 10 classrooms in 5 high schools were extensively observed over a 10-week period during the fall semester of 1982. Based on pre- and posttests to measure achievement gain on algebraic objectives and change in attitude, the study investigated the relationships between student achievement and variables of student behavior,…

Although technological innovations have the capability to significantly change how scientific investigations are done and greatly enhance the teaching and learning of science, its use is no more effective than any other resource or innovation when researched-based effective teaching practices are not followed. This paper reviews established…

This study described teaching methods in use in computer studies classes, explored the reasons for their use, and explored perceptions of effectiveness. Four main research methods were used: semistructured interviews; observation of teaching; perusal of course documents; and informal collection of information by talking to students and tutors. One…

The needs of the teacher who seeks successful practical action are different from the needs of the scientist seeking truth. Distinctions made in action science bring out this difference. Action science emphasizes an integration of personal knowledge and social discourse along with objective data in cycles of planning, acting, and fact-finding…