A course focusing on the avant-garde epoch and presenting an in-depth look at the arts of the period is described. Peer instruction, individualized instruction, experiential learning, and contracts were incorporated into a traditional lecture format. Student characteristics and attitudes were monitored. Course successes and problems are outlined.…

Determined: (1) if teachers who participated in "Science Teaching and Development of Reasoning" workshops felt they utilized workshop ideas in changing teaching style/methods; (2) if nature and extent of changes made were consistent with workshop intent/philosophy; and (3) factors teachers perceived as facilitating or hindering their…

This article examines what students report learning and how they received instruction over an eight-month period. Results indicated that students of teachers in the graduate program recalled more specific health content and participated in more interactive activities than did control teachers' students. (SM)

Contends that few educational issues rival the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) for comment, controversy, and confrontation. Defines the CLAS test and discusses its characteristics, anticipated student responses, and scoring procedures. Outlines four implications for instructional methods. (CFR)

Maintains traditional grading techniques can be a form of authentic assessment. Discusses three aspects of authentic assessment: (1) interdisciplinary problem-solving; (2) grading process as well as the product; and (3) developing a grading rubric to be shared with students. (CFR)

Compares differences in successive pretest/posttest scores for 46 undergraduate volunteers following the application of distinct teaching formats to each of 3 consecutive subsections of a human physiology course. Indicates scores increased favorably for audio-visual lecture and self-study tutorial formats but no significant increase for didactic…

A study of 21 experienced non-mathematics teachers reflections on learning two mathematical concepts was conducted to examine ways that students process teacher explanations. Notebook and transcript extracts of the lessons indicated that the participants made a continued effort to assign meaning to the new material, experienced anxiety, and that…

Discusses methods of improving the performance of integrated learning systems (ILSs). Topics addressed include the theoretical basis of ILSs; appropriate level of instruction; academic learning time; motivation; quality of instruction; a study of elementary students' use of ILSs; individualized and homogeneous group activities; mixed-ability…

A holistic approach was used to evaluate student writing skills in a high school that is part of a residential treatment program. Faculty members scored 740 writing samples in the fall and spring of the 1990-91 school year. Good interrater reliability and significant skill gains for students were found. (SLD)

This descriptive study investigated the benefits and costs of using electronic portfolios (EPs) in preservice teacher education by examining the voices of students in six programs thought to be mature in their implementation. Benefits included opportunities to reflect, better access to and organization of professional documents, increased…

This paper examines the effectiveness of "Bridging"--a performance-based assessment and curriculum development tool for teachers of young children--in shaping preservice teachers' learning and teaching experiences. The experiences are examined for evidence of whether the use of "Bridging" during the student teaching period 1) facilitates student…

Peer leading of small-group discussion of cases; use of modified subjective, objective, assessment of physiology (SOAP) notes; and opportunities for self-assessment were introduced into a Medical Physiology course to increase students' awareness and practice of professional behaviors. These changes arose from faculty members' understanding of the…

The present study was aimed to assess the teachers' encouragement in the classroom for the promotion of students' creativity. A survey method was used for the present research with a sample of 373 subjects from ninth class. For collection of data four instruments were used, namely Student Information Sheet (SIS), two tests of "Creative…

Two multiple-case instructional treatments were compared to determine their relative effectiveness for helping program participants acquire, apply, and transfer complex knowledge about Assistive Technology (AT) available to help people with impaired vision. Thirty-eight college students were randomly assigned to two conditions. Both treatments…

An overview of the fourth conference of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) on the Quality of Early Childhood Education is provided in this document. The conference focused on how interactions among settings at various levels in a micro-macrosystem influence, directly or indirectly, the experience and behaviors of…