This article considers the idea of culturally appropriate practice versus developmentally appropriate practice and discusses ways that early childhood educators can create a curriculum that considers the values and beliefs of an increasingly diverse student population. It is recommended that teachers rely on students' families for information on…

Describes a methods course to prepare teachers of computer science for the secondary schools. Aspects of the course include goals and objectives, programing projects, assignments related to teaching methods, group projects, planned teaching experiences, and lesson planning assignments. Provides a list of 38 assigned readings. (MDH)

Utilizes a case study, the Action Ecology Project, to exemplify some curriculum development issues pertinent to environmental education. Describes an action research evaluation process involving teachers that resolves conceptual evaluation and adoption problems of environmental education curriculum. (31 references) (MCO)

Described is an introductory probability and statistics class focused on teaching the concepts of sampling and binomial distributions through a strategy based on teacher and student generated simulation using the Boxer computer language. The value of integrating programing with teaching subject matter is demonstrated, and sample student work is…

Reports on a three-year study of the operational and formal curricula in the visual arts, music, drama, and dance. Discusses three operational types of art education: (1) the "little intervention" model; (2) the production-oriented curriculum; and (3) the guided-exploration orientation. (CFR)

Asserts that, although middle school students have rudimentary map skills, they typically dismiss old maps as worthless. Describes the use of outdated and inaccurate maps as instructional resources in social studies courses. Concludes that the approach was valuable and helped students learn about the concept of change over time. (CFR)

Contends that students traditionally have characterized social studies as difficult, uninteresting, and largely irrelevant to their present and future lives. Describes the development and use of social studies learning activity packets. Illustrates how the activity packets are consistent with current trends. (CFR)

A September 1991 National Council for Social Studies report urges that social studies instruction for middle school students should focus on developing young adolescents' self-esteem, personal ethics, democratic values, and concern for the larger world. These values are fostered by using experiential learning, interdisciplinary instruction,…

An activity in which students describe the worldwide geographic distribution of petroleum, identify and locate the countries that make up the Middle East, and name the countries that import oil to meet their domestic needs is presented. Discussion questions and answers are included. (KR)

Directs a class at the University of Minnesota (Duluth) for teachers at developing effective research skills and historical mindedness. Teachers study a topic and write curriculum using primary sources as basic texts. Outlines the curriculum process and includes three case studies. Includes teaching activity worksheets. (NL)

Contends that the conflict between the traditional, textbook-dominated establishment and the supporters of the whole-language movement is nothing less than a revolution. Describes tenets of the whole-language approach as they apply to the overarching goals of the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Contends that current events can be used to develop thinking skills necessary for effective history learning. Describes using daily newspapers as a source of information for historical analysis. Asserts that social studies teachers must teach students how to use the media as a goal of citizenship education. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 77 journal articles to determine whether common characteristics of effective elementary social studies instruction could be discerned. Concludes that many of these instructional methods are not supported by research on effective instruction. (CFR)

Describes one college teacher's efforts to make the information technology segment of a graduate course more accessible and appealing to students. The approach centered on development of a tutorial program. The process of developing and refining the tutorial is discussed. (MSE)

In recent years, a number of curriculum reform projects have championed the notion of having students do science in ways that move beyond hands-on work with authentic materials and methods, or developing a conceptual grasp of current theories. These reformers have argued that students should come to an understanding of science through doing the…