In this paper, the following key questions will be examined. What is distinctive about cooperative learning, which makes it different from just groupwork? What has research found about the effectiveness of cooperative learning in promoting thinking? What conditions in cooperative learning help promote thinking? What theoretical perspectives…

In January 2005, the National Education Association (NEA) partnered with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) to host the National Summit on Asian and Pacific Islander Issues in Education. The Summit brought together over 50 researchers, leaders of national organizations, and NEA members to discuss the status of…

Middle school practices should reflect research showing how students entering adolescence, at 10-14 years of age, are different from other children. Middle school students are changing physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Schools should emphasize: (1) active learning experiences; (2) student-centered methods; (3) recognition of individual…

This article discusses the various dialects of English spoken in Liberia and analyzes the problems of Liberian students in writing compositions in English. Errors arise mainly from differences in culture and cognition, not from superficial linguistic problems. (CFM)

Preservice teachers were led in a subtly biased class discussion on sex bias, then asked to rate the discussion's gender equity. Students also discussed videos about equity, calculated class opinions about biased situations, and heard lectures. Most students considered the class discussion equitable. The intervention increased their awareness of…

Project RIDE (Responding to Individual Differences in Education) is a K-12 staff development program designed to assist teachers in accommodating individual differences. The building-based support system stresses "effective schools" practices, and provides schoolwide assistance teams, a computerized Tactics Bank of 312 proven practices,…

Presents an account of the project approach used by American first graders to study Japan. (BB)

Several articles explain the integrated interdisciplinary approach used in Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program, which prepares educators to teach students of culturally diverse backgrounds. After an overview of PETOM, the articles look at the mathematics, science, art, and social studies modules. (SM)

As part of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program, future educators are taught not only to teach but also to enjoy reading and writing. The article explains how PETOM students learn the joys and struggles of reading and writing and learn to become teachers of the subjects. (SM)

American Indian students have had inadequate opportunities for success in school, particularly in mathematics and science, because of how they are typically taught. The article identifies sources of the problem, discussing education reform, assumptions about mathematics and science, culture-based variations in ways of knowing, and methods of…

Asserts that, at the time of the American Revolution, most people handled their own health care. Presents a lesson plan on illness and health care in colonial America that uses Martha Washington as a case study. Includes a reproduction of a colonial era herbal manual and excerpts from letters discussing health care. (CFR)

Maintains that a high level of teacher-student communication is especially important in courses on race and ethnic relations. Describes the use of oral history and interviews in a college sociology course. Discusses interviewing methods, reporting results of the interviews, and the impact of the course on students. (CFR)

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…

R. Coles discusses children's perceptions of racial differences and the ways teachers can help combat prejudice and bias. Literature and art are valuable in the classroom in producing a heritage for children that grounds them not only in factuality but in moral reflection. (SLD)

Presents a lesson designed to analyze cultural practices from the perspective of U.S. laws. Proposes a legal philosophy continuum ranging from universalist to relativist positions. Provides student handouts that present legal case studies involving cultural contexts. (CFR)