Comparative didactic views classroom epistemologies in various disciplines from a comparativist perspective. A diagrammatic model is suggested which takes account of problems posed by different disciplines. The model puts forward four origins of school knowledge: scientific knowledge, reference knowledge, referential praxis, and expert knowledge.…

While functions and relations are important concepts in the teaching of mathematics, research suggests that many students lack an understanding and appreciation of these concepts. The present paper discusses an approach for teaching functions and relations that draws on the use of illustrations from database management. This approach has the…

This paper reports on a statewide project in New South Wales, Australia, in which 241 teachers of students with moderate or severe disabilities responded to a survey concerning their needs and concerns in the area of communication interventions. A large number of teachers expressed a need for support in assessment, programming, and instructional…

This bulletin discusses the aspects of curriculum development that relate to environmental education. The first of five sections establishes the need for curriculum development that addresses the emotional, cultural, and sociological factors that influence the curriculum framework in view of the need for educational reform. The second section…

The critique circle is a pedagogical technique for involving students in the process of oral evaluative criticism of performance work. After the performance of scenes, students gather in a circle. Any student may begin the critique and responses proceed around the circle in a clockwise fashion, with the rules requiring each student to evaluate or…

Mathematical skills and reasoning and their applications are considered as forming one of the basic and essential areas of knowledge and experience that should be available to all Australian children. This collection of essays explaining problem solving in mathematics as an organizing theme for current and future curriculum development is a means…

This article examines social studies in the primary grades and shows how community resources can facilitate social learning. A three-stage model is examined which addresses the issues of citizenship and community involvement in the primary grades. It provides for teacher/school, parent/community, and learner involvement in all stages of…

This article discusses the usefulness of French courses designed for voice majors. Basic areas of instruction, including phonetics, prosody, and French literature, are discussed, and a model course is described. (CLK)

This article stresses the need for combining language instruction and cultural education, and outlines a teaching model designed to accomplish this goal. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Research on the relationship between teaching strategies and student outcomes supports the use of inductive/indirect teaching strategies. Research shows that this can be achieved through the analysis of model lessons with a systematic observation instrument. (MLH)

Table lists skills for second language learning on one axis and levels of complexity on the other. Uses of table by classroom teacher in assessment are discussed. (RM)

Imitation of organizational and sentence patterns is an ancient technique for teaching rhetoric, but to be effective, imitation must be informed, deliberate, and creative. Students must first learn to recognize the characteristics of a given style and then to appreciate the connection between specific stylistic qualities and their cumulative…

There are three serious impediments to the acceptance of voice as a practical focus in the college writing classroom: the attitudes and beliefs of educators; the theories guiding classroom practices; and the classroom practices themselves. A means of overcoming these impediments and of ensuring that students will discover and develop the power of…

This proposed alternative instruction model is based on the teach-practice-apply (TPA) paradigm. This paradigm provides a structure facilitating change, while ensuring the enhancement of instructional effectiveness. Suggestions are provided that secondary teachers can use in their classrooms. The steps inherent in the use of each teaching strategy…

It is possible to empower learners by encouraging them to make judgments and decisions about the world and then providing them with feedback on resultant conceptualizations. Teachers can help build a basis for thinking about an interdependent world by highlighting the international dimensions of topics typically studied. When students use critical…