Compares the relationship between local or national control over curricular issues and the content of mathematics instruction in 15 national educational systems. Finds in systems with national control, teachers are more likely to teach the same curriculum and the amount of the mathematics curriculum actually taught is unrelated to student or…

Reports a survey that indicates approximately half of U.S. political science departments offer an introductory course in urban politics and that enrollments have remained steady, although the course's popularity has declined since the 1970s. Discusses textbooks used and course objectives, revealing a shift from a reformist orientation to…

Describes an expository writing course designed to teach students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) how to analyze the language and culture of professional literature. The roles of writing instructors and librarians are explained for an assignment that involves comparing 2 issues of the same journal--current and 20-years-old. (LRW)

Reviews the origins and development of social studies. Maintains the concept of social studies was derived from the progressive period and based on a vision of a republic built on participatory citizenship. Asserts that social studies is an interpretative, ever-changing process that defies reduction to a single academic discipline. (CFR)

A survey of 32 land-grant institutions was conducted to determine format, topical content, and teaching methods of introductory turfgrass management courses of 4-year turfgrass management programs in the United States. Required courses included a basic soils class and a course in biology or botany, usually transmitted by the lecture method. (MDH)

Reviews geography instruction in Israel (Palestine) during past century beginning with end of Ottoman Empire to 1993 and concentrating on period since beginning of Israeli nation in 1949. Contends local and regional geography was emphasized rather than universal and systematic geography. Concludes geography is viewed as important part of national…

Contends that the National Geographic Society's Teaching Geography Project is an inservice teacher education success story. Describes the origins, objectives, and development of the project. Summarizes the impact of the project and contends that its success is the result of the workshop format and guided practice in instructional strategies. (CFR)

Reports on a procedure in which students read and evaluate each other's term papers. Contends that students improve their own writing and provide constructive, substantive feedback to their peers. Finds that the student reviews showed higher reliability than professional peer reviews of journal manuscripts. (CFR)

Describes the use of debate in teaching a college level course on the psychology of women. Contends that the technique encouraged critical thinking, active learning, and cooperation. Provides suggestions for replicating the process in other courses. (CFR)

Describes the use of the board game, Jeopardy, in a college level abnormal psychology course. Finds increased student interaction and improved application of information. Reports generally favorable student evaluation of the technique. (CFR)

Traces educational reform related to history education in Great Britain since the first Margaret Thatcher administration. Outlines the work of the History Working Group and two competing approaches to the study of history. Describes how conservative forces rejected pluralistic history in favor of traditional nationalist-based history. (CFR)

A national survey of graduate-program chairs (n=28) and graduate students (n=131) in social and administrative sciences gathered information on research-methods courses and other curricular data, including core/required courses; subject area emphasis; where and how students gain knowledge in specific areas; importance of level of preparation in…

Discusses the benefits of marking sexual identities (as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual) in the classroom, exposing students' hetero-normativity, and alerting them to ways in which seemingly "personal" lives are shaped by the political. Relates the authors' classroom experiences in trying to illustrate the socially-constructed aspects of…

Describes a one-year course to develop students' research skills at the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science. The course offers a combination of rigorous content (optics and optical instrumentation), interdisciplinary curriculum, and hands-on experiences in meaningful, nontraditional learning in real-life research settings. (Author/DB)

A teacher describes her initiation into secondary school English literature instruction, adoption of the whole-language approach before it had a name, and development of a curriculum with limited resources and minimal guidance. The author finds many classrooms still struggling with conventional instruction, and argues that the whole-language…