A dilemma in designing computer simulations for instruction is how to provide a challenging exploratory environment and yet provide sufficient support so that students do not become lost. Directive support such as corrective feedback may detract from the exploratory quality of a simulation. Two methods of non-directive support are: (1) simplifying…

This collection presents essays on contemporary issues facing community colleges written by fellows in Princeton University's Mid-Career Fellowship Program and dealing with such issues as critical thinking, faculty perceptions, educational technology, interdisciplinary courses, cooperative learning strategies, the college culture, faculty and…

This book begins with a short overview describing the four basic strategies in a research and theoretical base. The second chapter focuses on the three components of learning seen as universal to all lessons. These elements, "factual knowledge", "skill development", and "conceptual knowledge", remain in focus throughout the rest of the book. The…

"Learning Together in Multicultural Groups" (Dutch acronym, SLIM) is a Dutch version of the Complex Instruction project at Stanford University (California). An evaluation was conducted of the implementation of classroom processes and teacher guidance as specified in the Complex Instruction Method, using a case study approach where…

An ethnographic study examined the nature of social and cultural contexts as they shaped literary practices in a combined fifth/sixth-grade classroom. Research questions focused on the meanings given to the reading and discussion of literature within the embedded contexts of classroom and community. The five focal students for the study differed…

This brief paper describes a school class project in which students "write" their own history books, based upon extensive research and writing activities. The guide advocates this as a way to create more interest in the subject area and allow students to become more involved in their own learning. Sections include: rationale; who could use; goals;…

A study examined evidence that first graders are able to analyze and respond to picture books. The study resulted from the collaboration of an eighth-grade class and a first-grade class. The eighth graders were given the task of writing, illustrating, and reading a picture book for the first graders. The first-grade class was randomly divided into…

A case study examined how one elementary school teacher negotiated her response to VAP (Vermont Assessment Program), Vermont's requirement for a portfolio assessment. Two questions guided the study: (1) how does one fifth-grade teacher use portfolios in classroom writing assessment and instruction? and (2) to what extent do portfolios, as mandated…

This report describes a project designed to expand higher order thinking skills in five primary students with disabilities in order to increase problem solving and decision making skills. The project incorporated higher order thinking skills into mathematics, science and language arts units, and implemented weekly, cooperative learning techniques…

An action research project designed and evaluated the effectiveness of an instructional strategy to improve the writing of all secondary students (particularly African-American males) in the Webster Groves, Missouri school district. The first year was devoted to an intensive study of African American culture and literature. A list of six…

A program of faculty development was designed and implemented at Andrews University (Michigan). The training design included presentation of instructional theory, demonstration of instructional strategies, practice of the strategies by participants, feedback on practice sessions, and on-going peer- and instructor-support. The following topics were…

This practicum aimed to improve global awareness among middle school students. One specific goal was to increase the students' concept of the world and their global perspective. A second goal was to increase the students' geographic knowledge, enabling them to locate sites of current world events and affairs on a map or globe. Students were taught…

A study evaluated the Early Childhood Resources Teacher Training Project (TTP). The purpose of the TTP is to train preschool and early primary grade teachers in developmentally appropriate practices. The evaluation sought to: (1) determine the extent to which teachers undergoing training were able to understand and implement the content of the…

SHELCOM, an adult education project in homeless shelters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, investigated the effects of using computer technology on participants' writing and communication skills. The project consisted of 2-hour workshops, twice weekly, complemented by online support and instruction. Learners paired across the city worked on creating…

Among the plethora of cooperative learning studies, several investigations of cooperative or group assessment (CA) have appeared. In this investigation, the methodology of R. R. McCown (1992) is refined to examine CA in a classroom setting, primarily examining achievement outcomes and student perceptions of the CA process. Fifty-six undergraduates…