In this grade 5 social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit, students are required to investigate key battles in the Revolutionary War for independence. Working in groups, students research eight battles to try to determine which was the most important battle leading up to victory for the U.S. colonists. The battles to be investigated…

This study investigates computer-mediated communication (CMC) to facilitate the construction of a learning community of preservice teachers. The formation of a learning community involves students working together to solve ill-structured problems and applying knowledge and experience to heuristic teaching. "Peer learning" broadly…

Students play the roles of delegates to the U.S. Constitutional convention in this grade 8 interdisciplinary history and language arts unit. After reviewing the activities of the men involved in the convention (Patrick Henry, George Mason, Luther Martin, Richard Henry Lee, John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton), participants prepare…

Effective instructional practices are crucial to addressing the educational crisis facing many Hispanic students in the United States. The number of Hispanic students attending public schools has increased dramatically in recent decades, yet Hispanic students as a group have the lowest levels of education and the highest dropout rate of any…

Faced with increasing concerns of educators, parents, and students regarding the lack of school discipline, this study evaluated a social skills program to reduce inappropriate behavioral incidents in urban middle and rural high school students. Students' inappropriate behavior, such as talking back, not preparing for class or not participating in…

An approach to assessment is described that allows students to understand and help decide the criteria for good work. It is called "negotiable contracting." Negotiable contracting consists of giving students shared ownership in their own learning. The teacher serves as a facilitator of discussion of the assessment process. Students and the…

This study tested the effectiveness of the cloze procedure, used aurally, to teach listening comprehension in English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were the classes of two teachers (n=74, n=75); one teacher taught using the aural cloze procedure, and the other taught using conventional listening instruction techniques. In aural cloze…

This book for children (ages 8 to 14) and accompanying teacher/parent guide presents the story of two sisters, one of whom has a physical disability, as they prepare to participate in a wedding. Information on the disability is deliberately presented subtly and incidentally to encourage the reader to relate more personally and foster a deeper…

Learning how to think is essential for children to grow into responsible citizens and contribute to society. Schools need curricula that support a variety of thinking strategies as students read, write, and study content-area subjects, and learn to evaluate and manage what they do. This book for teachers provides a framework for creating a…

It is useful to think of teachers and students in primary classrooms as a family, where flexibility and meeting individual needs are essential. These "families" should represent all primary age groups. This guide describes how to implement multi-age and multi-ability primary programs in Kentucky schools based on the requirements of the…

This book provides a framework for offering students ways to share information with a real audience and is intended to assist teachers in operating hypermedia software and in using instructional strategies and learning environments that provide opportunities for student collaboration. The curriculum ideas presented in this book have been developed…

This activity book is part of a series designed to take a concept or idea from the existing school curriculum and develop it in the context of the Great Lakes using teaching approaches and materials appropriate for students in middle and high school. The subject of this book is land and water interactions. Students examine how the Great Lakes were…

A computing literacy course at Michigan State University for non-computer science students was designed with a fixed course structure and continuously changing course content. The structure provides feedback for assessing students and revising content to meet the changing demands of client departments, changing student experience, and changing…

This book introduces the latest theories about second language acquisition along with tested approaches and practices for use in elementary schools. It is designed for all educators (not only English as a Second Language teachers) who wish to adapt their repertoire of skills to help all students with literacy skills. The 10 chapters are: (1)…

In this paper, three models of participant interactions in a Web-based instruction courses were identified among a diverse group of seven adult learners in a Course-On-Line, Masters of Instructional Technology Program at the University of Malaya (Malaysia). The three models were named the cyclical model, the hierarchical model, and the parallel…