A writing instructor at a California University, assigned to teach expository writing in a science course, restructured the course before the third paper assignment to allow students to write, to discover, and explore ideas about science, rather than simply to learn standards of rhetoric or scientific writing. This assignment required students to…

Twenty-three papers on the use of higher order thinking approaches to improve basic skills education are presented. The key note article is (1) "A Case for Higher Order Thinking" (G. Garcia, Jr.). Under the heading "English Language Arts" are: (2) "Developing an Elementary Writing Program" (K. Contreras); (3)…

Cooperative learning strategies are used to facilitate the integration of multicultural and multi-ability level students into California regular education classrooms. This handbook is a sampling of innovative lesson plans using cooperative learning activities developed by teachers to incorporate the core curriculum into their instruction. Three…

This is a collection of commonly asked questions about the new Asbestos-Containing Material in Schools rule announced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 1987, under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) of 1986. It is offered as a guide to help school officials, training providers, and accredited…

This report summarizes a meeting which was held to explore some of the major issues raised by the current call for science education reform, and to make recommendations regarding what steps should be taken to ensure that the needed improvements in elementary and secondary science will actually be made in schools across the country. Included are…

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of seven studies related to science instruction and mathematics and three studies related to achievement. Analyses in the area of instruction are on studies of: teacher interventions in elementary science laboratory groups; variables accounting for success in an undergraduate science education…

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of 10 studies related to one or more aspects of teacher education and 2 studies in a "miscellaneous" category. Analyses in the first section (teacher education) are on studies of: the use of wait-time and its effect on science achievement; teacher competencies; the influence of teacher…

One of a series of documents produced by a nationwide network of early childhood education specialists, teachers, parents, and Head Start staff, the guide describes developmental characteristics of preschool and elementary school students by grade level. Arranged into five curriculum areas, the first presents physical, motor, social, cognitive,…

Many students, even after formal science instruction, have not developed a scientifically acceptable concept of "living,""animal," or "plant." Therefore, as part of the action-research phase of the Learning in Science Project, a working group was formed to explore (with teachers) some possible strategies aimed at…

In the action-research phase of the Learning in Science Project, four groups of people worked on problems identified in the project's second (in-depth) phase. The Chemistry Action-Research Group considered problems related to the teaching and learning of ideas associated with particles and physical/chemical changes. Based on findings during the…

A survey of educational trends at the elementary and secondary school level in countries throughout the world is summarized. Information was obtained from questionnaires sent to 30 pedagogic research organizations and from UNESCO reports and publications. The introduction discusses the universality of campaigns against illiteracy, expansion of…

Content-based instruction, a method of foreign language instruction in which the main topics being taught come from the regular content-area curriculum, is used in elementary school foreign language programs to integrate language development with content-area learning. This goal is accomplished by providing activities in which the learner's…

This publication is one in a series of 12 giving the recommendations that were made for a broad and balanced education program in science for young people. Section one of this guide is concerned with science teaching in a multicultural society. Section two looks at the perceptions held by young people on the multi-cultural nature of science and…

Previous research has shown a relationship between formal reasoning ability and science process skill attainment. It has been hypothesized that an increased emphasis on teaching process skills might enhance the formal thinking abilities of students. A variety of strategies have been proposed to better accomplish this task, most notable, the…

This book contains the proceedings of a seminar that investigated the impact of cognitive and social development on the teaching of science in secondary schools, and the possible ways in which the science curriculum could be a context in which adolescents' development could be positively influenced. Six plenary papers were presented: (1) "Research…