Recent years have seen a growth not only in biological knowledge but also, and more significantly for teacher education, in the types of knowledge manifested in biology. No longer, therefore, is it adequate for teachers to retain a Mertonian or a Popperian conception of science. Today's teachers of science need also to be able to help their…

This handbook is designed to identify classroom practices that research has shown to result in higher student achievement. The fundamental idea behind this book is that in order to succeed, efforts to improve instruction must foucs on the existing knowledge base about effective teaching and learning. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction" (Gordon…

Using collaborative learning activities means structuring student interaction in small, mixed-ability groups, encouraging interdependence, and providing for individual accountability. By taking part in cooperative experiences, students are encouraged to learn by assimilating their ideas and creating new knowledge through interaction with others.…

This report describes the strategies, accomplishments, and outcomes of a project designed to identify economically disadvantaged rural gifted children (grades 3-8) from African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Appalachian descended, rural Caucasian populations. Project objectives are outlined, along with evidence of their accomplishment.…

The Ad Hoc Committee on the Cornell University (New York) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Student Computing Competencies was appointed in the fall of 1995 to determine (1) what all CALS undergraduate students should know about computing and related technologies; (2) how the college can make it possible for students to develop these…

A 2-year project examined ways of improving the skills base of British industry by making higher education at the Universities of Durham and Leeds accessible to the technician work force. Data were collected from the following sources: records regarding the numbers of mature students admitted in recent intakes; interviews with admissions officers…

This document consists of 37 draft curriculum maps and 3 curricula that were developed to enable vocational students to make a smooth transition from their high school vocational program to an associate degree or vocational diploma program at Blackhawk Technical College in Wisconsin. The career maps outline the reading, mathematics, and other…

This document includes a final report and curriculum guide from a project to develop a Science and Math Applications curriculum that related science and math to everyday life and promoted confidence in adult basic education students in their science and math skills. The report describes how the curriculum used traditional teaching methods to teach…

School reform efforts in North Carolina strive to reflect the understanding that changes in the ways young children and their families are served must be systemic and sustained. Intended to help schools evaluate their current programs and set goals for continued improvement, this guide presents program standards and quality indicators based upon…

In this issue brief, a number of selected science and engineering concerns are discussed, along with initiatives that contain provisions to address these areas. These include the following: (1) precollege science and mathematics concerns such as teacher shortages, quality of science instruction, and the content of science courses; (2) mathematics…

New teaching methods and curricula that show promise in their ability to provide limited English proficient (LEP) students with a good education in both science and English are discussed and illustrated. Discriminatory practice has led to the clustering of LEP students into low ability tracks without consideration of their actual abilities and…

The science discourse of young children is a means by which children can pose and try to answer difficult questions about their world. This paper describes through excerpts from transcripts of audiotapes and fieldnotes of science talks, how young children talk about science, and how they use metaphors and analogies to develop theories about…

This document is comprised of twelve consecutive issues (1995-1998) of a newsletter published quarterly to provide information on current research and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in the primary grades in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Montana. The Winter 1995 issue focuses on necessary conditions for math/science…

In one of a series of hearings held in communities around the nation on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to hear testimony from higher education administrators and others from the state of North Carolina. The witnesses addressed a full range of issues concerning higher…

This publication on Aerospace Programs is a special edition of "Technology Education" featuring descriptions of 15 select aerospace education programs from diverse localities spanning the full range of instructional levels. Following introductory material, the monograph contains the following largely unedited program descriptions: (1)…