Reviews evidence that refutes unfavorable portraits of American mathematics teachers in two books, "The Teaching Gap" (James Stigler and James Hiebert) and "Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics" (Liping Ma). Young students' difficulty with the "equals" concept can be addressed by teaching algebraic concepts…

Considers the use of playdough as a manipulative to help children learn mathematics. Provides snapshots of various lessons using playdough. (Author/CCM)

Describes a lesson in which students develop a knowledge of the principles of chance and apply them to real world events. (CCM)

Explains the Constructivist Planning Self-Reflective Tool (CPSRT) that supports preservice teachers using a constructivist lesson planning approach. Grounded in social cognitive and constructivist theoretical perspectives, the CPSRT facilitates self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and organization from a self-regulatory perspective, and cognitive…

Uses a teaching approach in which students prepare their own physics activity lesson plans and use them in class with other students. (YDS)

Presents an ancient method for solving quadratic equations from Jiuzhang Suanshu (Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art). Includes several examples and exercises. (MM)

Presents a lesson plan using statistics about Republican and Democrat representation in the House of Representatives and state populations to teach students about proportional reasoning. (MM)

This article describes how the author has found that very few lesson plans help teach about the presidency or about presidential elections at the primary level and only a few research studies about what elementary students know or teachers teach about the presidency and elections. The author provides directions and a short summary of a series of…

Providing support to beginning teachers is essential for two reasons: the need to retain qualified beginning teachers and the need for beginning teachers to become effective practitioners as soon as possible. Induction and mentoring programs have been effective in ameliorating some of the causes--including lack of support--of the high attrition…

Children's literature often portrays characters with disabilities. These books may be used to promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of those with disabilities. We provide guidelines for selecting high-quality literature and ideas for using characterizations of learning disabilities to teach students about themselves and others. Two…

In the months following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC, there were hundreds of incidents involving violence, intimidation, and discrimination aimed at Muslims or people who "looked" like Muslims (Gollnick and Chinn 2006; Levin and McDevitt 2002). People of color or individuals speaking with an accent were…

In this paper, the author, who teaches a secondary arts method course at a southwestern university, describes how curriculum planning enabled her to introduce students to the art of lesbian and gay artists, thereby helping the students to understand what they can expect in the real world of teaching and what they might be up against should they…

The classic American novel, Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick", can be used in geography and English classes at the high school and college levels to explore five themes that have a geographic component or are of interest to geography students: (1) the journey, (2) human/environment interactions, (3) social relationships in space, (4) acquiring…

In the aftermath of such tragedies as September 11 and natural disasters like the tsunami in Southeast Asia and during contentious election years, social studies becomes more prominent in the curriculum. As such, teachers, not just parents or churches or the government, have the responsibility to help students make sense of the information to…

Innovation is an eight-part multimedia television series airing on public broadcasting stations throughout the United States. It focuses on technological breakthroughs and the personalities and circumstances that bring about dramatic changes in daily living. The series offers an array of fascinating material designed to engage students with…