Assesses the 5-14 Development Program, national guidelines for primary-secondary curricula in Scotland. Examines program objectives for mathematics, English, and environmental studies. Describes guidelines' possible ambiguities for teachers seeking tools for instruction and academic assessment. Suggests teachers' experience be used to further…

Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) is a technique in which audiotapes are used to evoke students' memories concerning their own thinking. Reports a study using IPR to probe elementary students' (n=17) thinking during a problem-solving situation. Concluded that IPR has potential in classroom research. (MDH)

Basics skills achievement of students of 48 elementary school teachers who received in-service training in the Program for Effective Teaching was compared longitudinally to the achievement of students of 34 teachers who had not received such training. No differences in achievement between the groups of students were found. (BB)

Reports a longitudinal study of the link between home variables (mainly maternal support), cognitive prerequisites of preschoolers, and later school achievement (spelling, reading, and arithmetic). Maternal support significantly affected competencies and academic achievement. Cognitive competencies predicted later academic achievement; achievement…

Reviews literature on prenatal drug abuse to (1) estimate mothers' drug use and exposure of infants; (2) document the relationship between prenatal drug use and adverse birth outcomes; and (3) examine effects of maternal drug use on birth defects. Argues for more treatment facilities and greater prevention efforts. (SLD)

Discusses the structure and results of a university physics entry examination that measures students' expertise with mathematical tools and formal logic operations required for the study of college physics. Indicates that the examination adequately serves incoming students: to evaluate academic potential; to emphasize specific deficiencies; and to…

A class project to design a robe for the pastor of Church of England primary school was undertaken to give children a first-hand problem-solving experience and increase their involvement in the church activities. Much mathematics and communication was required to complete this cooperative learning task. (MDH)

This study examined learner-control strategies for selecting problem context and level of instructional support on a computer-based mathematics unit on the metric system. Subjects were 240 sixth grade students assigned to 15 treatments. Performance was lowest under learner-control instructional support conditions even though subjects indicated…

Discussion of the instructional effectiveness of educational software focuses on a study of undergraduates that investigated the effectiveness of a problem-solving program designed to assist students in solving nonlinear optimization problems. Results are reported that indicate manual procedures resulted in greater learning than use of the…

Twenty-five elementary students with learning disabilities and mild mental disabilities were assessed in math and spelling before and after summer vacation using grade-level curriculum-based measurement materials. Students appeared to have regressed when raw scores were analyzed, but appeared not to have regressed when z-scores were analyzed.…

A teacher reflects on what he learned from his students and educator Earl Kelley's writings, when 30 years ago as a beginning teacher, he attempted a democratic approach to teaching junior high school science and math. This approach encouraged student collaboration in the planning of learning activities, community projects, and student assessment.…

TORUS, a prototype technology-based educational diagnostic program, is described. The usefulness of TORUS to identify and remediate the mathematics misconceptions of students with learning disabilities is reported. Results suggest the need for greater emphasis on conceptual understanding in mathematics instruction. (Author/DB)

An inductive assessment model for developing individualized instructional programs for special needs students is reviewed, followed by a discussion of how computer programs can help teachers solve logistical and technical problems of inductive assessment models and how expert systems can provide instructional advice. Expert systems for…

Describes the Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) Learning Technology Center, including profile of the center's personnel; description of representative projects, such as the Jasper-Woodbury Problem Solving Series, a multimedia literacy program for grades K-3, and the Adult Literacy Program; and a list of 14 representative publications by center…

Presents the findings of a Center for the Study of Community Colleges study of liberal and non-liberal arts curricula in American community colleges. Displays curricula and enrollments in credit courses broken down by discipline or field of study. Discusses the transferability of non-liberal arts courses. (MAB)