This six-author study highlights the most significant attributes of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and explains the techniques of authoring CAI lessons in political science. Fourth in a series of Instructional Resource Monographs, the volume has the objective to inform political science teachers and students about what CAI has to offer on a…

This study examined the use of transactional inquiry to help preservice and inservice teachers examine and construct their own beliefs and practices about equity in excellence for all learners. Transactional inquiry encourages teachers to identify and describe events that exemplify their developing understanding and to examine those events with…

The interpretation of data and construction and interpretation of graphs are central practices in science which, according to recent reform documents, science and mathematics teachers are expected to foster in their classrooms. However, are (preservice) science teachers prepared to teach inquiry with the purpose of transforming and analyzing data,…

This manual is intended for use as part of a 3-day orientation training for new faculty at the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) in Pennsylvania, a facility which trains tactical and operational leaders for policy and strategy roles in the military and related agencies. The orientation focuses on five factors which determine the value of an…

Assessed the effects of a six-week extracurricular hands-on science program using portfolio artifacts, inquiry-guided exploration, and socially assisted learning on interest and learning about biology in third, fourth, and fifth graders. Found significant increases in science interest and improvement in problem-solving skills. Girls had more…

Describes a summer program project designed and conducted by a mixed-age group of elementary children. Students collected data to determine whether a local stream was polluted, and interpretations of the data varied. An informational video about the project and the creek was produced. (PVD)

To explore the implications of recommendations from national reports on teacher education reform, a university course was designed for teachers using practical inquiry to structure the use of craft knowledge, collaboration, and reflection. Participating teachers reported that they gained confidence in their teaching choices through the course.…

Maintains that most high school social studies instruction emphasizes coverage and memorization of fragmented information. Presents a definition of in-depth study and describes its implementation in an issues-centered classroom. Provides suggestions and caveats for instituting issues-oriented instruction. (CFR)

This chapter argues that liberal learning can be transformative and foster students' intellectual and ethical development only if we consider its development underpinnings and pedagogic strategies that illustrate that the skills of academic inquiry are the skills of personal development. (Contains 1 note.)

The science achievement of 226 5th graders from districts that have a kit-based inquiry science curriculum supported by intensive professional development (PD) is compared with data from a group of 173 5th graders from other districts that use nonkit science materials and do not have systematic science PD for teachers. Within the kit-based…

To undertake rigorous research in biology and ecology, students must be able to pose testable hypotheses, design decisive studies, and analyse results using suitable statistics. Yet, few biology students excel in topics involving statistics and most attempt to evade optional courses in research methods. Over the last few years, we have developed…

Early adolescents may lack the cognitive and metacognitive skills necessary for effective inquiry learning. In particular, they are likely to have a nonnormative mental model of multivariable causality in which effects of individual variables are neither additive nor consistent. Described here is a software-based intervention designed to…

As a result of declining scores, the National Science Foundation has funded numerous materials-development grants. Largest among these is the Interactive Media Science (IMS) Project at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee. This project's mandate is to design, develop, and produce six level III interactive videodisc programs for middle…

A study investigated the extent to which students' inquiry skills can be facilitated through the use of a computerized science database (Birds of the Antarctica) and specially designed curriculum materials. Much attention was given in the program to developing both students' inquiry skills and their subject-matter knowledge. Grade 11 and 12…

Educational research has thus far failed to greatly improve education because it is based on a model of reality that emphasizes unilateral control in both research and practice. Efforts to gain unilateral control presume that researchers or practitioners know what is significant from the outset, that they are essentially outside the situation they…