This self-study of teacher education practices examined student teachers' and teacher educators' beliefs regarding the learning and teaching of mathematics. Data collection included questions from students about mathematics education issues in which they were interested; other students' responses to those questions; a questionnaire examining…

This paper presents an analysis of the content of electronic mail exchanged among a team of 24 undergraduate elementary education majors in a Professional Development School program during 1 year of their 2-year teacher education program. Teacher candidates were required to exchange journal entries via e-mail with peers and communicate with…

These proceedings contain reviewed and edited papers from the 23rd annual meeting of the Western Australian Science Education Association (WASEA). Papers include: (1) Using Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Validate a Questionnaire to Describe Science Teacher Behavior in Taiwan and Australia (Darrell Fisher, David Henderson, and…

This paper discusses practices, issues, and trends in Japanese middle school education that have bearing on U.S. education, grouping them into four categories. Section 1, "School Reform," discusses central control of education, opportunities for student creativity, improved teacher education, and the examination system. Section 2,…

Although technology is not the answer to all educational problems, it is proving to be a useful tool in improving the quality and efficiency of literacy provision in the formal, nonformal, and informal education sectors. Adopting technology demands a selection process for determining which technology is appropriate, by and for whom it will be…

This paper describes the personalized system of instruction (PSI), a teaching method based on a high student involvement in the learning process, immediate feedback, mastery learning, and careful planning and instructional design of the course content. With PSI, students proceed through the course at their own pace and are required to demonstrate…

This report is designed to help state and local policymakers and practitioners understand the goals behind integrating academic and technical standards and the processes three national partnerships used to develop, test, and implement them in the context of curriculum reform. The first chapter of the report defines and describes integrated…

A study investigated the use of the Internet in writing instruction in English as a foreign language (EFL). Subjects were 24 students majoring in English at a Taiwan college. At the beginning of the writing course, several Internet program were introduced to all the students, and students were reminded of the potential for use of the Internet…

This paper describes an alternative instructional concept--a distance learning/cohort teaching/cohort student grouping--that used the Internet to deliver instruction. Twenty graduate students at two universities, Southern Illinois University and the University of Southern Mississippi, subscribed to a listserv and worked cooperatively on a case…

This paper addresses issues and cost benefits of World Wide Web-based education systems. It presents the results of an effort to identify problems that arise when considering this media and suggests conceptual solutions to some of these problems. To evaluate these solutions, a prototype system was built and tested in an engineering classroom; the…

This qualitative study explored the use of listservs as instructional instruments in a graduate-level leadership program at a Midwestern university. Nineteen graduate students, none of whom had prior training in using e-mail or listservs, participated in the semester-long project in which students were required to respond to assigned case studies…

The mission of teachers as creative facilitators is not to assign a grade; the mission is to educate students to think, to learn, and to make new connections that they never before thought possible. A teacher's guidance, constructive feedback, and facilitated instruction should pave the way for students to meaningfully bridge prior knowledge with…

This paper describes the use of technology by students and their instructor in a course on multicultural education at Gallaudet University (District of Columbia). In the course, Multicultural Foundations of Education, each technology-based course component is designed to satisfy a specific constructivist learning objective. Students engage in…

Advances in information technology are changing industrialized societies into knowledge societies. The end of the cold war has promoted development of a global economy. Growing ecological consciousness has necessitated that environmental knowledge become part of all education. As the need to remain competitive increases, a new balance in…

This paper examines trends and issues in strategic planning for business and educational institutions on an international level. The paper is organized into sections on analysis, visions, and action plans. Under "analysis" the discussion focuses on commerce (electronic commerce, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, and stages of the…