Discusses what a portfolio is and presents reasons for using portfolios to assess students' mathematical progress, along with tips for introducing, using, and assessing portfolios. Includes examples of student work and guidelines for portfolio entries. (MKR)

Contends that research confirms that too many names, dates, and facts can make social studies boring and irrelevant. Proposes a four-step approach to help students examine issues rather than merely learn facts. Describes a lesson on ethnic discrimination and presents a composite teacher-student dialog. (ACM)

Presents a classroom lesson based on a simulation of a U.S. Senate Committee hearing on the issue of coal mining on Arizona Indian reservations. Provides background information for student roles that include government representatives, coal company executives, and both traditional and progressive representatives of Native American tribes. (CFR)

Reviews 12 books related to social studies education in Canada. Includes history and geography textbooks, supplementary materials for student reading, descriptions of effective schools, and recommended instructional strategies for social studies teachers. (CFR)

Presents ideas and suggestions from three music educators about interdisciplinary approaches to music education. Recommends using techniques frequently included in elementary methods on this topic. Outlines strategies for collaborative planning with subject-matter teachers. (CFR)

Presents a learning activity to help students see themselves as part of the historical process. Describes the nine-week project in which students solicit written or oral remembrances of family, local, and national history. Maintains that the project integrated history and writing in a meaningful way for students. (CFR)

An eighth-grade teacher implemented several Total Quality Management methods in his social studies (civics) class in the middle of the academic school year. Using diagrams, he taught students ways to organize their work, generate ideas, and solve problems. Using student involvement, he developed ways to help students solve their homework problem.…

Discusses philosophy and practices of Jewish education. Contends that Judaism provides a tolerant approach toward other cultural groups that could be a model for British moral and spiritual education. Asserts that a feeling of belonging to a group that has a past, present, and future helps children strive to be decent and moral. (CFR)

Asserts that written work has advantages over oral discussion in the development and assessment of students' critical thinking skills. Describes a set of short writing assignments that focuses on eight essential aspects of critical and creative thought. Provides examples of how to use writing assignments in college psychology courses. (CFR)

Contends that no single definition of critical thinking is widely accepted. Describes issues related to critical thinking and offers suggestions for demystifying the concept. Presents a framework for a psychology curriculum using performance-based assessment practices. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 212 first-year members of the National Art Education Association to discover the nature and extent of preservice preparation to teach art to students with disabilities. Finds that most felt unprepared to teach art in mainstreamed, integrated classrooms. (CFR)

Discusses the use of teaching portfolios and portfolio-based conversations with colleagues to enhance teacher effectiveness, presenting a portfolio conversation guide that highlights the importance of conducting the sessions properly, organizing an appropriate group, and focusing on specific portfolio contents. Implications for teacher education…

Presents a narrative case study based on the use of cooperative learning in a 10th-grade global studies class. Focuses on ethnic groups and emerging issues related to national sovereignty. Describes student participation in group discussions about these topics. (CFR)

Reports development and results of the Kramer Project, a two-year study of the implementation of a problem-solving, activity-based mathematics program in the elementary grades. Describes the mathematical content covered, participating teachers, instructional materials employed, inservice teacher training provided, and academic achievement gains of…

Reports on the impact of an introductory biology course sequence that incorporated experience-based, group learning. Achievement results indicate that students were not disadvantaged by this new approach and, in fact, displayed a superior grasp of group-work, open lab utilization, and creative problem solutions. Attitudes regarding anxiety over…