As a result of the pressures of educational reform and high-stakes assessment, some schools run the risk of foregoing active, student-centered learning activities for building test-taking skills and the memorization of discrete facts (Gredler, 1999; Jackson & Davis, 2000). Coupled with the additional pressure to fulfill the expectations of…

This literature review summarizes research on online teaching and learning. It is organized into four topics: course environment, learners' outcomes, learners' characteristics, and institutional and administrative factors. The authors found little consistency of terminology, discovered some conclusive guidelines, and identified developing lines of…

Adopting inquiry-based science and mathematics pedagogies changes traditional classroom communication patterns. Linguistic research in science and mathematics classrooms has identified communication techniques that help teachers manage classroom discussions to increase student interaction and a sense of student responsibility for learning. These…

This paper describes a technique the first author imported from management practice to (a) develop students' meeting management skills, (b) improve students' listening skills and conflict management abilities and (c) encourage student participation and create a supportive learning environment. The technique uses a tangible prop (i.e., a Nerf ball)…

This study examined an innovative approach to student teaching, where pairs of secondary teacher candidates worked together under the guidance of a single mentor teacher. Like studies of partnered student teachers at the elementary level, our study found that paired secondary student teacher candidates developed a more intense and effective…

This study was designed to develop a practical, effective model of computer training for classroom teachers. The hypothesis was that a model of computer training which is highly individualized, provides hands-on learning, and occurs in stages would be successful in increasing the skill and comfort level of teachers. The study occurred in an…

Preparing educators for the challenges of an empowered school community demands collaboration among teacher educators, practitioners, and the community. This paper proposes a theoretical model of empowerment which supports university-school-community ventures. The model, which embraces intra-university collaboration and university-school-community…

The more that educators understand about student motivation, the better that teachers can tailor their pedagogy to prepare students for the job market. The purpose of this study was to acquire a more complete understanding of what drives secondary students and how student motivation and development relate to effective teaching. It is hoped that an…

This monograph contains the conference proceedings of the 1996 conference of the Society for the Advancement of Gifted Education (SAGE). The major focus of the conference was to explore "state-of-the-art" knowledge regarding social-emotional development, thinking skills, philosophy, First Nations education, creativity, counselling techniques,…

This monograph examines three approaches to intelligence that include cognitive processing components and relates each to assessment and interventions with students having reading disabilities. The first, Sternberg's Triarchic theory of intelligence (1985), includes three subtheories, contextual, experiential, and componential. The second, the…

While researchers have long advocated integrating disciplines, practitioners have sometimes viewed the combination of language arts and science for a particular purpose as unnatural and difficult to accomplish. An introductory section of this paper examines the underlying concepts for the integrated approach, that students learn based on what they…

This conference presentation is offered as a prolegomenon, or introduction, to a paper and research project. The issues of whether prolegomena are modernist explanatory devices and whether postmodern prolegomena are possible are discussed. The paper proposes a research inquiry into "postmodern teaching" initiated through the metaphor of…

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, Missouri, has designed an experience for student teachers in elementary schools to prepare them for reflective thinking in their own classrooms. Student teachers conduct action research by reflecting on what they do in the classroom, identifying…

Advocates of full inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education settings are overlooking such elements as the requirement that delivery of services be appropriate for the individual student, that a continuum of alternative placements be available, that the educational rights of nondisabled students not be overlooked, and that…

This study was designed to explore an expert teacher's model of thinking and teaching as it occurred within the social and cultural context of the classroom. The model was then compared with instructional systems design (ISD) to identify similarities and differences between them. To accomplish these goals, the study focused on the process and…