Describes an assignment within a college course on thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills. Discusses how students observe and describe the reasoning style of a partner on four different tasks. Maintains that the assignment illustrates course objectives on theories and models of reasoning in concrete ways. (CFR)

This study analyzed two student teachers whose contradictory beliefs about teaching went unrecognized and unresolved and subsequently affected their professional growth. The study used interviews, observations, and student teacher journals to examine the nature of learning experiences. Results suggest implications for program administrators,…

This study investigated risks for transitioning from nonsmoking to smoking during three transition periods as a function of gender, predisposing attributes, and participation in social influences education, examining four dispositional factors. Survey data indicated that dispositional factors were important determinants of smoking onset and that…

Four third-grade bilingual-program students were observed repeatedly as they engaged in group discussions of reading comprehension questions as part of a cooperative learning curriculum. Rather than being an exchange of ideas, the discussion activity mimicked teacher and student roles in the larger classroom, demonstrating influences of classroom…

Courageous, caring teachers in a supportive school can help restore the fractured social bonds of many adolescents. Traditional schools can be very unfriendly to adult-wary youths. The article discusses how to reclaim rebellious, alienated teens and build middle schools that are responsive to the unique needs of young adolescents. (SM)

Presents the National History Standards for United States History, grades 5 through 12. Includes an overview of 10 chronological time periods. Provides student objectives and recommended learning activities. (CFR)

Discusses the work of Larry Dixon, assistant superintendent for resources in the Junction City (Kansas) school district, who supports principals in their efforts to improve schools. The paper describes Project TurnAround Teacher, which works in a nontraditional manner to help at-risk students who are discipline problems. (SM)

Discusses how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance and its influence on social mobility. The author proposes the use of a cultural frame of reference as a new level for analysis of the cultural problems that confront minority students at school. (GR)

In interviews with 74 adolescents, high-income adolescents reported fewer misbehaviors and more behaviors which were playful, whereas misbehaviors of low-income youth stemmed mainly from anger. Low-income adolescents reported a greater number and variety of penalties that seemed both disproportionate to offenses and humiliating in nature.…

Presents the reactions of a mathematics educator and a mathematician to a seven-year-old student's response for finding square numbers. Reflects on the mathematician's focus on the mathematics of the problem and the mathematics educator's focus on the student's systematic way of working, and discusses the common focus of student creativity. (MDH)

This article is concerned with the learning of mathematics before the commencement of formal schooling. Describes the experiences of two students from four main sets of data: formal and informal measures of mathematics achievement, the learning environment in the home, and observations during teacher-led sessions concerned with mathematical…

Evidence from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 suggests that teacher ratings are influenced by student characteristics such as race and ethnicity, family background, gender, and school sector. This article examines why the influence of race and ethnicity seems most pronounced in public schools, compared with Catholic and…

This paper cites published literature and quotations from parents in discussing the pressures of adolescence on hearing-impaired youth, rebellious behaviors that are specific to speaking and listening, adult attitudes regarding speech use and auditory function, and strategies for coping constructively with adolescence. (JDD)

It was hypothesized that (1) classroom conduct problems decline with increasing moral maturity, and (2) Stage 1 and Stage 3 levels of moral reasoning are associated with fewer conduct problems. In a study involving fourth and eighth graders, children with moral reasoning at Stage 1 and Stage 3 had fewer conduct problems than other children. (LB)

The article describes children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), noting it can contribute to school underachievement, learning disabilities, difficulties in social adjustment, and emotional disorders. It examines diagnosis, neurobehavioral factors, and outcome and discusses coping via behavior modification at home, classroom…