This simulation helps students in grades four to eight see their planet as one environment with limited resources shared by all. Students learn that the earth is a large system comprised of small systems, that systems are interdependent and often have irreplaceable parts, and that resources are not equally divided among countries. (RM)

The relationship between home and school was described as a competitive one which frequently discourages cooperation between parents and teachers. The case of a highly escalated family-school conflict was evaluated. The family systems concepts and strategies that were used to promote a working alliance between family and school were presented.…

The organization and content of subject matter knowledge of arithmetic teachers was explored. Experienced and beginning fourth grade teachers were observed. They were evaluated on their lessons to teach fractions. Implications of their knowledge differences were discussed. (DWH)

An examination of the origin and content of general systems theory is followed by identification of the major characteristics of systems and brief discussion of use of models. Two ways of applying a systems model are identified and their appropriateness is assessed in relation to particular training circumstances. (55 references). (Author/MBR)

Reports on: (1) the formulation of a holistic, systems-based theory of cultural transmission; (2) a field guide developed for gathering the precise data needed to test the theory; and (3) a pilot study, involving the collection and analysis of data about six- to 12-year-old Americans, Israelis, and Mexicans, to test both guide and theory. (CMG)

In commenting on the preceding article by Dobbert et al, maintains that Dobbert's systems approach model for the collection and study of cultural transmission data provides a concrete operational plan for making that data useful in teacher-training and in the classroom, particularly in developing countries. (RDN)

Several conceptions of schooling are outcome-bound: input-output models, school effectiveness models, classroom learning models, and systems theory models. Problems with each of these conceptions are identified, followed by a brief discussion of an outcome-free approach in which schools are viewed as cultural ecologies. (BW)

The effects of systems-based mathematics instruction on students' mathematics achievement were studied over a two-year period. Students taught by that method for the full two years outscored those receiving one year of systems-based instruction, those previously taught by that method, and those taught exclusively by conventional methods.…

The 22 articles of this special issue focus on families with mentally, physically or emotionally disabled family members and discuss the importance of viewing the family as a system. Research studies and literature reviews report on family reaction, stress variables and coping techniques, placement decisions, and policy recommendations. (JAC)

A model of inservice education programs for vocational education teachers is presented that consists primarily of the following components: the research foundation; the experimental or practical foundation; the communication base; a systems approach; and a cooperative framework. (GW)

This paper outlines an array of categories that denote kinds of influence variables operative in organizational systems--including structures, relationships, and technology. This allows us to synthesize literature from a variety of system levels and sources by addressing the question: What variables influence a communicator's behavior at any given…

This paper discusses social and cultural change, deep ecology, and systems thinking in relation to the maintenance of Indigenous cultures and languages. All cultures change, and the current crisis in language loss for Native communities is related to cultural change. From a systems perspective, culture is a way of thinking about one's social…

All too often, rhetoric has become the guide for change, rather than philosophical assumptions and value systems. This paper presents three organizational constructs to assist schools in successfully transforming their work cultures into learning organizations. The three components include systems thinking and quality concepts, social…

Communication as a discipline is studied in varied contexts: interpersonal, group, organizational, mediated, and public communication. To make clear to students the commonness and not the differences among the contexts, the hybrid basic course should not be taught in separate units as if group communication were a different species from…

The purpose of this study was to determine the procedural knowledge brought to, and created within, a pond ecology simulation by students. Environmental Decision Making (EDM) is an ecosystems modeling tool that allows users to pose their own problems and seek satisfying solutions. Of specific interest was the performance of biology majors who had…