Upon identification of the environmental robustness (social interaction) perceived by students and teachers in 6 classrooms in a predominantly black 185 pupil rural secondary school in Georgia, this field study describes and contrasts the structural features of classrooms as a means of producing an improved operational understanding of classroom…

An attempt to provide college professors more contact with the classroom situations that their students will face as teachers is reported in this edited account of the experiences of 13 professors in a pilot study which was aimed at teaching the disadvantaged (reluctant learners). Included in the first sections are brief descriptions of the…

This paper offers an overview of three previous studies based on surveys of almost 1000 Ontario parents, 3500 teachers, and over 6100 students; each of which monitors the participants' experience with and attitudes towards the system of education. The intention of the overview is to assimilate the findings of the previous research into a single…

This study was guided by two fundamental concerns: the problems of developing assessment procedures which are better suited to the more humanistic but less tangible goals of education in general, and the need for a clearer conceptualization of the objectives of open education programs. Two major components of this report are: 1) conceptual…

This paper looks at South Korea as an example of a collectivist society having a rather large power distance dimension value. In a traditional Korean classroom the teacher is at the top of the classroom hierarchy, while the students are the passive participants. Gender and age play a role in the hierarchy between students themselves. Teaching…

This volume offers a systematic review of the literature on communication education and instruction. Making meta-analysis findings accessible and relevant, the editors of this volume approach the topic from the perspective that meta-analysis serves as a useful tool for summarizing experiments and for determining how and why specific teaching and…

This text for pre-service and in-service English education courses presents current methods of teaching literature to middle and high school students. The methods are based on social constructivist/socio-cultural theories of literacy learning, and incorporate research on literary response conducted by the authors. "Teaching Literature to…

These four issues contain the following articles: "Corpus Linguistics: Discovering How We Use Language" (John Rosenthal); "Conversation Class: More than 'Just Talking'" (David Kehe and Peggy Kehe); "The Peace Project: A Personal Path to Overcoming Intolerance" (Stephanie Jones-Vo); "Developing the Reading Skills…

A study explored learning and assessment experiences of Australian apprentices and trainees (A&Ts) using focus groups of 66 stakeholders in every state and territory; case study analyses of 20 diverse sites; and a national questionnaire of 595 A&Ts in motor mechanics and hospitality work. Stakeholders viewed apprenticeships and…

This book provides a personal, day-by-day record, kept over a period of 3 years, to illuminate how one teacher brought the Montessori approach to children in a kindergarten classroom. The book's introduction outlines Maria Montessori's approach to education from birth through adolescence as one which focuses on the development of each person as a…

This paper discusses a study that examined whether 20 typical sixth-grade students and 4 students with special needs in a Strategies Intervention Model (SIM) classroom developed more positive academic and social perceptions over the course of the school year when compared to 22 students in a regular classroom. The SIM is described as a curriculum…

This digest discusses the findings of empirical studies on teacher-directed and child-initiated preschool programs. Three long-term preschool curriculum comparison studies--the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison, the Louisville Head Start Study, and the University of Illinois Study--were started in the 1970s. These studies indicated that…

Discussion about and reflection upon observations which produce cognitive conflict have frequently been promoted as a strategy to enhance conceptual development in science classrooms. As part of the Practical Mechanics in Primary Mathematics project, teachers were urged to elicit children's views and attempt to establish what is now called…

In child-centered education programs, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and caregivers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a…

Addressed primarily to those involving in teaching 3- to 5-year-olds, this book focuses on the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are the heart of effective nursery teaching. The book emphasizes the climate of change within which the nursery teacher in Great Britain operates, and the ways in which teachers need to work with their teams to…