Describes the distribution of teacher interactions with male and female students in secondary geography classrooms. Reports that, in 70 percent of the classes, attention was unequally divided with the surplus in favor of males in 57 percent. Notes that the majority of geography students are female, whereas 80 percent of the teachers are male. (DK)

Writing instruction in Israeli high schools is discussed based on classroom observation and practices. Meetings between English teachers and teacher trainers specializing in foreign language writing focused on techniques such as prewriting, dialogue journals, revision, and peer correction. (16 references) (LB)

Presents an activity in which students develop science process skills by making inferences as to the contents of a "mystery" box from observations based on their sensory perceptions. Provides instructions for implementing and extending the activity. (MDH)

Describes an activity to develop students' skills of observation and recordkeeping by studying the growth of a tree's leaves during the spring. Children monitor the growth of 11 tress over a 2-month period, draw pictures of the tree at different stages of growth, and write diaries of the tree's growth. (MDH)

Types of questions asked in first-grade mathematics classes in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States were investigated. Observations of 311 lessons by 16 Japanese, 20 Taiwanese, and 33 U.S. teachers suggest that the kinds of questions asked in Taiwan and Japan contribute to more sophisticated mathematical knowledge. (SLD)

A study investigated the design and effectiveness of the faculty development efforts of one University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) faculty member over a two-year period. The experience included use of a professional growth contract to indicate commitment and intention, student feedback from over 500 students in eight courses, structured alumni…

Tested psychometric properties of a new measure of developmentally appropriate practices in kindergarten through third grade and the predictive value of classroom and teacher characteristics. Found that grade, class size, number of children with disabilities, teacher educational level, teacher experience, and teacher beliefs accounted for 42…

States have accumulated considerable experience in operating publicly sponsored pre-kindergarten programs. In spite of this extensive experience, only fragmentary accounts exist of how these pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs handle issues such as program intensity, location, staffing, and population served. These issues are addressed by the…

School classes can be conceptualized as bounded communities of practice made up of teachers and students working together to build knowledge. Teachers make design decisions about physical and virtual spaces supported by information and communications technologies, and about curriculum. Design influences how students go about their work, and their…

The increased use of technology in academia combined with the challenges posed by growing enrollments of nontraditional graduate students have forced institutions to adapt educational programs to insure student retention and academic success. This case study examines student perceptions and responses to a required information literacy workshop,…

This article considers the question of what specific actions a teacher might take to create a culture of inquiry in a secondary school mathematics classroom. Sociocultural theories of learning provide the framework for examining teaching and learning practices in a single classroom over a two-year period. The notion of the zone of proximal…

This study followed a small but diverse group of biology teachers through the first two years of the pilot for a new Advanced Level Biology course--Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology. SNAB aims to modernise A-level Biology using real world contexts and examples as the starting point, promoting conceptual understanding rather than factual recall,…

This article demonstrates how literacy practices in an 11th grade, urban, English classroom in the United States worked to delineate and patrol gender borders between acceptable masculine and feminine social practices. Drawing upon Blackburn's (2005) and Thorne's (1993) studies of the gendered boundaries that are created and questioned in literacy…

Teachers everywhere are being held accountable for their professional actions through the test-driven curricula sweeping the nation. The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 2002) makes it clear that promotion of reflective practice is an important component of teacher education programs. This multiple case study…

There are increasing numbers of traditional biologists, untrained in educational research methods, who want to develop and assess new classroom innovations. In this article we argue the necessity of formal research over normal classroom feedback. We also argue that traditionally trained biologists can make significant contributions to biology…