The purpose of this volume is to provide a contemporary portrait of second language learning and teaching, to identify major trends and issues, to show where these trends and issues have come from, and to illustrate ways teachers can incorporate these ideas in their own teaching practice. The book is a personal account, tracing the author's…

The major purpose of this study was to determine if the influences of educational productivity factors on achievement and attitudes are the same for African Americans and other ethnic groups. Using Walberg's Educational Productivity Model as a framework, this study estimated the influence of home environment, quality and quantity of instruction,…

This guide is organized around a list of social studies skills that all students in Idaho should know and be able to do according to each grade level from kindergarten through sixth grade. The guide will help provide parents, teachers, and students with knowledge of what is being taught in a logical scope and sequence by grade level. The guide is…

This study investigated the association between college students' engagement of learning strategies and their academic performance in a freshman psychology course. Three groups of students participated in the study: 22 at-risk freshmen who were taught learning strategies in a linked strategy-instruction course; 22 students who had previously taken…

This document describes educational outcomes assessment at Austin Community College (ACC) in Texas, identifying three levels: (1) classroom; (2) course or program; and (3) institutional. ACC's assessment process provides information to enhance the quality of teaching and learning as well as the quality of services offered in support of these…

Educators and learners have diverse thinking style preferences. Recognition of this difference in preferences is very important in the design of a curriculum and the way it is taught. Educators are often unaware of the way learners think and learn. Cataloging and classification can only be taught effectively if the diversity in thinking style is…

This paper makes basic assumptions regarding the development of an intranet architecture that will actively promote the cognitive apprenticeship of a new community of learners. The authors consider the intranet as a dynamic and virtual environment in which individuals may communicate, share resources, and reciprocally generate and organize…

The five bibliographies included here were selected from those of a graduate-level class in methodology for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). They were selected based on the quality of research and writing, interest the topic might have for other English-as-a-second-language teachers, and student permission. They include:…

This position paper elaborates the Academic Senate's existing positions on distance education and the effective use of technology in instruction. In particular it examines the implications of a 1998 change in the Title 5 regulations governing distance education in California community colleges, especially with regard to instructor-student contact.…

This monograph discusses learning communities in the context of community colleges, presents the challenges and benefits of learning communities, provides examples, and outlines the steps for a community college to follow in initiating a learning community. In part 1, the authors discuss the educational context in which learning communities have…

This document describes the experiences of three teachers who jointly taught a course entitled "Our Lives in Community" using the framework of a learning community to structure the course. Included in the document are the background for creating the course, a memorandum to the dean at Prestonburg Community College proposing the course,…

Previous research on learner strategy instruction has produced mixed results. This article reports a study in which two classes of 32 Singapore upper secondary school second language users of English participated. Both classes had the same teacher. One class received instruction in asking higher order questions; the other class did not. Higher…

Examined the effect of homonymity on children's use of semantic context to derive word meaning. The study presented participants (preschoolers, second graders, and college students) with stories including nonsense words, familiar words used accurately, and homonymous words. Results suggest that homonymity inhibits children's tendency to derive…

Describes how students use paper-strip molecules in hands-on activities to show the synthesis of larger organic molecules from smaller molecules. Focuses initially on condensation molecules involving the functional groups in alcohol and carboxylic acids. (DDR)

Briefly reviews Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy Performance Model (ability to perform a task is influenced by an individual's belief in their capability). Tests this model with a sample of 776 university employees and computer-related knowledge and skills. Results supported Bandura's thesis. Includes statistical tables and a discussion of related…