Assuming guided inquiry as a pedagogical ideal in mathematics education implies that teaching must connect students' thinking about a subject with curricular agendas and instructional goals. Because students are not typically inclined to consider their active inquiry as a route to acquiring the knowledge that is valued in school, such teaching…

Over 40 books and articles are annotated in this study which evaluated the position held by the discipline of history in the social studies curriculum of U.S. public schools. It was found that its position has changed over the years. An effort was made to evaluate these changes and to recommend a desired status for the discipline of history in the…

Current educational writing and reporting suggests a need for making reading a more vital experience for the student. One of the ways being tried in the Rye Public Schools (New York) is an integrated, guided, out-of-class reading program that is keyed to the inquiry curriculum. Starting in the third grade, each inquiry unit has specially selected…

Given the important role written questions have as a teaching strategy and their apparent use in textbooks, this study examined the written questions posed in representative American history textbooks intended for students at the seventh and eighth grade levels. Ten textbooks were randomly selected from a larger group of texts. Three chapters in…

A model to study the effects on inquiry teaching, that attempts to correct the gaps found in other experimental evidence, is suggested to teacher educators for the benefit of their trainees as well as all social science education. (JH)

A survey of research on teacher effectiveness (that is, whether what is taught is indeed that which produces improvement in student performance) reveals that very little is known about what makes a good teacher, a position that is becoming increasingly untenable as competency-based education is introduced. The main gap is in research into changes…

Describes an inquiry appraoch in which tree growth-ring analysis is used to determine the age of a tree, trace flood history, and investigate environmental effects on tree size. (MLH)

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

From the Series "Social Studies Education: The Elementary School -- Focus on Inquiry.

This paper introduces an artistic model of planning and problem solving. The model is based on a case study of processes engaged in by a college art student during the course of producing a senior thesis in batik (a wax-resist fabric dyeing process). Based on the premise that knowledge of the creative process is essential to understanding the…

A program for prospective elementary and secondary teachers emphasizing inquiry and problem solving techniques for use in the classroom is described. In the conceptual framework of this program, a situation is defined as a set of circumstances that teachers commonly encounter, and an issue is a theoretical, ethical, or methodological question. A…

Different concepts of the terms problem, problem solving, and social problem have created philosophical confusion in the social studies movement. The three approaches in social studies history--social science, citizenship transmission, and reflective inquiry--exemplify the incompatibility of the terms. A brief examination of the history of social…

Presented is background information related to the third round of science assessment activities (1976-77) conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Chapter one contains a description of the overall assessment plan, the general framework of objectives, criteria for selecting objectives, and procedures used for developing…