Pre-service teacher education is concerned with producing graduates who move into the field able, in terms of both skills and attitudes, to implement research-based conclusions that may not always coincide with the attitudes of previously trained teachers. We sought to assess attitudes and attitude change regarding contemporary issues in education…

This book offers easy-to-follow steps that busy parents can readily implement to decrease homework meltdowns and help kids achieve their academic potential. Written for all parents of kids ages 7 to 16--regardless of whether the problem is a homework power struggle, ADHD, unidentified giftedness, or something else--this book shows parents the…

This paper reviews some theories that through history have explained the process of learning. It also taps some new findings on how the brain learns. Multisensory instruction is a pedagogic strategy that covers the greatest number of individual preferences in the classroom, language laboratories, and multimedia rooms for a constant and diverse…

Blending research evidence with practical recommendations, this book demonstrates how promoting children's engagement with reading can greatly enhance reading achievement. A collection of articles from leading literacy researchers and educators, the book illuminates what a child needs to become an engaged reader and presents a set of instructional…

Self-regulation, the systematic effort to direct thoughts, feelings, and actions towards the attainment of one's goals, is receiving importance in the psychological and educational literatures. Goals are involved across the different phases of self-regulation, first as forethought, then in performance control, and finally in self-regulation. This…

This guide is part of a series of curriculum guides for the middle grades that use a special framework to examine and implement standards-based curricula. In this guide, for developing science curricula for the middle grades, a set of critical questions is posed for curriculum decision making that corresponds to a framework of three components of…

This lecture addresses the exploration of algebraic fundamental competence by examining the Austrian Computer Algebraic Systems (CAS). Data are used to support answers and conclusions related to two questions that explore the role that instrumental understanding plays in supporting a high level of relational understanding and the idea that…

SCALE-UP is an extension of the highly successful IMPEC (Integrated Math, Physics, Engineering, and Chemistry) project, one of North Carolina State's curricular reform efforts undertaken as part of the SUCCEED coalition. The authors utilize the interactive, collaboratively based instruction that worked well in smaller class settings and find ways…

These newsletters focus on teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult learners. One article, "10 Strategies for Teaching Adult English Language Learners," includes such suggestions as the following: get to know the students and their needs, use visuals to support instruction, use authentic materials, model tasks before asking…

This study examined learning communities at two community colleges, North Idaho College (NIC) and Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) (Washington). Recent emphasis on learning outcomes and transforming the curriculum to be more learning centered has often come into direct conflict with operating under tight budget constraints. Learning…

In their attempts to help educators improve student achievement, researchers have identified hundreds of effective school practices. However, there is no accurate picture of the relative effectiveness of effective practices or the ways various practices interact to produce results. Nevertheless, the data are plentiful enough to permit informed…

This study investigated skills that lead to generation of facilitative visualizations during study time for college age students. Specifically, the study examined the effects of teacher encouragement to generate visualizations, the effects of teacher encouragement and orientation to visualization, and the effects of the use of each of four…

This paper outlines a way of connecting theory and reflective practice in mathematics teacher education. The construct of personal theories is put forward as an innovative pedagogical tool for connecting theory to practice through reflective writing. The cognitive process of "noticing and naming" emerged as way of theorising practice and helped to…

Attention to professional community has increased markedly over the last few years as part of both practitioner and scholarly efforts to promote improvements in student learning. Interest in this area joins two previously distinct literatures--one dealing with the benefits of communal school organization, another with enhanced teacher…

From 1990 to 1995, the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined questions about the effects of school restructuring on student performance. Center researchers analyzed data from more than 1,500 elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the United States and conducted field research…