Educators and business people must recognize that there is no shortage of skilled labor but a shortage of jobs requiring skilled labor. Corporate America appears to be hiding decades of mismanagement behind presumed faults of the education system. The salaries of skilled laborers have actually declined 3 percent since 1987, and about 20 percent of…

Examines a strand of Basil Bernstein's sociology that considers the importance of language. Attempts to understand the central meaning of Bernstein's work and classroom applications. Argues against interpretations supporting either a deficit explanation for student performance or one based on home-school differences. Recognizes language's…

To give practitioners greater control of theory, myths about theory must be dismantled; limitations in theories currently guiding practice must be acknowledged; and theory to fill the gaps and build a more adequate knowledge base must be developed. (SK)

Without a definition of good teaching, the supervisor's efforts to help teachers improve will probably be fragmented, and teacher improvement may not occur. This article examines three definitions of good teaching, presents and defends a certain definition, and suggests supervisory applications. Good teachers are proficient in the kinds of…

Describes a study that interviewed 32 students to determine their understanding of the meaning of a range of science processes. A total of 63 misconceptions was identified. (ZWH)

Identifies some common misconceptions regarding diffusion that exist among many biology teachers as well as students. Offers suggestions and demonstrations to use in the classroom to help students gain a more accurate understanding of diffusion. (ZWH)

Presents a demonstration that employs angular momentum to disprove the myth that water spirals down a bathtub drain clockwise in one hemisphere and counterclockwise in the other because of the Coriolis force on water. (ZWH)

The headmistress of an English school in India explains how a group of eight year olds responded to finding a "ghost" in a tree in the school courtyard. First-hand observation, exploration, and hard evidence led students to a more objective interpretation of the elusive tree spirit. (MLH)

Disagrees with several points in Mike Males's teenage pregnancy article in the March 1993 "Kappan." Males emphasized that family formation among teenagers mirrors larger societal trends. Recent evidence shows otherwise. The economic and societal costs of early childbearing are worsening; 60% of teen families live in poverty. Providing adolescents…

Explores first-year students' understanding of fundamental calculus concepts using written tests and interviews. Analysis of the written and verbal responses to the test items revealed significant misconceptions on which students' mathematical activities were based. Describes some of those misconceptions and errors relating to students'…

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) provides an eight-phase emotionally corrective experience described as a "learning catalyst" for reprocessing traumatic events. The originator of EMDR discusses the experiences that influenced her innovative approach. EMDR is discussed as a learning catalyst, and many misconceptions about the…

Contends that the concept of description educators present in their art criticism models differs from the concept of description in ordinary language; instead, it is a technical concept borrowed from the literature of aesthetics. Delineates differences between each concept, describes how the confusion arose, and discusses implications for art…

Counters Fenwick English's supportive treatment of postmodernism in this issue. Criticizes key concepts of postmodern-postconstructuralist thought, namely rejection of the metaphysics of presence and metanarratives and emphasis on textualism and deconstruction. Finds postmodernism seriously flawed, with little to offer educational administration.…

Adresses student understanding of quantum phenomenon. (Author/CCM)

Examines elementary science methods textbooks to determine how magnet concepts are presented. Focuses on the organization, sequence of concepts, and potential misconceptions, and includes types of investigations. Analyzed 11 elementary science methods textbooks in detail and found great variation in the magnet concepts presented, general omission…