Special education is under fire from within and without. Full inclusionists and detracking advocates want to abolish all "separatist" special education settings and "unjust" disability categories, tests, and placements; politicians and school administrators deplore special education's high costs. However, mainstreaming efficacy…

Investigated a microcomputer-based system for the diagnosis and remediation of three Aristotelian alternative conceptions of force and motion held by eighth-grade physical science students. Reports that computer simulations exemplifying canonical conceptions facilitate alteration of students' naive conceptions to a significant degree. Suggests…

Described a probe that can assess the learners' understanding of scientific ideas in conditions that do not demand closure on a single interpretation, and where learners can demonstrate certainty or otherwise in several possible alternatives. Can be used in monitoring conceptual change when intuitive understanding of scientific phenomena is to be…

Identifies misconceptions related to the fundamental characteristics of atoms and molecules held by twelfth-grade students. Data were obtained by administration of semistructured interviews to a stratified, random sample of 30 students. Fifty-two misconceptions were observed and reported. Some of the misconceptions identified parallel the…

Marian Matthews' article in the October 1992 issue of "Educational Leadership" reports that many gifted students are resentful of cooperative learning structures. Cooperative learning is not just a teaching technique but involves learning to respect and appreciate others' differences. Much of Matthews' criticism actually addresses…

Practitioners and theorists do not articulate the purposes, theory, and practices of social studies adequately because they lack a basic understanding of the historical background. Examples of myths that hinder research and the development of social studies as a field are given as the field's history is traced. (SLD)

Tasmania's history of reforms in state education administration were inspired yet pragmatic responses to social, political, and economic crises. A progressive devolution of managerial responsibility to schools and colleges between 1982 and 1989 resulted in little movement of governance powers. Hughes's state corporate managerialism has not proved…

The idea of resistance (and empowerment) in critical pedagogy is rooted in traditional notions of Marxist vanguard politics that consider the trade-unionized white male working class as the entitled leaders of the revolutionary movement. Marxism fosters a theory and practice of elitist leadership notions that is replicated among contemporary…

If saving lives were our only moral concern, distributing condoms in schools is not the best way to proceed. Abstinence has greater life-saving power than any piece of latex. School condom distribution promotes casual, promiscuous sex, ignores this contraceptive's failure rate, and runs counter to sound educational policy. Deferred gratification…

A macroscopic way of modeling hot air balloons using a Newtonian approach is presented. Misleading examples using a car tire and the concept of hot air rising are discussed. Pressure gradient changes in the atmosphere are used to explain how hot air balloons work. (KR)

Analysis of data on children's ideas about seeing and light is reported. Analysis is theoretically informed by Piagetian stage theory of genetic epistemology. Data produced by other researchers have been recoded to enable quantitative comparisons to be made with the survey data reported by Shayer and Adey (1981). Patterns in the data exposed by…

Using a paper-and-pencil test consisting of multiple-choice situational questions which also require reasoning for the choices made, common misconceptions in light were identified. It was found that most of the students understand the basic properties of light at a knowledge level but had difficulty applying these concepts in novel situations.…

Parents object to outcome-based education because it rejects the basics, subject-matter knowledge, and individual achievement and emphasizes vague, subjective goals. The Eagle Forum president's major objections to OBE are its "dumbing-down" effect, "feel good" emphasis, antiphonics commitment, stress on politically correct…

Four experienced college business officers discuss how to communicate financial information to the college community. They focus on the importance of establishing trust within the institution; the role of the business officer in strategic planning; typical misunderstandings and how to avoid and correct them; supporting the president; and keeping…

Describes an interactive computer program (RelLab) that acts to introduce the fundamental ideas of relativity to students. Students working cooperatively investigate paradoxes of relative motion by constructing thought experiments and discussing their findings. (ZWH)