The relationships and possible effects of various personal home and school variables on the acquisition of functional biological, chemical, and physical scientific knowledge by tenth grade Israeli students (n=544) was investigated. Biology was the only subject in which functional knowledge was significantly related to nonformal science activities.…

Presents five activities to help students construct meaning for multiplying fractions through real-world problem contexts, physical or pictorial models, the recognition of patterns, and the use of calculators. In the context of a garden plot, worksheets examine various aspects of parts of plots, patterns in plots, and a maximization problem.…

Describes the use and rationale of "Silent Teaching," a teaching technique in which the teacher remains silent as students generate and evaluate hypotheses while trying to understand an as-yet undiscovered concept. (MDH)

A longitudinal study followed Brian from grade five through grade seven to examine his representation and development of mathematical knowledge. Some observations over the four years were that Brian liked to figure things out, responded poorly to suggestions not fitting the representation he constructed, and changed attitudes from purposeful and…

Reports on a study of 135 Russian and 279 U.S. teachers on the importance of 11 broad educational goals. Finds that U.S. teachers were most committed to basic skills development and critical thinking. Finds that Russian teachers were most supportive of interpersonal understanding, human relations, and ethical well-being. (CFR)

Presents four educational experiments reflecting Jerome Bruner's theories on iconic and enactive representation to emphasize the need for more research on how children learn. Advocates greater institutional cooperation among schools, teachers, and researchers to improve research implementation and reduce problems of school disruption and…

Reports results from a project designed to bring about student conceptual change by using multiple modeling and representation as well as links to other areas. Students developed rules as conveniences and meanings for symbols, were active in learning, made interpretations, and had confidence in their thinking. (MKR)

Evaluates the effectiveness of a course using a constructivist approach in reducing Dutch secondary school students (n=190) misconceptions about force. Concluded that the lessons were effective in changing students' ideas in regard to forces in rest situations and frictional forces and that learning effects were equally distributed over student…

Traces the development of artistic ability in a six-year-old boy with autism and mild mental retardation. Addresses questions concerning autism and artistic development including whether intellectual realism is a necessary precursor to visual realism and whether a two-dimensional photographic memory is used as opposed to three-dimensional…

Reviews the work of neurobiologist, David Marr, concerning artistic ability and autism. Summarizes Marr's theory of perceptual vision illuminating the relationships among object, observer, perceptual process, and image. Briefly reviews the cases of four autistic people with extraordinary drawing skills. (MJP)

Provides brief descriptions of major types of early childhood programs, and reviews what is known about the effects of early childhood programs on children and their families. The authors also consider how those effects come about and why effectiveness varies across programs. Five policy questions and recommendations are discussed regarding how…

This article describes the successful implementation of a technology portfolio process to evaluate the success of teacher candidates in fulfilling International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)/National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) guidelines. It suggests activities to include in such a portfolio. (IAH)

A parent questionnaire was used to assess cognitive, linguistic, and socio-communicative skills of 48 Cherokee and 37 Caucasian children ages 3-5. Cherokee scores were significantly lower across all three areas, but differences became smaller as age increased. Lower scores may reflect cultural differences in parenting rather than a language delay…

Anecdotal reports of the protective qualities of mentoring relationships for youth are corroborated by a growing body of research. What is missing, however, is research on the processes by which mentors influence developmental outcomes. In this article, we present a conceptual model of the mentoring process along with a delineation of some of the…

The aim of this study was to explain the effects of anti-smoking parenting practices on adolescent smoking cognitions and behavior by showing the mediating effects of cognitions. Data were gathered among Dutch high school students in the control condition of the European Smoking prevention Framework Approach (ESFA). Anti-smoking parenting…