In the fall of 1984, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) was awarded a grant from the U.S. Secretary of Education's Discretionary Fund to identify alternative state roles for improving instructional materials in mathematics. To help state leaders define an appropriate and effective role in upgrading these materials, ECS proposed first to…

The role that illustrations can play in textbooks and other instructional materials is an issue that must appear rather baffling to the instructional materials designer. Focusing primarily on the use of illustrations in textbooks designed for able readers, a literature review has revealed the following: (1) illustrations have been shown in a few…

Guidelines are offered for preparing and publishing textbook materials in Portuguese and other uncommonly taught languages. The available options for publishing Portuguese materials include two textbook publishers, three university presses, self-publication, and the Cabrilho Press, which produces language textbooks. Methods for submitting…

Research based text materials will probably never dominate the textbook market. To begin with, translating theory and research into practice is a chancy business. There are also creative problems such as the inherent oversimplification involved in textbook writing. Every textbook writer who has been a classroom teacher will acknowledge that such…

The article reports on work in progress on the preparation of a textbook for elementary Russian. Arguments are advanced for the presentation of highly marked and more differentiated material at an early stage. Also discussed are problems of the quantity of material to be presented and the introduction of vocabulary. (CLK)

MATERIAL CONCERNING MINORITY GROUPS SHOULD BE PRESENTED IF IMPORTANT TO AN ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. PRESENTATION SHOULD BE MATURE AND REALISTIC, AND TREATMENT SHOULD REFLECT A RESPECT FOR CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND HUMAN DIGNITY. A CHECKLIST IS INCLUDED TO AID THE TEACHER IN SELECTING TEXTBOOKS WHICH GIVE ADEQUATE PRESENTATION…

AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS WERE PREPARED FOR USE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE SELF-TUTORING APPROACH IN EDUCATION. THE MATERIALS COVER SECTIONS ON (1) THE ATOM, (2) ATOMIC PARTICLES, (3) CATHODE RAYS, (4) MEASURING THE ELECTRON, (5) CHARGE AND MASS OF THE ELECTRON, AND (6) MASS OF ATOMS. RELATED REPORTS ARE ED 003 205 THROUGH ED 003 207, ED…

International transfer, defined as the process of diffusing a product or idea across national boundaries, has become an increasingly significant source of educational innovation in recent years. In order to analyze the outcomes of an international transfer project, three dimensions should be considered. The first, the amount of change in the…

Criteria and suggestions for the development and selection of instructional materials for culturally disadvantaged youth are discussed from the point of view of the textbook publisher. Materials should be educationally valid (any subject can be taught intellectually and honestly to a child), should teach fundamental concepts, and should suggest…

The paper discusses how the Rugg social studies materials influenced subsequent social studies curricula and parallel the "New" Social Studies Curricula of the 1960s. Harold O. Rugg, trained as an engineer and, later, as an educational psychologist, developed, promoted, and refined his social studies materials over a 17 year period from…

Part I of this booklet contains a brief report of the procedures and the philosophy of the SMSG writing teams for each of the following areas: junior high school mathematics; algebra; geometry; geometry with coordinates; eleventh-grade mathematics; twelfth-grade mathematics; and mathematics for grades 4, 5, and 6. Part II includes a criticism of…

Seeks to promote more discriminating use of current language textbooks by attempting to isolate a general implicit goal in their development, by pointing out developmental issues awaiting resolution, either in theory or in practice, and by identifying assumptions about the desired role of teachers and students. (Author/DJD)

Discusses (1) the publishing company practice of altering literary works to conform to the extraliterary beliefs of various groups, (2) the groups prominent in such censorship activities and their actions, (3) the influence of this censorship on literature textbook selection, and (4) some works altered by censorship activities. (EL)

Describes six ways to adapt textbooks for studying purposes: chapter outlines, adapting chapter questions, adapting vocabulary, lowering reading levels, taping textbooks, and color coding textbooks. (HOD)