Maintains that the adult male inmate population at a maximum security correctional center is a logical if difficult audience for effective lessons about the Bill of Rights. Presents two scenarios with accompanying instructional procedures and student discussion questions. (CFR)

How knowledge of children's thinking in mathematics derived from a cognitive science research model was used by a first-grade teacher to make instructional decisions over four years is described. The curriculum, teacher expectations, and method for using research-based knowledge are reviewed, along with the teacher's knowledge and beliefs. (SLD)

Task engagement and conceptual change were studied for 12 sixth graders in 2 classrooms where teachers and instructional materials provided students with extensive support to understand science better. Results indicate that some students recognize the value of science learning and demonstrate cognitive engagement, whereas others pursue alternative…

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…

Describes using the writing process as an instructional strategy in science classes to encourage critical thinking. (PR)

Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

Argues that a virtual field trip can complement and enhance a real one. Discusses the benefits and pitfalls of both types of field trips. Outlines a series of student and teacher activities combining an actual field trip and a virtual one to Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota. (MJP)

Reviews peer-led substance-abuse prevention programs for middle school youth to determine whether they are efficacious in minimizing substance use. A meta-analysis of 120 studies examined program features and effectiveness. Results indicated that interactive peer interventions for middle school students were statistically superior to…

Examines the interactive potential for teaching four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) in the context of what is available across a range of multimedia technologies, from CD-ROMs to the World Wide Web. Identifies three levels of interactivity in the multimedia environment and notes the advantages that multimedia…

Reflects on the author's role as kindergarten teacher in the classroom and the impact of a session on the Reggio Emilia preschools. Focuses on changes in the author's perspectives regarding the roles of teacher, student, and parent and their relationships. Discusses struggles with implementing Reggio inspired projects and the increasing use of…

Four approaches to the teaching of second language (L2) reading are described (grammar-translation, comprehension questions/exercises, skills and strategies, and extensive reading) and their status in the reading classroom is examined, and important issues in L2 reading are then discussed, including word recognition, affective and sociocultural…

Reports on a field project that allowed students to engage in problem solving, gather field data, and apply geographic concepts and tools. Students conducted a topographic survey of a shoreline and classified, counted, and weighed litter collected from the shoreline. Discusses the classification system and the students' findings. (MJP)

Numerous simultaneous educational reforms and limited data prevent drawing conclusions about the independent effects of California's Proposition 227, a 2-year-old English Only initiative. Achievement scores show little benefit for English learners. Observational data indicate that implementation of high stakes testing has encouraged teaching that…

Describes a class project that combines Native American culture, art skills, and cooperative learning. The project involves assigned readings on the history and purpose of the totem pole. Students are then given a set of visuals and work in small groups constructing their own totem poles. (MJP)

Shares findings from personal narratives of mainstream preservice teachers participating in an optional experiential component of a cross-cultural course they taught individually but planned collaboratively, examining the development of culturally sensitive behaviors. Recommendations for methods of developing such dispositions in preservice…