A checklist, devised from a chart illustrating the purpose, method, and content characteristics of three social studies teaching traditions, was administered to 55 preservice teachers in Nigeria and 84 preservice teachers in Indiana to compare their teaching style preferences. (ND)

Results of pre- and post-testing the tree identification skills of a group of 4-H members showed that adolescents aged 9-11 respond better to lecture demonstration teaching methods, while adolescents aged 12-14 respond better to an inquiry process that used nature trails as the primary instructional tool. (MLH)

In today's highly competitive workplace, students must be prepared to respond to the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. While pursuing their academic careers, students need specific information about career possibilities in their prospective field, ideas for mounting a successful job search, an awareness of the dramatic changes occurring in…

This report contains five action research papers in science education. Papers include: (1) "Does Classroom Size in an Industrial Technology Laboratory Affect Grades and Success in Class?" (Chad Bruns); (2) "The Effects of Project Based Learning on Students' Engagement, Independence, and Interest in Physical Geology Class" (Jill…

The complexity of mathematics teaching involving both cognitive and sociosystemic factors makes development problematic. Examples from research into teaching reveal factors in complexity and ways in which inquiry between teachers and didacticians can foster deeper ways of knowing in the developmental community. Research is seen as the basis of an…

Scientific inquiry reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world, and it is at the heart of how students learn. From a very early age, children interact with their environment, ask questions, and seek ways to answer those questions. Understanding science content is significantly enhanced when ideas are anchored to inquiry…

NASA CONNECT is an annual series of free integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance learning programs for students in grades 5-8. This video presents the World Space Congress 2002, the meeting of the decade for space professionals. Topics discussed range from the discovery of distant planets to medical advancements,…

This project was a field research experience designed to enhance the capacity of middle and high school teachers to incorporate active research into their classroom teaching. Evaluation was designed for both formative and summative purposes. All activities in the project had the goal of using inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Teams of one…

This paper discusses recent trends in the field of after-school education and addresses how today's climate of after-school education promotes a pro-learning/anti-development stance, albeit unintentionally. It uses research from one urban after-school program to illustrate this point, framing staff and children's understanding of the developmental…

This paper argues that academic service learning at the undergraduate level provides an accessible and powerful crucible for exploring a career in teaching while also providing needed literacy experiences for children. Undergraduate service learning programs can include direct and authentic experiences that enroll, engage, and stimulate both…

This paper begins by talking about six findings from a major long-term study conducted by Judith Langer, Director of the Center for the Study of English Learning and Achievement, State University at Albany, New York--the study examined English language arts programs in schools that have been working to increase student performance. The paper…

A Nation at Risk, Goals 2000, and No Child Left Behind are examples of external factors that compel educational leaders at local schools and districts to explore reform initiatives in order to meet federally required results. Because of political mandates to improve student learning and instruction, educational leaders are searching for…

This paper subjects "A Declaration on Learning" published in the UK in 2000 to a critical review. A brief synopsis of the text is followed by a commentary discourse drawing upon critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 2001) and incorporating meta content analysis, rhetorical analysis and genre analysis. Conclusions are drawn related to the…

It is widely recognized that developing a successful teaching practice, one that is grounded in the principles that guide the current effort to reform mathematics education, requires a qualitatively different and significantly richer understanding of mathematics that most teachers in the 1990s possess. However, it is not as clear how teachers'…

Inquiry-based research is recommended as a method for helping more students understand the nature of science as well as learn the substance of scientific knowledge, yet there is much to learn about how teachers might adapt inquiry for science teaching and what teachers need to know in order to do this. This case study of an exemplary teacher's…