Presents a class project facilitated by a teacher who used his background in construction to teach students to build a house, during which process many geometric and measurement concepts were introduced or reinforced. Discusses importance of student responsibility and the vital cooperation between construction experts, materials suppliers, and…

Addresses the question of whether it is possible for early years teachers to achieve understanding and appreciation of children's behavior and development without having insights into their own behavior and family backgrounds. Suggests that teachers must recognize the importance of their own backgrounds in how they look at children, teaching, and…

Reports a study to investigate the factors that affect science achievement in rural secondary schools. Data from multiple sources provided a profile of the science programs and teachers, and factor analysis identified groupings related to science achievement that included teacher variables, student and teacher attendance, and teacher in-service…

Describes the life and beliefs of Jacob C. Meyer, a history teacher of the author. Suggests that although Meyer's lack of publication dooms him to be forgotten, he is in other ways a memorable person. Includes Meyer's education, experience as a conscientious objector during World War I, and efforts at reforming the Mennonite Church. (DK)

Reports on data from the three surveys by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education of faculty from 80 institutions. This analysis covers the following topics: demographics, prior experience, field work, scholarship, teaching loads, and likelihood of reform. (SM)

The way in which teachers use technology in their instruction is often a function of their educational and technological background, their previous teaching experience, and the amount of attention the instructor pays to the goals of the course. The three stages of teaching elicit the following types of questions: (1) survival: "How can I survive…

In spring 1994, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) collected information on student achievement in reading, U.S. history, and geography at grades 4, 8, and 12. To provide a context for interpreting NAEP findings, the project collected background information from students, teachers, and school administrators using separate…

This study of career patterns in teaching was conducted to provide insight into the development of careers within the teaching profession. The objectives of the study were: to describe the career patterns of a national sample of individuals from the high school class of 1971 (1,011 individuals surveyed during the period 1972-86) who were either…

This study reports the results of a questionnaire mailed to 700 teachers probing uses of computer software in Maine special education programs. Findings based on a 54 percent response (N=381) indicate no significant differences in educational level, previous training, gender, years of experience, or age between computer users and non-users.…

A survey of 124 San Francisco State University (SFSU) faculty was conducted in Fall 1989 to assess their attitudes, observations, and experiences concerning human relations at SFSU. This report provides frequency distributions for each of the 37 items on the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on: treatment of various racial/ethnic…

This study was designed to add to the knowledge bases of teaching and professional development. It is a phenomenological study of the classroom teacher and a group of seven elementary school teachers who reflected upon, wrote about, and discussed their lives as classroom teachers over a one-year period. Teachers kept written diaries which…

Current research and past experience indicate the need to examine longitudinal effects of staff development efforts on school improvement and knowledge use. A six-month follow-up study of knowledge use from staff inservice training was undertaken. Questionnaries were completed by 235 staff (94 percent teachers) who had participated in a study of…

The unusually high rate of teacher turnover in American Indian reservation schools (up to 41% of new teachers on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation) is an ongoing source of distress to administrators, teachers, and community members. Teachers who move on tend to be young, inexperienced (four or fewer years in teaching), single, and from or…

As revealed in personal interviews, periodicals, published and unpublished manuscripts, and school records, the teachers were the key factor in bringing education and culture to the frontier that was western South Dakota. Many teachers were girls of 16 or 17, inexperienced, hired from states to the east (Minnesota and Iowa), sight unseen.…

THIS REPORT PRESENTS INTERCORRELATIONS AND FACTOR ANALYSES OF ITEMS FROM THE TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED AS PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SURVEY. THE CORRELATIONS AMONG SELECTED ITEMS FROM THE 102-ITEM TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE WERE COMPUTED TO (1) DISPLAY THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS, (2) DOCUMENT THEM FOR OTHER RESEARCHERS, AND (3) SERVE…