A group of teacher trainers and artists developed a thematic unit designed to introduce elementary school children and preservice teachers to the Sioux Indians. The art and literature mediums chosen for the unit were the "Dream Catcher" and the Iktomi story. The instructional sequence incorporated visuals, explanation, and discussion to develop…

A study examined the effects of the use of sign language in young hearing children's language development. The study tracked a class of 19 Maryland students from their first week of prekindergarten over the 2-year period that ended with the last week of their kindergarten year. Subjects received sign instruction during the prekindergarten year and…

Laptop computers offer a unique way to package a course so that students will learn academic communication skills using the latest technological tools. Laptops can be programmed to be compatible with a school's computer system, eliminating many potential problems students might face in adapting their home computers. Additionally, a level playing…

Educational technology tends to be characterized by a lack of targets; therefore, it is time for education to define its targets in aspiring to the school of the future and consider the option of calling in experts from other fields to help in problem solving. This paper predicts that while classroom design may not change too much, classrooms will…

Public schools are increasingly investigating portfolio assessment as a means of evaluating student performance. A project examined student participation in portfolio assessment and cooperative learning in a "Reading in the Content Areas" class for preservice teachers. Students were a diverse group which included preservice middle school…

In January 1995, five community colleges were selected to participate in a year-long project to implement new teaching methods in associate degree nursing programs to better meet community needs. Supported by the American Association for Community Colleges, with seed money from the Metropolitan Life Foundation, all of the projects also had…

A study was conducted at Kansas City Kansas Community College to determine if cooperative learning strategies were effective in improving teaching quality and enhancing the learning process of students in social science courses in general and in entry-level sociology and psychology classes specifically. A review of the literature provided…

A partnership was developed between the Bozeman (Montana) Public School District (BPSD) and the Montana State University (MSU) College of Education, Health, and Human Development. The purpose of the partnership was to foster collaboration between the two groups to improve the quality of K-12 education in the Bozeman District and to improve the…

This 1997 yearbook presents a vision of how research and classroom practices related to multicultural diversity and gender equity can reinforce each other to ensure a powerful mathematics program for all students regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. This book contains a variety of perspectives and diverse voices…

Intended to help teachers of grades K-6 develop students' writing skills, this book contains easy-to-follow instructions for creating many fun types of correspondence, such as pop-up and scratch-and-sniff cards. The book is filled with lists of useful resources, including ways to find pen pals, an annotated bibliography of children's books that…

The research question addressed in this paper concerns the degree to which teachers use authentic pedagogy, i.e., teaching strategies that foster authentic learning. Three questionnaires were developed, covering four characteristics of authentic pedagogy: (1) the construction of knowledge in complete task environments; (2) the connection to the…

This handbook provides an overview of research in the field of educational communications and technology. The handbook may be used to familiarize students and researchers with a domain of research in this field prior to their own research, or may be used as a guide for selecting research topics or methodologies. The book consists of 42 papers by…

The 18 papers in this proceedings describe strategies and practices used in undergraduate psychology courses at two- and four-year colleges. The following presentations are included: "The Costs and Benefits of Critical Thinking," (Randall E. Osborne, Judy Laws, Ken Weadick, and Vicki Mantooth); "What's a Developmentalist To Do?" (Judith Luis);…

A study examined a joint service project undertaken by two Georgia State University (GSU) English department faculty members interested in studying distance learning technology. GSU's system uses fiber optics and technology to connect learners at a remote site to a teacher. The project involved assisting in preparing gifted students in grades 6-8…

This report contains the citations for the 1997 Hesburgh Awards for successful, innovative faculty development programs to enhance undergraduate teaching. The University of Missouri-Columbia, General Education Program, was the program judged to have best met the three award criteria: significance of the program to higher education, appropriate…