Despite the best of intentions, qualitative researchers can be faced, in some circumstances, with having to make meaning from thin, or less than optimal, data. Using a real study as context, the authors describe the ways that they made sense of their thin data on teachers' perceptions of a large-scale evaluation instrument. They propose a…

A sequential testing model is proposed which employs discriminant functions to classify examinees into groups which could correspond to instructional treatments. A termination rule based on the computed posterior probability of group membership is suggested. (Author)

A BROCHURE GEARED TO HELP TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN DIEGO ZOO IS PRESENTED. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF THE ZOO EMPLOYS TWO FULL-TIME TEACHERS AND A DRIVER-GUIDE. THE PROGRAM OFFERED IS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED--(1) IN "PRESCHOOL AND FIRST GRADE," INTRODUCTIONS ARE…

The "layer-cake" curriculum of yearlong science courses and the "good science" approach are outdated. A new scope sequence is warranted, in which all sciences are taught every year K-12 and instruction proceeds systematically from concrete through empirical to theoretical. (SK)

Comments on the preceding article which examined elaboration theory and offered suggestions for updating it to reflect new knowledge. Highlights include the simplifying conditions method; internal versus external knowledge structures; connectionism and authentic tasks; content structure as organizing structure; ill-structured domains; and…

Discussion of dictionaries as databases focuses on the digitizing of The Oxford English dictionary (OED) and the use of Standard Generalized Mark-Up Language (SGML). Topics include the creation of a consortium to digitize the OED, document structure, relational databases, text forms, sequence, and discourse. (LRW)

Organizing the work of instructional improvement around a process that has specific, manageable steps helps educators build confidence and skill in using data. A process that includes eight distinct steps can take school leaders to use their assessment data effectively, and organized these steps into three phases: Prepare, Inquire, and Act. The…

A new online learning tool called the eCommSports Kit links a seven-step sports marketing curriculum with a school team to give students real-life experience in developing and executing a plan to boost game attendance. The kit, available through http://www.ecommsports.com, takes teens on a cross-curricular journey through conducting business…

This paper examines how Head Start and state pre-kindergarten programs can work together to better serve young children and their families. It focuses on two of the several models of early childhood education, acknowledging that these programs are just one piece of a fully integrated system of early care and education for children from birth until…

Article describes one approach used to introduce faculty to alternative instructional designs. (Author)

Elaboration theory is a prescriptive model of instruction which focuses on how to structure and organize subject matter while attempting to be consistent with cognitive theories of human learning. In this system, instruction in the subject matter should proceed sequentially, from the general to the specific, with each part explained and related to…

The review demonstrates that studies of the role of instructional sequencing provide an important test of the assimilation-to-schema theory, and that many apparent inconsistencies in the literature may be better understood by an analysis of the internal assimilation process. (Author)