Describes action research on the efficacy of problem-based learning using a hermeneutic dialectic methodology. Focuses on the emergence of students' critical-thinking skills, the relevance of science concepts taught, the interdisciplinary nature of the problems addressed, and the changing roles of the teacher and students. Reports that the course…

A case study is presented on the effect of the Student Affairs National Agenda on student services at four community colleges. Interviews were conducted with presidents, chief academic officers, and chief student affairs officers. An analysis of micropolitical factors suggests a strategy for enhanced effectiveness of such efforts. (Author/EMK)

Describes a collaborative action research project at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) which utilized class debates in an international management class to develop students' ability to assess their own and each other's learning. Evaluation suggests the debates enabled students to develop a critical view of the topics and acquire…

Describes a cognitive intervention that offered novice student teachers access to the thinking underlying an expert teacher's practice, examining the implementation and impact of the cognitive intervention, which involved two 2-hour workshops held between participants' first and second practicum experiences. Workshop transcripts indicated that…

Presents the 1998 position statement regarding early literacy development formulated by the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Outlines issues and reviews research. Offers a set of principles and recommendations for teaching practices and public policy. Includes a continuum of…

Maintains that the collegiate chapters of the Music Educators National Conference act as an excellent training ground for student leaders. Recommends continuing the support and guidance for these students to emerge as leading teachers. Provides specific advice for MENC chapter advisors on fostering support and independence. (MJP)

Discusses the transformation occurring in higher education as well as keys to enhancing learning and personal development. Suggests that student affairs redesign its work by promoting an increased capacity for learning and self-reflection in order to redefine student learning and personal development as the primary goals for undergraduate…

Asserts that teaching as a political act, a construct supported by critical theorists, is appropriate for the developmental educator. Education is a means of exciting the active and critical minds of students, of breaking through the boundaries of traditional learning on college campus through authentic dialogue and the critical exploration of the…

This chapter sets a context for the use of student development theory in student affairs work, summarizes several prominent theories, and offers examples of how the entertainment media can be used to facilitate understanding of these theories by both graduate and undergraduate students.

Historically, student affairs professionals focused their work almost exclusively on undergraduate students. Doctoral faculty remained focused on the comprehensive needs of doctoral students. However, this situation is changing. Due largely to growth in numbers and diversity of graduate students, student affairs professionals at colleges and…

For this article, the development of 1 teacher's pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986) was tracked longitudinally across 2 years as she taught a new instructional unit in middle school mathematics. Growth in pedagogical content knowledge is characterized as the interanimation of 2 Discourses (Gee, 1999). One Discourse refers to…

In this article, the author discovers the cultural challenges and rewards of starting a center for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). When she became the principal of a middle school outside of Baltimore, MD, she learned that her first year would also be the school's first year as a middle school English for speakers of other…

This article considers the development in understanding of aspects of formative assessment of students' writing at Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) by a group of trainee English teachers. An "analysis and application" approach to writing development, which requires students to master categories and processes then apply them, is outlined and…

Assessment data from both an FYE-infused general education course (N = 153) and a first-year seminar (N = 392) were analyzed to identify students' perceptions about projects that required significant participation in out-of-class activities as an integral part of the course. The results from this analysis revealed that in addition to increasing…

Cultural diversity in society is reflected in schools but it is seldom taken into account as an influential variable in the personal and social development of students. School culture transmits specific socio-cultural values (those of the dominant group), excluding other cultural features that are not in accordance with it. Certain educational…