Japanese preschool teachers and administrators watched and commented on videotapes of Japanese and U.S. preschools. In contrast to American notions of home-school continuity and the mothering role of the preschool teacher, Japanese educators saw their large preschool classes (of approximately 30 students) as teaching overly individualistic,…

Describes a program for teaching oral communication in large English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes that focuses on the link between listening and speaking; accuracy, fluency, interaction, and meaning; authentic language use; feedback and correction; opportunities to initiate oral communication; development of speaking strategies, and motivating…

Prescribes the use and grading of student-created assessment portfolios for a large-enrollment, introductory-level environmental science course. Grading involves a modified holistic-scoring technique that evaluates student-provided evidence of academic achievement from extended, authentic tasks. Portfolio use emphasizes the integration of facts…

Higher education institutions around the world are increasingly turning to e-learning as a way of dealing with growing and changing student populations. Education for the knowledge society means new skills and knowledge are needed and it means that lifelong learning has become a necessity. Higher education institutions are looking to e-learning to…

An inquiry-based early childhood education (ECE) program focusing on the development of representational competence, guided by principles from Piagetian theory, and based on Sigel's (1970) distancing hypothesis is described, and issues of program evaluation are discussed. Principles and aims of the ECE program are stated, including, among others,…

A study was conducted to determine the perceived difficulties first year physical education teachers encounter and how their perceptions compare to those of teachers in other curricular areas. A questionnaire, sent to 110 first year physical education teachers in Illinois, achieved a return rate of 30 percent. The questionnaire sought information…

The team teaching concept is examined in this study and three working models for team teaching an education course at Middle Tennessee State University are described. The goal was to develop a model that could be easily adapted to a variety of situations and disciplines, and one that would serve as a demonstration model. The first model consisted…

INNOVATION ENGLISH AT HORTON WATKINS HIGH SCHOOL, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, IS A MODIFIED FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BOTH TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND TO SHARE THEIR REACTIONS AND IDEAS WITH OTHERS. EACH OF THE APPROXIMATELY 400 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM ATTENDS ONE LARGE GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION…

Assessment of the effects of two small-group cooperative techniques and the whole-class method on academic achievement in English as a foreign language for seventh-graders (N=665) revealed that the group methods (Discussion Group and Student Teams and Achievement Divisions) registered significantly greater improvement than the whole-class method.…

Describes a study which shows that large communications classes can be taught as effectively as smaller ones if the instructor uses "environmental" teaching methods, in which extensive student participation is guided through the use of explicit learning strategies and objectives. (MM)

This study examined computerized classwide applications of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to improve teachers' math planning within large group instructional settings, using a mathematics operations curriculum in 10 sixth grade classes. Preliminary findings suggest CBM increases teachers' abilities to incorporate students with disabilities…

Examination of gender differences in self-efficacy, attitudes toward mathematics, and achievement of 48 gifted 7th and 8th grade students after participating in a 2-week course on probability and statistics found no differences in achievement or self-efficacy between cooperative learning mixed gender or single gender groups. Differences in…

This practical guide is one of a series aimed at assisting academics in higher education in researching specific aspects of their work. Focusing on small-scale insider research in colleges and universities, the handbook covers contemporary issues, research methods, and existing practice and values in the area of teaching methods. Strategies for…

This study compared African-American and white college students' perceptions of the educational environment within large lecture classes. A total of 124 African-American students and 1,143 white students in 27 classes with enrollments of more than 70 students completed surveys as part of a larger study on student perceptions of postsecondary…

This is the third revision of a primer on all aspects of educational technology. It offers an authoritative overview of approaches and interpretations as well as detailed descriptions of specific techniques. Topics covered include: the nature of educational technology; basic educational strategies such as the teacher/institution-centered approach…