Analyzed how members of a bilingual sixth-grade class constructed knowledge as they interacted within a particular event of a social studies project. Through classroom observations, a range of features of classroom life were identified that shaped the opportunities students had to construct knowledge, including temporality, interactionals, spaces,…

Reviews research on the role of reflection subsequent to action research in the professional development of teachers. Discusses the use of reflection as a part of the learning process. Calls for partnerships within collaborative organizations that provide opportunities for interaction and reflection. (CFR)

This article notes that there are more issues and problems than positive programmatic trends; it looks at eight major challenges that U.S. schools of education must overcome if they are to become professional schools, analyzing where teacher education currently is vis-a-vis the challenges. (SM)

Describes the work of a team of university and public school mathematics educators to design mathematics assessment tasks that are effective for at-risk students. Perspectives are offered on the need for alternative mathematics assessment and the dangers inherent in the undertaking. Practical design considerations are discussed. (SLD)

Describes a Wyoming summer institute that provided intensive training to regular educators on theory, concepts, and techniques for working with emotionally disturbed children. Program evaluation revealed that the institute was successful in training regular classroom teachers to meet the needs of emotionally disturbed children. (LP)

Two teacher educators interviewed 10 elementary teachers regarding their belief systems about the teaching/learning process, examining the extent to which their instruction reflected their beliefs and noting challenges to implementing instructional strategies that complemented their philosophies. Results indicated that teachers' theoretical…

Maintains that within the qualitative paradigm there are related approaches with distinct disciplinary and intellectual traditions. Examines three genres: (1) educational connoisseurship and criticism; (2) ethnography; and (3) action research. Asserts that understanding the assumptions, methods, and contributions of these genres can expand art…

Reports that the debate over class size in schools has become more heated in recent years. Examines recent research and attempts to answer three questions regarding class size and academic achievement. Concludes that there is a link between the 2, but only in the early years and only with classes smaller than 20 students. (CFR)

Discusses a method of finding and implementing articles from among the sizeable amount of professional literature regarding cooperative learning. Describes the application of three teaching models (1) jigsaw, (2) group investigation, and (3) cybernetics that apply cooperative learning to elementary and secondary social studies instruction. (SG)

Two university educators use reflective dialogue to discuss processes they went through in understanding the political nature and assumptions of their own pedagogical practices as they searched for methods which would promote teacher empowerment and actively involve students in shaping course curriculum for a language arts class they team taught.…

Psychologist Howard Gardner argues that schools fail because they do not confront often flawed childhood theories about the world that students bring to the classroom. He claims teachers must acknowledge, challenge, and build on such assumptions so students can internalize lessons taught in school and apply them outside the classroom. (SM)

The customer service marketing model provides an organizing strategy for advising in higher education. The university contributes resources for an advising process that addresses needs and expectations of students as customers and faculty as providers. This model is evident in a recent survey of 58 bachelor's degree recipients in social work. (MSE)

The author of an article on the relationship between first-language (L1) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing instruction comments on a response to that article. Focus is on the integration of L1 and ESL instruction at the university level and on the conditions under which college writing teachers work. (MSE)

The nine articles of this miniseries examine how the technologies of self-management can be applied to problems in academic, social, and emotional domains. Both theoretical and practical issues are addressed. Application and research efforts to develop better approaches to teaching self-management have important implications for school…

A survey investigated the application of constructs related to acquisition of psychomotor skills in the preclinical dental curriculum in 220 departments of operative dentistry, fixed and removable prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and periodontics. Results indicate insufficient opportunities for students to define desired outcomes and…