Reports on a study of "considerateness" of five fifth-grade social studies textbooks. Identifies four elements of considerateness: (1) readability level; (2) placement of relevant pictures or illustrations; (3) use of subtitles; and (4) use of words and phrases to connect ideas within and between sentences. (CFR)

How the teacher and students used the textbook in an eighth-grade science class (18 students) was studied through questionnaires, interviews, and self-report checks of book use. Results suggest the textbook served primarily as a dictionary and that it employed few instructional strategies to support higher level objectives. Implications for the…

Discusses misconceptions and outdated models appearing in biology textbooks for concepts involving bioenergetics and chemical reactions; adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the energy currency of cells; the myth of high energy phosphate bonds; structural properties of ATP; ATP production from respiration and fermentation; ATP as an energy storage…

Schools' treatment of diversity categorizes students and applies ineffectual learning methods to resulting stereotypes. The author's study of basal readers showed that today's multiculturalism suppresses most white immigrant groups' stories, omits references to first discoveries and inventions, and substitutes foreign expressions for literate…

States that in "developing" countries such as Cameroon, educators struggle to overcome the remnants of colonial educational systems and instructional methods, which are not in keeping with current educational theory. Examines the inadequacies of the Evans English textbooks used for literacy instruction in West Cameroon schools as an…

Identifies four views of the nature of the science/technology relationship: Idealist, Demarcationist, Materialist, and Interactionist. Analyzes high school physics textbooks in light of these relationship types and finds that the texts are dominated by an idealist storyline that presents a limited view of the history and philosophy of…

Discusses the importance of teaching foreign languages through culture and culture through language study. Addresses how the textbooks used to study English by Russian students must focus more on the needs of Russian students. Summarizes the findings from a survey demonstrating that Russian students' knowledge of U.S. culture originates from…

Contents of 800 elementary, middle, and high school textbooks published from 1919 to 1991 were analyzed with regard to their levels of difficulty. Following World War II, there was a major decline in schoolbook difficulty which may have led to the subsequent decline in SAT-verbal scores. (MAK)

Describes an assignment in an undergraduate course on Roman history for junior and senior history majors in which students create their own 15-page textbook using primary sources. Explains how each class session developed student analysis of primary sources. (CMK)

Journals devoted to language learning and instruction are filled with articles describing new methods, reporting research, and making recommendations. This article looks at two articles published in the late 1980s to determine whether suggestions made nearly a decade ago are reflected in recent textbooks. (Author/JL)

Considers the concept of heroes historically and currently. Explains that the media and the disillusionment in society have contributed to a confusion between celebrity and heroism. Discusses the role of the social studies educator in encouraging notions of heroism that develop effective citizenship and embody moral and ethnic heritage. (CMK)

Presents a crossword puzzle focusing on U.S. history which tests the knowledge of Canadian students about their "neighbor to the south." Includes items mentioned in an eighth-grade U.S. student textbook "America's Past and Promise". Provides a word list, blank crossword, and answers. (CMK)

Explains that narrative history is usually the focus in history instruction but contends that argument-based history should be taught instead. Views argumentation as a means for engaging students actively in historical interpretation where the students can express the higher order thinking skills that interpretation entails. Provides examples of…

Explores whether the issue of computing technology is included in social studies methods textbooks and to what detail. Discusses how computer technology can be included in social studies instruction and particularly in methods courses. Includes a supplemental bibliography of related readings. (CMK)

The events of September 11, 2001 have made it clear to teachers that curriculum content and how it is taught cannot be stationary. Teachers are incorporating the unfolding events into their lessons. Textbook companies are scrambling to produce materials to help teachers address the situation. Students question teachers' knowledge because they have…