Explains a series of experiments that enable students to discover the internal and external structure of the vanilla pod, isolate the chemical constituents of the pod, identify vanillin in the pod extract, and compare extracts across varieties of vanilla. (DDR)

Presents one approach to teaching that involves taking particular ways of thinking seriously and giving them top priority among various principles one needs for organizing mathematics (or other) curricula, allowing teachers to directly help students acquire selected thinking skills and aid acquisition of concepts, skills, and facts in content…

Discusses academic failure and the role of curriculum design in either intercepting or exacerbating learning difficulties. Evaluates changing student demographics and the diverse needs of students, and reviews the principles of effective curriculum design, including big ideas, conspicuous strategies, mediated scaffolding, strategic integration,…

Argues for the commencement of foreign-language instruction at the elementary school level or even at the kindergarten level. However, such instruction must consider the developmental stages of children of this age. Implications for early foreign language instruction are drawn from the similarities and differences between first- and…

Describes the development of a university learning center that connects students' out-of-class and in-class experiences. Discusses educational programming and the need to solicit ideas from potential users. Includes guidelines for soliciting proposals and details the center's facilities. Emphasizes that this model can be adapted to other…

Argues that colleges need more than new techniques to engage students; they must transform college culture. Stresses that teaching and learning be the main topic of conversation, and that such conversations should be more informed and more information-based. Teaching itself can be viewed as substantive, intellectual work. (RJM)

Ninety preservice teachers completed the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), a diagnostic inventory of 10 scales, before and after an educational psychology course that included learning strategies instruction. By course completion, student LASSI mean scores improved on six scales but continued to show a need for remediation. Scores…

Describes a graduate seminar on race and ethnicity in the teaching of chemistry. Tables show representative titles from the course bibliography and course announcement for Chemistry 901, covering such issues as the culture of science and multicultural teaching strategies. Discusses course requirements and syllabus. Concludes with course feedback…

Describes the learning cycle and some strategies that teachers can use in their classrooms to make the transition to the learning cycle less stressful. Includes tips on how teachers can effectively change roles during an activity and how they can alter laboratory formats to enhance student learning. (DDR)

Reports on a study that examines the beliefs and attitudes of prospective primary school teachers with respect to the learning and teaching of mathematics. Concludes that some of these beliefs impede reform efforts. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Describes a project involving student journal writing designed to examine middle graders' mathematical thinking and disposition. Teachers gained insight into students' conceptual and procedural knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics. Students' responses suggested that they found journals to be a way of sharing their thoughts about mathematics,…

Although inquiry has been identified in recent Scottish curriculum documents for young learners, no considered approach has examined what it means for practice. As a first step toward building inquiry into elementary curriculum planning, a working model of inquiry is outlined from the perspectives of the learner and of the teacher supporting…

Contends that institutional education, concerned with standards and consistency of evaluation, should be balanced by the importance of raising awareness about environmental issues. Advocates experiential learning to give meaning to life which can help students adjust their behavior. Encourages teachers to model learning behavior with students,…

Discusses research related to the impact of residence hall programs on student learning. Examines the educational potential of residence halls and suggests ways to develop community. Reviews 19 programs focusing on student learning, grouped under approaches such as faculty involvement, first-year experience, theme housing, residential colleges,…

Provides an empirically supported rationale for increasing student learning rates by improving the efficiency of learning trials. Describes several procedures that have been shown to improve learning rates without increasing the time allocated for instruction. Examines learning mechanisms that may be operating to improve student achievement. (RJM)