"Gruppo Futuro" (Future Group), a novel educational project linking futures studies to multimedia and giving children control of the content of their instruction by focusing on their views of the future, was implemented in a Swedish fourth-grade class. Participating in the project were 29 children in Tullingebergsskolan, their teacher,…

Describing the findings and insights gained from a two-year research and development project entitled "Integrating Assessment with Instruction," this document focuses on the current measurement needs of teachers and the instructional processes for meeting those needs. The article is divided into four segments: (1) a description of the…

The results of the first International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (IEA) survey of science subjects are summarized in this document. The purpose of this survey was to gather data from nationally represented samples of schools, teachers, and pupils from 19 countries and determine the factors accounting for variations…

This document considers school violence by reviewing the school environment, assessing the difficulties and causes of violence, and offering solutions to the problems. One study describes risk factors for aggressive behavior among middle school students and presents steps that can be taken to prevent the development of such behavior. Several…

The mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is to strengthen teaching in order to improve schools. There has been general agreement that a national certification system that could reliably identify teachers who meet high and rigorous standards would command the respect of the profession and public. The NBPTS has…

This issue presents eight essays all on the theme of how young children can become strong and successful lifelong readers. "Seeking Common Ground" (Lee Sherman) reviews the debate over how best to teach young children to read. "In the Beginning" (Catherine Paglin) suggests that by reading aloud to young children and filling their world with print,…

This theme issue of "Educational Foundations" contains five articles that utilize an array of foundational perspectives that give reader insight into the organization of schools, the viewpoints of children and parents, the ideological and political nature of community organizing, and mathematics instruction in the Soviet Union. In…

The "Idea Place," a regular feature carried by the magazine "Learning," provides an assortment of practical teaching techniques selected from commercially available materials and from ideas submitted by readers. Games and activities are given for the areas of reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, science, social studies, and…

Many words which have been treated in the denotative sense are actually connotative in nature. That is to say that citing a definition or stating a fact should not be a learning goal. Rather, a "conceptualization" should be what teachers are striving for. A series of activities dealing with density have been provided for demonstrations or…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of six research reports related to preservice teacher education and instruction are presented. Aspects addressed in the studies include: (1) teaching strategy analysis models in middle school science education courses; (2) concerns-based adoption model (CBAM): basis for an elementary science methods course; (3)…

Data collection and recordkeeping are the topics discussed in this instructional aid. Examples are given of creative ways of recordkeeping developed by children. Justification for the process is presented, such as the kinds of skills that can be developed by keeping science records. The evaluation of childrens' work is discussed and suggestions…

The focus of this article is patterns and pattern making using geometric figures. Included are sequentially planned activities for K-8 students that help them first to discover the attributes of various figures and later how to combine these figures into patterns. Finally, this information is applied to real world activities such as quilting and…

This document describes performance assessments (PAs) (alternative assessments or authentic assessments). PA requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer on a ready-made list. Some methods that have been used successfully to assess performance include open-ended or extended response exercises, extended tasks, and portfolios.…

This collection of classroom ideas for the elementary school teacher contains learning activities, teaching methods, and suggestions on a wide variety of topics. The 22 teacher-submitted articles include ideas on writing, art, getting acquainted, vocabulary, self-esteem, open house, Halloween, mathematics, drama, hobbies, Valentine's Day, oral…

The Search for Excellence in Science Teaching and Career Awareness was undertaken to recognize programs that have proven to be innovative in leading students to greater career awareness. This document lists and explains the criteria for excellence in this search and provides descriptions of the five exemplary programs that were selected. Program…