Presented is a description of the experimental first-year algebra materials "Algebra Through Applications"; a description of the procedure used in evaluating these materials; and recommendations for changes in the materials, implementation, evaluation, and funding. The evaluation indicates that these materials can be effectively used in a variety…

China's opening to the world and economic reform in the late 1970s led to tremendous progress in Chinese education. Social science education, has traditionally assumed the most important task of cultivating responsible citizens. It has undergone remarkable changes in quantity and quality as a result of the change of the social and economic…

Traces the changes in the visuals used in U.S. history textbooks since the 1900s, concentrating on contemporary texts. Provides questions educators can use in assessing the educational value of textbook visuals. Critiques current textbook visuals, and suggests ways that they enhance understanding of educational information. (RW)

In response to the need for a system of control over the academic quality of distance education texts, this article proposes a methodological model based on criteria that evaluate written materials based on their instructional quality, design, and production. A discussion and figures evaluate educational aspects of content, communication,…

Coursebooks are an indispensable tool of the language arts instruction in elementary schools across California State. They are designed for teachers with precise indications of instructional practices, classroom social and participatory structures. However, these pre-designed practices are hardly evaluated for their appropriateness to meet…

In choosing statistics texts for social science students, both the matter and the mode of presentation must be considered. Selecting a statistics text is not as straightforward as selecting a text in the student's major field. Five instruments were developed to explore aspects of selection of statistics texts. These are: (1) a student survey for…

A taxonomy was developed for classifying instructional materials in fourth grade mathematics, as well as the content of actual classroom instruction and of achievement tests. The taxonomy is defined by the intersection of three factors and results in 468 cells: (1) mode of presentation (for example, use of graphs, tables, story problems)--3…

Seven articles present exercises and techniques to counteract weaknesses and deficiencies in social studies textbooks. Authors of the articles are William E. Patton, Donald O. Schneider, Mary Jo McGee Brown, Thomas N. Turner, Martin W. Sandler, and Jean Dresden Grambs. The authors are involved in various aspects of education, including curriculum…

This document represents Volume I of a two volume study to determine the extent to which four elementary level social studies programs reflect the multi-racial, multi-cultural nature of American society. The document is presented in three parts. Part I covers the Michigan Social Studies Textbook Act, an historical overview of previous Michigan…

This document, Volume II of a two-volume report on the extent to which four elementary level social studies programs reflect the multi-racial, multi-cultural nature of American society, contains individual reports of each reviewer. Fifteen reviewers examined textbooks and accompanying instructional materials according to the degree to which they…

Analyzes the different types of texts that can be used in the teaching of Italian as a foreign language. Based on their communicative function, the texts are divided into the following categories: description, narration, instruction, argumentation, and exposition. Grids with examples of each type of text are included. (CFM)

Reviews 11 series, texts, supplements, kits, and professional references for law instruction, including civil and criminal law, the Bill of Rights, and controversial legal issues: arson, gun control, capital punishment, and euthanasia. While all grade levels are covered, the emphasis is on secondary-level materials. (SJL)

This column reviews two secondary-level poetry supplements: "Steps to Poetry: Fifty Spirit Masters" and "Understanding Poetry," both from J. Weston Walch, 1978. For various elementary and secondary grade levels, ten poetry anthologies suitable for pleasure reading and six titles from the Caedmon Poetry Record series are reviewed. (SJL)

Addresses the problem of graduate students' lack of analytical skills and inability to handle theory. Maintains that the problem is the atheoretical content of undergraduate textbooks. Surveys seven introductory political science textbooks, and finds no discussion on the current dominant modes of theoretical discourse in the field. (RW)

Discusses the portrayal of women in Canadian history textbooks. Analyzes the extent of sex stereotyping in the books from the 1960s to the present. Suggests that the best way to address the problem is to meet it head on. Notes the failure of a Newfoundland teachers' group to win incorporation of a gender roles course into the curriculum. (SG)