This paper presents a framework and model for design of open-ended learning environments (OELEs). First, an overview is presented that addresses key characteristics of OELEs, including: use of meaningful, complex contexts; provision of tools and resources; learner reflection and self-monitoring; and social, material, or technological scaffolding.…

This paper discusses the use of World Wide Web-based conferencing in the Collaborative Teacher Education Program (CTEP) at Indiana University. The CTEP, a program offering distance education coursework to in-service teachers in rural communities throughout southern Indiana, is described, and some of the obstacles and limitations involved in…

A strategy for English second language instruction in the Greek schools of Cyprus at the elementary and secondary level is described. Central to the strategy is assignment of student projects, either individual or small-group, integrating independent language learning and use of research and planning skills. An introductory section presents the…

A group of adult learners in Tennessee who were in various stages of learning to read were interviewed in order to determine their assumptions concerning the acquisition of literacy skills. The focus of the interviews was on the students' motives for wanting to learn how to read and write, their concepts about the nature of the learning process,…

If pedagogical skills and knowledge are to become relevant to preservice teachers, students must develop their own process of active thought and become involved in their own learning. The question of how to bridge the gap between teaching theory and application can be facilitated by using a case study approach. This methodology is useful for the…

This study describes what some urban teachers at one school believe and know about literacy teaching and learning, and relates what they believe and know to two contrasting viewpoints about the way students become literate (mechanism and contextualism). Quantitative and qualitative measures were used to create summaries of teacher beliefs and…

Utilizing self-report data from 32 elementary and secondary teachers, this longitudinal, qualitative study examines the role shifts of both teachers and students as they adapted to teaching and learning in educational, technology-rich, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow environments. At first, teachers in these instructionally innovative classrooms…

Students' macroprocessing of instruction was studied in a learning situation which used adjunct questions. The subjects were offered various macroprocessing options while reading a passage on data processing and computer programming. Each sentence appeared on a computer CRT screen one at a time. The options included: (1) review any sentence or…

Selected results from an aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) study illustrate the importance of including class analyses in ATI research. The interactive effects of motivational aptitude (including locus of control, academic self confidence, and interests) and cognitive aptitude (as measured by a learning task and the Lorge-Thorndike verbal and…

This paper, a teacher's informal account of her own professional growth and teaching experiences over a 10-year period, focuses particularly on her experiences as a participant in a non-credit seminar on children's thinking and on the impact this seminar had on her teaching. The seminar included wide-ranging questions of philosophy, teaching…

The relationship of socialization, sex differences, and achievement in elementary school is examined in this research. Data were collected from an all black, lower-class, elementary school and a racially mixed, middle-class, elementary school. Results indicate that sex-related student differences follow a general pattern regardless of which school…

This paper reports on a course, offered at the University of South Alabama, that was designed to assist occupational therapy students with the transition from student role in an academic environment to entry-level professional role in the work environment by providing World Wide Web-based support to students who leave campus to complete two…

Recent developments in media and communication technologies are set to revolutionize the provision of education and training. With modern technology, it is possible to deliver lectures, assignments, tutorials, simulations, and even the contents of the world's best libraries to anyone in possession of a modem and computer. Diminishing funding and…

This paper describes a professional development program for teachers. The Certificate of Teaching and Learning (CTL), developed in Australia for Kindergarten through Year 12 teachers across all subject areas. It outlines the process of conceptualization, the dilemmas faced by the development team, and the final implementation across Australia.…

The use of modern technologies has become common in mathematics education and is considered necessary for good mathematics instruction. To effectively integrate technology into the curriculum, teachers must learn new behaviors and practices and discover that the changes result in positive student outcomes. The inherent difficulties involved with…