If the purpose of an educational system is to guide pupils towards achieving independence, then certain conditions about the design and conduct of that system must be met. In this paper, those conditions are formulated from a socio-cultural perspective on learning and development. This paper examines the extent to which those conditions were…

Myriad international efforts exist to infuse and reform schools with ecological perspectives, but in the US those efforts remain largely on the fringes of schooling. The purpose of this study is to offer a perspective on this issue from inside schools. If one looks to the future success of environmental education, one must consider the work of…

The paper examines the implementation of an external written curriculum in the classroom. The study is based on observation of and interviews with 26 Israeli Bible teachers who followed a formal curriculum and used a teachers' guide. The study identified three types of curriculum narrative: the frame narrative, the task narrative, and the…

Reports a research project with the goal of learning about the barriers to promoting higher-order thinking in high school social studies. Compares social studies departments that are successful at promoting higher-order thinking with less successful departments. Describes the technical aspects in the development and use of the 17 observational…

Reviews the role of history in the U.S. social studies curriculum. Explains that differing interpretations of history and the purposes of history have had a significant impact on the structure of the K-12 social studies curriculum. Argues that the time is ripe for historians and social studies educators to renew cooperative efforts. (CFR)

Defines images that teachers have of themselves within their teaching context. Employs a grounded theory approach and interviews to study how these images contribute to curricular decision making in six secondary school teachers. Analyzes the effectiveness of teacher images as tools for connecting teachers' past experiences to current curriculum…

Delineates key features of four European projects designed to consider the effects of assessment on student motivation and academic achievement. Focuses on the experiences and needs of less successful students and how assessment may contribute to poor performance. Highlights concerns for changes in education that will promote high-risk student…

Reports findings of University of Bristol's Primary Records of Achievement Project. Discusses strategies for developing primary school records of achievement (ROAs), examining four examples of how local education authorities (LEAs) have implemented ROAs in primary schools in England. Presents six substantive issues emerging from research on…

Provides an introduction to the German educational theory of didaktik. Didaktik emphasizes critical thinking incorporated into content instruction. Although originally developed in the 19th century, didaktik has enjoyed renewed popularity within the last 10 years. Discusses the history of the theory and its impact on U.S. pedagogy. (MJP)

Reviews theoretical developments in science education and integrates them into a humanistic constructivist model of science learning. Applies this model to the new English national science curriculum. Explains the changing focus in science curriculum and pedagogy. Discusses theories of science learning in relation to the Education Reform Act…

Describes the process through which a multiracial, urban elementary class of remedial students adapted the children's story, "Dr. DeSoto," for an in-class presentation. Expands on this example to discuss the role of drama in language, cognitive development, and problem solving. Includes extensive transcripts of the children's…

Reports on a research development model designed to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in the Dominican Republic. The model drew heavily upon the Missouri Mathematics Project. Discusses innovations in curriculum development, classroom instruction, and inservice teacher training. Includes statistical tables on student achievement and…

Explores curriculum developers' differing opinions before they design a specific curriculum; the amount of convergence of opinion caused by curriculum deliberations; and the retention of that convergence. Finds that, despite frequent discrepancies of opinion before curriculum conferences on design issues, subsequent deliberations produced a high…

Maintains that courses in curriculum studies should be evaluated on "why" they should be part of teacher education and "how" they should be taught. Asserts that curriculum studies occupies a more tenuous position in teacher education than do established disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, and psychology. (CFR)

Discusses a study tour sponsored by Stanford University (California) for which teachers were trained in curriculum development. Questions whether encouraging teachers to become curriculum developers represents empowerment or a distraction from teaching. Argues that teaching is unlike curriculum development. Presents challenges that teachers…