The main section of this 10th-grade teaching unit on Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" consists primarily of sample dialogue, between the teacher and students, which attempts to lead the students to think critically about values. Other sections list questions on the novel, major events of the plot, and page references for descriptions…

In the framework of a long term teaching experiment we present an Educational approach based on the use of a dynamic geometry software and a symbolic manipulator. Here we present the general ideas of the followed approach focusing on how meanings can originate from phenomenological experience and evolve under the guidance of the teacher. In…

Evaluated the effects of cooperative learning on students' (n=36) verbal interaction patterns and achievement in a conceptual change instructional model in secondary science. It was found that students using cooperative-learning strategies showed greater achievement gains and made greater use of specific verbal patterns believed to be related to…

Used hierarchical linear models to estimate the extent to which five inquiry-based teacher practices promoted student achievement and reduced achievement gaps among diverse students. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study suggest that teacher practices that improve overall academic excellence simultaneously are as likely to contribute…

Kentucky's goal of reaching academic "proficiency" by 2014 illuminated 2002 reading test scores: 44.30% of middle and 71.25% of high school students scored below "proficient." The research question was, "Do teaching practices in schools with high reading achievement scores differ from teaching practices in schools with low…

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate about how to tackle the issue of "the teacher in the teaching/learning process", and to propose a methodology for analysing the teacher's activity in the classroom, based on concepts used in the fields of the didactics of mathematics as well as in cognitive ergonomics. This…

This self-administered self-study examined a high school teacher's thought processes during the planning and teaching of lessons, and after the lessons had been completed--identifying levels of reflectivity, interactive thoughts, and decisions. Video tapes, teacher journal entries, and peer interviews were used to help stimulate recall and explore…

Animation, still graphics, and text only were compared for their effects on the acquisition of the mathematics skill of using a compass to create triangles. Attitude toward instruction was also studied. It was hypothesized that animation would result in greater achievement of the learning task, and that text alone would yield the lowest…

AN AUDIOLINGUAL LABORATORY TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING RURAL SPEECH PATTERNS OF DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WAS EVALUATED. THE SAMPLES CONSISTED OF 72 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WERE DIVIDED EQUALLY AMONG EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. A SERIES OF LESSONS ON ENGLISH USAGE FOR LISTENING AND REPETITION WERE ADMINISTERED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THESE…

The tenth grade unit of the FICSS series (Focus on Inner City Social Studies -- see SO 008 271) deals with the political-economic systems in the United States. The first unit of the sequence focuses specifically on capitalism in a democracy. The document deals with both the theoretical and practical aspects of capitalism. The theoretical section…

This study attempted to construct an instrument--the Poetry Methods Rating Scale (PMRS)--for assessing 10th-grade teachers' opinions of poetry teaching methods and to validate it by comparing the scores on the PMRS to the teachers' attitudes, personality, performance, and success in the classroom. The PMRS (a 38-item, seven category…

Maintains that the literature curriculum should reflect our pluralist society, not a canonical tradition. Suggests pairing canonical works with works instantiating pluralism. Describes a unit on the novel for a ninth grade honors class and the use of an "adolescent problem novel" in a sophomore intermediate class. (SR)

To investigate the effectiveness of integrating abstract and realistic visualization, the effectiveness of four treatments was measured for: (1) facilitating student achievement of different kinds of educational objectives; (2) students possessing different levels of student ability; (3) externally paced and self-paced methods of instruction; and…

Examined influence of teaching methods on content achievement of concrete and formal concepts by students differing in level of operational thought and influence of concrete/formal teaching on the intellectural development of students (N=86 grade 9-10 biology students). Methodology, results, conclusions, and implications are discussed. (Author/JN)

Verified the efficacy of concept and Vee mapping heuristics under cooperative, cooperative-competitive, and individualistic whole-class learning conditions in improving (n=808) eighth graders' achievement in ecology and genetics. Experimental groups achieved significantly better than the control groups; students in cooperative-competitive…