Discusses the use of computers in elementary and secondary school mathematics instruction. Topics addressed include the use of computers in compiling student portfolios; a model shift regarding assessment, mathematics instruction, and computers; computer software programs; and new approaches to teaching, including cooperative learning, multigrade…

A step-by-step guide to designing interdisciplinary courses is presented. Underlying theoretical rationales and expected educational outcomes are explored, and concrete suggestions and examples are offered. Steps include assembling an interdisciplinary team, selecting a topic, identifying disciplines for inclusion, developing the issues underlying…

Presents four primary objectives for written assignments. Describes the use of writing assignments in a college probability and statistics course. Maintains that this approach requires students to show statistical and writing skills rarely elicited elsewhere in their coursework. (CFR)

Presents a secondary lesson in which students participate in a role-playing exercise to determine whether or not a juvenile should be remanded to an adult court. Includes learning objectives and step-by-step implementation procedures. Also includes four student handouts representing legal issues, briefing sheets, and a mock police report. (CFR)

Describes the use of primary source documents and maps in a seventh-grade geography class. Maintains that 90 separate topics were divided into 6 main categories for student research. Asserts that the use of primary documents encouraged the development of the students' critical thinking skills. (CFR)

Asserts that teaching report writing to students is a difficult task. Discusses four dimensions of student report writing and emphasizes the importance of visual aids to help students comprehend the material on which reports are based. Describes semantic webbing and cooperative groups to teach outlining and report writing. (CFR)

Discusses how jury duty for a murder trial led to the development of a simulation in which students serve as jurors for a murder trial. Provides role descriptions, testimony, and instructions for using the simulation. Outlines suggestions for student writing assignments and adapting the simulation for different regions. (CFR)

In a social psychology class based on experiential learning, students carry out research and interpret a setting by observing social interaction. Settings include correctional facilities, self-help groups, and abuse shelters. Describes students responsibilities, reactions, data collection, analysis, and project findings. Finds students learn…

Provides details of a mock town meeting (using the warrant prepared for the town's real town meeting) which was planned and conducted by ninth grade students. Includes a project evaluation. (PRA)

Presents a class activity that uses the dime novel in a critical mode as an avenue to increase student's knowledge of the concepts and themes of women's experiences during the nineteenth century. Provides background of the dime novel. Asks students to compose their own dime novel, and provides a student handout that outlines the process. (RW)

Describes a secondary U.S. history course in which students study the impact of industrialization on U.S. culture and society. Asserts that assignments in which students create political cartoons, poetry, posters or other visual products enhance student interest and provide diverse evaluation strategies. (CFR)

Discussion of Web-based instruction in Korean higher education focuses on methods of student assessment, including formal (tests and assignments), informal (attendance, participation, and discussion) and alternative (portfolios, and practicums). Discusses evaluative studies on distance education and suggests improvements in current assessment…

Describes how the author, teaching at a South Florida high school with many children of Mexican-American migrant workers, shaped his English instruction in scenarios that reflected students' lives and cultures. Shows how class discussions and assignments probed the worthiness of the language used and the reason why it was successful. Argues that…

Presents an eighth-grade classroom where students collaborated with the teacher to decide how to designate time spent on reading, creative writing, and journal writing. Discusses needs assessment, student suggestions, choosing the solution, and implementation. A sidebar outlines student-determined writers' workshop, readers' workshop, and…

Offers an interview with Robert Wylie, a distinguished two-year college English teacher for almost 50 years. Discusses how important it is for an English teacher to write, important issues in the profession, his views on the best ways to help students improve as writers, his observations about writing assignments, liking students, teaching…