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Descriptors:
Instructional Materials; Kindergarten; Ethnography; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Early Childhood Education; Local Government; Young Children; Qualitative Research; Rural Areas; Educational History; Educational Policy; Mentors; Faculty Development; Social Change; Economic Change; Interviews; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes

Abstract:
By far, literature regarding Chinese early childhood education and care (ECEC) has primarily focused on Youeryuan in urban settings. Youeryuan is the everyday Chinese term used for ECEC programs serving children ages three to six, which does include the U.S. version of the kindergarten year. This paper will refer to Youeryuan rather than the Western definitions of preschool or kindergarten so as to maintain authenticity. Furthermore, this paper will focus on the history and development of rural Youeryuan based on a qualitative study of the government-owned, privately operated Youeryuan that represent the current reform initiatives in early childhood in China. Through teacher and administrator interviews, onsite observations using ECERS-R, and school documents, the lead author immersed herself in rural Youeryuan as part of a larger ethnographic study in China in the midst of economic and educational transformations. The findings of this study revealed themes related to increased government investment, improved school policies, the lack of instructional materials, curriculum and instruction issues, local government support for professional development, administrative support for instruction, and the need for mentoring for teachers. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Literacy Education; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; English Language Learners; Classrooms; Elementary School Science; Science Curriculum; Literacy; Science Education; Science Instruction; Grade 2; Grade 3; Elementary School Students; Instructional Materials; Teaching Methods; Scientific Concepts

Abstract:
Although literacy plays a large role in elementary science classrooms, one thing that offers a challenge for educators is meeting the linguistic needs of English language learners (ELLs) while also meeting their content needs. An additional challenge is ensuring that academic literacy extends beyond the classroom. This article presents ways of extending classroom literacy into the home. The suggestions and activities emphasize literacy strategies appropriate for ELLs as well as English-speaking students. (Contains 4 figures and 9 resources.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Instructional Materials; Geography; Professional Development; Geography Instruction; Educational Needs; Skill Analysis; Skill Development; Academic Standards; Instructional Design; Instructional Development; Curriculum Development; Educational Strategies; Educational Technology; Partnerships in Education; Change Strategies; Educational Change

Abstract:
Never before in human history has it been more important for a person to be geographically literate. But the unsettling reality is that many teachers and most students are not yet geographically literate. Currently, American students are not even provided opportunities to learn enough geography to understand the very basic aspects of the world in which they live. Without explicit intervention and a dedicated focus on geographic literacy by educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers, U.S. children will be unable to thrive in the global marketplace, unlikely to connect with and care for their natural environment, and unsure about how to relate to people from other parts of the world. One thing is abundantly clear; if American children hope to participate in democracy and play a strong leadership role in the world, they must possess geographic knowledge, understandings, and skills. The Instructional Materials and Professional Development Committee of the Road Map project gathered to identify the needs for geography education in this twenty-first century. These needs span every grade level in the nation's formal and informal education systems in public and private education. These needs extend beyond the stand-alone geography course and exist in science, technology, mathematics, social studies, arts, and English language arts courses as well. These needs can and should be addressed through carefully designed and properly implemented instructional materials and professional development. This article provides ten important recommendations for educators, developers, policymakers, and funders to seriously consider in supporting student learning, teacher learning, and large-scale collaboration and change in the field of geography education through instructional materials and professional development. Each recommendation is presented in the full report with a core argument and supporting research, vignettes of each recommendation in practice, examples of alignment with Common Core State Standards, additional information about recommended strategies or principles, and recommended readings. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Instructional Materials; Geography; Elementary Secondary Education; Geography Instruction; Educational Strategies; Change Strategies; Educational Planning; Partnerships in Education; Educational Improvement; Improvement Programs; Educational Needs; Needs Assessment; Instructional Development; Research Reports; Integrated Curriculum; Behavioral Objectives; Educational Objectives; Curriculum Development; Academic Standards

Abstract:
The National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, the American Geographical Society, and the National Council for Geographic Education partnered to outline a "road map" for long-term strategies to improve K-12 geography education. The partner organizations assembled three committees to create synthesis reports, each of which examined and made recommendations for an area of geography education that is critical to improvement. These areas include education research, assessment, and instructional materials and professional development. The recommendations for each report revolve around advancing a common goal; presenting an approach to geography education that balances "knowing geography" with "doing geography." Articles summarizing two of these reports (Schell et al. this issue; Wertheim et al. this issue) are included in this issue of "The Geography Teacher." This short overview is designed to provide background for those two articles. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Program Effectiveness; Instructional Materials; Geography; Educational Change; Best Practices; Elementary Secondary Education; Geography Instruction; Educational Improvement; Improvement Programs; Evaluation Methods; Evaluation Research; Evaluation Needs; Needs Assessment; Change Strategies; Academic Standards; Alignment (Education); Behavioral Objectives; Educational Objectives

Abstract:
In late 2012, both the second edition of the "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" and the National Science Foundation-funded "Road Map for Geography Education Project" reports were released; the former document describes the conceptual goals for K-12 geography education, and the latter, a route to coordinating reform efforts to realize those goals. A central premise of the Road Map Project reports is that reform must be implemented comprehensively across each facet of education. This will require a more robust foundation of research about teaching and learning around the geography learning objectives, developing high-quality instructional materials that move students toward those goals, preparing geography teachers to facilitate learning them, and creating assessments that validly and reliably assess them. The Road Map Project assessment report describes a process for creating assessments, from describing best practices for design and use of assessments, to describing a system for articulating what should be assessed, and how it should be assessed. In this article, the authors highlight five central components of the report, including: (1) areas identified as high priorities for geography assessments; (2) a clarification of the goals to be assessed; (3) an examination of how well existing assessments meet those goals; (4) a framework for creating a new generation of assessments that can support reform efforts; and (5) recommendations for where efforts should be focused to implement these changes. (Contains 2 figures and 1 footnote.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Program Descriptions; Number Concepts; Numbers; Number Systems; Instructional Materials; Material Development; Indigenous Populations; Elementary School Teachers; Instructional Design; Indigenous Personnel; American Indians; American Indian Languages; American Indian Education; Native Language; Ethnology; Mathematics

Abstract:
Results from a project conducted in Mexico are discussed, in which a group of 17 indigenous teachers analyzed the numeration systems of their first language. The main goal of the project is to develop resources that help teachers in supporting students' understanding of the systems. In the first phase of the project, the central organizing ideas of 14 numeration systems were specified. Each system belonged to a different Mesoamerican language. Three aspects of the systems were identified that would have to be accounted for in instructional design. They include using 20 as a multiplicative base. Examples are presented of the instructional resources that indigenous teachers could use to help their students understand the quantitative rationales of the systems. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Instructional Materials; Teaching Methods; Cultural Background; Foreign Countries; Asian Culture; Grounded Theory; Cultural Influences; Sociocultural Patterns; Mathematics Instruction; Social Influences; Junior High School Students; Cognitive Processes; Thinking Skills; Cognitive Style; Theories

Abstract:
From the sociocultural perspective, this research utilized activity theory as the theoretical framework to analyze the influences of cultural factors for Taiwanese Atayal junior high school students' study in mathematics. The research methodology adopted grounded theory, theoretical and methodological approaches which are illustrated through episodes from a study of the mathematics teaching and learning in a year-13 class, where Atayal students were considered as "lower achievers" in their year group. We show a way to address complexity in the activity of learning and its development based on recognition of central cultural factors in mathematics teaching-learning by the use of the activity system. Analysis through this systematic network can reveal the factors influencing Atayal students' learning of mathematics under their cultural background. The tension between Atayal culture's speech representation system and Chinese culture's literal representation system causes Atayal students difficulties in carrying out the transformation of representations. Tension formed between Atayal students' holistic thinking style and the analytic thinking style presented in teaching material and teaching activities is unfavorable to their understanding of mathematical concepts. From a teaching practice perspective, Atayal students can be more actively involved in mathematics learning activities when the tension between the teaching/learning systems is considered. As for the theoretical structure, the analysis structure of classroom activity and the design of teaching activities developed from a sociocultural orientation and activity theory can indeed improve Atayal students' mathematical learning within the cultural stream. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Individualized Instruction; Private Schools; Grade 11; Mathematics Instruction; Secondary School Mathematics; Mathematical Concepts; Mathematical Aptitude; Equations (Mathematics); Mathematics Teachers; Instructional Materials; Teaching Methods; Peer Teaching

Abstract:
Teachers of mathematics recognize the difficulty of reaching every student when the range of student abilities puts a considerable strain on the classroom discussion and time. In a response to the problem, students are grouped so that those with greater mathematical aptitude help those who have difficulties. While this approach is to be appreciated, it tends to mean that the more able students have less opportunity to explore further their own initiatives in mathematics, while those who have more difficulties find themselves on the receiving end with little opportunity to be in the role of enriching the mathematics experience for everyone, including themselves. A "multiple-centres" approach is designed to overcome these problems. In this variation of differentiated instruction, all students get the chance to engage the material from a vantage point and at a level they find interesting and challenging as a consequence of their selecting extensions of the teacher's initial focus problem. This article will present some findings of 11th year (roughly Fifth Form) average mathematics students at a US Independent School in transforming the standard quadratic equation to represent fountain parabolic trajectories, which was the teacher's focus problem, along with some multiple-centre investigations they chose. A further set of opportunities with commentaries providing additional centres for student inquiry are included. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Mathematics Instruction; Mathematical Concepts; Instructional Materials; Teaching Methods; Misconceptions; Definitions; English

Abstract:
As mathematicians, we assign rigid meanings to words that may have a variety of interpretations in common language. This article considers meanings of "if" and "or" from everyday English that have caused students to misinterpret mathematical statements, and that are consistently overlooked by instructional materials in addressing students' mistakes. To fill this gap, this article presents three studies for the classroom that engage students in confronting the differences between mathematical and everyday meaning in statements of implication and statements of disjunction. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Technical Writing; Story Telling; Skill Development; Public Policy; Policy Analysis; Educational Strategies; Interpersonal Relationship; Writing Instruction; College Instruction; Communication Skills; Instructional Materials; Class Activities

Abstract:
Within a Technical Communication classroom, policywork has been used to teach students the vital discursive and conceptual skills valued by technical fields. However, given the move of technical communicators into the public sphere, these skills can and should be expanded to include diverse practices and modes of thought. As such, this article suggests that storytelling can be used as a pedagogical tool to help students think more critically about the (sometimes hidden) relationships that policywork inheres. This article articulates relational work as a target skills set for students and suggests specific activities and handouts for developing these skills. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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