Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 28 Number 5

Edited by Diane McGrath

Volume 28 Number 5 Summer 1996

Teaching Teleapprenticeships: An Innovative Model for Technology Integration in Teacher Education, References Clift–Miyake

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Publications

Rene Clift

Author(s): Clift, Renee; And Others
Title: Developing the Potential for Collaborative School Leadership.
Journal: American Educational Research Journal; v29 n4 p877 908 Win 1992
Year: 1992
Abstract:
Role relationships among teachers, administrators, and university educators from five schools and one university in a three-year collaborative project were studied. A general progression from initial ambiguity regarding role definitions for all participants to a tentative consensus on the value of the importance of teacher leadership is noted. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ460524

Author(s): Clift, Renee T., Ed.; Evertson, Carolyn M., Ed.
Title: Focal Points: Qualitative Inquiries into Teaching and Teacher Education. Teacher Education Monograph No. 12.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
The focus of this monograph is on the distinctions between questions addressed in research on teaching and issues of concern in teacher education and on the interplay of curricular, contextual, and pedagogical issues in both public schools and university settings. The publication is organized into seven chapters: (1) "Action Research and the Work of Teachers" (Susan E. Noffke); (2) "Developing Reflective Practice in Initial Teacher Education Courses: The Place of Reading and Writing" (Peter Lucas and Jean Rudduck); (3) "Personal Perspectives and Learning To Teach Writing" (Mary Louise Gomez and Trish L. Stoddard); (4) "Mathematics in Elementary School Tasks" (Ralph T. Putnam); (5) "Learning in Classroom Settings: Making or Breaking a Culture" (Elaine C. Collins and Judith L. Green); (6) "Teacher Culture from the Inside: A Case Study of Change from the Perspective of Active Participant Observer" (Joyce Henstrand-May); and (7) "Moving Pictures, Multiple Frames" (Renee T. Clift and Carolyn M. Evertson). (References are appended to chapters.) (LL)
Document Number: ED350304

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.
Title: Teacher Education and Teaching Empowerment for Whom? When?
Journal: Teacher Educator; v27 n1 p14 23 Sum 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
Teacher empowerment should begin by preparing teachers to make wise decisions about educational experiences and control decisions about educational quality. If teacher educators feel their efforts are shaped by elements beyond their control in situations prizing faculty governance and autonomy, a compliance-oriented socialization process begins and is amplified in school. (SM)
Document Number: EJ438522

Author(s): Clift, Renee; And Others
Title: Restructuring Teacher Education through Collaborative Action Research.
Journal: Journal of Teacher Education; v41 n2 p52 62 Mar Apr 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
This article describes a collaborative action research project between University of Houston education faculty and the staff of five elementary schools. The project investigated the status of learning cultures for teachers and administrators in their schools. Implications for initial and continuing preparation of teachers and principals are drawn. (IAH)
Document Number: EJ409636

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.; And Others
Title: School Context Dimensions That Affect Staff Development.
Journal: Journal of Staff Development; v11 n1 p34 8 Win 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
Discusses staff development, examining data from a project involving the University of Houston and seven schools. Teacher interviews revealed five dimensions of school context affecting opportunities for their professional development (interpersonal, structural, individual, leadership, and synergistic). (SM)
Document Number: EJ417490

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.; And Others
Title: Exploring Teachers' Knowledge of Strategic Study Activity.
Journal: Journal of Experimental Education; v58 n4 p253 63 Sum 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
Thirty-seven elementary and secondary school teachers were surveyed about their knowledge of task-specific study strategies, and 10 were interviewed to validate and extend the survey data. Teachers seldom reported providing students with metacognitive components of strategy instruction. Implications for teacher instruction in study strategies are discussed. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ414340

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.; And Others
Title: Dogs, Ponies, and the Improvement of Teaching: English Teachers' Perceptions of the Texas Teacher Appraisal System.
Year: 1989
Abstract:
This paper explores the impact of the Texas Teacher Appraisal System (TTAS) through an analysis of interviews with 24 high school English teachers. The first part of the paper discusses the development of the TTAS and the second section describes the study. The teachers were asked if and how the TTAS had affected their teaching performance, what were positive and negative aspects of the system, how they would change the present system, and what would constitute an ideal system. Responses revealed that: (1) all but one of the subjects indicated that the TTAS had affected their teaching performance during evaluation; (2) more than a third of the subjects indicated that the TTAS had caused them to reflect on their teaching; (3) the most frequently mentioned negative aspect of the TTAS was that teaching performance could be staged or rehearsed for evaluators, also that too much depends on the relationship between the teacher and the evaluator; (4) the subjects indicated that evaluation should not be tied to monetary gain, observations should be unannounced, and evaluation should be based on more than classroom observation; and (5) a majority of the teachers believed the purpose of an ideal evaluation system should be individual growth or professional development. To correct what teachers perceive to be problems with the TTAS would require a shift from a summative to a formative evaluation emphasis. (JD)
Document Number: ED312221

Author(s): Clift, Rene T.; Say, Michael
Title: Teacher Education: Collaboration or Conflict?
Journal: Journal of Teacher Education; v39 n3 p2 7 May Jun 1988
Year: 1988
Abstract:
After reviewing five existing collaborative models for preservice and continuing teacher education, this article proposes a reciprocal model for collaboration that will be mutually beneficial to institutions and individuals involved in teaching and teacher education. (IAH)
Document Number: EJ384736

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.
Title: English Teacher or English Major: Epistemological Differences in the Teaching of English.
Journal: English Education; v19 n4 p229 36 Dec 1987
Year: 1987
Abstract:
Discusses a study of six senior English majors at the University of Houston, three of whom intended to be teachers and three who did not. Concludes that English teachers' prior experience as students has a crucial impact on the way they view teaching. (JC)
Document Number: EJ364670

Author(s): Clift, Renee Tipton; Warner, Allen R.
Title: University Contributions to the Education of Teachers.
Journal: Journal of Teacher Education; v37 n2 p32 6 Mar Apr 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
The authors assert that universities make four unique contributions to the education of teachers by providing (1) reflection on educational issues; (2) multiple perspectives; (3) intellectual diversity; and (4) research. These contributions are discussed. (MT)
Document Number: EJ333732

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.; Waxman, Hersholt C.
Title: Some Neglected Elements of Effective Schools Research: A Review of Literature.
Journal: Journal of Classroom Interaction; v20 n2 p2 11 Sum 1985
Year: 1985
Abstract:
This annotated list of references represents current knowledge in five areas related to effective schools and classrooms. These areas are (1) the process of education change; (2) school and classroom culture; (3) student cognition; (4) student affect; and (5) school improvement and staff development. Also included are references to middle school effectiveness and methodological issues. (Author/MT)
Document Number: EJ330692

Author(s): Clift, Renee
Title: High School Students' Responses to Dramatic Enactment.
Journal: Journal of Classroom Interaction; v21 n1 p38 44 Win 1985
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Students in four secondary school classes were taught two lesson topics, the first by dramatic reenactment, the second by lecture/seatwork. Concept acquisition, retention, and students' attitudes toward the instruction form were measured. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)
Document Number: EJ330703

Author(s): Joyce, Bruce; Clift, Renee
Title: The Phoenix Agenda: Essential Reform in Teacher Education.
Journal: Educational Researcher; v13 n4 p5 18 Apr 1984
Year: 1984
Abstract:
Reviews some current criticisms of teacher education and the nature of recent reform proposals. Presents a series of propositions dealing with (1) potential reform of teacher education's substance and process and (2) governance of certification, accreditation, and the link between research community and teacher education process. (CMG)
Document Number: EJ298996

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.; Wilson, Suzanne
Title: Training Preservice Teachers to Use Dramatic Activities with Secondary School Students.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
A case study design that included classroom observation, repeated self-assessments, and formal interviews was used in a training workshop for 11 preservice teachers. The intent was to train them to use dramatic activities with secondary school students in their own classrooms. The training incorporated elements of theory, demonstration, peer teaching, feedback, classroom implementation, coaching, and social-emotional support. Four sections that were separated by classroom implementation tasks comprised the training workshops. The sections consisted of (1) warm up exercises in which the trainees accustomed their students to using dramatic activities; (2) simulation of course concepts or process; (3) role playing, which emphasized the human elements within the curriculum; and (4) a final training assignment, which assessed the trainees' abilities to transfer the workshop contents to their own instruction. Evaluation of training included trainee self-evaluation and observer evaluations. All trainees completed the training; nine considered themselves to be competent at using dramatic activities in their own classrooms. (HOD)
Document Number: ED258168

Author(s): Clift, Renee T.
Title: High School Students' Responses to Dramatic Enactment.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
A study compared the effects of dramatic enactment as a class activity with more traditional teaching methods on students' acquisition and retention of the concepts taught in the lesson. Subjects were 102 secondary school students from various content classes, randomly assigned to a half-class. Each half-class was taught two lesson topics, half via dramatic enactment on the first topic and half via lecture/seatwork. The instruction was reversed for the second lesson. Lesson concept acquisition and retention were measured, in addition to students' attitudes toward the instructional form. Two students from each half class were interviewed about their participation, thoughts, and emotions during instruction with regard to participation and off-task behavior. As predicted, the results indicated that students' concept acquisition and retention were equivalent during both forms of instruction, but that they favored dramatic enactment as an instructional form. The descriptive data regarding students' cognitive and affective processes indicated that while students were equally attentive during both forms of instruction, dramatic enactment illicited more expressions of interest or excitement during instruction and fewer expressions of fear. (HTH)
Document Number: ED257070

Author(s): Joyce, Bruce R.; Clift, Renee Tipton
Title: Teacher Education and the Social Context of the Workplace.
Journal: Childhood Education; v61 n2 p115 9, 122 8 Nov Dec 1984
Year: 1984
Abstract:
Analyzes problems of horizontal and vertical transfer of training skills to the school setting in terms of teachers' lifelong learning in the profession. Research findings support the necessity of reforming most teacher training programs to encourage learning the theoretical underpinnings of the profession and to provide a social context for solving practical problems. (CB)
Document Number: EJ312545

Moshe Cohen

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; Riel, Margaret
Title: Computer Networks: Creating Real Audiences for Students' Writing. Report No. 15.
Year: 1986
Abstract:
A study examined the effect of a computer network which was designed to create a functional learning environment to engage students in writing as a communicative act with a real audience. Subjects, 44 seventh-grade Israeli students, wrote an essay as part of their regular midterm examination and, a week later, wrote another essay for their peers, intended for transmission through an international newswire service to a network of computers located in Virginia. Students wrote their essays in Hebrew without the use of computers. The essays for the network were then translated into Spanish or English for the computer-linked audience. Results indicated that student essays written for a real audience (their peers) were better organized and dealt with the content in a more informative and elaborate fashion than did the essays written for the exam. (Two tables of data are included; 57 references are attached.) (RS)
Document Number: ED347524

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; Miyake, Naomi
Title: A Worldwide Intercultural Network: Exploring Electronic Messaging for Instruction.
Journal: Instructional Science; v15 n3 p257 73 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Discusses the Intercultural Learning Network, an international computer network designed to enable students from different cultures to work with one another. Questions addressed include whether it is technically possible, economically feasible, and useful for instructional purposes; what organizational structures are required; and whether it can support multiple languages and cultures. (MBR)
Document Number: EJ347601

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; And Others
Title: Exemplary Educational Computer Use: Coping with Rapid Changes in Technology. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #12.
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Over the past decade educational researchers and curriculum evaluators have dealt with the deviation between a specified educational program and its actual implementation. These differences have been referred to as a critical problem in both the achievement and the evaluation of a program's goals. The research reported here has explored the grassroots implementation of computer-use in classrooms as an alternative approach to program implementation. An ethnographic study of six exemplary elementary classrooms in the San Diego County (California) area found that successful implementation of computers was the result of the combined efforts of an enthusiastic teacher, who became the "computer expert," and a supportive principal, who in most cases did not know about computers but recognized their potential. These implementation efforts resulted in applications that were different from conventional uses, and were evaluated against heterogeneous criteria of success. Diversity in the implementation of computers in education was found to be a useful mechanism for coping with the rapid rate of change in computer technology. The grassroots introduction of computers required extensive efforts on the part of the teachers involved and resulted in the recognition of their academic effort by colleagues. If the implementation of computers had followed the traditional top-down hierarchical approach, it could not have kept abreast of rapid technological changes and might have become overly constrained in its application. (23 references) (Author/GL)
Document Number: ED311875

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; Miyake, Naomi
Title: A Worldwide Intercultural Network: Exploring Electronic Messaging for Instruction. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #8.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
A worldwide international computer network, called the Intercultural Learning Network, has been developed to provide students from different cultures with opportunities to work cooperatively. Prototype activities have been developed and tested which facilitate and contextualize interactions among secondary and college students. Joint projects in language, science, and social studies are carried out using an overnight electronic network to coordinate parallel surveys and to exchange findings of joint research. Five important questions are addressed in this research: (1) Is the Intercultural Learning Network technically feasible? (2) Is it economically feasible? (3) Is it useful for instructional purposes? (4) What organizational structures are required? and (5) Can the system support multiple languages and cultures? Findings indicate that because of continuing technological advances, cross cultural activities have become economically and technically feasible. The level of technical expertise needed is reasonably accessible to any motivated teacher. The continuing costs involved are small enough to be covered as incidental expenses by many school budgets. The educational potential of the activities is promising. Some prototype activities have been developed to facilitate the initial interactions across cultures. Joint participation in such activities is a good way to encourage multilingualism and awareness of other cultures. Further research is being conducted to evaluate the long term effects of international networking on students' attitudes, knowledge, and cultural awareness. (12 references) (Author/GL)
Document Number: ED311872

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; And Others
Title: The World as Functional Learning Environment: An Intercultural Learning Network. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #7.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Electronic networks provide new opportunities to create functional learning environments which allow students in many different locations to carry out joint educational activities. A set of participant observation studies was conducted in the context of a cross-cultural, cross-language network called the Intercultural Learning Network in order to evaluate the potential of this interactive medium for instruction. This network was established in the spring of 1984 with a series of pilot projects conducted between San Diego (California), Tijuana (Mexico), and Juneau (Alaska). Goals of the network are to: (1) facilitate interaction across cultural boundaries in joint problem solving in real and simulated instructional domains; (2) provide a motivating context for the development of literacy skills in local and foreign languages; (3) educate students about cultural diversity, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism; and (4) promote the exploration of and exposure to local and foreign culture, norms of behavior, tradition, and values. Since 1984, the network has expanded to more sites around the world and into a broader range of activities, including joint social science studies, functional language learning activities, and distributed problem solving projects. Initial findings indicate that the Intercultural Learning Network is meeting its goals. (39 references) (Author/GL)
Document Number: ED311871

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; And Others
Title: Exemplary Classroom Computer Use. A Time for Tools. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #1.
Year: 1983
Abstract:
The Policy Board of the Teacher Education and Computer Center (TEC Center) for San Diego/Imperial Counties of California requested researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), to produce a background paper on the effective local classroom uses of microcomputers. Exemplary site studies of two elementary, two junior high, and two high schools in San Diego County were conducted to examine several examples of innovative computer use and gain an understanding of future possibilities. One elementary school and two middle schools stressed programming as the central feature in the computer curriculum. The other elementary school and two high schools introduced students to a range of special purpose tools such as word processing, database management, telecommunications, and graphics, with programming playing a secondary role. Almost no drill and practice was observed at any of the sites. This result contrasts with reports of national and local surveys which reported drill and practice as the most frequent use followed by programming, and tool use being almost non-existent. The policy implications of this research are that the TEC Center should shift its emphasis from programming to software tool use, and should play a role in: (1) evaluating and distributing software tools; (2) coordinating an effort to open exemplary computer classrooms to visitors; (3) establishing telecommunications links between schools, curriculum developers, and institutions of higher education; and (4) supporting in-service training for teachers and administrators. Four appendixes include a summary of each exemplary computer-use site and three papers written by UCSD researchers which bear on this project. (27 references) (GL)
Document Number: ED311868

James Levin

  Author(s): Levin, James; And Others
Title: Teaching Teleapprenticeships: A New Organizational Framework for Improving Teacher Education Using Electronic Networks.
Journal: Machine Mediated Learning; v4 n2 3 p149 61 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Describes a project at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign that explored several models of teleapprenticeships to provide teacher education students with collaborative, constructivist learning models through the use of electronic networks, and to integrate instructional computer experiences within the teacher education process. (five references) (LRW)
Document Number: EJ495113

Author(s): Jones, Craig; Levin, James
Title: Primary/Elementary Teachers' Attitudes toward Science in Four Areas Related to Gender Differences in Students' Science Performance.
Journal: Journal of Elementary Science Education; v6 n1 p46 66 Win 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Compares data on preservice and inservice primary/elementary teachers' attitudes toward science and science instruction. In addition, the attitudes of males and females were compared. (PR)
Document Number: EJ484186

Author(s): Jacobson, Michael J.; Levin, James A.
Title: A Rule-Based and Hypertextual Electronic Mail System for Electronic Learning Environments: Applying the Distributed Network Learning Framework.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
This paper discusses issues related to the design of software tools that support learners in their participation in network-based learning activities. To guide the development and use of a new class of educationally-oriented network tools, this paper proposes a cognitively-based, distributed network learning framework (DNLF). This framework has three main aspects: (1) network mediators and the flow of information and knowledge; (2) networks and cognitive theories of learning; and (3) the human-network interface. As an example of an application of the DNLF, an ongoing research and development project is described that involves an electronic mail program called The Message Assistant is described. The Message Assistant is designed to promote higher order learning goals as a part of instructional activities conducted over distributed educational networks. In addition to the standard electronic mail features such as creating, sending, receiving, and reading messages, this program includes a user-defined incremental expert system and hypertextual linking functions to assist network users in their evaluation, organization, and distribution of network information and knowledge. Research using the DNLF can provide insights into important aspects of electronic educational networks and help guide the design of tools to better support learning in these rapidly evolving network environments. Six figures illustrate The Message Assistant screen displays. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/ALF)
Document Number: ED349961

Author(s): Knorr, Thomas, Sr.; Levin, James
Title: A User-Friendly Forecast.

Journal: Science Teacher; v57 n3 p58 9 Mar 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
The use of the Accu-Weather database system in a junior high school classroom is described. Costs, equipment, and information received are discussed. Two software packages designed for use with meteorological data and Accu-Weather are highlighted. Availability information and a description of the services provided are included. (CW)
Document Number: EJ409403

Author(s): Riel, Margaret M.; Levin, James A.
Title: Building Electronic Communities: Success and Failure in Computer Networking.
Journal: Instructional Science; v19 n2 p145 69 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
Discussion of the use of computer networks to create electronic communities highlights a research strategy that compared educational activities conducted across electronic networks to examine features of successful and unsuccessful electronic communities. Networks described include university researchers' networks; teacher networks; student networks; and international networking. (24 references) (LRW)
Document Number: EJ416974

Author(s): Levin, James; And Others
Title: The Teacher Education Curriculum: A Computer-Assisted Process for Informed Decision-Making.
Year: 1989
Abstract:
This report describes a computer assisted process that resulted in the development of a comprehensive database of actual courses taken by undergraduates in teacher preparation programs for use in decision making about possible curriculum redesign for teacher education majors. The creation of the database required four stages: (1) selecting majors from the College of Education and other academic areas corresponding to one of the College of Education majors for analysis and comparison; (2) defining majors and dividing them into subject categories; (3) classifying majors in terms of subject category courses, courses taken but not categorized, and required courses not taken; and (4) describing majors in terms of individual student credit information. While the primary focus of the present study was to compare the actual consumed curriculum of teacher education with their counterparts in other colleges, the database created from the study could be useful to a variety of audiences depending on the issues or questions to be addressed. Sample data are presented in four tables and three figures. (DB)
Document Number: ED327161

Author(s): Waugh, Michael L.; Levin, James A.
Title: TeleScience Activities: Educational Uses of Electronic Networks.
Journal: Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching; v8 n2 p29 33 Win 1988 89
Year: 1989
Abstract:
Described are successful science activities which have been conducted on an international telecommunications network which links schools in the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Israel. Examined are several activities currently being developed. Reports an innovative way to involve a wide range of students in the scientific process. (MVL)
Document Number: EJ389618

Author(s): Levin, James A.; And Others
Title: Education on the Electronic Frontier: Teleapprentices in Globally Distributed Educational Contexts.
Journal: Contemporary Educational Psychology; v12 n3 p254 60 Jul 1987
Year: 1987
Abstract:
The Inter-cultural Network is an electronic communication network connecting faculty and upper elementary through graduate students in the U.S., Mexico, Japan, and Israel. The students address the problem of water shortage, while learning science concepts and transferring learning. A new form of instruction, teleapprenticeships, is suggested. (GDC)
Document Number: EJ361912

Author(s): Levin, James A.; And Others
Title: Education on the Electronic Frontier: Teleapprentices in Globally Distributed Educational Contexts. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #14.
Journal: Contemporary Educational Psychology; v12 p254 60 1987
Year: 1987
Abstract:
The instructional media created by microcomputers interconnected by modems to form long-distance networks present some powerful new opportunities for education. While other uses of computers in education have been built on conventional instructional models of classroom interaction, instructional electronic networks facilitate a wider use of apprenticeship education, in which students learn skills and acquire knowledge in contexts similar to those in which they will be used. To investigate these possibilities, an instructional electronic network (the Intercultural Learning Network) interconnecting students and teachers in the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Israel has been developed. For one project conducted in this network, students tackled a problem in their own community, the problem of the shortage of water. By addressing a problem shared across the different locations, students learned to transfer solutions used elsewhere to their own problems. They also acquired science concepts in an instructional setting that provided dynamic support for the acquisition of problem solving skills. This study raises a challenge to education: that the dominant form of instruction could become "teleapprenticeships." In this form of instruction, students would participate in globally distributed electronic problem solving networks, jointly tackling problems with other students, with teachers, and with adults outside the school. (9 references) (Author/GL)
Document Number: ED311876

Author(s): Levin, James A.; And Others
Title: Reflexibility in Problem Solving: The Social Context of Expertise. Report No. 13.
Year: 1986
Abstract:
A series of studies conducted to identify the factors that block and unblock problem solving is described. Through the construction of an isomorph of the classic "water jar" problems developed by A. S. Luchins (1942) as a dynamic graphic micro-world, several factors involved in producing blocked states were identified. Subjects included 10 individuals and 10 pairs of subjects. By comparing the behavior of individuals tackling the "missionaries and cannibals" problem to that of pairs of subjects solving this problem, a study identified means by which problem solvers operating in a social context are able to overcome blocks that discourage individuals. These studies point to the importance of "reflection" (evaluation of problem-solving results) for flexible problem solving. This research suggests that teaching students to analyze what they have done will help them develop flexibility in using a new approach when blocked. The results may also account for the difficulty in showing learning in "discovery learning" uses of computers, such as the use of LOGO, since such uses often do not encourage students to reflect on the outcome of their problem solving. (TJH)
Document Number: ED310147

Author(s): Levin, James; And Others
Title: A Strategy for Classroom Resolution of Chronic Discipline Problems.
Journal: NASSP Bulletin; v69 n479 p11 8 Mar 1985
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Students who chronically misbehave may respond to the field-tested anecdotal record technique. The teacher keeps a daily record of the student's positive and negative behaviors and the teacher's responses, and shares progress with the student daily. (PGD)
Document Number: EJ315237

Author(s): Riel, Margaret M.; Levin, James A.
Title: Learning with Interactive Media: Dynamic Support for Students and Teachers. Interactive Technology Laboratory Report #4.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
The controversy over appropriate educational uses of computers is framed along a continuum based on the amount of support provided to the user. Software programs in which the user's role is to respond in a pre-determined structure (program controlled software) anchors one end of the continuum, while software which empowers the user to create new ways to use the computer (user control software) anchors the other end. Both positions in the controversy are too static. An alternative position is proposed: a process of educational software use in which the amount of assistance provided by the computer is systematically decreased as novices gain expertise. This principle, termed "dynamic support," applies to students learning to write and to teachers learning to incorporate computers into their classrooms. (21 references) (Author/GL)
Document Number: ED311870

Author(s): Levin, James A.
Title: Computers as Media for Communication: Learning and Development in a Whole Earth Context.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Educationally successful electronic network activities involving microcomputers and long-distance networks include a student newswire, joint social science projects, and joint science projects. A newswire activity, such as "The Computer Chronicles," can provide a wide range of audiences for writing, a functional environment for reading, and a context for evaluating the writing of oneself and others. Joint social science projects carried out by middle and high school students and teachers at sites in California, Israel, Japan, Alaska, and Mexico have involved students in comparing educational systems across sites, analyzing the news coverage of the "same" event at the different sites, and surveying popular music at the different locations. Joint science projects currently are being organized in which students collect data on some shared problem, jointly analyze the data, and report findings. Not only is this a "functional learning environment" for science instruction, but it also may be a powerful way to teach problem solving. In the longer run, these kinds of joint activities can become a central part of the educational experience. The dynamic support provided by computers and computer networks may make it economically feasible to include an "apprenticeship" model for learning as a central part of our educational system. (RH)
Document Number: ED262898

Author(s): Levin, James; And Others
Title: Critical Experiences in Student Teaching: Effects on Career Choice and Implications for Program Modification.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Student teachers from Pennsylvania State University described experiences which supported or reduced their motivation to pursue teaching as a career. Data were collected from students who had successfully completed an 11 week full-time student teaching experience. The sample included 77 elementary, 92 secondary, and 28 special education student teachers. Most student teachers provided multiple comments regarding positive and negative experiences, resulting in 956 examples. Of these, there were 557 positive responses and 399 negative comments. Most positive responses came in the category of "individual interaction between teachers and student teachers," followed, in descending order, by "student feedback to teacher," "pedagogy," "achievement," and "teacher interaction with students." Categories with the most negative responses were "student behavior," "behavior management," "professional behaviors/attitudes outside the classroom," and "parents/community expectations/attitudes." Tables display percentages and ranks of positive and negative responses, and samples of comments in each of the categories are included. (CB)
Document Number: ED261021

Author(s): Levin, James; And Others
Title: Teachers' Perceptions of School Discipline: Their Impact on Staff Development Delivery.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
A questionnaire on attitudes toward discipline problems and classroom management strategies was submitted to 71 secondary school teachers. Thirty-eight of the respondents taught in a large inner-city junior high school composed of equal percentages of White, Black, and Hispanic students. The remaining 33 respondents taught in a small, suburban school in an affluent district with a predominantly white student population. The first section of the questionnaire dealt with classroom management techniques, characteristics of students viewed as discipline problems, and corrective measures employed in the schools. The second section asked for rank ordering in importance of the major causes of discipline problems, the most frequently occurring problems, and ways to improve discipline. Results showed that a majority of the teachers agreed with over half of the statements presented in the first section, and that they were in solid agreement that discipline problems were greater in the inner-city school. When teachers ranked in order of importance the major causes of discipline problems, problem frequency, and ways to improve discipline, few rankings were found statistically different. Analysis of responses indicated that teachers recognize the need for competence in classroom management, feel a need for administrative support in handling problems, and are receptive to more training in classroom management. Several suggested guidelines for inservice planning are discussed. (JD)
Document Number: ED246034

Author(s): Levin, James; Klindienst, David
Title: Differences in Attitudes between Academic Continuing and Academic Terminal Secondary Science Students.
Year: 1983
Abstract:
This study compared attitudinal data on students who had dropped college preparatory science (academic terminal) in high school (N=55) with those who continued to enroll (academic continuing) in college preparatory science courses (N=108). Eight attitudes that have been hypothesized to be related to learning cognitive performance and enrollment in science were assessed. These were: science usefulness; confidence in learning science; science as a male domain; effectance motivation in science; success in science; teacher support; parental support; and peer support. The relationships between these attitudes (dependent variables) and sex (male, female), three grade levels (tenth, eleventh, twelfth), and science program (academic terminal, academic continuing) were examined. Among the results reported were those indicating that: (1) although there were no widespread differences in attitudes between males and females, females anticipated more positive consequences as a result of successful achievement in science; (2) academic continuing students saw more usefulness in the study of science, had more confidence in studying science, and liked science more; (3) perceived peer support toward the study of science was low regardless of the grade. The overwhelming significant differences favoring academic continuing students, regardless of sex, indicate the importance of attitudes in possibly reducing the attrition rate in science. (Author/JN)
Document Number: ED244837

Author(s): Levin, James; Jones, Craig
Title: Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Toward Science in Four Areas Related to Gender Differences in Students' Science Performance.
Year: 1983
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to compare data on preservice and inservice elementary teachers' attitudes toward science and science instruction. Four attitudes were assessed: (1) science as a male domain; (2) science usefulness; (3) confidence in teaching; and (4) effectance motivation (liking of science). These measures were selected since they have been shown to be related to sex differences with respect to science/mathematics enrollment and achievement. Attitude measures were administered to preservice teachers (N=48) during their senior year in college and to inservice teachers (N=77) in a southern Pennsylvania school district. Independent variables included levels of professional status (preservice/inservice), grade levels (preschool/2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, no preference), levels of instructional importance of science (high/low), sex (male/female), and levels of science courses taken in college (none, 1/2, 3 or more). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance, Duncan's multiple comparison test, and Tukey's HSD multiple comparison test. Significant differences were found for the main effects of professional status, science instructional ranking, and sex; and also for the interaction effects of professional status x college science, science ranking x sex, and science ranking x college science. Tables, references, implications, and recommendations for further research are included. (Author/JN)
Document Number: ED229230

Author(s): Levin, James A.; Boruta, Marcia J.
Title: Writing with Computers in Classrooms: "You Get Exactly the Right Amount of Space!"
Journal: Theory into Practice; v22 n4 p291 5 Fall 1983
Year: 1983
Abstract:
Microcomputers are useful for writing in classrooms, especially if they are integrated into the classroom context through writing activities appropriate to this medium. Elementary school students' uses of microcomputers to: (1) create a newspaper; (2) send electronic messages; and (3) write reports or letters using interactive text programs are described. (JMK)
Document Number: EJ296060

Author(s): Levin, James A.
Title: Computers in Non-School Settings: Implications for Education.
Year: 1981
Abstract:
Computers in non-school settings, educational computer games, and education without schools are the primary topics covered in this three-section paper. The first section describes the use of personal computers in two different, non-school environments: the home and computer clubs. A "diary study" by Yaakov Kareev is summarized, in which the interactions of two young boys with a home computer were observed over a 7-month period. The second study discussed investigated how computers could be used for learning through the establishment of two clubs for 10-year olds. The second major section describes different kinds of learning activities that could be easily implemented on present-day microcomputers. Incorporating ideas from existing games, adventures, and simulations, the specific games and activities that are suggested include simulated worlds, educational adventure games, geographical and chemical adventures, adventures in programming land, an evolution mystery, and multi-function computer activities. The final section discusses implications of the introduction of personal computer technology for education and examines the trend toward a decentralization of education and a possible shift from formal institutions such as schools to home and peer play situations. (LMM)
Document Number: ED243409

Author(s): Levin, James A.
Title: Estimation Techniques for Arithmetic: Everyday Math and Mathematics Instruction.
Journal: Educational Studies in Mathematics; v12 n4 p421 34 Nov 1981
Year: 1981
Abstract:
A range of estimation techniques are described, and a series of mental computation procedures based on concepts of measurement and real numbers are presented in detail. (MP)
Document Number: EJ254347

Author(s): Levin, James A.; Archbold, Armar A.
Title: Working Papers in Dialogue Modeling, Volume 1.
Year: 1977
Abstract:
The five technical working papers that comprise the two volumes of this document are related to the problem of creating a valid process model of human communication in dialogue. In Volume 1 both papers consider reference as a phenomenon in text. The first surveys reference identification and resolution methods in various existing natural language processors. The second paper explores the broader problem of reference, focusing on text reference and propositional reference. It develops problems and proposals for defining these categories of reference phenomena, and for detecting their presence. (Author/WBC)
Document Number: ED136780

Author(s): Levin, James A.; Moore, James A.
Title: Dialogue Games: Meta-Communication Structures for Natural Language Interaction.
Year: 1977
Abstract:
Studies of natural dialogue indicate that people interact according to established patterns which are organized around the participants' goals. These patterns have been represented by a set of knowledge structures called "Dialogue-games" which are founded on conventional knowledge about communication and its uses to achieve goals. The "Parameters" of a Dialogue-game represent elements that vary across instances of a particular pattern, and the "Specifications" of these parameters represent the conditions which must be present for a particular Dialogue-game to be employed successfully. The "Components" are the expected sequence of intermediate states that occur during an instance of a particular conventional pattern. Representations of several Dialogue-games are presented, and a process model is discussed. (Author/WBC)
Document Number: ED136778

  Naomi Miyake

Author(s): Hatano, Giyoo; Miyake, Naomi
Title: What Does a Cultural Approach Offer to Research on Learning?
Journal: Learning and Instruction; v1 n3 p273 81 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
The articles of this issue argue that taking culture into consideration in research on learning can enhance understanding of a variety of phenomena related to learning. Discussion reinforces this position and further considers learning processes that are or are not determined by culture. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ438637

Author(s): Cohen, Moshe; Miyake, Naomi
Title: A Worldwide Intercultural Network: Exploring Electronic Messaging for Instruction.
Journal: Instructional Science; v15 n3 p257 73 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Discusses the Intercultural Learning Network, an international computer network designed to enable students from different cultures to work with one another. Questions addressed include whether it is technically possible, economically feasible, and useful for instructional purposes; what organizational structures are required; and whether it can support multiple languages and cultures. (MBR)
Document Number: EJ347601

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