A Study of Student Achievement and Attitude Utilizing Two Methods of Teaching the American Government Course in a Metropolitan Junior College
The problem under consideration was a study of student achievement and attitude by utilising two methods of teaching the American government course in a metropolitan junior college.
An Exploration in the Teaching of Critical Thinking in General-Psychology
EDUCATORS ARE becoming increasingly more interested in ways in which students ban be stimu lated to think critically. A considerable amount of research up to the present time has centered around such tasks as the definition of critical thinking, an alysis of the thinking process, and attempts at de velopment of instruments to measure such abilities. One of the more recent instruments for the meas urement of critical thinking abilities is A Test of Critical Thinking, Form G, development of the American Council on Education Cooperative Studies of Evaluation in General Education. ** The present study was designed to throw some light on the ques tion of classroom methods as related to changes in critical thinking abilities in students. Since the study was conducted in the early stages of the North Central Association study in liberal arts colleges of Illinois, it was largely exploratory in nature since one of the objectives was that of suggesting hypotheses which might be tested in better controll ed studies to follow.
A Survey of Instructional Practices and Equipment Used in Observed Lessons in the Social Studies in Grades Six, Seven and Eight, in Selected Cities of the Middle West
During the past quarter of a century educational surveys have been used extensively. Although many aspects of education such as retarda tion, finances, achievements of pupils, and the like have been discussed rather completely in these reports, the critical observations regarding in structional practices in classroom lessons have been very few and in adequate. During recent years methods of obtaining objective descrip tions of teaching activities have been evolved. This paper presents the results of a survey of instructional practices and equipment used in observed lessons in the social studies of grades six, seven and eight, in selected cities of the Middle West. To secure data concerning key activities and factors in the lessons observed, a check sheet containing ? series of items grouped under various headings was devised. After wide reading covering all phases of this matter, and as a review of preliminary observation in the schools of Saint Paul, the fol lowing observable phases of classroom lessons were included on the blank : Section I. Objectives of lessons.?The observer was asked to check the item which best described the most obvious objective of the lesson. (See Table I.) The objective is of considerable importance because the pur pose in the teacher's mind largely determines the nature of the lesson. Section II. Instructional procedures used.?-The writer realized that all procedures could not be listed, but obtained all those which were found to be quite prevalent, and also left additional space for observers to add vital procedures. (See Table II.) Section III. Presentation of subject matter.?This section showed whether the material was presented as a subject, correlated or fusion course, or in activity units. (See Table III.) Section IV. Types of assignments. This section probed into the as signments given in the lessons together with the teacher's method of organizing the work for the class. (See Table IV.) Section V. Unit of instruction.?This section brought out the teach er's method of organizing the subject matter for the recitation periods. (See Table III.) Effective organization is the key to success. The plan 348