Connecting Instruction and Management in a Student-Centered Classroom
Ms. Thompson's seventh grade stu dents have been studying the solar system and are busily working in cooperative learning groups. Each group has been assigned one planet and their objective is to create a description of a being that could live on "their" planet. Because Ms. Thompson has done a good job of orches trating positive interdependence, students are relying on their groups to achieve their objective while the teacher serves as a facilitator (Johnson, Johnson, Holubec, & Roy, 1988). The noise level here is slightly higher than in the typical classroom as students interact with each other and fulfill their assigned roles. The teacher explained the rules for behavior to the students prior to beginning the project: "Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself," "Let others have a chance to speak," and "Contribute to your group." She has predetermined consequences for both appropriate and inappropriate behavior and shared those with the class. Ray and Bill have been having trouble getting along together and today does not seem to be an exception as they continue to "pick on" each other. Even though a warning has been issued to both students, there is yet another altercation between them. Ms. Thompson explains, "Boys, this means detention for both of you." Ray turns pale and looks upset. Bill continues poking Ray with his pencil and says, "Detention's no big deal. I don't care." Ms. Thompson explains to Bill that a call to his par ents will be made. The classroom environment promoted by this teacher is typical of many middle school teachers. The instruction was creative and student centered, but the classroom management techniques were expedient and teacher centered. There can be little doubt that an inter
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MODULAR TECHNOLOGY LAB IN THE MOSINEE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Masterson David W (Writer) (Last Name) (First) (Initial) The Effectiveness of the Modular Technology Lab in the Mosinee Middle School (Title) M.S. Industrial/Technology Education Dr. Michael Galloy Ph. D Dec. 2001 55 Pages (Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) (Month/Year) (No. of Pages) American Psychological Association__________________ (Name of Style Manual Used in this Study) Technology Education has taken on many faces over the last twenty years. Making a transition from the Manual Arts to Industrial Arts took nearly fifty years. However, the transition to education about technology evolved in as little as ten years. Brought about by the launch of Sputnik, American educators felt a need for students in the middle and secondary grades to not only learn how to work with their hands, but to understand the entire scope of technology from its need to its impact on societies and the environment. In short: to help create students who are technologists. The School District of Mosinee, in the spring of 1994, developed a document whose purpose was to drive both curriculum decisions as well as educational purchases. Based on Cook’s philosophy of strategic planning, the district set about ensuring that their new middle school Technology Education program met the litmus test of their strategic plan. That is, that the program be standards-based and student centered. In 1997, Mosinee purchased a modular technology lab with the goal of meeting their Strategic Plan.
A Study of the Changes Over Time in State Anxiety in a Computer-Assisted Instructional Program
The purposes of this study were to analyze (1) the changes over time in the state anxiety level of children in a computer-assisted program of reading instruction and in classroom reading instruction, (2) the changes in state anxiety patterns as related to gender, achievement level, and ethnicity, and (3) the difference in anxiety levels of the students while in computer-assisted reading instruction and classroom reading instruction.