Elementary Teachers’ Use of Graphical Representations in Science Teaching

The purpose of this study was to obtain data on United States K-5 elementary school teachers’ self-reported instructional practices with graphical representations. Via an electronic survey, 388 elementary teachers, from throughout the US, reported about their teaching of the interpretation and the production of graphics within science. The main findings indicate that: (1) pointing to or referring to graphical representations in books (92% of respondents) was the most frequently used instructional practice across the disciplines and grade levels; (2) five of nine graphical representations (over 90%) were more frequently used in science instruction than in other content areas, and (3) students’ graphical productions involving drawings, labeling, and oral and written explanations were very infrequent. The findings indicate that while teachers may tacitly use graphics within science instruction, they may not be explicitly teaching about this visual form of communication.     

“From the Beginning,I Felt Empowered”: Incorporating an Ecological Approach to Learning in Elementary Science Teacher Education

Research in Science Education - While a renewed national dialog promotes the importance of science education for future technological and economic viability, students must find science personally...     

Teacher perceptions of differences among elementary students with and without learning disabilities in referred samples

Current referral and identification procedures for students with learning disabilities (LD) have been criticized on conceptual and procedural dimensions, including difficulties in operationalizing the definition and in making eligibility decisions that are data based. Recognizing these difficulties, the Texas Education Agency appointed a task force to examine various issues associated with the identification, assessment, and programming of students with LD. Task force members recognized the need to identify classroom behaviors that differentiate students with LD from their non-disabled peers. Two scales of 83 items each were devised and piloted in 70 school districts. Five significant factors or subscales were identified through discriminant factor analyses. Two subscales and 18 individual items discriminate students later classified as LD and those referred but not subsequently classified as LD. Results are discussed, with implications for further investigation of behaviors that distinguish students with and without LD.     

Broadcast Programming and Management

George Dessart's Television in the Real World: A Case Study Course in Broadcast Management (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$16.50/8.95)

Howard W. Coleman's Case Studies in Broadcast Management (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$10.75/4.95)

Joseph S. Johnson and Kenneth K. Jones' Modern Radio Station Practices (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1978—$12.95)

Charles Clift and Archie Greer, eds. Broadcast Programming: The Current Perspective (University Press of America, 4710 Auth Place, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20023— price not given, paper)

Rose K. Goldsen's The Show and Tell Machine: How Television Works and Works You Over (New York: Dial Press, 1978—$10.00)

Ben Logan, ed. Television Awareness Training for New Awareness, New Decisions, New Action (Media Action Research Center, Inc., 475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10027—$8.50, paper, including mailing)

Lee Polk and Lda LeShan's The Incredible Television Machine (New York: Macmillan, 1977—$6.95)

Mary Livingstone Benny, Hilliard Marks and Marcia Borie's Jack Benny (New York: Doubleday, 1978—$10.00)