The author explores the benefits of making arts experiences and instruction a regular part of the elementary classroom routine and suggests ways to incorporate them. She investigates the connection between the arts and learning, to see how the arts enhance education. Through selected literature, government leaders, business people and educators speak out on behalf of the need for the arts in education. The author offers a variety of ideas and resources that the classroom teacher can use to become more arts minded in her lesson planning.

The problem of this study was to investigate the problems listed as bothersome and their frequency as identified by selected elementary teachers. Another objective was to analyze differences between teacher problems and selected social demographic variables. The background research was limited to a review of the literature related to the subject. It was determined that the relevance of professional problem solving as a competency could provide formative information to guide changes in undergraduate, graduate, preservice, and in-service education. A descriptive research design was followed by surveying a selected sample of teachers of grades 1-7 in the nine counties and two cities with independent school districts in Southwest Virginia. Three hundred fifteen teachers were randomly selected to participate in the study. Two hundred forty-six teachers responded, and the findings reflect their responses. The statistical analysis of the collected data indicated significant differences in 12 of the 21 hypotheses developed for the study. A significant relationship existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the following clusters of problems: affiliation, control, parent relationships and home conditions, student success, and time. The predominately mentioned problems of teachers were problems dealing with time--having enough time to plan and implement good teaching and to complete related responsibilities. The second most frequently mentioned problems were problems dealing with student success. Conclusions of the study emphasized the fact that teachers can and will identify and share their school-related problems. Older and more experienced teachers were less bothered by problems than were the younger and less experienced teachers. Teachers in grades 3, 4, and 6 were more bothered by problems. No difference existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the sex of the teachers. There was also no relationship between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and class size or the degree earned by the teacher. Teachers who indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching experienced more frequent problems and were much more bothered by those problems than were teachers who said that they were very satisfied with teaching. Seventy percent of the respondents were less than very satisfied with their undergraduate preparation program for teaching, and 60% of the respondents indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching.

The problem of this study was to investigate the problems listed as bothersome and their frequency as identified by selected elementary teachers. Another objective was to analyze differences between teacher problems and selected social demographic variables. The background research was limited to a review of the literature related to the subject. It was determined that the relevance of professional problem solving as a competency could provide formative information to guide changes in undergraduate, graduate, preservice, and in-service education. A descriptive research design was followed by surveying a selected sample of teachers of grades 1-7 in the nine counties and two cities with independent school districts in Southwest Virginia. Three hundred fifteen teachers were randomly selected to participate in the study. Two hundred forty-six teachers responded, and the findings reflect their responses. The statistical analysis of the collected data indicated significant differences in 12 of the 21 hypotheses developed for the study. A significant relationship existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the following clusters of problems: affiliation, control, parent relationships and home conditions, student success, and time. The predominately mentioned problems of teachers were problems dealing with time--having enough time to plan and implement good teaching and to complete related responsibilities. The second most frequently mentioned problems were problems dealing with student success. Conclusions of the study emphasized the fact that teachers can and will identify and share their school-related problems. Older and more experienced teachers were less bothered by problems than were the younger and less experienced teachers. Teachers in grades 3, 4, and 6 were more bothered by problems. No difference existed between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and the sex of the teachers. There was also no relationship between the frequency and bothersomeness of problems and class size or the degree earned by the teacher. Teachers who indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching experienced more frequent problems and were much more bothered by those problems than were teachers who said that they were very satisfied with teaching. Seventy percent of the respondents were less than very satisfied with their undergraduate preparation program for teaching, and 60% of the respondents indicated that they were less than very satisfied with teaching.

The problem was to determine whether selected psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective in remediating learning deficiencies among early elementary children (grades 1-3). Literature was reviewed to substantiate a need for the use of psycholinguistic instructional aids for remediation of learning deficiencies among early elementary children. Research surveyed included auditory perception skills, language skills, motor skills, and visual perception skills. Data were collected from test groups of students in grade levels one, two, and three. A stratified random sampling technique yielded a sample of thirty-six students, eighteen males and eighteen females. Each of the three grade level groups in the sample was divided randomly into two groups containing an equal number of males and females. These groups were labeled the experimental groups and the control groups. The Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) was administered as a pretest to the sample. A series of reading lessons was taught for an instructional period of twenty-one sessions to both experimental and control groups. The experimental groups were provided thirty-minute sessions of prescribed psycholinguistic instructional aids following the presentation of each reading lesson. The control groups received "pseudo" treatment designed to control for the Hawthorne effect. The ITPA was re-administered as the posttest. No significant difference was found between the scores achieved on the ITPA for the experimental groups and the control groups for grade levels one, two, or three. There was no significant difference found between the scores for the composite experimental group and the composite control group. The 0.05 level of significance was applied in all cases using the statistical technique of analysis of covariance with the pretest as the covariate. The comparison of experimental groups and control groups found that: (1)The experimental groups for all grade levels showed higher increases than the control groups. (2)The composite experimental group showed an increase over the composite control group. The comparison of male and female control and experimental groups found that: (1)The male experimental groups showed an increase over the male control groups with the exception of the second grade level where the control group was slightly favored. (2)The female experimental groups showed an increase over the female control groups in all grade levels. (3)The female experimental groups, including the composite experimental group, showed a gain over the male experimental groups. The recommendations made as a result of the study were: (1)Additional studies should be conducted using larger samples and/or longer durations of time to determine whether selected psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective in remediating learning deficiencies. (2)Replication of the study should be made in other geographical areas using different research designs and methodologies in order to increase the ability to generalize the results. (3)Studies should be conducted with middle and upper elementary school children to determine whether psycholinguistic instructional aids were effective for the remediation of learning deficiencies at those grade levels. (4)Schools should use evaluation instruments such as the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities to assess students' psycholinguistic abilities and incorporate the findings into staff development programs and professional growth activities. (5)Studies should be conducted on the impact of psycholinguistic instruction on students' self-concepts. (6)Studies should be conducted to determine if paraprofessionals could enhance students' psycholinguistic performance.

This exploratory study proposes to help new bilingual classroom teachers and administrators of new teachers to overcome problems related to discipline in the bilingual classroom. In this study, the respondents are experienced elementary teachers with two or more years in the targeted district's schools. The researcher was unable to locate any studies dealing directly with bilingual classrooms and student discipline. The literature review looks at the related issues of dropouts, absenteeism, rules, beyond rules, teacher burnout, parent involvement, the role of the administrator, the role of culture, cultural differences, bicognition, and teaching practices. All of the above mentioned are germane to the issue of student discipline, directly or indirectly, in American schools in urban settings. A 28-item bilingual (English/Spanish) questionnaire was responded to by 48 of 50 experienced bilingual elementary teachers solicited in this urban school district in Western Massachusetts. Each year, this district experiences a bilingual elementary teacher turnover of about 20% to 25%. The experienced bilingual elementary teachers in this study reflected on their first two years of teaching and described their attitudes and positive strategies for success. Their responses emerged to the researcher as a framework to develop a college course on creating a positive classroom ambience and/or teacher training workshops on classroom discipline and/or training, for the more effective involvement of school administrators. Chapter II should be given to teachers (bilingual or non-bilingual) as a handbook for guidance.

The purpose of this work was to create a framework for the design of a hands-on approach to explore environmental issues in Puerto Rico with emphasis on endangered species. The product of the action research is a curriculum for children, ages seven to eleven consisting of fourteen formal lessons and twenty-three informal lessons that focus on ten chosen endangered species of Puerto Rico. The framework created in this study is based on the Environmental Education Goal developed in the Belgrade Workshop that took place in Yugoslavia in 1975. A theoretical framework for the curriculum design was presented as Chapter III of the dissertation. It included a description of the historical background of the island of Puerto Rico. It also presents a general historical review that identified specific moments in the history of education in Puerto Rico and general information about the science curriculum on the Island. The hands-on curriculum in Spanish for Puerto Rican children, ages seven to eleven, was developed as part of the study and was presented as Chapter IV. The chapter addressed environmental issues pertaining to ten specific endangered species from Puerto Rico and included fourteen formal lessons and twenty-three informal. The ten endangered species included in the study are the following:(UNFORMATTED TABLE OR EQUATION FOLLOWS)$$\vbox{\halign{#\hfil&&\quad#\hfil\cr$\underline{\rm Scientific\ Name}$&$\underline{\rm Common\ Name}$\cr\cr Amphiphous:\cr {\it Eleutherodactylus jasperi}& Golden Coqu\'\i\cr\cr Birds:\cr {\it Falco peregrinus tundrius}& Arctic Peregrine Falcon\cr\cr {\it Pelecanus o. occidentalis}& Brown Pelican\cr\cr {\it Charadrius alexandrinus-}\cr {\it tenuirostris} & Piping Plover\cr\cr Plants:\cr {\it Cyathea dryopteroides} (Fern)& Helecho Arb\'oreo del Bosque\cr & Enano\cr\cr {\it Stahlia monosperma} (Tree)& C\'obana Negra\cr\cr {\it Ternstroemia luquillensis} (Tree) & Palo Colorado\cr\cr {\it Cassia mirabilis} (Shrub)& $\surd$\cr\cr Reptiles:\cr {\it Chelonia mydas} & Green Sea Turtle\cr\cr {\it Cyclura stejnegeri} & Mona Ground Iguana\cr}}$$(TABLE/EQUATION ENDS) ftn$\surd$ = Some species do not have common name.

Educational researchers concur that meaningful teacher development is an essential ingredient for educational reform. One professional development model, the Learning Network, provides in-depth, job-embedded mentoring support for teachers by trained teacher leaders. The program developers maintain that teachers who are exposed to a reflective, constructivist learning process centered around literacy will eventually generalize the understandings and practices to other content areas. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether the theories and practices of learner-centered teaching in literacy (i.e., the Learning Network) transfer to mathematics during the implementation of a new constructivist math curriculum (Investigations). Two second grade teachers from a suburban school district, one at an early career stage, the other in a late stage, participated in the study. Data were collected from six sources: initial personal data surveys, stimulated recall interviews centered around videotaped mathematics lessons, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations from two different researchers, self-reported classroom practices, and formal classroom documents. Analysis of the data was triangulated across data sources and among an external researcher, the research participants, and this researcher who independently coded the transcribed stimulated recall interviews. The theoretical underpinnings of the Learning Network model (Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, Brian Cambourne's Conditions of Learning, and the Teaching and Learning Cycle) provided the framework for the study. Results indicated that each teacher had transferred aspects of the Learning Network model into her practices, although the depth of transfer differed. The early career stage teacher referred to the theoretical basis of her actions in vague terms. Much of her self-reported transfer centered around methodology, efficiency, and organizational issues. The veteran teacher expressed specific references to the theoretical basis for most of her actions. Her mathematics practices reflected transfer of most of the Learning Network components. Results of this study suggest that teachers need and desire continued, long-term, individualized support to transfer constructivist theories and practices from one content area to another. The frequency of mentoring support is not as critical as the skillfulness of the mentor. Finally, implementation support meetings need to be regularly scheduled to provide teachers continued development through collegial discussions.

This study examined elementary students' perceptions of portfolios and identified instructional strategies that supported students' higher order thinking about portfolios. The participants were 22 students and their teachers from two third grade classrooms during the 1998–1999 school year. Data collection included: student and teacher interviews, classroom and parent/teacher conference observations, portfolio artifacts, teacher logs, and consultations with teachers. Student interviews were coded and scored according to each student's depth of insight. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method for qualitative analysis. Student interviews were coded using The Ethnograph software program. Two themes were derived from the data: portfolios contribute to third grade students' ability to self-reflect and to the development of students' sense of ownership in the classroom. Results of this study indicated that students used portfolios to monitor their progress, students made judgments based on physical features, choice was a factor in the portfolio process and, instructional strategies supported higher order thinking.

The focus of this study is to understand how students in one second-grade class utilized the social justice principle that they had been taught, to help them negotiate social tensions during Writing Workshop time. I studied the interactions and the writings of children while they composed and they shared their writing with their peers. Although there may be many types of tension present within an elementary classroom, I studied issues related to gender, culture, and friendship and trust. Theoretical constructs supporting this study were derived from grounded theory and sociolinguistic theory. Data collected during daily writing times throughout the school year included: personal student profiles; participant observer field notes; video and audio taped student conversations and student interviews; photographs of student interactions; and photocopies of students' writing. There were three principal findings about students' writings and social interactions during Writing Workshop times. First, students demonstrated within their writing the inclusion of a social justice principle that they were taught, but not in respect to culture. Although there were no negative cases of cultural stereotyping within the students' writing, there were also no cases of positive cultural images displayed. Second, students did not utilize the social justice principle in their conversations to help them negotiate tensions. Third, students' social status among peers influenced their behaviors and their decisions when they were faced with tensions during Writing Workshop. Norms associated with student social status had a stronger effect on their behavior than those from the social justice principle which they were taught. This study suggests the importance of including a social justice component within the Writing Workshop model. It further suggests that objectives be included that bring to the attention of all members of the community the presence of children's social status. It was the influence of student status within this classroom that affected the ways that children have access to learning and that limited participation for some of the students. Direct teacher instruction in social justice may insure that the Writing Workshop is positive and productive for all members of the classroom.

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher beliefs and images of students, learning, and teaching. The study was designed to elicit images and beliefs with the use of teachers' symbolic drawing and subsequent interpretation of their drawings. Twelve first grade teachers with teaching experience ranging from 1½ to 25 years, and from a variety of educational settings (i.e., urban, suburban, traditional public schools, non-traditional public or private schools) participated. Data collection utilized two primary methods of qualitative inquiry: teacher created abstract symbolic drawings and interviewing. The combination of symbolic drawings and interviewing provided an effective means for teachers to access, reflect upon, and express their tacit images and beliefs in a cohesive and holistic manner. The twelve teachers in this study appeared on the surface to have similar images of learning and teaching. Teachers talked about learning as a process that involved images of filtering, connecting, becoming stuck, and disconnecting. One major difference emerged that separated teachers into two distinct groups. The majority of teachers, ten out of twelve, viewed learning as a fact-based associative categorization where students either made connections through associations or replaced old information with new information. Only two teachers talked about learning as theory-based, describing learning as making connection through an assimilatory categorization process or making revisions to personal theories. Teachers who viewed learning as fact based also viewed teaching as fact-based. In general, these teachers used discussion, teacher questions, and a large variety of activities to help students collect new facts and make associative connections. Teachers who viewed learning as theory-based used activities, discussion, and teacher questions to promote conversation and thinking. They expected students to use new facts to build and revise theories with the use of logical reasoning.