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M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / It has become imperative for trainers who deal with technical training to keep pace with progress in the technological world. The purpose of this research is to make a penetrating analysis of modular competency - based technical training. The determination to raise the quality of education probably contributed largely to the sharp focus on a clearly specified goal determination and on a specified target formulation. From this competency - based training originated. Modular training focuses on the ability of the learner to master specific skills. In other· words the training programme comprises a set of learning objectives that are clearly defined so that they can only be attained if speci.fic actions are carried out. The training method to be followed is designed and structured as accurately as possible so that the learner will be able to attain the required level of competence. The most ~mportant characteristic of a modular competence-based training programme is that the learner is expected to master all the learning objectives set for a particular occupation. A further characteristic of a modular competence-based training programme is that th~ individual learner will be held responsible for the successful mastery of learning objectives, while the trainer manipulates and uses external conditions in an attempt to ensure that the learner will attain the required level of mastery. The nature and extent of certain competencies depend on the learner's ability to master a skill rather than simply on his ability to demonstrate theoretical knowledge. Specified competence for a particular occupation consists in mastery of the skills considered of special importance in that occupation (Opperman,1988:4/5). The programme content is structured in definable teaching modules and these modules are arranged in a continuous progressive training system in which progress is based on compliance with measurable performance criteria. A teaching module is a complete instructional unit.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two approaches to increasing academic achievement in reading and mathematics. One approach used a "structured parental support program" to enhance academic achievement in reading and mathematics. In this procedure, two different "parental programs" were tested. The second approach tested in this study was the effect of a "beginning instrumental music program" on a child's academic achievement in reading and mathematics. In addition, a survey of "Student Attitudes" concerning reading, mathematics, and instrumental beginning music lessons was administered. A questionnaire was sent to all parents involved in the study. The responses of the parents to the questions were used as a guide to improve future parental workshops. The setting was in Somerset, Massachusetts, using fourth and fifth grade students. The total fourth and fifth grade population was approximately 425 students. The sample was composed of 105 children whose parents responded affirmatively to a Parental Consent Form. The students were randomly assigned to one of four groups, based on their pre-math score. The findings in this study revealed that the parents in the study were committed to assisting their children with the homework assignments. The analyses of data revealed that the students in the "structured parental support program" did significantly better in their posttest reading and math scores than the students whose parents were not in the structured parental support program. Also, the data revealed that the students in the "beginning instrumental music lesson program" did significantly better in their posttest reading and math scores than the students not in the "beginning instrumental music lesson program." The findings are of immediate practical value to the people making decisions about school curriculum. This study reinforces research done on music and achievement, and parents and achievement.

Although it has been clearly established in the literature that there is a relationship between classroom climate and student achievement, teachers often fail to be aware of or consciously attend to their own behaviors which affect climate in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine classroom climate and specifically to document teacher behaviors which seem to be associated with positive and negative climate in two classrooms each for five eighth grade subjects (language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and conversational foreign language). Four data collection methods were used: qualitative field notes adopted from Saphier scripting, teacher and student interviews, quantitative teacher and student classroom climate surveys, and document analysis of student grade reports. Though no overall significantly negative climates were identified, there were noted inconsistencies in the presence of positive classroom climate elements from one data source to the next. Results supported teachers failing to be aware of or consciously attending to behaviors which affected climate in their classrooms and allowed for the creation of ideal climate profiles.

By reviewing teacher-made revisions of regularly taught curriculum units, this set of case studies attempts to describe the pedagogical content knowledge development of four concept-oriented middle school teachers. One strand is highlighted: The nature and use of their instructional representations. A primary goal of this effort is to trace the kinds of refinements teachers make in their teaching knowledge after years of blending subject matter with pedagogy. A second goal is to detail influences on such refinements in order to inform preservice and inservice teacher education aimed at teaching for conceptual understanding.

The major purpose of this study was to determine the problems that public school systems encounter when attempting to involve principals and teachers in the process of curriculum improvement. A second purpose was to identify the procedures that school systems use to improve curriculum and the extent of principal and teacher involvement in the curriculum decision making process. The study was conducted through two strands of inquiry. The first strand involved the distribution of a Curriculum Improvement Survey to all communities in the state of Rhode Island. Of the thirty-five Directors of Curriculum, twenty-six completed and returned the survey. Their responses provided a broad spectrum from which to view how, individually and collectively, curriculum improvement was being implemented in response to national and state initiatives. The second strand was an ethnographic study of several different committees within a local school community that were involved in various aspects of curriculum improvement. Findings suggest curriculum improvement is a shared responsibility among a cross section of individuals within school systems. The primary initiators and major determinants that influence the curriculum improvement process were identified. Most school systems reported having long range plans for improvement that are guided by administrative regulations and are implemented within varying cyclical time frames. Smaller districts where administrators and teachers wear “different hats” than in larger systems appear to be less formal in their approaches to curriculum change and the improvement process is on-going without regulations. In regard to participation in the process, the survey responses and the plans suggest that principals and teachers are given ample opportunities to participate in decision making to improve curriculum, however, their degree of participation varies with the type of decision they are being asked to make. The major problems in implementing curriculum improvement that were identified by the twenty-six school systems included insufficient time educators’ lack of curriculum theory and practical experiences; insufficient funds; and contractual considerations. The in-depth study of one school system also documented these problems, as well as: the lack of a common language for deliberating and writing curriculum; personal attitudes and professional ability levels that hinder role fulfillment; inequitable treatment of task force committees by administrators; and pressures to serve as a “rubber stamp” for principals and administrators to ensure the fulfillment of their political agendas. Recommendations for future research are suggested to determine ways to strengthen communication between the state and local school levels; to identify how institutions of higher learning may better prepare educators for curriculum leadership; and to examine the role of Director of Curriculum in order to identify leadership characteristics that are essential to curriculum improvement on a system wide basis.

Integrating children's literature and mathematics is a popular strategy used by many teachers to meet the Standards for mathematics education as outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). At this time literature on integrating math and literature focuses on books, lesson ideas and students' responses. What led teachers to decide to integrate these two subjects, and an articulated theoretical grounding for this strategy, is largely absent in current literature. The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: How does a teacher come to implement integrating children's literature and mathematics as a strategy for designing mathematics instruction? and Is integrating children's literature and mathematics a teaching strategy that is constructivist and/or brain compatible? Constructivist theory informs us that individuals construct and co-construct knowledge; each of us builds or creates knowledge from our experiences. What we learn is directly related to what we experience and the interplay between old and new experiences; how we make meaning. Brain-based learning theory weaves together knowledge of how the human brain functions and the design of learning experiences that are brain compatible. I chose these two theories in particular to identify connection between practice and theory and because they are widely recognized by educators as grounding for effective educational practice. To answer the two research questions, I designed two case studies. Each case study focuses on a veteran elementary school teacher in the process of integrating children's literature and mathematics as a strategy for designing mathematics instruction. Primary sources of data for the case studies are interviews with the teachers about their decision-making process, and the observation and analysis of integrated math and literature lessons for theoretical grounding. Based on the data collected I found that the two teachers who participated in this study each came to integrate children's literature and mathematics through participation in professional development. The integrated children's literature and math lessons I observed and analyzed met the theoretical criteria for constructivism and brain compatible learning. Use of children's literature and the teachers' lesson design are key aspects of theoretically grounding lessons that integrate children's literature and mathematics.