This research study assessed a sample of school districts in Massachusetts who have curricula which encompasses a thinking skills approach to instruction. An exhaustive review of literature clearly points to agreement among researchers and educators that this method of delivering instruction produces a literate and independent population. It is also an effective method for dealing with an ever increasing pool of information, and rapidly changing world events that cause textbooks to be outdated before they are even printed. By means of a survey questionnaire and an observation instrument designed for on-site visits the quantity and quality of available programs in Massachusetts schools was evaluated. Also of interest was the method used to implement such programs; that is, were they infused into course content material or was the program separate and distinct from the already established curriculum. Given the extensive number of commercially prepared programs now available that are designed to teach thinking skills, the research depicted the number of school officials who are using the prepared programs versus those who have opted to design their own program. The most recognizable and accepted thinking behaviors were charted in the form of a frequency distribution and polygons so that appropriate skills could be replicated in school systems contemplating the implementation of a thinking skills curriculum. The study examined, therefore, the number of school districts who teach thinking skills, how they are taught, and which behaviors displayed by both teachers and students are common to this type of instruction.

This study attempts to determine the changes in content of the Political Education as revealed in the national entrance examinations from 1985 to 1990. An attempt was made to analyze the content in an effort to answer the question of whether there is a relationship between the changes in leadership, content of the curriculum, and the examination. The author has obtained and translated six examinations and official answers into English which could be helpful to those who are concerned professionally. The study is divided into six chapters. Chapter I is an introduction briefly describing the problems, the hypothesis, sources and methods used in this study. Chapter II analyzes examination format. Chapter III focuses on the presence of themes that are consistent over the years, the determination of whether or not there are changes in emphasis and if there were inherent contradictions. Chapter IV explores the relationship between the changes of the content in the examination, political events including the changes of the leadership. In Chapter V, the major topic is to connect the Political Education of present day China with its historical antecedents. The premise being that one can not understand today's Political Education without taking into consideration China's past. Chapter VI is a summary of the major findings of the study. The primary finding of the study is that there is a positive correlation between the Party Leadership, the Political Education content and the national college entrance examination. The content of the curriculum in secondary school only changes when the political leadership desire such a change. The national entrance examination reflects and reinforces the thinking of the Party's leadership and its philosophy. Political Education in the People's Republic of China is to insure the continuance of the Party and therefore is designed to develop conformity.

Substance use disorders are a growing concern within the United States, especially with the increasing deaths from drug overdose. Currently, there is a lack of thorough addiction education and training, especially for psychiatry residents. A training program was created to address this need by providing evidence-based addiction training through an integrative behavioral health model while using a culturally responsive approach. This training program was called ACCESS (Achieving Culturally Competent and Equitable Substance Use Services). The training program was offered to psychiatry residents to participate in for an academic year. During this time, the residents engaged in didactic lectures, provided care at an experiential site, and led a quality improvement or clinical innovation project. After completing of the program, the residents took part in a qualitative interview with the purpose of seeing how their experiences in the program aligned with the program’s purpose. The ACCESS Program successfully provided the residents with addiction training through an IBH model. However, moving forward, the program may need to fine-tune its qualitative measure to be more reflective of its aims. In addition, the program may need to be carried out in different settings that could provide a more substantial and less biased sample of residents.

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<p> Nurse educators are barraged with competencies, standards, outcomes, and initiatives to consider when developing, evaluating, or revising curriculum. The constructivist grounded theory study discovered and compared the perceptions and processes of faculty related to their preparedness and confidence in evaluating, developing, and revising nursing curriculum. Faculty&rsquo;s constructions were used to develop a middle range descriptive theory <i>Challenged and Overwhelmed.</i> From further faculty recommendations on strategies <i> Supported and Empowered: a Model of Understanding to Support Faculty&rsquo;s Growth and Competence in Curriculum Development, Evaluation, and Revision </i> was created to support faculty&rsquo;s growth and competence in curriculum development, evaluation and revision. Findings such as the low confidence found in most faculty, including the very experienced when it came to assessing curriculum, and the inadequate knowledge of curriculum as well as strategies discovered to benefit faculty are shared that assist faculty&rsquo;s growth and competence in curriculum development, evaluation and revision. These strategies can be used to improve faculty development, educational strategies, and graduate education, resulting in better nurse educator preparedness. Improving educational strategies through better competency will improve the nursing profession. Educator competency, preparation, the faculty shortage, standards, initiatives, and educational competencies and curriculum reform were reviewed. Quality information for educators is provided for evaluating and improving current nursing curriculum, and to guide strategic planning and facilitate nurse program success. Faculty perceptions of how to increase competence, and improve preparation for their role developing, evaluating and revising curriculum were shared.</p>

<p> The Responsive Parenting Program curriculum combines recent developments in neuroscience, mindfulness, child development and positive parenting to provide vulnerable families with information, guidance and a group experience designed to support them in adopting a responsive approach to parenting. Parents who have experienced adverse conditions in childhood and continue to experience difficulty in getting their needs met as adults, often have adopted a survival approach to living. It is especially important to support these parents in making sense of their own experience so that they may build the capacity to better understand, nurture and protect their own children.</p><p> It is intended that all of the materials for this curriculum will exist in the public domain. In addition to the curriculum handbook, this includes links to recommended video segments, information sheets related to child growth and development, and suggestions for supportive practices to nurture healthy development and relationships.</p>

<p>This study focused on how physics teachers develop and implement activities that promote creative thinking strategies in the standards based physics classroom. A particular focus was placed on every day or little `c? creativity, which can be taught in the high school classroom. The study utilized a multiple case study design, which allows for in-depth study in a variety of settings. Four participants from various high schools were identified utilizing administrator recommendations. Data were then collected via interviews, observations, and documents. The data were coded and analyzed for emerging themes. The themes were then merged to determine findings to the stated research questions. The research demonstrated the importance of modifying activities for student interest and understanding through effective use of scientific inquiry. The past experiences and professional development of the participants served as a vital piece to the development of their educational pedagogy especially concerning inquiry and questioning strategies. It was also established that an unstructured, positive classroom environment is a vital aspect of teaching while supporting creative thinking skills.

No description available.

No description available.

<p> Implementation of the common core state standards began in 2010 for public school districts across the United States, and research about the impact of these standards on teaching and learning in smaller rural schools is limited. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe how K-12 English language arts teachers in rural remote schools integrated the common core state standards into curriculum, as defined by Aoki&rsquo;s theory about planned and lived curriculums, which formed the conceptual framework for this research. Participants included 8 K-12 English language arts teachers from 2 rural remote public school districts located in a western state. Research questions addressed curricular and instructional alignment, and data were collected from individual teacher interviews and reflective journals, observations of instructional lessons, and curriculum documents. Data were coded and categorized to determine themes and discrepant data (Charmaz, Merriam, and Miles, Huberman, and Salda&ntilde;a). A content analysis was used for documents. Results indicate that teachers aligned curriculum with common core state standards by using previously adopted textbooks, developing alignment documents to address standards, creating unit and lesson materials independently, and participating in limited collaborative planning with colleagues. Recommendations include continued investigation into rural teachers&rsquo; professional development needs, collaborative planning practices, and use of curriculum materials within and across grade levels. This study contributes to positive social change because improved rural education impacts rural remote students, communities, and educators, who play a valuable role in developing a national curriculum.</p>