Educational Research Links

By Barry D. McQuain

Attached is a summary of some of the data and research which supports my philosphy. In addition, I have provided some quick links to relevant topics related to learning, our community, and our schools.

I believe strongly that our educational practices must be based on scientific research. This includes our instructional techniques and our classroom behavioral management techniques. We should only adopt those techniques which provide evidence they will produce the outcomes we desire.

I have loosely grouped some of the research into broad topics.

Managing the Classroom

Latham, Glenn I., (2002). Behind the Schoolhouse Door: Managing Chaos with Science, Skills, and Strategies.

Walker, H.U., Colvin, G., and Ramsey, E. (1995). Antisocial Behavior in Schools: Strategies and best Practices. Pacific Grove, CA/Cole Publishing.

Instructional Techniques Becker, W.C. and Carnine, D.W., (1981). Direct Instruction: A behaviour theory model for comprehensive educational intervention with the disadvantaged.

Britt, D. (1993). The need to educate technology fully into the fabric of formal education. New York, NY:Children's Television Workshop.

Heward, W.L. Gardner, R. Cavanaugh, R.A., Courson, F.H., Grossi, T.A., and Barbetta, P.M. (Winter 1995). Everyone participates in this class. Teaching Exceptional Children.

Latham, G.I. (1988). The birth and death cycles of educational innovations. Principal, 68 (1), 41-44.

Wang, M.C., Haertal, G.D., and Walberg, H.J. (December 1993/January 1994). What helps students learn? Education Leadership, 51 (4), 74-79.

Time on Task Studies. Hoffmeister, A., and Lubke, M. (1990). Research into Practice: Implementing Effective Teaching Practices. Boston. Allyn and Bacon.

Brain Based Research Berninger, V. and Richards, T. L. Brain Literacy for Educators and Psychologists. San Diego: Academic Press, 2002.

Le Doux, J. Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.

Posner, M. I. Steps Toward Enhancing Attention in Childhood. Poster presented at the McDonnell Foundation, June 2002.

Posner M. I. and Rothbart, M. K. "The Human Brain and Attention to School Subjects."

Foreign Language Learning at an Early Age

Curtain, H., & Pesola, C.A. (1994). Languages and childen: Making the match (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.

Heining-Boynton, A. (1990). Using FLES history to plan for the present and future. Foreign Language Annals, 23, 503-509.

Lipton, G. C. (1992). Practical handbook for elementary language programs (2nd ed.). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook.

Met, M. (1985). Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Foreign Language Annals, 18, 469-473.

Met, M. (1989). Which foreign language should students learn? Educational Leadership, 7, 54-58.

Met, M., & Rhodes, N. (1990). Priority: Instruction. Elementary school foreign language instruction: Priorities for the 1990s. Foreign Language Annals, 23, 433-443.

Phillips, J., & Draper, J. (1994). National standards and assessments: What does it mean for the study of second languages in the schools? In G.K. Crouse (Ed.), Meeting new challenges in the foreign language classroom (pp. 1-8). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook.

Rosenbusch, M. (1991). Elementary school foreign language: The establishment and maintenance of strong programs. Foreign Language Annals, 24, 297-314.

Rosenbusch, M., Ed. (1992). Colloquium on Foreign Languages in the Elementary School Curriculum. Proceedings 1991. Munich: Goethe Institut. (Available from AATG, 112 Haddontowne Ct., #112, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034)

Rosenbusch, M. (1995). Language learners in the elementary school: Investing in the future. In R. Donato & R. Terry (Eds.), Foreign language learning, the journey of a lifetime. Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook.

Curtain, H. (1993.) An Early Start: A Resource Book for Elementary School Foreign Language. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. ERIC Document No. ED 353 849.

Curtain, H.; Pesola, C.A.B. (1994.) Languages and Children: Making the Match. Foreign Language Instruction for an Early Start, Grades K-8. (Second Edition.) White Plains, New York: Longman. 494p.

Met, M. (1998). Critical Issues in Early Second Language Learning. Glenview, IL: Addison-Wesley. 339p. ISBN Number needed for ordering: ISBN O-673-58919-6. K-12 teachers may call 1-800-552-2259; postsecondary teachers call 1-800-322-1377; all others call 1-800-822-6339). This professional resource book provides state of the art insights and information about second language study in the elementary school.

Scientific Research on Learning Rates

What Works Clearinghouse - the government's site for good educational research. http://www.w-w-c.org/

M. Rattray, D. Saad and S. Amari, "Natural Gradient Descent for On-line Learning," Physical Review Letters 81, 5461-5464 (1998).

M. Rattray and D. Saad, "Analysis of On-line Training with Optimal Learning Rates," Physical Review E 58(5), 6379-6391 (1998).

Capaldi, E. J. & Miller, R. M. (2004). Serial learning in rats: A test of three hypotheses. Learning & Motivation, 35(1), 71-81.

Davis, S. F. & Palladino, J. J. (2002). Psychology (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Ebbinghaus, H. (1913). A contribution to experimental psychology. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

Fuchs, A. H. (1997). Ebbinghaus's contributions to psychology after 1885. American Journal of Psychology, 110(4), 621-634.

Hoffmann, J., Sebald, A. & Stoecker, C. (2001). Irrelevant response effects improve serial learning in serial reaction time tasks. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 27(2), 470-482.

McLane, A. S. & Hoag, J. E. (1943). The curve of forgetting in the first three minutes. American Journal of Psychology, 56, 105-110.

Newman, E. B. (1939). Effect of crowding of material on curves of forgetting. American Journal of Psychology, 52, 601-609.

Woodworth, R. S. (1909). Hermann Ebbinghaus. The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods, 6(10), 253-256.

Our School District

http://www.lafsd.k12.ca.us/

LASF

http://www.lasf.org/

The California Department of Education

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

California's view on the No Child Left Behind Act

http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/index.asp

The Federal No Child Left Behind Act

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

Easier summary of NCLB information

http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/nclbchecklist.html

Education Pays

http://www.educationpays.org/

The Nation's Report Card

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/