Talking with others, especially people with different viewpoints, about matters of public and common concern is a basic pro-democracy skill and act. For that reason, teaching young people how to participate more effectively in discussions of controversial public issues (CPI) has long been a major goal of social studies educators. In most social…

This digest summarizes a larger document of the same title which takes the position that because American democracy is founded on the premise that citizens need to engage in free and open discussion of opposing points of view, it is important that intellectual conflict become part of college instruction. It suggests several ways in which…

The thesis of this book is that intellectual conflict is an important and powerful instructional tool which should become part of day-to-day student life in colleges and universities. Properly structured academic controversy results in increased achievement, better problem-solving and decision-making skills, more positive interpersonal skills, and…

A text-editing approach to composition in the foreign language classroom is set forth. In a 15-week composition course meeting three times each week, students prepare a weekly composition that they will revise after an in-class text-editing session involving several student papers. The third day is devoted to grammar work. Criteria for evaluating…

This comparison is based on the authors' selective review of literature, observations of Montessori preschools in America and Australia, and experience in early childhood teacher education in Australia. The discussion explores general educational objectives, curricula, children's activities, instructional approaches, and teacher role in preschools…

Each year, thousands of men and women from English-speaking countries go abroad as English teachers through volunteer agencies such as the Peace Corps or Voluntary Service Overseas, or through myriad other church, government, business, and academic organizations. For these novice teachers, the challenge of learning what to do in the classroom is…

Summarizes major court cases that have provided some sense of the extent to which teachers may legitimately select course content and teaching methods. (RBW)

Presents abstracts of 10 documents, selected and reviewed from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) that deal with the debate over how to teach history. Includes information for accessing or ordering documents. (NL)

Practitioners at all levels of education have begun to recognize that addressing the complex social and environmental problems of the future will require individuals capable of reflective and critical thought. Critical thinking has been defined as utilizing a number of cognitive processes and attitudes that undergird intelligent action in diverse…

The number of limited-English proficient (LEP) students in U.S. schools has increased dramatically in recent years. One type of instructional approach that offers promise in helping LEP students develop academic competence while also developing English proficiency is sheltered English. Students in these classes are "sheltered" in that…

Classroom teachers are presented with a rationale and general information for teaching about controversial issues. Following an introduction, material is arranged in six sections under topical questions. The first section considers educational and social benefits of teaching about controversy. Motivation, application of social studies content and…

Citing recent studies which decry the historical knowledge and writing ability of U.S. students, Seiter states that writing can be used to introduce more social studies content into the classroom--mainly by using primary/historical sources as the basis for writing assignments. Highlights several ERIC resources which deal with improving writing…

Recognizing the need to strengthen education about Africa in United States schools and to enable teachers to present complex issues about apartheid, political stability, and cultural conflict, this digest addresses the issue of how teachers can improve their teaching about Africa. The article poses 3 questions: (1) Why is it important to teach…

Designed to assist secondary school and college teachers select classroom materials for an introductory course in interpersonal communication, this annotated bibliography cites materials that provide both descriptive and prescriptive information to enhance the development of the basic interpersonal communication course. The sources include recent…

Given the global significance of Soviet-U.S. relations, elementary and secondary school students should learn about the Soviet Union, but most students graduate from high school with little knowledge and many misconceptions about this country. It is important to teach about the Soviet Union because of: (1) its emphasis in the U.S. media; (2) its…