Designing courses to deliver effective teaching and significant learning is the best way to set students up for success, and this book guides readers through the process. The authors have worked with faculty world-wide, and share the stories of how faculty have transformed courses from theory to practice. They start with Dee Fink's foundation of…

Points out that many students are unsuccessful learners either because they do not know how to learn or because they do not practice the skills they have been taught. Provides examples of composition assignments which teach students logical strategies. (ARH)

Attempts to find new ways of seeing the writing and reading and talking of students who are "underprepared." Argues that, if educators are going to develop new ways of understanding students' literacy performances, they have to critically examine their assumptions about students' abilities. (MG)

Presents current research about how children learn to read and addresses the implications of this body of research for instruction. Aids educators in reflecting upon their present instructional practices to ascertain whether they coincide with findings from existing research. (MG)

Answers teachers' most frequently asked questions about spelling, including issues related to why English spelling is the way it is; how students learn to spell; selection and organization of spelling words; determining spelling levels; invented spelling; effective instructional activities; spelling strategies; assessment; and adjusting…

Describes the learning-cycle inquiry model and applies it to a history lesson on the problems and conflicts leading to World War I. Describes how students tackle a teacher-created problematic situation by conceptualizing questions, constructing hypotheses, and reaching consensus on solutions; debate their proposed solutions with the class; and…

Although English teachers have implicitly been aware of the functions of writing, they may not always have explored the ways writing can be used to enhance learning: learning of content, of skills, and of self. Arthur Applebee noted that English teachers were most likely to stress personal and imaginative experiences in their writing assignments,…

This paper discusses the theory of multiple intelligences (H. Gardner, 1983) as it applies to the basic public speaking course. According to the paper, the multiple intelligences theory (MI) suggests that intelligence should not be viewed as a single dimension, but rather as a composite of several aptitudes and talents. The paper states that…

From a Vygotskian perspective critical thinking skills are taught through speech interactions between teacher and student. Two assumptions central to Vygotskian theory are the role of inner speech in self-regulation and how teaching creates the zone of proximal development. Inner speech allows humans to consciously direct their thought processes.…

Reflecting the influence of James Britton in the field of language and learning, this book--a collection of essays by researchers and practitioners in the area of language and learning--focuses on recent issues of language development in learning. The book contains the following 27 essays: (1) "Social Interaction as Scaffold: The Power and…

Describes the field experience component of a course for preservice English teachers called "Language in the Secondary Classroom," in which preservice teachers collaborate as equals with high school students, experiencing for themselves the real potential of adolescent learners and the contexts which allow for that potential to emerge.…

This book, developed for adult educators who teach or tutor reading in General Educational Development (GED) classrooms and for teacher trainers, contains 18 fact sheets on learning and thinking, each about 10 pages long. The following fact sheets are included: (1) Literature Is Not Science; (2) Making Connections; (3) Mental Models; (4) Thinking…

This publication presents a process for developing a teaching perspective that embraces the centrality of culture in school learning. The six-part process presented in the book involves objectifying culture, personalizing culture, inquiring about students' cultures and communities, applying knowledge about culture to teaching, formulating theory…

Noting that teachers sometimes fail to draw on students' prior knowledge, this guide focuses on helping teachers both to think about the cognitive processes involved in learning and to design activities that provide students with a solid introduction to various learning tasks. The first section briefly discusses current theory and research in…

This monograph explores practical and theoretical issues in use of case studies for college faculty to reflect on and improve instruction. Six chapters: (1) describe teaching case studies, with an overview of how and why they are used; (2) explore the rationale for their use within the frameworks of scholarship and professional development; (3)…