A teacher dismisses 10 common myths about teaching and explains how they can get in the way of teaching. (MT)

A history teacher changed his teaching approach to help students develop the skills of formulating hypotheses, gathering and organizing information related to the hypotheses, and determining if the data supported the hypotheses. The attack on "The Maine" in 1898 is used as an example. (MT)

Fifteen ideas for rewarding and motivating students without using stickers are offered. An inset box presents seven more ideas for intermediate students. (MT)

An English teacher discusses how she teaches her students to take responsibility, to build a positive attitude, to listen and concentrate, to think, and to study. Only then are they ready to learn English. (MT)

Math doesn't have to be mysterious--even though its language is strange and its customs confusing. Like any foreign country, it can become familiar through exposure and understanding. Six ways to take the mystery out of math are described. (MT)

Three categories of graphs are discussed: real, representational or pictoral, and symbolic. Real graphs are very useful for teaching basic graphing concepts to K-6 students. Three steps in graph making are described: ask the question; collect and organize information; label the graph. A detailed guide to several graphing activities is included.…

Most students find poetry easier to write if they have some kind of framework for their words. Teachers are given a guide for helping students in middle grades write poetry, utilizing animals and their characteristics as a framework. A reproducible activity sheet is provided. (IAH)

This article describes how to improve students' notetaking skills by having them pretend they are journalists wiring in a story. Students must pare down information to the essentials and calculate telegram costs. Sample exercises and a reproducible page are provided. (JL)

A teacher tells how he turned a class of difficult students into a class of eager learners by risking an offbeat teaching method. An inset briefly features seven other success stories. (MT)

A teacher shares her technique for improving student writing: add detail. Forget organization, cutting, and adding more information. Get students to focus only on adding more detail to information already included. Examples are given. (MT)

A seven-step technique is presented for introducing elementary students to the use of metaphors in order to develop their creativity and improve their writing skills. (JD)

Learning-to-learn skills prepare students for the more complex skills of metacognition, which will eventually become a framework for all the individual thinking skills taught. Twelve learning-to-learn skills are identified, accompanied by suggested instructional strategies. The objective of these skills is to make students active rather than…

Writing and teaching networks provide a way for teachers to support each other by sharing their writing, by reflecting on teaching of writing, and by talking over problems and progress. Ways administrators can facilitate such groups and ways for teachers to organize meetings are suggested. (MT)

This step-by-step approach to class plays will allow students to explore literature, think creatively, and learn to work together. Discussed are how to teach acting, choosing a story, teaching the story, rehearsing, and creating costumes and sets. (MT)

To begin formal thinking skills instruction teachers need a plan which consists of a taxonomy of skills, a timetable, and effective teaching techniques. This article presents a condensed version of an existing in-place taxonomy and a scope and sequence timetable which can serve as a guideline for teachers. (IAH)