Last year Marian Leibowitz presented workshops in 27 states on improving instruction for gifted and talented students. In this interview she gives an overview of what she has seen in programs around the country. (Author/MLF)

Outlines criteria for system of professional teacher development/retraining: provides for system/individual needs; includes retraining and ongoing development; is cooperative, integrated, accessible; uses principles of adult education; incorporates teacher involvement; and addresses real classroom needs. Considers obstacles of money, skills,…

Argues that language learning is a very useful metaphor for exploring new dimensions of teacher development. The notion is that, when the processes of language acquisition and the context in which it occurs are examined closely, important lessons can be learned for creating a more effective culture for the professional growth of teachers. (GLR)

Notes that educators of business communication have felt isolated and powerless fighting administration. Presents four challenges for business communication educators to: (1) support plain language across the continents; (2) strengthen relationships with practitioners; (3) remove the basic skills yoke that has burdened educators for so long; and…

The faculty curriculum leader is envisioned as a teacher with some portion of time allocated to activities, other than direct instruction, that encompass a variety of responsibilities related to curriculum, staff, and organizational and instructional needs and improvement. This role would be assumed by individuals with formal or informal…

Five universities in New York State (SUNY--State University of New York at Stony Brook, Syracuse, Cornell, Binghamton, and New York Universities--are involved in a 3-year project to better prepare graduate students to become teachers. The State University of New York, Stony Brook, English Department is providing graduate teaching assistants with…

Two problems for academic deans in getting faculty involved in faculty development are motivating teachers and ensuring receptive participation. Active administrator commitment is essential, and participation can be encouraged by laying groundwork carefully, actively promoting concern for good teaching, appointing a department contact person for…

Major concepts about adult learning, program planning, and the teaching-learning transaction, along with brief descriptions of instructional procedures that reflect such concepts illustrate how adult educators can increase their effectiveness. (Author/SK)

Designed as a forum for the exchange of practical and theoretical information regarding all aspects of personal, professional, and institutional development in postsecondary education, this journal contains articles, announcements, and resource reviews. The first issue of 1983 includes the following articles: "Institutionalizing Staff, Program and…

Establishing a program to help teaching assistants (TAs) become better teachers is discussed, including advantages/disadvantages of five possible organizational locations: individual course instructors, departments, colleges of education, other individual colleges, and a central administrative office. A mix of locations and criteria for assessing…

The costs of assessment, which was identified as a condition for achieving excellence in undergraduate education by the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education, are addressed. Two questions considered deal with (1) the unit of analysis and (2) what to count. The unit of analysis can be the individual student,…

Proceedings of the 1983 Invitational Seminar on Faculty Development are presented. Focal areas included funding of faculty development and program development, the history and issues concerning faculty development, career development plans and growth contracts, the special needs from the period of midcareer to retirement, the context and overall…

A discussion of the need for feedback on course quality focuses on feedback needs once the courses have been used once or more and no longer need initial evaluation. This is termed the maintenance phase of course production. Three central questions are addressed. The first asks why feedback is needed at all, and it is proposed that it is to…

The National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education's seventh annual report outlines the Council's mandate and activities and looks at the current state and future needs of bilingual education in the United States. In a section on program implementation, the report outlines local, state, and federal support efforts, program design and…

Suggests faculty development programs based on writing-to-learn can foster more effective teaching, by providing opportunities for faculty and teaching assistants to develop new teaching skills and to integrate scholarship and teaching, by changing faculty approaches to teaching and learning, by providing a forum for sharing talents and…