The six essays published in this issue all seek to extend principles of communication and instruction. They share an instrumental view of communication as a way to address problems and deficiencies and simultaneously position instructional communication research squarely within larger organizational and professional communication contexts. In…

The policy reforms over the past 15 years have placed all the responsibility for reading achievement on teachers, with little, if any, support. What many have achieved is declining achievement in comparison with other countries. Moreover, there are increasing teacher shortages, as promising individuals choose other careers and teachers leave the…

Richard DuFour, a leading advocate for creating professional learning communities in schools, shares his insights on why teaching has become an "embattled profession" and the steps teachers and school leaders can take to enhance teachers' practice and their working lives. DuFour explains how recent reforms aimed at educators themselves…

In October of 2010, Canadian Education Association (CEA), in conjunction with colleagues from SCOPE (Stanford Centre for Opportunity Policy in Education), hosted an event entitled "Achieving Equity through Innovation: A Canada-United States Colloquium." This two-day event provided an important platform for the exchange of ideas,…

Museum education leaders often find themselves thrust into greater responsibility without an opportunity to prepare themselves for the challenges ahead. In this article, I discuss my own struggles transitioning from manager of a specific program area to oversight of an entire education department. This transition happened unexpectedly, and the…

The concepts underlying learning organizations are valuable. But to succeed in a highly competitive global marketplace, companies need to change quickly; employees must be able to assimilate new knowledge and skills. Companies must become teaching organizations. (Author/JOW)

Discusses the connection between second language acquisition (SLA) research and second and foreign language (S/FL) teaching from the viewpoint that such a relationship is desirable and that it is advantageous to see it as one mediated by various factors. Argues that the relationship is presently often weaker than it should be, particularly owing…

The examination of technological change and its impact on schools that is reported in these conference proceedings focuses on the human dimensions of this change, and in particular, whether the introduction of technology into education is causing turmoil for teachers. It is argued that teachers appear to be feeling the strain of the actual changes…

Discusses the formulation of the "Wyoming Resolution," which decries the working conditions of writing faculty members in postsecondary education and calls for the creation of a grievance procedure for such teachers. Contains a copy of the resolution. (FL)

The Reggio Emilia approach to education reveals new ways for promoting children's academic learning; offers documentation as a tool for studying, sharing, and planning children's education experiences; and provokes a new way to think about the role of the teacher. (Contains 17 references.) (MLF)

The content of a good speech writing course includes an explanation of the function and impact of speech writers, an examination of speeches produced by professional writers, and a focus on the sharpening of students' writing skills. The content must also be balanced between the practical/professional and the abstract/academic aspects of the…

The experiences of a first-year teacher of students with mild mental retardation are described from the perspective of that teacher. The enormous burdens that can be placed on new teachers in difficult situations are highlighted and implications are discussed for teacher educators, interpersonal relationships, and the role of special education.…

Demonstrates the need for teaching strategies that incorporate the concepts of power and freedom into existing courses. Identifies classroom environments that enable students to make choices as beneficial and describes some strategies for promoting a more democratic classroom. (AEM)

Documents the development of one of the most comprehensive efforts in occupational language training in the English-speaking world, Britain's Industrial Language Training (ILT) Service. The presentation describes widespread engagement by the authors and ILT staff concerned with cross-cultural differences as they affect job-related communication…

Designed to illustrate the role of the instructor in workplace education, this paper describes the educational strategies employed in a communication and collaboration class given by an Alpena Community College (Michigan) workplace education director at a small automobile parts manufacturing plant. First, the qualities of workplace instructors are…