At the James Weldon Johnson Leadership Academy in East Harlem, New York, administrators, teachers, students, families, and community-based artists worked together to create a visually explosive environment that reflected enriched learning experiences based on their multidisciplinary study of New York's history. The Mano a Mano ("Hand to…

Presents and discusses seven books in which practitioners grapple with the move toward wholeness in their classrooms, offering the practitioners' own blueprints for holistic curricula laid upon a foundation of Vygotskian principles. Notes also three collections that package popular, high-quality children's books into a variety of theme units. (SR)

Examines the underlying rationale for using themes in contemporary classrooms. Examines guidelines for choosing and evaluating themes. Reviews what is meant by themes in various settings. Concludes that there are some issues that must be confronted by language arts professionals if the movement toward integrated thematic teaching is to result in…

Describes a full-time, six-week block which immerses preservice teachers in a self-directed, collaborative, transdisciplinary learning adventure that they translate into a teaching adventure. Shares a vision of what teacher education can be by describing examples of learning contexts, the supportive curriculum model, and the effects these…