Recent years have witnessed the spread of purpose-built active learning classrooms throughout the higher education sector. While these innovative learning spaces are well-suited for a variety of active learning strategies, their lack of a single focal point means they are inconvenient spaces for lecturing. While educational developers often…

In the UK, Latin is often seen as an elitist subject taught largely at fee-paying schools. Over the past generation, however, great strides have been made in opening up the subject to students from all backgrounds. A major hindrance to widening access to Latin at university level is that the language can often prove challenging for students. Data…

Presents a checklist for instructors preparing to teach a large geography lecture class. Suggests having enough supplies, especially paper for copying; ordering enough textbooks; making sure that seats have writing surfaces; writing out examination policies; and other time-saving management procedures. (GG)

Effectiveness of substitute teachers is related to the implementation of strategy for their utilization. If substitutes are expected to do more than control students, then teachers must leave lesson plans, activities, and materials that can be used by anyone. Cooperation and coordination are essential for substitutes' success. (MD)

The six editions of this newsletter provide a forum for the sharing of research findings and instructional strategies by faculty of Western Michigan University on issues connected with critical thinking. Topics addressed include alternative program designs for critical thinking instruction, a philosophical exploration of what critical thinking is,…

Considers the relationship between business studies and economics. States that economics is the foundation for business studies and that the abstract theories of economics have a place in the business studies syllabus. Provides an outline for a business studies syllabus. (GG)

Secondary students who read an economics lesson silently scored significantly higher than students who received an oral presentation of the lesson. A significant interaction between lesson organization and student ability level indicated that highly organized economics lessons increase student learning under certain ability level conditions.…

STUDIES INVESTIGATING THE LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT OF INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED UNDERACHIEVING PUPILS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WERE MADE BETWEEN TWO GROUPS OF UNDERACHIEVERS. ONE GROUP WAS PLACED IN A CLASS OF HIGH ACHIEVERS (HOMOGENEOUS) WHILE THE OTHER GROUP WAS PLACED IN A HETEROGENEOUS CLASS. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT UNDERACHIEVERS IN THE HOMOGENEOUS…

Describes a high school course entitled "Developmental/Speed Reading" and the positive effects of having a wide range of reading levels produce peer pressure toward reading improvement. (RL)

In an attempt to aid telecourse faculty with various aspects of administering telecourses, Charles County Community College (CCCC), in La Plata, Maryland, has produced a manual designed to foster coherence in telecourse instruction. Introductory material explains that the manual is distributed on disk so that can be updated easily and discusses…

A college course in Organizational Communication typically involves the study of how people act within organizations, and why. Instructors should design a course which provides a realistically complex and extensive experiential simulation of organizational social dynamics over time, while still providing adequate theoretical input to facilitate a…

Examined final-year undergraduate responses to innovations to determine whether positive learning outcomes in large classes are possible by increasing the range of work in which students are involved. Straightforward adjustments to approach and style produced both positive learning outcomes and an increase in transferable skills. (RJM)

This paper discusses the challenges and difficulties of adopting new "authentic" methods of instruction that help students not only learn but also develop habits that enable them to use their knowledge more effectively. "Authentic" methods of instruction are defined as those that require students to produce (not just reproduce) knowledge relevant…

Theorists and researchers have indicated that the Group Oral Review (GOR) provides valuable classroom interaction. Some objectives of the GOR approach to reading (for developmental studies reading students) are as follows: to reinforce the process used in a reading assignment, to aid development of metacognitive awareness, to emphasize the idea…