Concepts set forth in this design represent the position of the State Department of Education and were developed in cooperation with lay and professional groups throughout Vermont. This statement of a working philosophy directs itself to the process of education with a main concern that an educational philosophy should center around and focus upon…

This book provides information for online educators working with students in higher education and training settings. It offers an overview of the key issues of learning online and a guide to working with online students. There are 11 chapters in two parts. Part 1, "A Profile of the Virtual Students," includes: (1) "Who is the…

This guide is designed as a community-based resource for women who are interested in developing leadership skills in group facilitation, community building, and community action. It provides an integrated feminist anti-oppression learning framework that links social justice issues and the questions of race, gender, class, and all other forms of…

This book describes the special way one teacher, Jeanette Amidon, approaches children's thinking, with a particular focus on reading and writing instruction. The root value of her first-grade classroom in Massachusetts is respect for children's ideas, with the children's art and writing as visible signs of the teacher's respect for their thinking.…

This document offers six one-day workshops intended to help state, regional, and local organizations develop the knowledge and skills of educators and others providing transition services to young people with disabilities. Workshop content is based on the "Taxonomy for Transition Programming," a model of effective transition practices based on…

The present "factory" model of schooling is over 100 years old and continues many practices unsupported by research. School districts could implement research and development centers that investigate optional learning environments and lifestyles, implement unused research results, and offer a climate for developing new approaches and materials…

According to statistics compiled by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), more than 40% of working-age adults in the United States lack the requisite skills and education to succeed in life (Merrifield, 1998). In the field of adult education, however, there is much debate about how programs can best serve…

A Pennsylvania district used study groups to help teachers districtwide change their science teaching to standards-based practice of inquiry. Standards-based inquiry instruction requires that teachers have a deeper content knowledge as well as understand the process of inquiry. Making those changes requires support and a collegial environment.

The Teaching Support Center (TSC) at the University of North Dakota was established in 1992 to provide faculty and graduate assistants with a wide range of pedagogical, professional, and technological assistance in order to improve the quality of instruction. A 3-year plan was developed to implement 13 goals, which are: (1) determining the needs…

This book serves as a response to recurring questions from preservice teachers regarding the practice of student-centered teaching within the traditional school culture. The book uses the experience of one beginning teacher, Sheila, to develop its theme. It suggests that if practicing teachers have direct continuing access to teacher educators for…

In September 1995, the Scranton Area Family Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, initiated a twice-weekly literacy class designed to build low-income parents' educational skills and personal confidence while simultaneously encouraging family literacy activities. Eight parents of children in the Scranton School District attended the class and received…

This collection of 24 papers focuses on teacher education, literacy, and literature. Papers in the collection are: "Implementing Holistic Literacy Strategies in Chinese Teacher Preparation Programs" (R. L. Baker and M. H. Shaw-Baker); "I-Searching in Teacher Education" (A. Bartlett); "Strategies for Reducing Stress and…

This paper examines the preschool programs of the Reggio Emilia region of Northern Italy, describing the role of Loris Malaguzzi in the founding of the municipal preschools in the region after the Second World War and discussing the theoretical and philosophical basis of the child-centered, developmentally appropriate, art-centered Reggio Emilia…

This paper examines the use of oral dialogue journals as an integral part of foreign language instruction. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of oral (audiotape) journals, and compares them to written journals. The paper then explores the use of oral dialogue journals in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to adult students…

An Evergreen State College (WA) community outreach program was designed to serve the dual purposes of providing (1) needed English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction to Hispanic community members, and (2) teaching experience for students in a master's program in education. An ESL laboratory was established, about 25 undergraduate and graduate…