Reviews two approaches to critical thinking and shares seven steps from one approach which promote critical thinking skills. Shares an example of an activity showing how this approach can be used in many areas of the curriculum. (MG)

Language teacher supervisors see their role as: (1) training teachers to go from their actual to ideal teaching behaviors; (2) providing a means for teachers to reflect on and work through problems in their teaching; (3) furnishing opportunities for teachers to explore new teaching possibilities; and (4) providing teachers with opportunities to…

The study of dialects offers a fascinating approach to learning about language. By learning about how language varies geographically and socially, students will come to understand that language changes over time, and that language use is linked to social identity. Language variation, or dialect diversity, reflects the fact that languages change…

This digest examines ways in which the foreign language laboratory can serve to support communicative approaches to language instruction by becoming interactive. Although, in one sense, this can be achieved through the acquisition of interactive hardware, this paper focuses on the pedagogical approaches to language lab use that create interaction…

English-as-second-language instructors should take into account the importance of context for the meaning of language and address the varieties of English that learners will encounter in their daily lives. The principal elements of language variation and their implications for learners are described for the benefit of second language teachers.…

Examines materials in the ERIC database that deal with the use of creative drama as a language arts teaching tool. Discusses the nature of creative drama and activities for the classroom. (HTH)

This comparison is based on the authors' selective review of literature, observations of Montessori preschools in America and Australia, and experience in early childhood teacher education in Australia. The discussion explores general educational objectives, curricula, children's activities, instructional approaches, and teacher role in preschools…

This book explores the issue of what is feasible in teaching history to young children. It advocates more and better teaching of history in the belief that improving history instruction in the elementary school is a fundamental first step toward improving all elementary social studies. Chapter 1 explores the nature of history and reviews important…

Factors that are closely related to creative behavior are also intimately connected with language learning and the ability to communicate in languages other than one's own. These factors are fluency; flexibility; elaboration; originality; sensitivity to problems; and the ability to synthesize and analyze, to reorganize an idea, to handle…

Defining readers theatre as a technique for enhancing students' appreciation of literature and spoken language by dramatizing literary works in classroom settings, this booklet explains the basic principles of that form and offers exercises for applying those principles. The booklet notes that while the exercises are intended primarily for…

Bringing together peer teaching and collaborative learning, this book presents many specific ideas for elementary teachers to use in their classrooms and explains the principles behind the practices. Six diverse scenarios are presented which represent real experiences of teachers and their students at work in successful peer-learning classrooms.…

This guide takes an eclectic approach to literacy training, that is, it allows the instructor to select those materials and methods that best fit the needs of individual learners. It includes a definition of the target population which will include adults who are nonliterate, preliterate, semiliterate, and those who are literate in a non-Roman…

Examines materials in the ERIC system related to children's early oral language and the transition from home language to the more formal language used in school. Offers activities for a classroom climate that is responsive to children's oral language development needs. (HTH)

Constructivism is the theory that people learn by constructing meaning through interpretive interactions with the social environment. Constructivist perspectives are a growing influence among educators seeking to help students connect learning with life experiences, making constructivism highly relevant to vocational and career educators. This…

As part of a series of sharply focused booklets based on concrete educational needs, this booklet is designed to provide teachers with the best educational theory and research on mainstreaming non-English speaking children in regular classrooms and to present descriptions of classroom activities that are related to the described theory. Section…