Inquiry-based learning is about more than moving desks out of those neat rows and avoiding lecture and recitation, says the author in his newest book, "Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry". It is about turning the way teachers teach upside down and inside out by asking students the big questions and letting them find their own way to the…

This article presents several punctuation activities that help students practice dialogue-writing skills. Teachers can help their students become intrepid reporters by providing them with story ideas or by inviting them to develop their own "scoops." In addition, comic strips can also be used for dialogue-writing practice.

A middle school reform initiative, sponsored by the Program for Disadvantaged Youth of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation 4 years ago, has taken hold in 12 urban middle schools nationwide. The article discusses that reform, noting the lessons about change to accommodate student diversity that urban middle schools can teach. (SM)

Presents a program developed by three elementary school guidance counselors aimed at promoting student responsibility and respect in the classroom. (JMB)

The winners of the 2005 State Teachers of the Year recently talked about their views on closing the achievement gap, the state of the profession, and what "really" works in the classroom. This article presents the views of these teachers namely Heidi Louise Capraro, Stanley Murphy, Vicki Lynn Goldsmith, Karen Heath, Kimberly Babeu, Jason Kampras,…

Maintaining a high "synergy" classroom, when the total effect of the people in an environment seems to be greater than the sum of the effort of the individuals, requires a commitment to a cooperative learning environment and hard work. Here are some learning activities designed to provide students with "synergy" all year long. (Author/RK)

Children learn science concepts when they are provided with real-life experiments and problems to solve. Three top elementary school science programs that allow students to hypothesize, discover, and evaluate are discussed. (DF)

Role playing stimulates thinking. It helps students seek more than one solution to a problem, and it promotes consideration of long-range effects of choices. (Author)

Because many of today's issues are complex and confusing, children need opportunities and help in value development other than the traditional kinds. Describes value clarification techniques available to the teacher. (Author/DR)

The Exemplary Program in Career Development, now in its second year in the elementary schools of Bismarck, builds a sequence of significant tasks that are incorporated into the regular curriculum at each grade level. (RB)

An elementary school pilot career program that includes evaluation of self-characteristics, exploration of broad occupational areas, introduction to the economic and social values of work, and introduction to sociological and psychological meanings of work. (RB)

Describes how teachers turned the reality of the nuclear reactor incident at Three Mile Island into a learning experience for children by recreating the sequence of events through creative dramatics. (CM)

By the turn of the 20th century, three forces--urbanization, immigration, and industrialization--were conspiring to change the face of public education. Teachers still emphasized reading, memorization, and traditional academic subjects, but many began looking for new ways to reach an increasingly diverse student population. (IAH)