This paper reports a qualitative action-research study on the use of cooperative learning through literature in two vulnerable English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms in Chile. The study aimed at bridging EFL inequality by exposing students to a different methodology using cooperative learning, and content-based instruction through…

The authors' aim in this article is to stimulate thinking and a new generation of scholarship on how compassion develops over the life span and may be cultivated to improve individual and societal health, well-being, and interpersonal relationships. The authors discuss conceptualizations of compassion, overview research on the development of…

Adults need certain capabilities to get and keep a job, provide responsive care for children, manage a household, and contribute productively to the community. When these skills have not developed as they should, or are compromised by the stresses of poverty or other ongoing adversity, our communities pay the price. But where do these capabilities…

Children's, adolescents', and adults' (N = 96 7-8, 10-11, and 13-14-year-olds and university students) epistemological development and its relation to judgments and reasoning about teaching methods was examined. The domain (scientific or moral), nature of the topic (controversial or noncontroversial), and teaching method (direct instruction by…

Romantic relationships matter for adolescents. Experiences in romantic relationships facilitate key areas of personal and interpersonal development, however, problems in romantic relationships and lack of positive role models can lead to increased risk of developing unhealthy relationship patterns that can persist into adulthood. The goals of this…

The decline of artistic expression in late childhood is an ongoing and well identified problem in the field of art education, yet it has been generally accepted as a natural occurrence and irreversible attribute of normative development. However, this foreclosure of artistic learning has serious implications to the concerns of emotional…

Research to date has provided too few answers for vital educational questions concerning teaching children or letting them learn. A basic problem is that experimentation usually begins by accepting conventional assumptions about schooling, ignoring experiments that would entail disturbing the ordering of current educational priorities.…

"On the Level," a classroom video series developed for 14- to 17-year-olds, is being broadcast by many public television stations. The series was designed to promote personal and social growth among adolescents. Suggestions given for the effective use of the series by teachers include: (1) selecting appropriate questions and activities; and (2)…

This paper deals with the specific problems of the adolescent and adult hearing-impaired individual who wishes to improve and develop his or her expressive speech ability. Considered are issues critical to the learning process, intervention strategies for improving speech production, and speech production as one part of communication competency.…

Based upon the philosophy and techniques of a life skills course for adults, this program guide specifies the life skills problems faced by northern adolescents, the lessons needed to confront these problems, and some of the benefits that would accrue to the students who may take the course. In addition, an attempt is made to anticipate negative…

What do solitude experiences offer in this increasingly high-speed, technically dependent world? As this book inspiringly reveals, solo quests can provide powerful reconnection with the natural world, the true self, and the great mystery beyond. As Parker Palmer writes in "To Know as We Are Known," "Solitude calls us to confront…

Reports results of a poll of 900 Minnesota high school students regarding various educational issues and relates results to the findings in "A Nation at Risk." Includes a student letter to the education committee of the Minnesota legislature. (SB)

This paper asserts that what is really basic in education lies first in recognizing what it means to be human, to accept the challenges and pains and joys of being alive, and to attempt not only to preserve but to raise the level of that humanity a notch or so for the next generation. It is suggested that adolescent literature can be a vehicle for…

T. H. White's "Once and Future King" provides an antidote of humor for the pessimism found in many modern literary works. As the title implies, many of the book's themes are timeless--the fruitless quest, the eternal triangle, the conflict of desire and morality, and the opposition of good and evil. Other themes--the fall of the leader…

The third book in a 5-book manual on day camping discusses the campers themselves. Section I provides a case study of the pre-school camper and the counselor. Section II addresses the needs and characteristics of children from ages 6-12 and describes what children need from parents, teachers, playmates, and community. Section III discusses the…