A middle school teacher prompted the use of telecommunications for middle school students and staff. One semester, she offered instruction in a computer club and a French class. The paper discusses the process, reactions, and results such programs have in the school setting. (SM)

Describes an INSET course and the participating teachers' reactions one year later. Few of the ideas presented during the course were taken up as anticipated by the tutors because of the mediating effects of the participants' beliefs about teaching and learning. A course given to effect lasting change in teachers' practice must deal with these…

Examined whether at-risk preschoolers would show gains in expressive and receptive language after using selected computer-based activities in a teacher-directed, small group situation using direct-instruction techniques. Results indicated improvement in varying degrees, suggesting wider use of computers combined with direct instruction for…

Examined a kindergarten teacher's implementation of a whole-language program and her students' responses to questions about reading, such as, Can you read? What can you read? What is reading? and When did you learn to read? Seventy-five percent of the children indicated that they had learned to read during kindergarten or when they were…

A group of college-level Spanish students received metacognitive awareness raising--a single session that, by means of brainstorming, involved students in developing a general awareness of language learning strategies. Final course grades were compared across control and experimental groups, revealing significantly higher scores for the latter.…

The article presents hands-on classroom projects to teach elementary students about colonial American history. Students make their own natural dyes, cook blueberry slump, and play cup-and-ball the way the colonists did. The activities integrate science, math, history, art, and language arts. (SM)

Examines the writings of Burbules and Young, two major educational theorists committed to promoting and understanding the practice of dialogue in educational contexts, focusing on Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action. Their works have shown the necessity for researchers to move across disciplinary boundaries and developing theories of…

Presents a case study of the bilingual section established in a modular business studies course taught in Spanish and designed to integrate the themes of "business" and "information studies" within a single subject. The teachers were expert in the subject studied and the language concerned, and the students had an adequate…

When teaching writing, most high school English teachers encourage students to express their feelings. The paper discusses the evolution of process writing, which is a belief that writing is a process of discovery and not a product. The paper questions process writing, suggesting it adversely affects clarity, structure, and thought. (SM)

Evaluation for acceptability and utility of 5 common reading methods and materials by 32 middle school students with learning disabilities found the basal reader approach preferred over the other methods (language experience, direct instruction, multisensory, and neurological impress) which were all rated equally. (Author/DB)

Sample materials designed to enable advanced learners to read more effectively for academic purposes are presented that focus learners' attention on the role of various cohesive devices in relating parts of a text. Discovery exercises applied to an authentic text show learners ways the devices can help them understand the text. (13 references)…

A diagnostic teaching approach for determining the appropriate reading medium (print or braille) of children with visual impairments is presented. Two checklists are offered for recording observations useful in making decisions during two phases (selection of the medium for beginning instruction and ongoing evaluation of the initial decision). Two…

Five generalizations for reading instruction with disabled and normal readers are presented: (1) caring, positive relationship between teacher and student; (2) the role of rereading and daily reading; (3) appropriate materials; (4) interest as a springboard to learning; and (5) the unification of instruction. (DB)

Eight field trip suggestions for the school grounds with activities to enhance such skills as observing, comparing, describing, drawing conclusions, investigating, mapping, developing vocabulary, sequencing events, inferring, interpreting, and writing for all grades and ages. (MCO)

Interactive dialogues between teacher and student or between student and student were used to teach revision skills to 18 adolescents with learning disabilities or English as a Second language. Both intervention conditions were equally effective in promoting clarity and thematic salience in trainees' reportive essays. (Author/JDD)