The document presents two papers related to philosophy instruction at the high school level. The first paper suggests how to motivate beginning philosophy students by injecting a sense of reality and relevance into class discussions. One recommendation for furthering this sense of reality is to ask questions of current interest such as whether…

Articles in this yearbook cover a variety of topics in the field of language arts instruction, such as applying recent metacognition theory in reading instruction; using of journals, videotapes, and humor in the classroom; training reading teachers; and improving students' speaking and listening skills. Articles and their authors are as follows:…

This document reviews the experiences of College Bound, a joint four-year Boston Public Schools/Boston College enrichment and support program for multicultural, urban, public high school students. The program was designed to supplement the regular high school curriculum and was intended to refine basic skills, stimulate critical thinking and…

The College Board formed a research consortium with four-year colleges and universities to build a national higher education database with the primary goal of validating the SAT®, which is used in college admission and consists of three sections: critical reading (SAT-CR), mathematics (SAT-M) and writing (SAT-W). This report builds on a body of…

The mass media teach whether or not mediamakers intend to or realize it, and users learn from the media whether or not they try or are even aware of it. This means all of the media, including newspapers, magazines, movies, television, radio, and the new cyberspace media serve as informal yet omnipresent nonschool textbooks. This raises an…

Drawn from a conference that focused on the present state and future direction of college reading and learning skills instruction, the articles in this collection are arranged into three categories: reviews, investigations and evaluations, and prescriptions and descriptions. Among the topics discussed in the 19 articles are the following: (1) the…

The research on literacy and numeracy in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia and elsewhere was reviewed. The following topics were examined: (1) the basic skills, growth and heritage, and critical-cultural approaches to literacy; (2) policy regarding literacy and numeracy in VET; (3) changes in literacy practice in response to…

This document contains 12 units of study for a competency-based workplace literacy program, developed by Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, for a local plastics and engineering company. Each unit covers between two and nine competencies. Of the 12 units, 5 are devoted to language skills and 7 are devoted to mathematics. Each…

If media literacy is to become part of the K-12 school experience, enabling transformation in both curriculum and teaching, then teachers need to become literate first. Teachers cannot teach what they have not learned, and learned to value, themselves. Although more American teachers are becoming knowledgeable about media literacy, much remains to…

The ways that students can learn about the nature of the English language and develop a sense of excitement about their language are explored in this focused journal issue. The titles of the essays and their authors are as follows: (1) "Language, the Forgotten Content" (R. Small and P. P. Kelly); (2) "What Should English Teachers…

Media literacy education is being explored by scholars in many different fields (including education, literature, media studies, psychology, and public health), but there is less evidence of implementations occurring in K-12 settings. With more than 1.3 million teachers in U.S. public schools, it is impossible to estimate the extent to which the…

Living in an age of communication, literacy is an extremely integral part of our society. We are impacted by literature during our infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. "Literacy for the New Millennium" includes information from specialists in the field who discuss the influence of popular culture, media, and technology on…

This series of 22 pamphlets, on a range of reading topics, presents instructional techniques for teaching reading in elementary schools. Each pamphlet provides a brief summary of the topic presented, as well as classroom activities. The following topics are covered: (1) Early Literacy; (2) Writing in the Reading Program; (3) Reading and the…

In contrast to the primary grades when children are learning to read, students in grades 4 through 12 are expected to learn content as they read, yet they may still struggle with reading basics. This book provides a realistic and systematic process for improving reading and writing while enhancing content knowledge and skills. Based on proven…

This chapter will explore the "shadow curriculum" (a term used by those who question the assumption that direct selling to students who are compelled to attend school is questionable on several levels--ethical, moral, and democratic) and its connection to media literacy. The author first summarizes the kinds of marketing in schools that…