The decision of a West German English teacher training program to make its own videotapes in the classroom as a replacement for outdated instructional films resulted in heightened student motivation and creativity. Experimental use of the technique in schools produced increased teacher trainee confidence, greater pupil readiness to speak the…

Theoretical traditions concerning school environments and student achievement are described, and their insights are linked with analyses of school and classroom interactions to develop a simple conceptual model of environmental influences on student achievement. The literature regarding environmental influences is then reviewed, and the last…

Noting that elementary school teachers in a large school near a major U.S. city often had difficulty motivating non-native students and increasing their language arts abilities due to lack of information concerning the students' home environments and cultural values, this practicum examined the need to address differences in cultures and values…

This curriculum guide, part of a plant science core curriculum, consists of materials for use in teaching a unit on fruit and vegetable production. Provided in the first part of the guide are a list of objectives, a bibliography, and a competency profile. The remainder of the guide consists of 11 lessons dealing with the following topics: planning…

The response to seatwork assignments of 26 high and low achievers in 8 first grade classrooms was examined. Students were observed during five half-days of school over a five to six month period. Teachers were interviewed twice during the year, with particular attention being paid to how they handled selecting seatwork assignments, presented them…

This paper provides a review and analysis of literature from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database on the dimensions of career change. Definitions are given for relevant terms and the characteristics of career changers are discussed, including demographic characteristics, developmental stages, and reasons for career change.…

To prevent children with reading difficulties from thinking of themselves as failures, academic experiences must include projects that will motivate them to be responsible learners, enhance their self-concept, and reinforce all the language arts skills. One class of sixth grade students with reading disabilities made minibooks from greeting cards…

The interpersonal communication courses at the University of Washington have adopted the use of experiential learning strategies in response to the changing student population and changing attitudes. A major goal of the program is to provide a solid, explicit academic foundation for the use of experiential strategies by (1) outlining the…

It is proposed that student motivation can be maintained and enhanced when teachers combine authentic oral and written language with activities leading the student to identify with sympathetic individuals in the target culture. Suggested activities, emphasizing language training at the intermediate level, include interviewing native speakers, work…

Research was conducted using an ethnographic method within a cultural reproduction framework to examine what it means to young women to be office education students in a comprehensive urban high school, and how those meanings are reproduced. The analysis is based on a year-long field study of a cooperative office education program in a midwestern…

Research extending back into the 1890's reveals that the quality of classroom instruction depends not upon differing curricula, for example, but rather upon the attitudes and actions of teachers. Instructional effectiveness is especially important for independent schools, yet availability as well as quality of candidates has dropped markedly.…

Conference papers and discussions presented in this volume reflect recent research results that suggest the human infant is not a tabula rasa but an organism endowed at birth with an array of capabilities. Contents focus on several issues, including the possibility that infants have a rich affective life from their earliest days and that even…

In the Family Employability Development Plan (FEDP) process, a facilitator works with the family to help its members acquire the skills to develop their own plan for economic independence. The facilitator helps coordinate the interagency effort and helps the family become empowered to carry out its own plan. Carried out as a pilot project in 13…

Recent national studies have pointed out the changing educational needs of young people as the United States moves from an industrial society to an information society. Selected middle school students in Ohio were involved in a two-year federally-funded program entitled "Learning for Leadership." The objectives of the program were: (1)…

One hundred first year scholars in highly selective programs in five American universities took part in a preliminary study of outstanding high school graduates and the teachers who had contributed in special ways to their academic success. Fifty-three teachers who were identified by the scholars participated in the study by providing information…