An study was conducted in an adult education center and a community school in Scotland to determine the perceived effectiveness of a range of methods for teaching English. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, observation of teaching, course documents, and informal conversations with 47 students and 2 teachers. Findings included…

A shift in instructional focus to student needs and interests spurred the development of a different approach to French second language program design in Alberta. A practical curriculum planning model is offered that is based on: (1) communicative and student-centered activities; (2) responsiveness to teacher needs; and (3) supporting planning for…

Six of 11 papers presented at a symposium on language aptitude testing are included in this document. "Cognitive Abilities in Foreign Language Aptitude: Then and Now" (John B. Carroll) reconsiders language aptitude testing 30 years after publication of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). "Preliminary Investigation of the…

Most of the 27 enrollees in the institute were employed in administrative positions within the North Carolina Community College System. The institute consisted primarily of 3-hour presentations on topics related to the conference theme of "Institutional Effectiveness in Building Communities." Two types of evaluations were conducted. The…

Presenting suggested activities for high school teachers, this guide is to be used to satisfying Florida's law-related education requirement. The scripts for two videos dramatizing legal proceedings are included; in both, students participate in mock trials. The first video concerns the offense of driving under the influence; the second concerns…

Correlations between the California Critical Thinking Skills Test--College Level (CCTST) and student-related factors regarded as indicators of academic ability and success were studied in a series of four experiments investigating whether the CCTST measures improvement in critical thinking (CT) skills. During 1989-90, data were collected on 1,196…

This report discusses what should be taught in history and social sciences courses, and how the material should be taught. Differing views of educational leaders as well as results of recent research and studies are summarized. The following propositions are offered as stimulators of inquiry and as tentative guides to practice: (1) the greatest…

This paper discusses recent efforts in the state of Michigan to maintain diverse, high quality course offerings in the face of declining enrollments. Following a brainstorming session to come up with ways for providing opportunities in such endangered subject areas as advanced languages, mathematics, and science, a Kent (Michigan) Intermediate…

This leader training kit is designed to help leaders teach their audience about a major consumer purchase--health care coverage. It is organized so that the participants should be better able to (1) assess their individual/family health care needs; (2) use appropriate guidelines to select and purchase health care coverage in order to get the most…

The study examines the extent to which the global issues of population growth, world hunger, air quality and atmosphere, and water resources were treated in sixth and seventh grade science textbooks. Ten textbooks were examined by five raters to determine the amount of content presented by different textbooks on global issues, the number of pages…

During the first year of its three-year existence, the Bicentennial Commission began to fulfill its mission, as defined by its chairman, to provide "a history and civics lesson for all of us." The Commission has decided to focus primarily on the educational potentialities of commemoration and to foster a firm understanding and…

A unit of instruction for use with limited English proficient students in grades 9-12 being screened for special education services is outlined. The students should have some proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing English, and the unit can be used with students at a fifth grade or higher level of achievement. It has six…

An evaluation of the New York City high schools' program in English as a second language (ESL) for limited English-proficient students focuses on the effectiveness of the program's beginning, intermediate, advanced, and transitional classes. It evaluates one program aspect, ESL content area classes, and focuses on two principal program objectives:…

Several factors to take into account when assessing the effectiveness of programs for teaching educational administration are reviewed in this paper. Three of these factors relate to those engaged in learning: their stages of individual development, their tendency toward initial dependence, and their needs to master and to belong. Three more…

An unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in college-level credit courses in Florida's community colleges is provided as taken at the end of the initial drop-add period in fall 1985. The first portion of the report provides data showing 5-year (fall 1981 through fall 1985) statewide trends in actual opening fall credit enrollments. Figures…