Explores students' views of English-as-a-Second-Language courses in discussions with three Japanese secondary students. Their stories were analyzed in terms of Schwab's four curriculum commonplaces: learner, subject matter, milieu, and teacher. For the students, learning English is connected to negotiating their identities in a new environment.…

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (New York) has developed a course for students with at least semi-intelligible speech, to improve their effectiveness when conversing in English with non-signing hearing partners. Lectures, discussions, and activities foster self-awareness, pragmatic facility, and communicative competency. Student…

Asserts that involving students in learning a small amount of programming language can enable them to learn the important concepts of electronic information systems. Describes a three-week unit in which arts and humanities undergraduate students use the authoring language, PILOT. (CFR)

Asserts that community service-learning holds the potential to enhance the sociology curriculum. Contends that the programs are not implemented easily and difficulties arise trying to integrate academic content with the community experience. Describes a community service-learning course, discusses typical problems, and suggests solutions. (CFR)

Examines what should be the oral component of a foreign language course. Structural, interactive, generic, and contextual constraints are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching. (32 references) (Author/CK)

Reviews problems with research in determining the effectiveness of distance education, and presents a systems model to be used as a framework upon which researchers can build. The telecommunications in instruction model incorporates learner variables, instructor variables, presentational elements, course content elements, and distance education…

Explores how cross-curricular themes can be integrated into the modern languages lesson. Key requirements include the need to clarify objectives, identify what can be usefully explored, introduce cultural comparisons at the appropriate time, focus on authentic reading materials, and use a basic core language and previously developed activities.…

Discusses the importance of improving the relationship between content and student motivation, underscoring the problems, purposes, and possibilities for creating a connection between the two. After reviewing psychological implications that influence learning processes, the paper discusses schools' intended purposes and presents practical…

A survey of 111 medical schools found 12 provided no formal teaching in death and dying, 30 provided 1 or 2 lectures in the first 2 years, 51 taught it as a module of a larger course, and 18 offered it as an elective. A Yale School of Medicine seminar uses patients as teachers. (Author/MSE)

Study looked at the amount, kinds, and development of required writing tasks in courses taken by elementary teachers educated at Eastern Montana College. Instructors for 61 courses were interviewed. Results showed that reflective writing assignments were minimal and that 33 percent of the courses had minimal to nonexistent writing requirements.…

Suggests using an example versus nonexample format to teach geographical concepts related to landforms in the elementary grade classroom. Describes lesson plans and includes objectives, methods, and instructional strategies. Recommends using a conceptual framework rather than rote memorization. (NL)

Identifies 118 colleges and universities nationwide that offer graduate-level coursework related to 2-year colleges and lists the 193 courses offered. Indicates that most courses (n=109) tended to be general, or introductory, in content, with the second largest group (n=40) dealing with teaching and learning. (DMM)

An introductory Natural Science course with a focus on the laboratory is described. The main function of the course is getting students prepared for required individual projects in science. A copy of the syllabus, a description of laboratory experiments, and the context of the course are included. (KR)

Describes an elective high school weight-loss course. Students do fat-burning exercises in an atmosphere that does not stigmatize them because they are heavy or unathletic. They study nutrition, proper eating habits, and self-esteem. Most students continue to lose weight or sustain their weight after the course is completed. (SM)

Presents an annotated bibliography of ERIC materials on critical thinking instruction, focusing on general approaches, and critical thinking approaches linked to developmental education, writing instruction, and other disciplines. (DMM)