Reports findings of a survey, asking 1000 secondary social studies teachers to rate 36 specialist-designed reading practices. Shows teachers value and employ these techniques: (1) provide suitable materials; (2) offer instruction and guidance; (3) develop readiness through prereading; (4) encourage recitation, discussion, and comparative reading.…

Maintains that California teachers are now responsible for preparing students for the new California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) test. Discusses the multiple choice, written response, primary source, and essay writing sections of the test. Provides suggestions for scoring essays and having students evaluate each other's writing. (CFR)

Explored relationships between middle school students' writing processes and their written products. Results suggest that students need to engage in a variety of writing tasks; teachers must be aware of the complexity involved in composing to assess progress; editing must be kept in its proper perspective; and teachers should recognize that…

Maintains that the history of psychology course is a common capstone course in the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Describes exercises designed to encourage active learning and critical thinking. Presents basic steps in completing the exercises and students' reactions to them. (CFR)

Maintains traditional grading techniques can be a form of authentic assessment. Discusses three aspects of authentic assessment: (1) interdisciplinary problem-solving; (2) grading process as well as the product; and (3) developing a grading rubric to be shared with students. (CFR)

Techniques used by one college teacher to motivate, encourage, and lead students to success in college and beyond include exemplifying education's value, reinforcing effort, offering diversity in assignment types, being persistent with individual students, using student self-assessment, upholding deadlines and standards, being accessible,…

Uses ethnic recipes to analyze new and old world post-Columbian exchange of domesticated plants and animals in an introductory cultural geography course. Describes student research projects and includes tables of domesticated plants and animals by region and use. Also provides two student sample recipes with lists of ingredient origins. (NL)

Uses Japanese family crests to motivate students to construct a family history. Includes background information on Japanese history and culture. Provides an outline for the student research project. Supplies a list of Japanese emblems and their symbolism. (NL)

Examines music terminology acquisition of 71 undergraduate students in an elementary music-methods course. Observes effects of differential training by testing for apparent knowledge transfer in written concert reports. Finds students whose vocabulary lessons were reinforced by listening exercises used music terminology more frequently. (CH)

Proposes a learning model that includes components of critical thinking and social critique in writing assignments. Reports on results of an experimental course designed to use graduate student teaching assistants to improve students' critical thinking and writing skills. Describes the positive results of the course. (CFR)

Discusses the use of writing to enhance learning in mathematics from a conceptual development perspective. Shuell's phases of learning are described as a general model for conceptual development and subsequently matched with Britton's categories for transactional-informative writing. Sample mathematics assignments for each writing category are…

This pilot study (N = 18) explored the effectiveness of focusing and expressive arts therapies intervention on the quality of life of women with breast cancer. The format was a 2-day (7 hours per day) retreat/support group in which complementary treatments (focusing, writing, art, and movement) were provided in an intensive format. Our hypothesis…

This paper explores how the critical learning dimension in an English for academic purposes (EAP) programme in a British university is developed in the context of one classroom task. The focus is on the speaking element of the activity which requires students in pairs to explore each other's personal language history (PLH), present the account to…

This article presents ten strategies instructors can use to get their students to take more responsibility for their learning. Suggestions are given about the importance of getting students to verbalize why they are taking the course, helping students get into the proper mindset for each class, and structuring assignments so students will be more…

This article reports on an exploratory qualitative study on 37 students' acquisition of language and literacy. The study closely analyzes a linguistics assignment written in English, the dominant language, given to students at University of the Western Cape belonging to groups speaking English, Afrikaans, or an African language. The study…