This publication summarizes the findings of a 3-year study concerning the effectiveness of instruction that emphasizes meaning and understanding. In particular, the instructional approaches embedded the teaching of discrete skills in context and drew connections between academic learning and students' home lives. These strategies were applied in…

This document contains a synthesis of the debate on the significant developments since 1986 and on the future agenda for literacy education, held at a seminar attended by 40 participants from 21 countries. The synthesis summarizes workshops on models of literacy practice, national policies, development of partnerships, evaluation, and research,…

Presenting syntheses of research on effective instruction in 30 program areas, this paper is designed as a resource to assist teachers in expanding and refining their repertoire of teaching strategies and to guide instructional planning and decision making. For each program area, the paper presents a "finding" (a one-sentence statement…

This paper reviews the research on the social dimensions of literacy acquisition and use, and applies conclusions to the provision of improved literacy training for adults and young people with hearing impairments. Discussion of the social context of literacy considers the ethnography of communication, literacy as cultural practice, and literacy…

An attempt was made to increase dislocated worker's self-esteem and decrease their anxiety through implementation of a technical retraining program that included teaching employability skills and counseling. The program was offered by a community college to 23 dislocated workers. Self-esteem and anxiety were measured three times during the program…

As the consultation model of service delivery spreads, more and more speech and language clinicians are coming out of the therapy room and going into the classroom. Clinicians and classroom teachers can form technology partnerships as they collaborate to use microcomputer software to address the needs of children with speech and language…

Possible applications of satellite television and interactive video in language teaching are described. Advice is given on how to set up, expand, and effectively exploit these technologies in the classroom. A variety of activities are suggested for developing listening, speaking, and writing skills at different levels. The guide concludes with a…

This report summarizes an evaluation of a staff development program to reduce disparity in educational achievement across race and sex. The Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement (TESA) program of S. Kerman, T. Kimball, and M. Martin (1980) was implemented in an elementary school. Achievement test scores, attitudes toward school and self,…

This paper considers how the algebra curriculum in secondary mathematics might be reformulated by rethinking both the content of algebra and the approaches to teaching and learning algebraic concepts. It considers how the concept of function can be made a central theme of the algebra curriculum and further suggests that computer software, when…

In a typical classroom business project, students produce and sell a product to other students in their school or to parents and members of the community. Such projects can be an excellent opportunity for students to begin to develop and apply a wide range of skills and for educators to teach important economics and business concepts. This booklet…

The project described in this report was designed to develop curriculum materials on gender equity issues for prospective teachers in education programs both at the University of Alaska and nationwide. Practicing teachers, together with university researchers, developed 10 teaching cases which present real-world classroom difficulties centering on…

This study was conducted to answer three major questions relative to undergraduate preservice secondary education programs: (1) What courses in pedagogy are required of all secondary education majors and how many credits are awarded in each area? (2) What are the current practices relative to student teaching credit and evaluation? and (3) How…

This interim guide is a component of the Northwest Territories (Canada) School Health Program. It contains instructional strategies, lesson plans, reproducibles, and teacher background materials for seventh grade classes. The material is organized around the three curriculum units: mental and emotional well-being, growth and development, and…

Indicators of current issues and concerns in the assessment of science teaching and learning outcomes are discussed. The greatest public attention to science test scores is devoted to scores from assessments that are external to schools, including national assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), international…

This paper presents the findings of a literature review undertaken to identify behaviors and practices demonstrated by successful urban teachers in their preparation for teaching and interacting with students. The literature search focused on competencies for urban teaching and on urban education. The search yielded two broad areas of competence:…