Responds to an article in the same journal on the rhetoric of whole language. Challenges issues of representation, motives involved, and the small unrepresentative sample involved. Discusses the rhetoric of camouflage. (SR)

Responds to an article in the same journal on the rhetoric of whole language. Shows how the authors of that article fail to do what they set out to do from their own perspective. Discusses choice of sources, treating the language seriously, and language without substance. Shows how those authors judge whole language not by its own principles but…

Responds to three articles (in the same journal) which responded to an article by these authors on the rhetoric of whole language. Discusses the nature of professional discourse. (SR)

This paper argues for a paradigmatic shift away from individualistic models of development and learning in early childhood special education to a social constructivist model. Principles for inclusive early childhood practice are explicated, based on classrooms as communities, learning as socially mediated, curriculum as contextually relevant and…

Shares the experiences of one teacher as she implements process writing in her classroom. (MG)

Research has clearly established that teachers' practical knowledge, personal theories, and thought processes influence their actions and student learning. This paper finds parallels between teacher and administrator thought processes, illustrates a conceptual framework for incorporating teacher-thinking research findings into an administrator…

This paper provides the basis for understanding score equating through item response theory (IRT). Theoretical justifications and practical advantages of IRT true-score test procedures are discussed. Three steps in the equating process are specified, and a self-test is included. (SLD)

Comparison of two studies in the United Kingdom and Switzerland regarding the efficacy of vocational education research and development highlights the importance of more rigorously establishing what happens to research results. Steps must be taken to ensure that such projects have a positive impact on practice and justify their costs. (SK)

The portable Program for Learning Competent Teaching, also known as the "block" or "trailer" program, is a Flagstaff School District/Northern Arizona University joint effort focused on experience, integrated coursework, total immersion, and professionalism. The program thrives because it bridges everyday experience and ideas.…

Urges use of computers to find workable Soviet educational theories. Complains of tendencies to indulge in creativity backed by neither experience nor action. Insists that creativity be integrated into professionalism instead of sought as an end in itself consisting of theory without results. Stresses the importance of computer support in…

Urges that research in elementary music education focus on discovering better ways of teaching and learning music and that findings be incorporated into the curriculum. Suggests questions for research, including when should abstractions be taught? what aspects of singing can be taught? and do all children listen similarly? Recommends replication…

The authors of a new book on the relationship of discourse and French language instruction, bringing different language backgrounds and professional perspectives to the issue of language teaching theory and practice, are interviewed. Discussion focuses on the role of discourse analysis in language teaching. (MSE)

A Canadian research project with English-as-a-Second-Language teachers indicates that Hutchinson's "process model" seems to capture the way in which second-language teaching takes place. The significant role played by teachers in interpreting curricula and determining classroom learning experiences is noted. (four references) (LB)

Discusses the changes taking place in music education and how they will affect the training of future music teachers. Suggests that teachers should be prepared to present music in a general yet varied format. Includes the necessity of promoting musical experiences and appreciation of musical events in desired curriculum changes. (DK)

Reiterates the author's convictions about the inadequacy of mainstream educational research. If perceptual control theory is correct in positing a closed-loop, negative feedback relationship between individuals and their environments, then current and mainstream educational research is not adequate for explaining purposeful behavior. (SLD)