Appalled by his junior-high students' low morale and underachievement, a spiritually grounded African-American teacher realized that self-worth and achievement must grow together. He attacked problem attitudes affectively by building students' self-esteem and cognitively by building their linguistic skills. He raised performance expectations and…

Offers suggestions for teaching information skills to kindergarten through second-grade students. Highlights include book titles to use as discussion lead-ins; library group activities; the use of technology, including computer software and electronic mail; and problem-solving skills. (LRW)

The teacher of a college seminar on education in contemporary American society, addressing sensitive personal and political concepts, used one-minute essays to "take the pulse" of the class daily. Daily summaries of essay content provided students with evidence of the teacher's commitment to monitoring the process, added a level of…

Steps taken by instructional designers in constructing a case study for use in faculty development are outlined, from the original case study idea to selection of an appropriate classroom incident, writing the case, and planning the teaching process (identifying relevant issues, preparing discussion questions, and organizing discussion). The text…

Examined the outcomes of a 2-year, technology-supported, problem-based learning project which built teacher knowledge through sustained, dialogue-driven collaboration. The qualitative research, involving 28 grade 5-8 teachers, identified key organizational structures for making the most of computer-mediated communication for inservice teacher…

Describes the ways one middle school teacher works with students to develop the unique culture of the class. Considers the use of collaborative projects, and notes how the classroom functions as a setting for the developing social group in which experience is continuous and intertextual and communication is referential. (JPB)

Develops an initial theory of teachers' conceptions of classroom discussion using in-depth interviews and grounded theory's constant-comparative technique. Identifies six generally held conceptions of discussion and five factors that influenced teachers' use of discussion. Examines implications for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers…

Recommends the application of cognitive-developmental theory with young offenders. The theory claims that moral reasoning can be developed through discussion with others. Summarizes a study where 40 young offenders participated in moral-dilemma discussions with another subject that differed in level of moral reasoning and peer status. (MJP)

Asserts that elementary students should know the basic vocabulary of economics, in particular, the "Significant Six": (1) goods and services; (2) productive resources; (3) scarcity; (4) opportunity cost; (5) specialization; and (6) exchange. Provides a lesson called "Benny's Pennies" that focuses on goods and services that…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the sciences are a common feature of U.S. universities that have a prominent mission of research. During the past 2 decades, increased attention has been paid to the professional development of GTAs as instructors. As a result, universities have created training programs to assist GTAs in selecting…

The beginning of the year is the right time to establish a climate of kindness, caring, and sharing for a teacher's group-time meetings. Group time is often a teacher's first "formal" introduction to the children, and a time when a teacher sets the stage for creating a sense of community. By demonstrating a teacher's loving acceptance for all…

Studies in language learning have addressed the necessity of classroom interaction or students' oral participation in class. However, getting students to respond in a language classroom--especially a foreign language class--is a problem that most language teachers face. This article suggests remedies to language learners' reticence, using…

In this study, the author adapted reciprocal teaching strategies for use with her kindergarten students. Using puppets to help model strategies, she implemented a series of lessons that showed students how to retell, ask questions, and predict what would happen in a story that was read aloud. The purpose was to provide students with comprehension…

East Asian students, the largest international student group in US higher education, are as a group typically known to be silent or reticent in class. This survey examined views of East Asian international graduate students concerning required academic listening and speaking skill levels in their university courses, their own difficulties in…

This is an investigation of "situated learning" among Singaporean physical education student teachers (STs) (n = 11) who used a games concept approach (GCA) on their practicum in primary schools. Introduced to the physical education curriculum as part of a revised, mandated national syllabus, the GCA was reportedly having little impact…