In matrix teaching, teachers utilize elements of cooperative learning and project-based learning, but all students are held responsible for their own final products. A hypothetical story illustrates a worst-case scenario for cooperative learning, then the story is analyzed for its difficulties. Offers strategies for avoiding ineffectual group work…

This article describes a geometry project that used the beauty of stained-glass-window designs to teach middle school students about geometric figures and concepts. Three honors prealgebra teachers and a middle school mathematics gifted intervention specialist created a geometry project that covered the curriculum and also assessed students'…

This article describes three engaging introductions for topics on a Cartesian graph and the distributive property. (Contains 3 figures.)

This article describes one urban classroom and the language and literacy practices jointly constructed by a veteran urban teacher, Lynn Gatto, and her 3rd grade students. Drawing from two ethnographic studies of Gattos 2nd-4th grade looped classroom, we argue that Gatto and her students use the interplay between strategies and tactics (De Certeau,…

The following is a qualitative portrait of a creative teacher and her teaching process. Over a period of six months, five interviews were conducted with the teacher before, during, and following a university course in teacher education on instructing diverse learners. Additional interviews were conducted with six students at the beginning and end…

This paper describes the results of a research project that investigated the ways that academics understand sustainability within their own disciplines. It describes a range of ways in which academics view sustainability in the context of their teaching, and a range of ways they suggest that sustainability could be integrated into their teaching.…

What is the responsibility of an educator--where does it begin and end? We report on a study of teachers at four admired public high schools in urban areas in the US. The teachers describe their deep commitment to meeting students' academic needs, as well as their developmental, social and emotional needs. The ways these teachers construe…

Proving the efficacy of Hawaii's Poets-in-the-Schools program, this collection of descriptive statements by some of Hawaii's leading poets and teachers of poetry, and accompanied by illustrative poems produced by classroom pupils, describes the theories that were generally accepted as a working basis and the related methods each writer used in the…

Recognition of teachers has been a focus of the Diamond Jubilee Year of the National Council of Teachers of English (1985-86), which honors the outstanding teachers of some of the nation's leaders in this collection of testimonials about the influence these teachers have had on their lives. Contributors to the collection are Margaret Walker…

This curriculum guide for teachers of young children provides a framework that sets forth the program's philosophy, goals, and objectives for children, as well as guidelines for teaching that address all aspects of a child's development (socio-emotional, cognitive, and physical). It attempts to offer teachers the guidance, support, and freedom to…

The use of a student journal to relate the material covered in a particular course to real-life experiences has proven to be an effective technique that can be utilized in a wide variety of courses. This technique was adapted for use with two sections of Introductory Psychology at Emporia State University (Kansas). Students were required to write…

Since speech communication is experiencing numerous changes, it is useful to examine some of the causes of inadequate teaching in the field and various ways to solve the problems. Some causes of poor teaching are (1) the small value placed on university teaching compared to other criteria for tenure and promotion; (2) the classification or…

A census of secondary schools in Illinois as well as in the nation has revealed that less than 25% of the students are enrolled in foreign language classes. While most secondary schools in Illinois offer some foreign language instruction, there are small rural schools that are unable to offer a solid program. The French Language Intensive Program…

Included in this package are: a copy of a learning contract between two students; an abstract fulfilling part of the contract objectives; and six papers on the topic of contract education. The goal of the learning contract was to edit and prepare for publication "Working Papers on Contract Education". The credential awarded for satisfactory…

A PROCEDURE TO TEACH NATIVE SAMOANS HOW TO TEACH READING IS DESCRIBED. THE STORY SEQUENCE IDEA WAS USED FOR SELF-TEACHING. CLASS MEMBERS COLLECTED SAMOAN LEGENDS AND RECORDED VILLAGE LIFE IN ORIGINAL BOOKS ADAPTED TO VARIOUS READING LEVELS. THIS PRODUCTION WAS DIVIDED INTO SIX STEPS--(1) ANALYZING EXISTING TEXTBOOKS, (2) WRITING THE STORIES, (3)…