The directors of adult education from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories met to discuss implementation of the National Literacy Act and Adult Education Act (AEA) and to begin the process of developing recommendations regarding reauthorization of AEA in 1995. The forum discussions centered around the following aspects of…

A study examined basic skills programs at 21 Illinois companies. Most of the top managers interviewed recognized the basic skills training needs of their work forces; however, only 14 of the companies actually offered workplace basic skills programs. Three major motivating factors were identified as catalysts for beginning a program: a drive for…

A first-grade teacher included her students in her planning of a unit of study. The teacher explained to the students how she planned a unit and invited the students to volunteer ideas for the topic. The topic chosen was space and aliens. The teacher and students discussed what they already knew about the topic, what they wanted to learn about it,…

From the smallest plankton to the most massive whales, marine biology is the study of the flora and fauna, the living creatures of the ocean. This Zephyr self-directed study unit was developed to bridge the gap between students as passive learners to students as active participants. Originally developed for gifted students, these units emphasize…

This collection of four papers focuses on the Lancaster and Sussex Projects (England) that place an emphasis on writing outside of school and outside of work by "ordinary" people in their everyday lives. The papers refer to each other; the first is an introduction for the others. "Introduction: Making Writing Visible on the…

Television advertising aimed at children is explored, including its regulation, techniques, and research on its effects. Particular attention is given to sexual stereotypes in commercials, including an analysis of certain commercials. A commercial literacy unit is presented for use with fourth graders. The history of advertising targeted at…

This paper discusses nonverbal communication and its implications and relevance for teachers. The first form of nonverbal language is proxemics, which describes the physical arrangement of space within a classroom and the space we allow between ourselves and others. The second form, coverbal behavior, describes physical movement, such as gestures,…

Interspersing vignettes and comments, this book describes the "Doing Words" program of teaching reading and writing to kindergarten and first-grade children. The book notes that the system is based on talking with the children each day, and finding what words are the most important to them that day and giving them those words on a card…

This paper describes how a new university, African Nazarene University (ANU) in Kenya, used various means, including computer technology, for implementing learning goals for students from a wide variety of African countries and tribes. The paper stresses that the school, which opened in 1994 with 65 students, emphasized tolerance of differences…

The purpose of the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Coca Cola/Board of Regents Classroom Technology Initiative was to develop preservice and inservice teachers' expertise in educational technology such as computers, presentation software, and multimedia and to teach educators to apply those skills to content instruction. Project goals were to…

The papers included in this volume emphasize the need to connect the child and the narrative as a way to affect children's development in evaluating literature and information in all forms. Children are lively agents who create meaning as readers, viewers, and listeners. These proceedings address the myriad aspects of storytelling--practical,…

The guide discusses the role of computers in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom, drawing heavily on the experiences of the Arlington (Virginia) Education and Employment Program (REEP). After an introductory section, chapters address these topics in brief articles written by practitioners: initial considerations in program design (the…

The aims of this research were to: investigate teachers' needs for knowledge and skills in relation to the effective use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and suggest ways of enhancing future design and delivery of self- and staff-development in order to increase and improve the level of ICT use in Scottish schools. First, a…

In this study, preservice elementary teachers were networked via the Internet, using electronic mail, newsgroups, listservs, World Wide Web access, and electronic mentoring during their science methods class and student practicum. Electronic networking was introduced as a means to provide a social context in which to learn collaboratively, share…

This paper presents five standards for pedagogy that are applicable across grade levels, student populations, and content areas: joint productive activity; language and literacy development; meaning making; complex thinking; and instructional conversation. These standards emerge from principles and practice that have proven successful with…