Holistic approaches to the teaching of reading and writing, most notably the Whole Language movement, reject the philosophy that language skills can be taught. Instead, holistic teachers emphasize process, and they structure the students' classroom activities to be rich in language experience. Computers can be used as tools for whole language…

Reflecting a concern for a broad base of knowledge in reading, this collection contains the following essays: (1) "Reading and the Language Arts"; (2) "The Integrated Reading Curriculum"; (3) "Oral Communication and the Curriculum"; (4) "Spelling in the Curriculum"; (5) "Motivation and the Learner in Reading"; and (6) "Reform in the Reading…

The needs assessment literature has not systematically addressed the special problems involved in evaluating the mental health needs of children. In an attempt to provide a low-cost, comprehensive approach to assessing these needs, a multi-modal design, which sampled the impressions of parents and key informants, along with agency and government…

While the look-say versus the phonics controversy has existed for years in reading instruction, a similar debate regarding spelling instruction is only now emerging out of the literature and into the hands of the classroom teacher. "Subskill" spelling, most frequently found in current spelling programs, presumes that good spelling is achieved by…

Many anthropologists believe that anthropology stands to gain from devoting greater attention to history and historical questions. A successful synthesis of anthropology and history would not be difficult to achieve for several reasons. First, the two disciplines share fundamentally similar subject matters. Anthropology is the exploration of the…

Whether intuitive abilities can be improved through purposeful training for a more holistic approach to education was the object of this study. It was hypothesized that individuals participating in a mental training program designed to improve right-brain intuitive abilities would show significant improvement in such abilities, while a control…

Traditional tests, sometimes called prescientific, and post-modern tests, such as cloze tests and dictations, take the same approach toward content validity: the examinee must show in an "integrated facile performance" that he or she can use the language fluently. Where traditional tests fail is in a third dimension, test method. These…

At the heart of all human learning is the person seeking to grow, develop, and realize something of value in and through another person. Learning is essentially dependent on the relationships between student and teacher, and between the students themselves. In that all knowledge is value-based and developed to achieve something of personal…

Perspectives on holistic education, which encompasses a comprehensive view of the student and concern with the totality of factors that affect the student's education and life, are considered. Based on the view that there is an intimate link between cognitive and affective development, the holistic approach advocates that educational institutions…

In 1980, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released a program announcement for an alternative education demonstration program intended to test a variety of school-based delinquency prevention programs. Great emphasis was placed on project evaluations. One of the programs identified was PATHE - Positive Action Through…

Transformational leadership, an innovative learning model, grows out of the recognition that the learner's coordinate system is influenced by a variety of time, place, and person variables. The concept of a tetradigm, which graphically illustrates this model, is symbolized by an equilateral triangle within a larger equilateral triangle with the…

Drawing on the author's long personal involvement in several interpersonal communication movements, this paper defines and defends sensitivity training and experiential learning. After examining some philosophical and ethical themes and theories of education, the paper recounts some difficulties of fitting alternative modes of education into the…

Describes a holistic strategy for teaching reading and writing skills, beginning with oral fluency, moving to simple transcription skills as part of an oral history exercise, and then to the production of a newsletter based on interviews. The strategy recognizes the relationship between the student's background and the English curriculum. (RS)

Discusses an interdisciplinary approach to environmental education. Outlines the distinct features of Spurensicherung and the need for the development of working relationships between the practicing teacher and groups outside the school in the facilitation of the program. Advocates adoption of this method. (RT)

Describes dropout prevention programs in the School District of Philadelphia: (1) High School Academies, schools within schools that provide a holistic approach to the transition from school to work; (2) Jobsearch; (3) Education for Employment Initiative, an effort to coordinate programs that prepare students for employment; and (4) Vocational…