The three papers included in this report address typography for graphic communication, typographic access structures for educational texts, and typography as macropunctuation. The first paper considers the consequences of an aesthetic bias in the literature of typography, and identifies two misleading assumptions about textbooks; i.e., that print…

Publishers' requests to review educators' manuscripts on the pedagogy of pluralism have prompted the author to write this paper in which he takes on the anthropological "spoiler role," contradicting generalizations in the texts by providing exceptions from ethnographic research. Admitting to some personal biases about education texts in general…

Defining lexical familiarizations as devices by means of which an author gives a reader an understanding of newly introduced key lexis, this paper discusses familiarizations in content area textbooks. The various sections of the paper examine the following topics: (1) the forms taken by lexical familiarizations, including use of reader experience,…

General guidelines for the writers of instructional materials are provided, with emphasis on clarity in the presentation of textual information and related graphic aids. Some basic points about typographic planning are presented for typographers and printers, as well as writers, and it is suggested that some typographic practices may actually…

TEACHERS IN ANY SUBJECT AREA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE CONCERNS OF THE POOR, PARTICULARLY IN LAW. FAMILY LAW HAS BECOME HARSH UPON THE POOR. LEADING CASEBOOKS CONTAIN LITTLE ABOUT THE LAW OF NEGLECT, ABOUT FAMILY COURT ORDERS OF PROTECTION, OR ABOUT RULES APPLICABLE TO THE PROGRAM OF AID TO DEPENDENT CHILDREN. CRIMINAL LAW AND PROPERTY LAW PRESENT…

A guide for authors of correspondence course units is presented to aid staff and consultants who will develop a correspondence cum residential course in curriculum development at the Kenya Institute of Education. The guide is based on observations at the Open University at Milton Keynes. The following areas are considered: the contribution of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that have influenced the selection and the production of the literature textbooks for grades 10-12 in the public schools in Tennessee from 1951 to 1971: guidelines set up by the Tennessee State Textbook Commission and by the publishers; the adopted editions of literature textbooks listed in the…

Publishers of textbooks are subject to pressure from public opinion and regional bias as well as criticism from teachers and boards of education. (JD)

Selected secondary level geography textbooks from the period 1900-1970 indicate environmental determinism as the prevailing theme, one which persisted in such texts for 20 years after it was abandoned as a central theme at university level. Researchers should have more contact with developers of secondary level materials. (Author/AV)

A prose text in veterinary medicine can be arranged and supplemented to facilitate efficient and effective acquisition into short-term memory. Methods include: variation in textual format; relating new information to previous knowledge and future goals; providing specific, test-relevant objectives or introductions, describing mnemonic devices; and…

Argues that literary criticism, in the guise of genre theory, can illuminate a consideration of textbook language by (1) classifying texts based on form, (2) indicating the relation of that form to reader expectations and reader/author "shared past experiences," (3) determining communicable purpose and meanings, and (4) constraining…

Proposes that by incorporating concepts derived from contemporary genre theory, textbooks and courses in business writing might move away from categorical production rules for the manufacture of specific genres and move toward a more dialogic and reader-centered pedagogy. (SKC)

Examines the publishing process, following a book from concept to product. (HOD)

Reports findings of a study that analyzed approximately 2,000 selections from basal readers to determine the nature of their content. Concludes that only 57.7% of the selections had subject matter content, none had functional ("knowing how") content, and none had ethos ("knowing to") content. (FL)