Three high school students present findings of their survey of professional writers' training, influences, and writing processes conducted to judge whether secondary school writing programs adequately prepare high schoolers for writing in the future. Comments from writers emphasized prewriting, inspiration, reader feedback, and sequential drafts.…

The American Association of Dental Schools' curriculum guidelines for predoctoral community dentistry include an overview of the field and its interrelationships with other fields and suggestions for primary educational goals, prerequisites, core content, specific behavioral objectives, sequencing, faculty, and facilities. (MSE)

Discusses the need for engineering students to develop good written and oral communication skills. Describes an effort underway in the civil engineering department at Youngstown State University (Ohio) to create a departmental policy that includes the emphasis of effective communication skills. Details some actions taken in developing the policy.…

Humanities courses in the discussion format can clarify existential problems of the human condition that face students. The craft of teaching lies in assisting the learner out of ignorance into an increased awareness of what it means to be humanly alive. The teacher as catalyst is described. (MLW)

Describes a course aimed at developing library self-reliance in students that was offered through a predominantly Black outreach program at Evergreen State College. Highlights include the classroom environment and course content, which were constructed collaboratively by students and librarians, and guidelines for similar courses. (CLB)

Gives the background history and chemistry of modern day chemical warfare from World War I to the present. Provides discussion questions to stimulate deeper thinking on the issue. Contains a discussion activity called "Can New Chemical Weapons Lead to Humane Warfare?" (CW)

Investigated the cognitive engagement of students in grades 4-6 who received science lessons that varied in the level of cognitive content, procedural complexity, and social organization. The variables did not significantly affect student involvement. Cognitive engagement was similar for tasks judged as low and high in difficulty. (SKC)

Describes some of the population education efforts currently underway in school and non-school situations in China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, the Philippines, and Vietnam. (TW)

A study of 150 college students' attribution of academic success examined the relative importance of 12 categories of factors: study habits, course content, teacher, social factors, interest, motivation, ability, domestic security, peers, luck, financial security, and health. (MSE)

Discusses the status of training courses conducted by computer manufacturers for their employees, including types of training, trainee classification, course arrangement, fees, examples of courses provided by manufacturers, trends, and future expectations. (MBR)

Describes a course which provides training opportunities for academic staff who wish to acquire professional orientation toward their teaching functions. Course origins, current practices, and an independent course evaluation are described. Tentative conclusions are drawn concerning distance academic staff training and ways distance study can…

Peace education requires that teacher and student be seen as co-learners. The student must be seen as an active learner, not a passive recipient of teacher lectures or narratives. Students' thinking on peace/war issues should be the starting point and the continual reference point in the curriculum. (RM)

Describes a project that involved an eighth-grade advanced English class in learning about banned books and censorship with the hope that students would learn enough about a highly controversial subject to be able to form intelligent options. (EL)

The design and findings of three surveys describing art teachers--who they are, what they teach, how they teach, and what they value--are discussed and compared, and the need for ongoing studies of this nature is established. Data-gathering roles are also suggested for professional agencies and associations. (Author/RM)

Describes a pilot project which introduced computer technology to junior high school students from lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority communities in a Colorado Springs, Colorado, school district. Discussion includes student and faculty selection process, course components, participant feedback, budget requirements, and recommendations. (MBR)