The evolution of the programs and curriculum at Palo Alto College (Texas), a community college in which minorities form the majority and nontraditional students are the norm, is described from the perspective of a teacher. Focus is on strategies for acculturating nontraditional students to the culture of the academic classroom. (MSE)

Presents a two-day lesson from the Alberta (Canada) Education Curriculum for upper elementary or middle school students designed to explore ethical decisions when confronted with value conflicts. Outlines goals, materials, and procedures. Indicates instructional objectives are analysis of conflicts in terms of moral and ethical values; and…

Reviews the debate during this century over the optimal size for an individual school in terms of efficiency and student outcomes. Current consensus correlates small schools with school effectiveness, community and school identity, and individual fulfillment and participation, and large schools with school inefficiency, institutional bureaucracy,…

Discusses recent research in cognitive psychology that identifies how students are likely to respond when controversial issues are included in course content. Points out that controversial material may lead to misunderstandings and forgetting. Provides teaching ideas to enhance student learning and remembering, to deal with emotions, and to foster…

Drawing from a survey of 320 colleges, a study investigated the contribution of "institutional culture" variables on faculty/administrator perceptions of effectiveness, independent of institutional characteristics such as size, type, selectivity, and control is described. Independent effects were established for perceptions of student…

Traces the entry and exit criteria of transitional bilingual education programs through federal court decisions, laws, and regulations over the past decade. Examines the validity of the rules used to decide who needs transitional bilingual education. (MLF)

Describes how the database software QUEST was used with 10- to 11-year-old students in London by utilizing a multidisciplinary, project-based approach. The collection, collation, and interpretation of data are emphasized, and areas of educational development that benefited are discussed, including language, self responsibility, and hypothesis…

A study of 1,789 female and 1,870 male students at college entry and exit compared self-ratings of abilities, social and political views, and goals and aspirations. Results show gender a contributing factor in all three areas. Gender differences in student attitudes were evident at both college entry and four years later. (MSE)

Peer helping provides critical opportunities for practice and reflection as a means of supporting psychosocial development. School counselor skill and knowledge play an important role in the process of peer program development and success. Provides steps for developing a successful program and a sample developmental training model. (JBJ)

A study of 14 college professors' teaching philosophies and perceptions of classroom practice identified 4 themes: teacher's role as expert or co-learner; tensions arising from creating a comfortable classroom environment while fostering critical thinking; forms of change in the learner; and institutional issues that make enactment of…

Alberta's model junior high school environmental and outdoor education curriculum, a component in Canadian government's Active Living Environment Program, aims to help young adolescents appreciate the personal, interpersonal, and environmental consequences of their actions. Course elements include outdoor experiences and skills, personal and group…

Addresses the question of whether it is possible for early years teachers to achieve understanding and appreciation of children's behavior and development without having insights into their own behavior and family backgrounds. Suggests that teachers must recognize the importance of their own backgrounds in how they look at children, teaching, and…

Questionnaires returned by 105 faculty at Drake University (Iowa) indicated that student traits and competencies most valued by faculty were (1) personal development, (2) research activities, (3) conscientiousness, (4) self-confidence, (5) student activities and community service, (6) oral communication skills, and (7) questioning. Results have…

This article examines trends in the education of adults with learning disabilities, focusing on dropout prevention, postdropout education, disability self-awareness, transition, Adult Basic Education, higher education, vocational education, employment, and psychosocial issues. Organizational sources of further information and a table listing…

Returns to the etymological root of technology to advocate broad interpretations of design technology features of the United Kingdom's, National Curriculum. Urges avoiding narrow applications of technical education. Favors nourishing right hemisphere talents to encourage student inventiveness. Stresses the importance of language and learning…