Describes a course designed to challenge students to look at the way they are influenced by the mass media. Provides details of the procedures for forming the cooperative groups, the material used, the issues discussed, and the students' responses. (PRA)

Principals who survive can ride the rapids of unexpected events. To succeed, new principals must establish trust among staff, deal with staff perceptions of the principal as chief decision maker, recognize cultural differences among schools, and discover opportunities for change. Above all, principals must giver teachers permission to be critical…

Presents guidelines for introducing, managing, and responding to dialogue journals with English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and other students. Suggests that dialogue journals in reading and writing instruction provide a purposeful activity in which students communicate their thoughts and feelings. (MG)

Considers the metaphors used to reflect on and guide literacy teaching and learning in the early years. Offers a critical examination of scaffolding, currently a very popular metaphor. Argues that this concept alone cannot capture the challenge of responding to the diversity of young children's intentions in literacy activities. Suggests a…

Contends that research on teaching of social studies methods courses neglects significant topics such as whether or not attitude changes are reflected in teaching methods and the relationship between methods courses and the broader teacher education program. Recommends a broader conception of research. (CFR)

Describes what happened and what was learned when 13 urban elementary school teachers, their principal, and a researcher embarked on a year-long inquiry project that involved meeting as a monthly study group, reading articles, and keeping journals about their teaching. Discusses the contradictions and dilemmas of keeping journals, and rethinks…

Describes how the author used writers' notebooks with her students (grades 6-8), all Chinese immigrants, to find and express their memories and dreams, to find meaning in their experiences of change and loss; develop voice and a sense of audience; develop fluency in English; and find a growing sense of control over their new language and their new…

Proposes that instruction targeted at conceptual change should be designed to consider cognitive development and capitalize on what is known about social development. Examines instructional strategies (Concept Oriented Reading Instruction, Discussion Webs, collaborative writing, learning logs, and divided page journals) that promote middle school…

Presents a workshop format and strategy instruction that helped struggling middle school readers connect with books, the teacher, and one another. Recognizes that the author needs to get adolescents who frequently avoid reading to see themselves as readers and help them improve. (SG)

Discusses the use of student journals when teaching with primary sources. Focuses on an early U.S. history course for sophomore and junior college students. States that the students read a series of primary sources and analyzed them in their journals. Addresses the benefits of using primary sources. (CMK)

Observed effects of dialogue journaling through electronic mail on the language produced by learners of Spanish as a second language, compared with the paper-and-pencil version. The electronic version was found to have a positive effect on the amount of language generated and on students' attitudes towards learning the target language but did not…

Regarding Catholic parents' suit against a suburban New York district for promoting occult activities, a federal court ruled in May 1999 that parents had failed to prove existence of the so- called Bedford program. This Solomon-like ruling also rejected First Amendment religious claims and 14th Amendment privacy claims. (MLH)

Investigated preservice teachers' perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks to using dialogue journals in a multicultural teacher education course. Students perceived many benefits related to facilitation of learning, self-reflection, self-understanding, procedural convenience, expression of ideas, feedback, and teacher student relationships.…

Reform efforts emphasize teaching science to promote contemporary views of the nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry. Within the framework of situated cognition, the assertion is that engagement in inquiry activities similar to those of scientists provides a learning context conducive to developing knowledge about the methods and…

The naturalist's journal is a collection of writings and sketches that captures selected thoughts or observations of nature and represents both immediate learning and raw material that is available for more polished work. This article talks about a naturalist's journal as an effective teaching and learning tool. Creating a naturalist's journals…