Presents findings of a two-year research study examining the literacy demands of three main areas of the curriculum: art/humanities, math/science, and technological/vocational. Argues the need to redefine literacy (in the singular) and curriculum literacies. (NH)

Describes the author's experiences (starting in eighth grade) leading up to his teaching career. Discusses his reasons for continuing to graduate school. Notes that it was James Moffett--along with personal experience as a teenager and young teacher--who taught him to define English as an interdisciplinary subject. (SG)

In discussing what makes for a challenging and supportive learning environment, this paper uses the fiction of J. K. Rowling as a literary vehicle for considering the role of educators and contemplating ideal context for learning. This literature can be used as a guide for educators to try and design a general curriculum where students have a…

Reprints an article originally published in 1923. Discusses fundamental criteria of the coordination of the junior and senior high school curricula. Notes that of the four aims of secondary education, the only one not shared by both junior and senior high schools is that of occupational training, which is the obligation of the senior high school.…

Describes a teacher's creative teaching method in an art class. Introduces a summer workshop called the Artist's Workshop for teachers who are interested in infusing art into their classroom. Claims that teachers must push their own boundaries to find out their strategies and to listen to students. Provides 25 strategies to bring art into…

Interviews with 28 middle school staff regarding school-to-work STW curriculum implementation, focus, outcomes, and issues found a range of benefits provided to students. STW experiences contributed to young adolescent development, self-understanding, confidence, self-esteem, motivation, and responsibility--in other words, what middle schools were…

Presents the idea of "contemplative reading" and suggests that certain nonfiction works evoke an experience of contemplative response that is familiar to innumerable teachers and other readers. Notes that by looking at the big picture, good contemplative writing can balance the tendency toward overemphasis on negative, problem-based…

Claims the argumentation or argumentation and debate course in American colleges and universities would be bolstered by a dual focus on possibilities for argumentation. Suggests a unit on negotiation would provide students with instruction and activities of clear potential benefit for public-sphere deliberation and professional development. (NH)

Argues role-play simulation (1) delivers valuable opportunities for learning about the dynamics of public argument; (2) provides substantial opportunities for graded assessment; and (3) frees students to conceive of important alternative modes of deliberation. (NH)

Notes that communication across the curriculum programs (CXCPs) are designed to increase students' communication competence and enhance student learning. Examines the challenge of maintaining the integrity of multiple disciplines when communication gets taken across the curriculum. Concludes with suggestions for future program directions and…

Discusses the following: barriers to geriatrics education, teaching strategies (such as communication with patients, acceptance of one's own aging, interdisciplinary teamwork), and curriculum design for undergraduate and graduate study. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Outgoing "Voices from the Middle" ("VM") editor and incoming Vice-President Kylene Beers remembers the origins of the National Council of Teahers of English (NCTE), the long struggle to establish the best curriculum and assessment practices possible, and the frustration with the current emphasis on teaching to the test. Leaders…

Competency-based instruction can be applied to a military setting, an academic program, or a corporate environment with a focus on producing performance-based learning outcomes. In this article, the authors provide theoretical and practical information about underlying characteristics of competencies and explain how the Department of Instructional…

The goal of this article is to advance an ecological theory of knowing, one that prioritizes engaged participation over knowledge acquisition. To this end, the authors begin by describing the environment in terms of "affordance networks": functionally bound potentials extended in time that can be acted upon to realize particular goals. Although…

Engineers have a set of powerful tools at their disposal for designing robust and reliable technical systems. In educational design these tools are seldom applied. This paper explores the application of concepts from the systems approach in an educational context. The paradigms of design methodology and systems engineering appear to be suitable…