This section of the TESOL convention volume challenges basic assumptions which are held by language teachers and researchers while at the same time providing other assumptions for professionals to challenge. The following papers are presented: (1) My View of "Teaching Languages: A Way and Ways," by E. Stevick; (2) "'I Got…

Recent developments in graduate programs are discussed in 15 papers from a 1982 conference cosponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Graduate Record Examinations Board. Attention is directed to issues associated with program presentations, program innovations in various disciplines, and industry/university cooperative graduate…

More and more faculty members are using web-based instruction as part of their course or as complete courses, which has resulted in an entire web-based instruction programs and virtual universities. As such, web-based instruction is one of the major areas that are becoming key to the development of the Web. To the contrary, despite having…

With the amount of research and research journals available on the subject, it may seem like we have established many "facts" and "truths" about technology and pedagogy. More realistically, the 'truth' is that we are only just beginning to learn within and about the young field of educational technology (understanding the…

Working with in service science/mathematics teachers at the Aga Khan University Institute of Educational Development, Karachi, Pakistan we find that even though the teachers take aboard innovative ideas, they find it challenging to implement the newly acquired ideas primarily because of their inadequate subject matter knowledge. In this paper we…

In 1988, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, a research team from the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University began a study of the origin, development, and diffusion of the Public Library Association's (PLA) planning and evaluation manuals. The study was intended to add to the general understanding of the…

A national seminar was held in Msida, Malta, for the purpose of disseminating results of the Council of Europe's Council for Cultural Cooperation's project on Innovation in Primary Education (IPE). Another aim was to discuss in depth the recommendations in the final report on the IPE project in the context of the Maltese system of education. A…

A seminar was held in Brussels for the purpose of disseminating results of the Council of Europe's Council for Cultural Cooperation's (CDCC) Project 8, Innovation in Primary Education (IPE), and information about IPE-related educational innovation in French-speaking Belgium. Participants were 92 educators. A review of aims of the CDCC and aspects…

A day-long study session was held in Luxembourg to publicize the results of Project No. 8, Innovation in Primary Education (IPE), of the Council of Europe's Council for Cultural Cooperation. Participants were instructed to view the session in relation to efforts to disseminate the results of the IPE and the revision of Luxembourg's primary school…

Educators from Holland and member countries of the Council of Europe attended a symposium on innovation in primary education in the Netherlands. Much of the discussion was based on the evaluation report, "Lessons from Practice: the Primary Education Act Reviewed." Participants evaluated initial, partial research results, and compared…

This paper advocates oral communication as one of the most effective methods of improving classroom instruction in all subjects. It focuses on the teaching of mathematics and science, where the grasping of concepts is essential to student learning. The paper provides a rationale for oral communication across the curriculum. Further, the paper…

The application of rational methods to improve student outcomes in a school district is described. Issues in school reform development are addressed, followed by a description of a restructuring program implemented in the Charleston County (South Carolina) School District to reduce grade retention and the dropout rate. The program was evaluated by…

From March 8 to March 11, 1989, student schedules at Lake Region High School in Bridgton, Maine were replaced by Soviet Union culture and history classes. The project was called "Focus: Soviet Union," and was intended as only the first of a series of International Education Days designed to increase United States understanding of other…

The six editions of the newsletter provide a forum for the sharing of research findings and instructional strategies by faculty of Western Michigan University. Topics addressed include: active learning; lecture variations; lecture techniques; grading student participation; leading discussions; overcoming silence; discussion challenges; course…

An evaluation of Monetary Economics, a course offered to distance education students of the University of Queensland in 1979 and 1980, was conducted in 1981. Monetary Economics is an innovative course designed and prepared using principles of educational technology specifically for distance education, and for the planning of effective interaction…