The Esperanto language was consciously designed as a coherent system, in contrast to the 3000 conventional languages originated by people's cave-dwelling ancestors. The systematic nature of Esperanto makes it ideal as an instructional tool. The amorphous nature of English makes its serious use very difficult for students. Even though they learn to…

Supporting Greek life has been an important educational initiative for many colleges and universities. Although Greek students are typically involved with the college and community, there are other aspects of Greek culture, such as hazing and alcohol abuse, which are troublesome to university administrators. This document discusses standards, set…

In a basic-level writing course at the University of Minnesota, students were asked to read and engage in intelligent conservation about Keith Gilyard's "Voices of the Self." The book is about education but alternates autobiographical material with scholarly analysis. Literacy researchers expect students to read a text, understand what…

An exercise allows students to take a turn at setting a standard for instructors and, when done in groups, can encourage student socialization and interaction and build skill in constructing and presenting arguments. The exercise is in three parts and consists of: (1) committee power, in which students are asked to serve on one of three committees…

A study examined a program for improving attitudes toward reading. Subjects were 19 kindergarten, 39 first-grade, 17 second-grade, and 29 sixth-grade students in a middle class southwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Reading attitude problems were documented through parent/student surveys and observations. Students' reading was prioritized in…

Since risk suffuses human life and trust helps breaks the paralysis of dealing with risk, a philosophy of education must account for the relationship between risk and trust. Keith Lehrer (in progress) has developed a philosophy that seeks to prepare students for knowing as human beings actually know things, suggesting that knowledge is a matter of…

In May 1997, the Maine Legislature passed a comprehensive document that delineated expected educational outcomes for students, known as the Learning Results. This paper describes the components and philosophy of Maine's standards-development process. The Learning Results are based on Peter Senge's system model, which asserts that adoption of a new…

In the broadest sense, rhetoric and rhetorical studies are primarily concerned with using language in context and, thus, must focus on the collaborative, negotiated dynamics of discourse and discourse production. These broad principles provided the basis for the "Lyceum Project" (named for the public forum first developed by the Greek…

This paper presents a resolution passed by the New York State United Teachers calling on New York State to adopt a "Reading for Life" plan. Also, included is a letter to Chancellor Carl T. Hayden discussing the resolution and recommendations on changes in high school graduation requirements. The paper first sets out the resolution on the…

Teaching reasoning and judgment to children under the auspices of philosophy is an idea that has emerged recently in the modern era. It is theorized that, through practice in logic and ethics, children will begin to apply reasoning skills to their own life situations, think for themselves, and become better critical thinkers, all in a context that…

Designed for teachers of kindergarten through grade 6, this book contains practical and innovative ideas on fostering literacy generated from discussions with teachers from the United States and Canada, visits to their classrooms, and observations of their interactions with students. The book addresses all levels of learner-centered literacy…

The degree of incivility varies, but there seems to be general agreement that it is on the rise on college campuses across the country. A number of key elements are involved in the communication aspects of civility: a lack of respect for another human being; name calling and dehumanization; disqualification from dialogue; threats and incitation;…

The intent of this book is to encourage teachers to examine how they question in order to generate richer classroom interaction. Part One sets out the reasons for the limited effectiveness of questions in present classroom practice, and examines the two structures which form the matrix of all educational processes: the structure for thinking and…

This book is a collection of 10 teacher-developed instructional units at the high school level which are compatible with the principles and theories of the North Carolina Curriculum Framework for Gifted Education. The units can be used in a variety of settings, are designed to develop basic competencies, and include specific strategies uniquely…

The 71st Texas Legislature established several pilot programs for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 school years with the aim of improving the academic performance of and reducing the dropout rate of public school students. This report combines information about pilot programs from these 2 school years with cost surveys and descriptions of the programs.…