The making of a book is an effective way to instill pride in authorship and to emphasize the importance of writing to children. This guide finds that the finished product (the book) capitalizes on the language background of each child, becomes an extension of the natural language of children, and teaches children to value their work and to take…

This book calls for a radical reappraisal of the phenomenon of literacy, and hence for a profound shift in educational practice. Through close attention to the multitude of objects which children constantly produce (drawings, cuttings-out, writings, collages), the book suggests a set of principles that reveal the underlying coherence of children's…

Student development has become a buzz word within the student affairs profession and the concept of student development has become the guiding paradigm of the student affairs profession. Unfortunately, this embracing of student development lacked the necessary critique or debate essential to academics. This digest provides an abstract of a major…

This study defines some of the educational ecosystems that encourage students to discover science interests and science talent. Six interrelated constructs are discussed. Construct 1 consists of a skein of achievement-centered, goal-targeted environments that comprise the inspiring teaching and learning that can enhance the endowments of students.…

Investigations of changes in conceptions during physics instruction are the logical and necessary steps to follow successful international research on students' preinstructional conceptions. The theoretical perspective integrates currently available frameworks of cognition, cognitive states, and cognitive processes in physics. Particular emphasis…

This study examined the student teaching experience of three preservice special education teachers. Journal entries, observations, and participant interviews were used to develop a description of the experience from the perspective of the participants. The case studies were organized around the following topics: how preservice special educators…

This book is a collection of 10 teacher-developed instructional units at the elementary/middle grade 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…

Reluctance to recognize the importance of parents in the education process has been overcome in the past few years. Consequently, states are searching for and implementing programs that involve parents in education. A survey of educators in the Midwest revealed strong support for parent involvement among teachers, principals, and superintendents.…

Researchers have long noted the psychologically-liberating effects of expressive language. This paper explores how a writing technique, scribliotherapy, enhances communication among students, parents, and teachers. Scribliography is the technique of matching children with books on the topics of their emotional concerns and writing their response…

A differentiated curriculum can provide the basis for discovering, serving, and nurturing academic talent across California's diverse student population. Differentiation provides tools to vary the curriculum or instruction so that students who have already mastered given material continue to progress and students who have a particular interest in…

This article describes the educational philosophy and practice at Summerhill School, England, an alternative school for elementary school-age through secondary school-age children established in 1921. The school's guiding principle is that education must respect the nature of childhood. Following a brief description of the school's founding by A.…

The Accelerated Schools program is a popular school restructuring model that targets at-risk students. To serve at-risk students better under the Accelerated Schools program, schools must establish a governance program in which cadres of school practitioners and community members become involved in the decision making. Decisions of these cadres…

With little attention paid to the way barriers to learning are addressed, many students are unable to take advantage of instructional improvements. During 1998 a nationwide coalition of organizations was established which focused on how to enhance policy cohesion in the area of barriers to student learning. This report provides information for…

This paper reviews program for social skills development to reduce conflicts, increase self-control, reduce instructional time spent dealing with behavior problems, and increase teacher satisfaction. The problems of deficiencies in prosocial skills were documented in three fifth-grade classes. Loss of students' recess time, and minutes of…

This paper suggests that vocabulary knowledge is closely related to the background knowledge required for reading a text. It suggests ways in which the reading teacher can select objectives for pupils to achieve in the area of vocabulary development, emphasizing what is relevant and functional. The paper makes the following recommendations:…