In 1991, a study was conducted at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) to determine the characteristics of and major problems confronting adult students with English as a second language (ESL). A questionnaire was distributed to the 105 CCRI students enrolled in ESL I, ESL II, and Paragraph Writing for ESL classes, requesting them to…

This compilation of teaching ideas was produced from suggestions offered by participants in Kentucky's 1990-91 Commonwealth Institute for Teachers and by the 1991 Local District Teachers of the Year. At the elementary level, 11 tips are offered for teaching language arts, 4 for mathematics, 1 for physical education, 3 for self-esteem, and several…

This competency analysis profile contains a list of 70 communications skills that have been identified as core competencies for inclusion in programs in 49 occupational areas. The core competencies, which have been identified by employers and verified by English-certified instructors, have been organized into units devoted to reading, writing,…

The use of classroom observation is explored in several capacities. Specific observation instruments that were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Follow Through Program were later used (sometimes in adapted forms) to study early childhood programs, secondary school programs, student teacher effectiveness; and use of time…

The handbook details techniques and approaches for teaching adolescent Laotian and Cambodian refugees, aged 10-17, to read. It evolved from a workshop for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) in which 17 such students participated. The book begins by looking at reading as a psycholinguistic guessing game, then proceeds to classroom…

This report describes Project Success Enrichment, a language arts program and designated a National Diffusion Network exemplary program that has proven successful with students of all ability levels program that has proven successful with students of all ability levels and cultural backgrounds, including American Indian students. Currently, this…

This report considers the various facets of metacognition and their relation to adult literacy. The first section provides definitions of literacy and discusses the issue of single versus multiple factor hypotheses. The second section looks at the foundation of research on metacognition and literacy development in children. It examines whether…

The report evaluates "Hablar et Parler," a videodisc project that provides Spanish and French language training to elementary school age students under the supervision of a teacher who may or may not have a foreign language background. The project, which was developed by the Utah Videodisc Consortium, consists of a videodisc, a teacher's…

A study reviewed the effects of the whole language movement. Two forms of analysis were used: meta-analysis, and a simple "vote-counting" procedure. Quantitative studies that compared a whole language and a traditional (or basal reading) approach, published between 1988 and 1993, were selected for analysis. A total of 45 studies were…

The Library of Congress has a wealth of information on North American Indian people but does not have a separate collection or section devoted to them. The nature of the Library's broad subject divisions, variety of formats, and methods of acquisition have dispersed relevant material among a number of divisions. This guide aims to help the…

This paper focuses on the Vicarious Learner project, at Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) that is looking at issues concerning the role of dialogue in learning. Efforts to understand how the value of dialogue in learning depends on the structure of the environment in which it takes place are discussed. The…

This report is the third in a series of research reports on a 4-year study of private and public school-choice programs in San Antonio, Texas. Two choice programs are the focus of the study. The first program is the Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation, which provides partial scholarships to low-income children for use in private and…

Culled from ideas contributed by people attending conferences of the National Council of Teachers of English and by readers of "NOTES Plus" and "IDEAS Plus," the activities contained in this booklet are intended to promote the effective teaching of writing and literature. Teaching strategies offered in the first section of the…

The EXCELS! Project of the Anchorage School District (Alaska) was initiated in 1994 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to demonstrate the development of a kindergarten through sixth grade instructional program reflecting state and national standards in History, Civics, Geography, and English. More than 1,200 Anchorage teachers…

The ways that adults have of reading and interpreting students' writing are examined, using for illustration six writing samples of one 13-year-old student. The student's instructions were to tell, in writing, an imaginary story, a true story, a personal history, a favorite dream, the most awful nightmare, and the worst memory. Different attitudes…