This report suggests that in order to enhance implementation of inclusion in rural schools, specific strategies related to instruction, assessment, and collaboration must be adopted. The report overviews cooperative learning strategies that can be used for teaching reading inclusively at the elementary level. The question-answer relationships…

This fastback notes that finding solutions to problems of illiteracy and other learning difficulties means, for some middle-school teachers, adopting a multiple intelligences approach to instruction. After an introduction, the first section of the fastback discusses brain-based theories of learning, thinking styles, and learning and reading…

A study investigated how literature-based reading/language arts materials were being used in two "exemplary" third/fourth grade combination classes, the influence of teacher epistemology on classroom instruction, and whether teachers were enacting the whole language emphasis mandated by the state. One of the two participating teachers…

Reading is construed as operating within the dynamics of the relationship of reader, text, context, and language system. Context is understood as the cultural and situational environment of the text, itself a semantic unit that is an instance of the language system. A related variable for reading is the awareness of the reader of the language…

The Instructional Assistant Program, funded by the Ohio Disadvantaged Pupil Program Fund, provides educational support for underachieving pupils by training instructional assistants to provide direct instructional service to selected pupils in the classroom setting. Emphasis was placed on activities which would increase oral and written language…

This learning package on parents as tutors in reading and writing is designed for implementation either in a workshop atmosphere or through individual study. The package includes a bibliography consisting of 42 selected document resumes from the ERIC database; a lecture/overview on the topic by Carl B. Smith, seven articles on the topic, most of…

A project was conducted to design an alternative assessment tool for use with adult learners traditionally identified as reading below fifth-grade level. This assessment allows for the creation of a goal-oriented Individual Education Plan that is personalized to the learner's needs and educational goals. The approach, analogous to the art…

Providing a context for discussion rather than an insider's point of view, this report discusses the current state of reading research. The report reviews differing visions of educational reform of reading instruction espoused by supporters of phonics and by supporters of the whole language approach. The report then proposes four criteria for use…

This book is designed to introduce active or preservice teachers to the new advances in understanding of the reading and writing processes and to show them how to apply this knowledge to enhance literacy skills in elementary through high school levels. An introduction opens with two case illustrations of different classes with different approaches…

Focusing on thinking skills, this guide, developed by the educators at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, is designed to help employees to understand more and understand better what they read and to solve problems based on that understanding. The guide is designed for approximately 15-20 hours of instruction for low- to midlevel readers. It is…

In response to low reading scores among first grade students of English as a Second Language (ESL) in one inner-city school, the teaching techniques of semantic webbing and brainstorming were used to improve student reading skills. Subjects were eight first grade ESL students. Pretests were administered to assess student levels of reading…

The Family Kindergarten program designed and pilot tested by a bilingual kindergarten teacher at Garretson Elementary School in Corona, California, is described. Based on the premise that parents are the most important and influential educators of children, Family Kindergarten was conceived as an evening class that includes parents and children…

A taxonomy of teacher responses to pupils' connected reading was developed to characterize the instructional decisions and development of teacher interactions with individual readers. In developing this instrument, content analysis procedures were used to investigate actual teacher responses to readers. The X axis (reading categories) of the…

As in urban schools, at-risk students in rural schools may be unmotivated, lack purpose for learning, have special learning problems, or come from dysfunctional families. In this paper, an experienced teacher in a small rural Oklahoma high school describes her efforts to demonstrate that at-risk students would improve in all language areas as a…

A practical guide is presented to peer tutoring for teachers and others with an interest in promoting cooperative learning. It includes a guide to organizing peer tutoring, as well as a review of research on the effects of peer tutoring, and evidence for social and academic gains for the student and the tutor. The perspective is international,…