"Rural education": the phrase conjures up unflattering images of broken blackboards and slates, lackadaisical teachers and students, rote learning and of outdated teaching techniques and suppressed creativity. Yet, these images are completely out of consonance with modern India and a knowledge-based society. This article describes a new…

This paper discusses two reading comprehension strategies for teachers to incorporate into their teaching methods. The paper reviews research and suggests techniques to support these strategies, vocabulary packs and cued spelling. Vocabulary packs, an effective strategy to increase reading comprehension, allow students to work independently on…

This pamphlet describes the key elements necessary for a successful schoolwide or classroom-based tutoring program, explores the benefits for tutors and tutees, and explains the steps that are necessary for the effective training of tutors. The first section looks at peer and cross-age tutoring, including terms and definitions and the benefits of…

A practicum report addressed the problem of lack of interest in the literacy of young readers and the need to motivate them to want to read. A cross-age peer-tutoring program was established where primary students were paired with upper intermediate grade students who displayed positive reading attitudes and habits. The tutoring pair worked…

The effects of an in-house workplace literacy program on an organization are examined. A small Canadian manufacturing plant that began a workplace literacy program called Learning in the Workplace in 1990 was the site of this case study research. The plant was CCL Custom Manufacturing, which specialized in household powder-based products. Four…

The transformation of private to public writing not only challenges student writers, but teachers of writing. The most important assessment of writing takes place in the transaction between writer and reader--among peer readers who are actively writing themselves. Faculty should not relinquish responsibility for assessing written products, but a…

Teachers in self contained special education classes can learn to monitor and supervise parent and peer volunteers in the classroom. Teachers should remember the parents' background in teaching their children, realize the success demonstrated by nondegreed individuals, and understand the importance of scheduling and reinforcing the volunteers for…

Two groups of fourth graders performed a science activity. The treatment group first watched a filmed explanation of the activity by selected students from the class; the control group did not watch the film. The treatment group generated significantly more positive behaviors and less negative behaviors in the activity. (MLH)

By tape-recording dialogue as students explain concepts and operations to each other, the teacher can make interesting observations about children's interpretations of mathematical tasks. (SD)

This workbook is a four-part course designed to be taught by working women to low-income working women to increase their skills at managing money. The course sessions focus on special financial concerns of working women: budgeting, education for career advancement, child care, and retirement planning. The sessions are designed as a series but can…

The experience of implementing a writing center in a central Illinois high school created several suggestions for other schools considering such a program. Directors should first consider who would benefit from a writing center and what these benefits would be. They must then prove--to themselves first, and then to the faculty and the…

Effective schools research offers administrators evidence of teaching methods that enhance student achievement; imparting this knowledge to faculty through staff development is essential. A solution to the problem of interrupting classroom time for staff development is to utilize teacher time in a nonthreatening method that is collegial in nature.…

The purpose of a peer tutoring program is to assist those students who require ongoing and formal instruction in a subject area. If effectively run, it can have an impact on retention. There are five areas that need to be addressed when initiating a peer tutor program: (1) organization and funding; (2) supervision; (3) tutor training; (4) tutor…

College dropout rate as a function of poor fit between institution and students has been studied extensively, but how this phenomenon operates for disadvantaged students is not adequately understood. This study examines the effects of a project that attempts to use peer relationships--tutoring and mentoring--to improve academic performance and…

The paper reviews the literature on the training of social behavior in autistic children and reports on a project which developed and evaluated a program which explicitly trained mildly handicapped peers to facilitate the social behavior of autistic children. The extensive literature review looks at the etiology of social deficits in autistic…