A symposium of language learning specialists reviewing C.C. Fries' Oral Approach to English language instruction developed and used at the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan is summarized. The thesis of the symposium was that the basic Oral Approach concepts had and continue to have a profound and far-reaching, though largely…

This unit of instruction on personal characteristics needed for successful employment is designed especially for use with all levels of vocational agriculture students. Special emphasis is given to the 10 most important personal characteristics as identified through recent research. A unit plan discusses the general aims and goals, lesson titles,…

A great number of students, and a particularly high proportion of females, do not study mathematics beyond minimum high school requirements. Research indicates that segregation of mathematics classes may help reduce the incidence of female students dropping out of that subject. In an attempt to redress this situation, A. Y. Jackson Secondary…

Though most definitions of literacy focus solely on the uses of reading and writing, a sociocognitive perspective that incorporates social practices, conceptions of reading and writing, and literacy as a way of thinking is more productive. Within this view, literacy is culturally based, involves the higher intellectual skills, and is learned by…

This document contains materials and suggested activities for use in a 5-day workshop on leadership development for instructional computer coordinators, computer education teachers, workshop leaders, teachers of teachers, and other people who play a leadership role in the workshop format in small group discussions, together with sharing and…

A study compared the benefits of using the Hewlett-Packard HP-41CV hand-held computer, as opposed to conventional training without computers, in teaching mathematics to fire control systems repairers. Thirty soldiers in a course to train fire control systems repairers received training in technical mathematics using the hand-held computer, whereas…

This project was conducted to implement a word processing unit of study within the office practice classes at Pottstown (Pennsylvania) Senior High School, using microcomputers. An additional purpose was to provide access to microcomputer accounting applications in the office practice classes. During the project, the following activities were…

The University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka) developed two courses in English for engineering students, one for technician-level diploma students and one for bachelor's degree-level students. The first step was a needs analysis, conducted through questionnaires and informal meetings with students and faculty, observation of subject lectures and…

Language problems are likely the strongest single barrier to success facing limited English proficient (LEP) immigrants to the United States. Therefore, instruction in English as a second language (ESL) for immigrants must be given a high priority. Vocational ESL (VESL) provides adult immigrants with English skills on an as-needed basis in…

Because of concern about the harmful effects of placing children in low reading groups, this study tested the following "sacred cows" in reading: (1) the use of informal reading inventories for grouping children in reading instruction, (2) the homogeneous grouping practices currently utilized in most classrooms in the United States, (3)…

Validity is a central issue in use of self-report data for the investigation of teacher thinking. "Triangulation," or use of several data sets to test, corroborate and elaborate each other, is one method for increasing validity of findings. This paper illustrates a process of triangulation of data obtained by three different data…

This guide was developed to meet the needs of the increasingly large number of nonliterate and semiliterate adult English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners in the Chicago metropolitan area. It is suitable for learners who are illiterate or semiliterate in their native languages, or who are literate in a language using a non-Roman alphabet. The…

A study examined whether patterns exist in the kinds and amounts of writing errors students make and whether teachers follow any sort of pattern in correcting these errors. Sixty compositions, gathered from a twelfth grade class taught by one teacher, were analyzed using the "McGraw-Hill Handbook of English." Student written errors were…

A study examined bilingual children's composing behaviors during classroom writing and their perceptions of writing. Students' descriptions of what occurred in their day-to-day environment were analyzed using ethnographic methods. The researcher observed five subjects--bilingual students in kindergarten through third grade--for 145 hours, and…

Conceived at an executive board meeting of the International Federation for the Teaching of English, this book describes the classroom practices of English teachers in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, and the United States. The 82 articles are divided into the following areas: (1) a history of teaching English in each country; (2) new…