Proposing that Socratic seminars can lead to true educational reform, this article examines the use of these seminars to enlarge elementary and secondary students' understanding of ideas and to encourage instruction that is not restricted by established syllabi, courses, or examinations. Socratic discussion is lacking in most classrooms but should…

Briefly summarized in this literature review are definitions of curriculum, creativity, the creative process, the creative teacher, creative teaching, and creative adults and children. The curriculum as it relates to creativity and pertinent research on curriculum structure are also described. Lists of 9 obstacles to creativity and 12 aids to…

During the past 50 years, outdoor education as a curriculum development has progressed from a few pilot projects to some fairly comprehensive programs in the United States and Canada. In the process, outdoor education programs have lost the relaxed pace of earlier programs, flexibility in planning and scheduling, and total involvement of the…

The fatal flaw of competency/performance-based teacher education (C/PBTE) is the lack of empirical knowledge on teacher behavior as it relates to pupil outcomes. Competencies identified have been based on reason, logic, and experience--all insufficient without empirical evidence. It seems that many accusations against C/PBTE are justified, and it…

This catalog, addressed to teachers of writing in the elementary and high schools, consists of (1) suggested assignments to stimulate creative writing, (2) descriptions of materials and assignment references that might be used with the assignments, (3) a list of books and magazines containing anthologies of writing by young people, and (4)…

A persistent problem confronting the teacher of the culturally different child is the need for finding learning materials that the child can relate to and utilize in his learning situation. The increasing availability of mass-produced learning materials for these children, although helpful, has not solved the problem of providing socioeconomically…

The purpose of this bulletin is to present the state of the scene in teacher preparation for open area schools. It begins with two accounts of college students and their instructors struggling to get started in new programs. The third article cites skills of the British primary teacher as possible competencies toward which a program of teacher…

The article encourages the use of the language lab and gives creative suggestions for student activities under teacher direction. (NCR)

Describes an innovative college history course which studied various operas and their librettos as representative of political and social history. (AV)

This article is a brief sketch of Lawrence Stenhouse's views on the relation of research to educational action. He argues that teaching is best conceived as a practical art form, and that the artist is a researcher whose inquiry expresses itself in performance of his or her art.(TE)

Using academic conflicts for instructional purposes is one of the most dynamic, involving, and least used teaching strategies. Teachers fear divisiveness and also lack fitting instructional models for structuring controversial discussions. This article discusses the controversy process and how teachers can organize and use it to enhance cognitive…

Presents useful ideas for activities that get students involved, upon arrival abroad, in using their foreign language and in relating to their new cultural environment. A "linguistic scavenger hunt" in Paris, France, helps students gain the confidence they need to maximally benefit from their experience abroad. (Author/DJD)

The authors describe some of Great Plains Area Vocational-Technical School's more creative uses of new technologies, including computers and video, in the classroom to teach business-related skills. The school's policy is to let teachers experiment heavily with the machinery to encourage creativity. (CH)