This ERIC/RCS Special Collection contains 10 or more digests (brief syntheses of the research on a specific topic in contemporary education) and FAST Bibs (Focused Access to Selected Topics--annotated bibliographies with selected entries from the ERIC database), providing up-to-date information in an accessible format. The collection focuses on…

A study examined the effect of a computer network which was designed to create a functional learning environment to engage students in writing as a communicative act with a real audience. Subjects, 44 seventh-grade Israeli students, wrote an essay as part of their regular midterm examination and, a week later, wrote another essay for their peers,…

A practicum addressed the problem of students' lack of fluency in standard English despite the traditional paradigm for formal grammar instruction and the emphasis on process writing in most English classrooms. Nineteen (English 2) high school students participated in peer editing groups in a collaborative learning environment. The solution…

Literacy development was studied among 38 4-year-olds in Head Start on the Lummi Indian Reservation. Data consisted of observations during weekly visits throughout the school year, student writing samples, records of "pretend reading," responses to environmental print, and checklists assessing written language displays in the classrooms.…

A practicum was designed to give third-grade teachers a way to incorporate into the standard school day ongoing assessment techniques. The teachers used portfolios of the 140 children's work as an important, tangible and readily accessible record. The development and presentation of eight monthly workshops and ongoing classroom demonstration and…

This module provides materials for a course in business writing, including the writing process, letters, memos, and resumes. The material is designed for three 1-hour classes in a seminar format. Section 1 consists of an introduction, a list of class objectives, and a course outline. The course outline details teacher activities and student…

Middle school pupils tend to enjoy writing verse containing a selected number of syllables per line. A student teacher taught a unit on poetry writing which included a section on writing tanka verse--a 5-line form with five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables per line. After discovering the characteristics of a tanka from a model, the class…

A teacher's manual is presented for "The Working Experience," a series of three texts for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. The series builds on oral skills to develop reading and writing ability while still expanding oral English-language proficiency. Because one of the basic principles underlying the series is the idea that students…

Books 1, 2, and 3 of "The Working Experience," a series of texts for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students, are contained in this document. The series builds on oral skills to develop reading and writing ability while still expanding oral English-language proficiency. Since one of the basic principles underlying the series is the idea that…

The process of change and the resistance to change experienced by teachers and students during implementation of a new instructional approach is examined. The specific situation described is implementation of a process-oriented approach to writing in English as a Second Language, as experienced by eight Hong Kong secondary school teachers and…

Teachers of history, introductory chemistry, and literature from Portland State University, Portland Community College, Clark College, Mt. Hood Community College, and Clackamas Community College (Oregon) have been working together to foster critical thinking in their students. Teachers in these disciplines have been meeting at their respective…

This catalog is a checklist that provides an overview of objectives that can be explored in an adult literacy program. It is intended to (1) help instructors form a quick idea of what students already know; (2) show learners that they already do know a great deal; and (3) help learners and instructors plan the program ahead by making a selection…

Personal experiences in public schools and in higher education are described that influenced a writer's decision to become a teacher and the teacher's subsequent development of a high school citizenship curriculum. Reasons for emphasizing critical thinking are discussed. The reactions of students, aged 14-19, in the most advanced level of a…

This collection of mathematics word problems was developed by adult learners in the Reach One Program. The first page describes the steps that led to the finished product: having learners work word problems; listing steps for solving word problems; having learners work problems according to these steps; providing a list of key words that indicate…

A study examined the pilot year of the Computers in Early Literacy (CIEL) program, a multi-year project aimed at developing and assessing various strategies for improving the literacy development of children in kindergarten and the first grade. Subjects, 25 kindergarten and 22 first-grade students in a midwestern primary school, received three…