Language classroom anxiety is a significant concern for applied linguists and English language teachers. As an affective variable, foreign language anxiety has the potential to harm learners' language learning and performance. While the impact of language anxiety on the academic achievement of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) has…

This book identifies the educational problems and issues that could be solved by design and discusses how to overcome these challenges by adopting a design thinking approach. The chapters cover topics such as opportunities and challenges for the futures of education, the emerging models of design thinking for education, learning activity design,…

The Preschool Educational Environment Rating System (PEERS) is a measure designed to examine the quality of instruction in preschool settings. Unlike other rating scales, it not only measures the environment, it also examines both how teachers construct their classroom for instruction and the quality of the enactment of instruction. Designed on…

Frequent five-minute visits focused on specific "look-fors" can give principals valuable information about what's working--or not working--in their schools. A program of brief but frequent classroom walkthroughs has become an increasingly popular strategy in recent years for informally supervising teachers and observing classroom activities. But…

In 2004, "Learning Reconsidered" urged educators to think more holistically about student learning and development. "Learning Initiatives in the Residential Setting" provides a framework for putting this call into action at large universities and small colleges alike. Chapters trace the history of learning in residence halls, discuss academic and…

Intended to support and guide teachers and administrators in providing appropriate experiences for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children in significant areas of living and learning, this curriculum guide reflects the early childhood education (ECE) philosophy of the South Carolina State Department of Education. The guide first provides an overview of…

Young people entering post-secondary institutions or seeking employment generally require senior high school diplomas. There are few jobs available that do not require advanced levels of many kinds of literacy and most employers will consider only those applicants who have completed senior high school, even for entry-level positions. When English…

The often-competing issues that accompany high-stakes testing pose challenges for even the best and most experienced principals. For example, time allotted for teaching test-taking skills and practice is sometimes "stolen" from science and social-studies courses. Some parents are concerned that students are missing out on a critical part of their…

The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of student effort, campus environments and institutional culture to student learning in three types of institutions: small residential colleges; large residential universities; and universities located in metropolitan areas. Data sources were qualitative assessments of 13 campus cultures…

After defining the school learning environment as a collage of various goal stresses and discussing relationships between motivation and achievement explored in recent research, this document explains the need to change school culture and climate in order to enhance student motivation. Policy and procedural areas where change may be desired are…

Presents five exercises, based on the "Chilly Climate" papers, designed to enhance faculty and staff sensitivity to the need of providing a comfortable learning environment for women. Covers definition of sexism, pronouns as power, gender differences in experiences with sexism, incorporating feminist scholarship into traditional courses,…

Although ability partly explains why some students are eager to learn in school whereas others are disinterested, motivation is another significant factor. This newsletter discusses factors that affect students' motivation to learn, considers techniques that can increase motivation, and identifies schools that have developed activities to enhance…

This manual provides information and materials for a professional development program aimed at assisting middle and high school faculties with decision making regarding curriculum integration. The program is an outgrowth of a 2-year research and development project on interdisciplinary teamed instruction conducted in four rural secondary schools…

The long-range goal of Louisiana's teacher professional accountability programs is to enhance student learning by providing opportunities for teachers to strengthen skill areas and by identifying those aspects of teaching performance that may need improvement. "Strategies for Effective Teaching in the 21st Century" is intended to be used…

This book, which is intended as a resource for individuals and organizations involved in adult and community education, presents guidelines and activities to assist in enhancing organizational effectiveness in adult and community education. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) experiencing professional and organizational development…