The author, a psychology instructor at an American university, describes the internationalization of his course in Human Growth and Development. The author argues that human development cannot be easily summarized by nature (i.e., biological and evolutionary predisposition) or nurture (i.e., learning through environment and experience).…

Achieving Dialog, a model course in dyadic communication for close relationships, is described and presented as a new course for the counseling/human development curriculum. Research findings from a comprehensive evaluation of the Dialog course are summarized. The societal need for the course is indicated, and the educational challenge to…

The study of literature is seen as one of the best ways to bring students through the curriculum to recognize and grapple with the moral dimension of human life. Such a focus for a basic course is especially important when students take only one literature course. (Author/MLW)

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Describes an undergraduate course entitled "Nontraditional Families and Individual Development" that focuses on nontraditional families and their implications for life-span development while familiarizing students with psychological research, theories, and applied issues. Explains that this course was created as a response to the changing state of…

Discusses the need to use the "communicative approach" to teach French grammar in French immersion classes in Canada. Emphasis is placed on the value of using a "needs-based syllabus" that considers the immediate and long-term employment needs of each individual, as well as the psychological and developmental needs. (18…

Describes the teacher preparation program at LaSalle University, recently restructured around principles of human growth and development. Suggests that foundation courses stress developmental principles in relation to educational practice, the image of the child, educational theory, and educational language. Argues foundation courses suffer from…

The intent of this book is to strengthen the professional role teachers play in curriculum planning and development, a process central to teacher activity and responsibility. Contextual narratives, document analysis, the use of metaphor, personal rules, principles, beliefs, images, and philosophy are all described for use in hands-on exercises.…

During their first quarter, all nonremedial liberal arts students at LaGuardia Community College take an introductory cluster of four courses. These "freedom clusters" use a single body of material and a common analytical method and have, as their fixed elements, courses in philosophy, English composition, and the research paper. Course…

Competence in humanities may be considered in terms of knowledge (the mental processing of information), thinking skills (the organization of knowledge), communication skills, and personal integration (the effect of knowledge upon the individual). Specific competencies to be acquired in an interdisciplinary twentieth century humanities course…