Aesthetics, or the philosophy of art, is perhaps the most troublesome discipline advocated in a discipline-based approach to art education. It is troublesome for many reasons, including its largely verbal nature and the lack of experience of most art teachers with its content and modes of inquiry. Nevertheless, aesthetics can serve as a basis for…

This topical bibliography and commentary highlights the major points of the available literature on the value of using a "thematic organization" for the teaching of language arts classes in grades 6 through 8. It begins with a definition of the thematic organization approach, as culled from the literature. It then presents briefly a few examples…

This Digest focuses on the method of teaching foreign languages in Kindergarten through Grade 8 using content-based instruction. In this approach, the foreign language is used as the medium for teaching subject content, such as mathematics or social studies. In content-based instruction, students become proficient in the language because the focus…

Economics education in elementary and secondary schools is essential in order to prepare a responsible citizenry that can cope with economic problems and issues. This ERIC Digest examines: (1) the primary goal of economics education; (2) current economics curriculum patterns; and (3) methods of improving the economics curriculum. The basic…

Labor studies are often not included or underemphasized in the elementary and secondary school curricula. This ERIC Digest examines major themes of labor studies; inclusion of these themes in the curriculum; likely positive outcomes of labor studies in the curriculum; and available resources for teachers and students. Key historical events, the…

Workplace-based educational programs are not new. Recent perceptions of a national literacy crisis and the need for a competitive workforce, however, have resulted in the development of new programs across the country, many of which provide literacy and language training for nonnative English speakers. This digest focuses on the reasons for…

Economics is an important part of the U.S. social studies core curriculum, and this book considers the role of economics education in the development of citizenship skills. Chapter 1 describes: (1) citizenship and economic literacy; (2) the amount of economics education to offer; (3) economics in relation to economic education; and (4)…

Reviews documents from the ERIC junior colleges collection dealing with the predominant interdisciplinary teaching methods used in community colleges, and the application of interdisciplinary approaches to general, vocational, and developmental education. Suggests that interdisciplinary studies enhance the quality of community college education.…

With the purpose of highlighting the lessons to be learned from immersion programs, this digest presents selected findings from research carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of immersion programs in Canada and the United States. These lessons are related to the importance of: (1) integrating language with content instruction (when second…

In describing reading proficiency--the relative difficulty or ease that an individual reader experiences reading a particular text--researchers have recognized the importance of both text- and reader-based factors. This digest focuses on the factor of purpose, as determined by the reader or the instructional context. Having a purpose means having…

Teaching about law-related education (LRE) in elementary and secondary schools is an important social studies trend. This ERIC Digest considers: (1) the meaning of law-related education; (2) reasons for including LRE in the curriculum; (3) methods of incorporating LRE into a curriculum; and (4) characteristics of effective LRE programs. Education…

Students with specialized health care needs require specialized technological health care procedures for life support and/or health support during the school day. They may or may not require special education. These children were previously unserved in educational settings. Estimation of their numbers is difficult, but as many as 100,000 infants…

This digest discusses Language Across the Curriculum (LAC), an approach to teaching language that works with faculty in other content areas to identify the specific vocabulary and genres that students need in order to function effectively in another language in their respective disciplines. LAC also draws from the content-based approach to…

Traditionally, humanities instruction at two-year colleges has been identified with transfer education. Since enrollments are decreasing in humanities classes, the future viability of the humanities curriculum will depend on providing humanities instruction to vocational students. This fact sheet discusses some obstacles to changing the humanities…

The Freirean approach to adult literacy education bases the content of language lessons on learners' cultures and personal experiences. This approach has been used in the developing world in successful native and second language literacy projects sponsored by governments and voluntary organizations in both urban and rural settings. The two most…