Describes a method by which teachers can introduce students to meaning and text through application of Mikhail Bakhtin's discourse theories. Explains that students are encouraged to reject common understandings of good writing. Identifies "daffy" definition exercises, newspaper editorial comparisons, and other activities that help…

Discusses the many uses of rebuses in the preschool environment. Describes how the use of rebuses streamlines routine activities and enables many different activities to be offered without chaos in a busy environment. Teacher-planned activities become child directed, the children get reading and writing practice, and independence and appropriate…

Teachers at all levels are encouraged to use role-playing and simulation. Unfortunately, teachers usually overestimate role-playing's learning value and often ascribe too much power to simple simulation activities. Teachers use these methods mainly to change behavior (and values), not reinforce curriculum content. Sociodramas (scenes based on…

Although teachers at all levels are encouraged to use role-playing and simulation, they usually overestimate role-playing's learning value. Teachers use these methods mainly to change behavior (and values), not reinforce curriculum content. Sociodramas (scenes based on typical situations facing children) are more effective role-playing activities…

Presented is an activity designed to help middle school students in their understanding of definitions in geometry. Five definitions involving complex quadrilaterals are discussed. Procedures and expectations for the activity are described. (CW)

Presented are the basics of this discrete mathematics topic. Several problem-solving techniques are illustrated. Several suggestions for senior projects are provided. (CW)

Describes one elementary teacher's strategies to help students learn spelling using cooperative learning groups. Mixed-ability groups of four children are established, and students take turns being the caller, recorder, reader, and checker. Students retain more because of the amount of repetition. A weekly classroom spelling schedule is presented.…

Description of how an abstract element of information provision--information service and product design--was made concrete to a class of undergraduate students highlights barriers to their understanding and shows how a tutorial activity helped them to overcome some of these and gave their tutors a greater appreciation of the students' strengths…

Discusses the importance of saving species and dispels myths surrounding the endangered species act as background to three student activities that include a round table debate, writing to congresspeople, and a research project suggestion. Lists reference materials for endangered species. (MCO)

Reviews three books: (1) "Jeux Populaires Traditionnels pour les Enfants d'aujourd'hui" (Traditional Popular Games for Today's Children) (Jacqueline Theriault and Denise Garon); "Early Childhood Education" (B. Persky and L. Golubchick, editors); and "Playing to Learn: The Young Child, Teacher and the Classroom" (Weininger and Daniel). (AC)

Questionnaires assessed preschool teachers' concepts of cognitive development, educational goals for children's cognitive development, and curriculum activities used to foster children's cognitive development. Teachers' goals and activities were more consistent with environmental learning theory than with cognitive development theory or…

A six-step method is presented for using problem-solving activities to promote language acquisition in hearing-impaired students. The method emphasizes the communicative uses of language rather than the structure of language. A list of sample problem-solving activities is included. (JDD)

Presented are eight student worksheets of block problems. Included are diagrams of the squares and hollow squares involved and a separate answer sheet for the problems. (CW)

Discusses the four critical characteristics of a teaching style which offers hands-on science experiences in the outdoors that lead to writing activities. Provides examples from the Alaska Writing Program which is modeled after the Bay Area Writing Project. (MG)

Describes Book Dialogues, a teacher-student activity intended to help students learn to summarize, interpret, and evaluate materials they have read. (SR)