Describes a career development project that addresses the special needs of disabled adults by: (1) developing a multimedia-based, self-directed career planning program; (2) providing a training program for 15 disabled adults working as paraprofessional career guidance technicians; and (3) establishing linkages with educational institutions and…

These four articles focus on developing basic reading, science, and job search skills: "Reading Program for Vocational Classes" by Augustus Luparelli; "Why Teach Employability Skills?" by Larry Siefferman; "Improving Vocabulary and Reading Skills" by Edythe Conway; and "Science in Everyday Life" by Virginia Eleazer and George Carney. (SK)

Reviews current theories of language teaching and learning. Considers thinking and problem solving as the impetus to linguistic growth and change. Encourages teachers to devise genuine problem solving tasks for young children that begin by observing/examining and end in expression through writing. (RL)

The problem method is an important instructional tool to make teaching more enjoyable for both the student and the instructor. To be effective the teacher must provide enthusiasm and motivation, shorter instructional units, student activities, application of the instruction, a summary at the end of each class, and various types of presentations.…

Presents some classroom exercises based on the communication needs of adult students of French. (AM)

Recounts a criminology class exercise that consisted of staging a mock trial using the murders from Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" as source material. Students research the case and role play various lawyers, jury members, and witnesses. Identifies and discusses four educational objectives attainable through the staging of mock trials. (MJP)

Research indicates a strong relationship between early phoneme awareness and later reading success and the benefits of explicitly teaching phoneme awareness skills. This article presents a set of developmental phoneme awareness training activities that the special educator can integrate collaboratively into existing kindergarten and first-grade…

Discusses three exercises for a home state course that tap the store of knowledge possessed by a classroom of home state residents. The exercises include a family migration history, a review of a home state novel, and a self-guided field trip. Includes exercise instructions and sample book list. (MJP)

Describes an easy project that uses postcards to engage elementary and middle school students in reading, writing, and social studies. Students write letters to the editors of different newspapers asking their readers to send postcards to the class. Follow up activities include response letters, maps, and writing assignments. (MJP)

Notes that India has experienced conditions that have lead to significant illiteracy, but that commitment to education can be found in lesser-known parts of India today. Profiles three schools in Tamil Nadu and describes a typical school day for a student with special needs, a student in a tribal setting, and a student in a rural setting. (TJQ)

Discusses the collaborative approach of the Rocky Mountain Teacher Education Collaborative to helping preservice teachers develop pedagogical content knowledge. Describes a course in the teaching of chemistry that was believed to be key in the development of pedagogical content knowledge. Highlights assessment and reactions to the course. (JRH)

Recommends elementary school projects where children design and make their own musical instruments. Maintains that this familiarizes students with the family of instruments and how they produce sound. The built instruments can be as simple as a washtub bass or as complex as an electronic synthesizer. (MJP)

Maintains that having students estimate the size and width of a class waste paper can (placed on a desk) is a simple and effective way of illustrating perceptual distortion. Tests show that people will consistently overestimate the height of the can, allowing for a useful discussion on sensory distortion. (MJP)

Explores what is important when choosing a mathematics word problem and when modifying it to suit particular students' backgrounds and cultures. For example, potentially good problems have multiple entry and exit points which can have several right answers, blending of different mathematical ideas, linkages to problems in other situations, and…

Suggests ways in which instructors can engage students in large classes. States that short weekly written student responses can ameliorate the problems of dealing with large classes. Explains that such responses help students gain power over the material and assists in developing competence. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)