Teacher education programs aim to prepare teachers by building repertoires of knowledge and skills, mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs to develop dispositions necessary to succeed in a teaching career. As teachers prepare to meet the needs of increasingly diverse student populations, they need to attend to diversity issues and challenges and develop…

The development of self is an important part of formal education, and related to the notion of self is the development of "Bildung," or cultivation of the self. "Bildung" has been an integral part of curriculum theory in the United States. However, despite many theoretical debates on "Bildung" in the literature, there…

The human development (HD) model for religious education (RE) emphasises how students benefit from studying religion. However, detailed teaching practices for 'learning from religion' are not fully understood. In this article, lesson observations, school documents and interview data were collected from two Christian primary schools in Hong Kong…

The aim of this study was to assess whether children's development benefited from teacher-and child-managed academic activities in the preschool and kindergarten classroom. Extensive systematic observations during four half-days in preschool ("n"?=?8) and kindergarten ("n"?=?8) classrooms revealed that classrooms differed in…

Recent efforts to define qualities of effective teaching practice have done little to capture the role of play, imagination, and creativity in classroom teaching. Drawing on theories of play and data from a two-year case study that included classroom observations, interviews, artifact collection, and surveys, the author examines the ways in which…

The purpose of this study was to determine students' communication in the college classroom through faculty-led methods of enhancing classroom participation. The students in this study perceived that faculty members work to engage them in various classroom activities and enhance their participation through discussions, debates, dialogue, group…

This paper presents a class activity which aims to help students prepare both for the intellectual and the interpersonal work. On the first day of class, students are asked to read and reflect upon "Listening to Understand." Subsequently, they are then asked to discuss their responses in a small group and then later on in a large group discussion,…

The purpose of this handbook is to help make teaching and learning more effective, interesting, and exciting. The book is one in a series which provides practical, classroom tested strategies, approaches, and student activities for the elementary classroom. "Developing Individual Values in the Classroom" contains definitions, value discovery…

The intent of this book is to encourage teachers to examine how they question in order to generate richer classroom interaction. Part One sets out the reasons for the limited effectiveness of questions in present classroom practice, and examines the two structures which form the matrix of all educational processes: the structure for thinking and…

The article helps elementary teachers develop science programs geared to their students, emphasizing the appropriateness of hands-on activities and developmental learning. It presents three Earth Day water projects on rain and puddles, water drops and surface tension, and water purification that can be tailored for specific classes. (SM)

For many students, grammar represents a baffling set of capricious rules wielded by "sadistic" English teachers for the sole purpose of making their lives miserable. To combat this misconception and to dispel the mystery and empower students with the ability to use the conventions of standard written English, a series of student…

Presents tips, activities, and exercises to help elementary teachers and students select, learn, and tell their stories. Storytelling can build confidence and poise, improve expressive language skills, stimulate inventive thinking, build listening skills, and develop appreciation of other cultures. (SM)

This bulletin is designed to show some of the ways in which successful teachers work with children in order to establish rapport and to guide them into productive and happy living. This bulletin presents in the main a viewpoint based on the belief that if children live in a friendly school environment rich with experiences and materials that…

Six articles help elementary teachers cultivate students' critical thinking skills across the curriculum with activities like examining past predictions and future forecasting, exploring science via ice and snow, strengthening critical reading through visual clues, discussing prediction using mathematical patterns, and studying vision with a…

Purpose: An e-portfolio is a useful tool to increase reflection and awareness in teachers and students. However, benefits of e-portfolio use are weakened by difficulties due to the lack of motivation, the heavy weight of creation and revision of the e-portfolios, the rigid tool structure. The paper aims to answer these emerging issues, showing how…