Describes how the curriculum of a tenth-grade world literature class, with an emphasis on literary genres, was transformed to a curriculum concerned with ethical choices and their consequences within an array of individual and social contexts. Shows how this conversation about ethical choices and dilemmas in her students' lives transformed how the…

Describes a project in which 16 classroom teachers from seven different schools collaborated with researchers in an extensive investigation of book access and rereading. Discusses enhancing book access in school and at home, and enhanced book access at home with books and audiotapes. Shows how these school/home programs helped young…

Investigates preservice teachers' attitudes toward writing and toward teaching writing after completing an innovative language-arts course that stressed process approaches and the writing workshop. Examines the influence this course had on the teaching of writing during their student teaching. Investigates how writing instruction was incorporated…

Presents an account of a self-access language-teaching scheme operated at the University of Bologna (Italy) that was developed to teach English to university students by building a self-access environment available over a computer network. Discusses courseware, test generator, multimedia workstations, student use of laboratories, and future…

Explores how one state's draft standards addressed five areas: skill development/maintenance through inservice, existence of different teaching and learning styles, effects of varied teaching experiences, development of commonly- and rarely-used skills, and standards' potential for fostering inclusion. Nine participating teachers reported greatest…

Points out that bringing technology into the schools illuminates, and perhaps exacerbates, the advantage that students from wealthy families have over students from poorer families. Notes that advocates for technology often have an agenda that has nothing to do with students' learning. Discusses what educators can do in the face of all this. (SR)

Provides ideas for using computer technology in language arts classrooms, including learning the mechanics of writing; word choice; rewriting; small group formats; evaluation of writing; group-editing software; e-mail; writing for the Web; and hypertext. (LRW)

Acknowledges that children with special needs flourish and benefit from early-childhood environments that empower learning. Discusses center learning, which allows children to be actively engaged in self-directed learning based on strength, ability, and interest. Suggests that center learning can enhance aspects related to emergent literacy…

The success of transitional bilingual programs depends on program support at all levels of the school hierarchy and on the level of knowledge of bilingual education as evidenced through curriculum and instructional activities. Negative impacts and challenges of three types of inappropriate transitional bilingual programs are outlined along with…

Presents 29 brief descriptions of research in the teaching of English (published July through December, 1999) in the areas of: bilingual/foreign language education; classroom discourse; discourse processes; literature; professional development; reading; research methodology; technology and literacy; and writing. (SR)

The New Standards Project, attempting to create an assessment system comprised of performance exams, portfolios and projects, may not have fulfilled its promise to create a national system of tests worth teaching to. However, NSP did deliver high- quality professional-development opportunities for hundreds of teachers across the nation. (Contains…

Presents seven examples of integrating language arts into the curriculum through the use of community connections: (1) exploring curriculum with themed instruction; (2) promoting discussion; (3) using oral language; (4) introducing "found poetry"; (5) writing across the curriculum; (6) sharing an interpretive reading activity in a readers'…

This study examined the impact of parental involvement on four outcomes for 28 young children with hearing loss. Although parental involvement was a significant positive predictor of early reading skills, maternal communication skill and the child's degree of hearing loss were more significant predictors for positive language and academic…

This study investigated the structure and content of the language that medical personnel used with 15 pediatric hospitalized patients during medical procedures, by observing in two hospital settings. Medical procedures were rarely characterized by appropriate verbal structuring. Results suggest that the unsupportive communicative environment may…

Describes how a semester-long pen-pal project enabled 18 participating university language arts students, a class of first graders, their teacher, and the university instructors to become co-learners in meaningful, action research. Discusses insights about writing derived from the children's weekly letters. Presents an assessment rubric charting…