Describes a primary teacher's experience with implementing developmentally appropriate practice. Documents the process of changing teaching methods, abandoning ability grouping in reading, giving children significant choices, following children's progress, staying informed and sharing with colleagues, informing parents, and evaluating teaching…

Sixteen high school students in a week-long metal casting workshop wrote stream-of-consciousness journals for 15 minutes at the beginning of each session. Sentence analysis suggested that the act of journal writing consolidated task mastery through cognitive awareness of hands-on learning and contributed to the development of self-awareness and a…

Reports on a study of college students (N=276) that tested a model to identify a goodness of fit between students and educational environments. Findings indicate the importance of motivating students to engage in reciprocal relationships with their learning environments to enhance human capital skills. (RJM)

Examines why and how one elementary teacher--a veteran third-grade teacher in Arizona--uses drama in the classroom. Discusses how the teacher uses drama as a means for personal and professional growth, focuses on students achieving an understanding of self and others, and defines the drama curriculum as an "expressive orientation" within…

A mother reviews the radical acceleration of her high school daughter who will enter college at the age of 14. She recounts both positive and negative experiences during elementary and middle school, the encouragement of individual educators, flexible scheduling to allow taking advanced courses at other institutions, and barriers of school system…

Describes research on brain development and its relationship to music education. Discusses how music helps some people organize the way they think and work and how music helps them develop in other areas, including mathematics, language, and spatial reasoning. (10 references) (LMI)

Individuals have to learn to form their own identity, to determine a direction and to plan a career. However, individuals' shortage of actor competences confronts them with many problems; several institutions risk becoming overburdened by allocation or career problems. As a result, the role of the career counselor must change from that of a…

The first in a two-part series on male college student development looks at a significant issue for many young men, lack of relationship with a father, and its effect on their journey to manhood. Specific recommendations are made for adults working effectively with young adult men in this context, and areas for further study are highlighted. (MSE)

Explains the potential role and benefits of service learning in transforming schools. Argues that service learning has the potential to reinvigorate traditional classrooms and turn passive students into dynamic and engaged learners, but its implementation carries no guarantee of "product satisfaction." Further, its success lies in the…

At Balboa High School (San Francisco, California), the Wilderness Arts and Literacy Collaborative (WALC) is a 2-year environmental education program that takes an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach to learning. WALC integrates regular weekend camping trips in wilderness areas with lessons in American history, literature, and environmental…

This article favors providing both gifted and advanced placement programs for students. Three components of a unique gifted program are identified: (1) interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses; (2) character development; and (3) independent study. Advanced placement program objectives can be added to gifted programs but should not replace…

A program in Hungary counseled 34 families of gifted students (ages 5-8) over a 2-year period. Common questions included what school the child should go to, how to support special abilities, and how to deal with demands for autonomy. The services provided by the program are outlined. (CR)

Proposes that development opportunities designed to clarify one's values and beliefs as part of an overall leadership training model will help meet one of society's most pressing needs: leadership rooted in the cultural value of improving the human condition for everyone. (Author)

Examines Canadian education in general, and then focuses on the particular concerns of English as a Second Language (ESL). Presents items, events, and observations illuminating the context of ESL instruction and suggests that the first level of accountability of ESL teachers is to their students, to whom they have an obligation to help realize…

Claims that, to prepare students for the future workplace, some notions are best forgotten. Educators must design seamless learning approaches, and institutional policies and practices must engage students in a variety of learning activities. Schools should cultivate an institutional ethos that promotes involvement in educationally purposeful…