Surveys elementary administrators and social studies teachers in Billings, Montana concerning teaching methods used and those desirable to meet the needs of individual learners. Reports subjects' ratings of a variety of teaching methods and how well these methods address individual differences. (RS)

Addresses the problems of teaching the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) in secondary schools. The new statute is difficult to teach because courts have only begun to interpret it and textbooks have yet to include it. Presents a list of resources addressing issues related to the Charter, as well as two ways to teach the Charter. (LS)

Thirty children, aged 36-83 months, were interviewed to ascertain the extent of their awareness of their orthopedic disability. Parent and teacher interviews determined types and frequencies of discussions about the child's disability. Occurrence of discussions at home, but not at school, was significantly correlated with awareness. (Author/JDD)

Maintains that helping to see the personal relevance of course material is an important instructional goal. Discusses student characteristics, instructor characteristics, and the use of discussion groups. Describes four strategies to personalize information presented in large lecture sessions. (CFR)

Critical and progressive educational theorists hold that educational reform cannot succeed without addressing the widespread institutionalized inequities such as classism, racism, and sexism embedded in the schooling process. This article describes a Southern California teacher's use of critical pedagogy to enhance Latino students' learning and…

Proposes the technique of group discussions in the learning of mathematics. Examines the teacher's role in creating an environment that encourages student participation; presents four techniques to initiate discussions in elementary school classes; and offers five attributes teachers need to develop in students for effective discussions. (MDH)

Discusses techniques that teachers can use to help students better understand classroom rules and the reasons for them. Suggests that teachers can use "class meetings" to get students involved in the rule-making process, discussing norms of behavior, asking reflective questions of students, and building classroom unity and cooperation. (MDM)

Discusses the use of fortune cookie fortunes in a middle school class combined with computer graphics, desktop publishing, and word processing technology to create writing assignments, games, and discussions. Topics include cultural contexts, and students creating their own fortunes. (LRW)

Discusses building classroom community through talk and picture books, using talk in literature study, talk that supports the content areas, and exploring ideas about thinking through talk. Appends a list of reading strategies identified by students, criteria used in selecting picture books, and a 14-item bibliography of World War II picture…

Discusses the use of vignettes (experiences expressed in narrative or dialog form) to merge assessment with teaching. The rule vignette and the two-answer vignette are discussed. (MKR)

Students (n=12) in a self-contained elementary class for students with learning disabilities were taught using instructional conversation (IC), a teaching method in which students are engaged in interactions promoting analysis, reflection, and critical thinking. IC promoted oral participation and interactions among students and provided a holistic…

Examines children's everyday discourse processes in three early education settings to document how friendship relations are produced in everyday discursive practices. Results indicate the importance of viewing friendship as a collective and cultural process. (CFR)

The article reflects on using case method teaching in preservice teacher education, emphasizing situated problems of practice about which preservice teachers reflect by using tools of analysis, theoretical principles, professional wisdom, and autobiographical knowledge. The importance of conceptual, pedagogical, cognitive, and social structures…

Provides a sampling of gender discriminating behaviors in the classroom, a look at the psychological data collected by Carol Gilligan and her associates, and strategies and tactics to bring about gender equity in the classroom. Documents the falling self-esteem of school-age girls and the domineering behavior of school-age boys. (TB)

A study compared the effectiveness of study questions versus "learning through discussion" in promoting the learning of research skills by 41 students in a Master's in Social Work program. Using a pretest/posttest alternative treatment group design with blind evaluations, the study question method was found to be superior to the alternative…