A study of the structure of the speech act known as an apology looked at the differences in linguistic strategies used by advanced nonnative English language learners and native speakers in apology behavior, and whether the differences result from the severity of the offense or the familiarity of the interlocutors. An apology is seen as consisting…

Information is presented on the College Scholars Program in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The program permits outstanding students maximum freedom in designing their own curriculum. When accepted, the student is matched with a faculty member who is a scholar in an area or areas of interest to the student.…

The document provides teaching guidelines and information on advance elective courses in a studio art program for grades 10, 11, and 12. The courses are presented in four sections: (1) studio in advertising design--advertising and production, lettering, illustrating, and color reproduction; (2) studio in fashion design and illustration--elements…

Contains contributed suggestions in the teaching of structure and bonding and reaction rates and equilibria in the Nuffield Advanced Chemistry Project. (CP)

Reviews the advanced chemistry course of the Nuffield O-Level Chemistry Project being developed in Great Britain. (SL)

Reviews literature on cross-cultural reading, interlanguage, and story grammar against the theory of contrastive rhetoric, and considers implications for teaching reading to advanced second language students. The conclusion is that comparative rhetoric demands levels of cultural sensitivity in teachers that transcend any one theory or approach.…

A class project of a third-year French class in Sweden that used Renoir's painting, "The Luncheon of the Boating Party," as inspiration for work in vocabulary development, grammar, conversation, and social and cultural appreciation is described and examples of dialogs and exercises are appended. (MSE)

A classroom activity for relatively advanced students involving interpretation of a surprising cartoon is described. The group process begins with a simple explanation of the picture, progressive discovery of small details, interpretation of the characters' situations, and role playing. (MSE)

After a few decades of keeping a watchful eye, substantial gaps in the average standardized test scores of White and some minority group students persist. The average group differences on the SAT are among the most visible examples of this pattern, but when we focus only on mean score differences among students, we tend to overlook the relatively…

Prerequisite courses are essential tools in many university curricula, but some educators have suggested that they may be detrimental if applied too stringently to exclude students from courses. A measure of the value of prerequisites is whether or not they promote student success. The strongest way to test the value of prerequisites is to compare…

This report describes initiatives and services of the Massachusetts Department of Education for academically advanced students. The first section summarizes the department's state initiatives implemented as a result of the state's Education Reform Act of 1993, such as grants to enhance district gifted and talented programs and Advanced Placement…

The Talent Development High School model is an education reform initiative that aims to improve the academic achievement of students in large, nonselective, comprehensive high schools. In operation at 33 high schools in 12 states across the country, the approach encompasses five main features: (1) small learning communities, organized around…

Discusses the reasons for growing disenchantment with the language laboratory and introduces a novel approach to advanced listening comprehension exercises based on recordings of professional entertainers. Analyzes the sketches as examples of authentic discourse, as illustrations of different speech registers and regional variants, and as vehicles…

Describes the development of instructional materials for an advanced French course for English-speaking Canadian diplomats. (AM)

Early admission students performed as well as first-year medical students in the preclinical sciences. They integrated, rather than alternated, undergraduate and medical coursework. Double or inter-departmental majors were common; few general education or non-major courses were chosen. (CP)