Discussion of the following commonly accepted myths: 1) man is a rational being, 2) standards must be maintained, 3) a lot of work is better than a little, 4) basic skills must be given priority in a curriculum, 5) small classes are better than large classes, 6) reading ability is related to intelligence. (Author)

Students in colleges of education are usually not properly trained in ways to teach cooperation. More group assignments should be employed, as well as grading policies that encourage student interaction and help develop interpersonal skills. (Author/RW)

A program to improve student ability to perform intellectually demanding tasks might reasonably focus on four types of objectives: abilities, methods, knowledge, and attitudes. (Author/MLF)

Presents strategies to increase the flow of writing so that students become more attuned to the usefulness of words in capturing thoughts, feelings, and impressions. (RL)

Outlines an assignment for technical writing students in which they write a critique of a professional journal in their chosen major field. Notes the positive aspects of this writing assignment. (RL)

Presents guidelines for an efficient class trip: pre-visit the site with the parent chaperones; delegate groups of students to carry out specific assignments during the field trip; and plan class follow-up activities. (SJL)

Advocates using the case approach in college writing classes. Suggests that asking students to play the roles of participants in a situation, whether real or imaginary, helps them learn to address a particular audience with a clear purpose. Offers a case approach with discussion questions and possible assignments. (RL)

Describes a way to give word-processed feedback on business communication assignments. Describes some advantages of this mode over both handwritten and audio comments, and identifies limitations of this method. (SR)

Discusses a teacher-training experience in which a systemwide inservice seminar was offered. Offers the following tips for novice inservice providers: foster professionalism, provide structure for reading and writing activities, support change, accept participants as they are, stress commonalities, vary activities, provide supplemental fuel…

Presents three brief articles written by teachers that 1) describe a collection of approaches that utilize newspapers and magazines as the "excellent teaching tools they are"; (2) plunge students into critical analysis through the use of advertisements in magazines; (3) present ideas on how to teach students to create writing prompts…

Describes a four- to six-week project for high school sophomores in which students create pamphlets and in the process learn basic research skills and practice several elements of the research paper. (SR)

Provides an assignment for a business communication or a public speaking course from junior high to college level. States a minimum of three oral presentations are necessary for the assignment encompassing an announcement of the awards competition, the voting process and incentives for winning an award, and the ceremony held on the last day of…

Presents an assignment, conducted by the business communications instructor as "raconteur," that elicits discussions about ethics, decision making, channeling, legal questions, and the practical applications of business communications. Describes how the class completes a major report on a career and participates in three interviews so that they…

Describes "CultureGrams" and "StateGrams", sources that provide practical cultural information including attitudes, appearances, greetings, gestures, dating, family life, transportation, health, and education. Focuses on the edition suitable for elementary school students, explaining specific features and suggesting assignments…

Describes a course developed at St. John's University (New York) in the Division of Library and Information Science that relates traditional classification schemes to information architecture and Web sites. Highlights include functional aspects of information architecture, that is, the way content is structured; assignments; student reactions; and…