Discusses the importance of designing settings for children that encourage hands-on creativity through play. Suggests the designs are art forms requiring a participatory art teaching style. Describes the technique and provides proven design ideas. (CMK)

Describes a teaching strategy called the inverted classroom that enables instructors of introductory economics courses to address students' different learning styles within the time constraints of the class. Explains that in the inverted classroom the events that traditionally take place during class time now take place outside the classroom and…

Describes a simulation exercise called "The Summit of the Americas" that enables students to apply economic concepts. Discusses the four segments of the simulation: (1) pre-negotiation phase; (2) negotiation phase; (3) the debriefing phase; and (4) an economic impact report. Addresses the issues involved when incorporating the simulation into a…

Explores why art teachers include various objects and resources in their classroom environments. Focuses on different categories of art teachers: (1) high priest (concerned with personal expression); (2) technocrats (concerned with exploration); (3) social workers (concerned with social awareness); and (4) pedagogues (concerned with developing the…

Explores the role of teachers focusing on the importance of their enthusiasm for teaching. Discusses such topics as teaching styles, the topical coverage of courses, and the attitudes teachers have toward students. Addresses the issues of personal taste and relevance within the realm of topical content. (CMK)

Presents guidelines for undergraduate teaching. The key concept is P-P-P-E-P: preparation, presentation, people orientation, evaluation, and practice. Other observations include the uniqueness of every individual, teaching students to want to learn, and being very selective in choosing the content to be taught. (AIM)

Expresses concern that instructors have become less creative and less skilled at eliciting student creativity as a result of proliferating planning processes and workshops. Gives new and startling descriptions of how life creates and develops more life. Asserts that instructors need clear intent in the classroom but should not always expect…

This paper presents the major findings of a longitudinal study of teachers' professional identities in the early years of teaching. It analyzes key influences upon the ways in which new teachers' identities are shaped and reshaped over time. Through their own perceptions, analyses of the school cultures in which they work and their pupils' views…

Like Chip Anderson, whose essay you read earlier in this issue, I was initially taught to use the deficit-remediation model with my students. Even in that negative context, though, and with no exposure at all to strengths-based education, I unconsciously based my early teaching on four of my five Clifton StrengthsFinder signature themes:…

The distinction and relationship between teaching creatively and teaching for creativity identified in the report from the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education ( NACCCE, 1999), is examined by focusing on empirical research from an early years school, known for its creative approach. The examination uses four…

Much has been written about the sometimes contentious relationship between international teaching assistants (ITAs) and their American students. ITAs sometimes have unfamiliar accents, teaching styles and cultural nuances that can create an environment where teaching and learning become a challenge. In an ideal classroom, both the student and…

The type of staff development necessary to improve student achievement is not the type of in-service where elementary teachers just attend a workshop to learn a specific activity to be used when teaching a particular concept. Rather, a comprehensive instructional strategy is the one designed to enhance student comprehension and mastery for…

The present research examines whether an interpersonal environment may exist in classrooms that are notoriously impersonal: large lecture-based freshman-level general psychology classes. The artificial categorization of teaching and learning styles, and the limits of those categories, is also addressed. Students evaluated the style of teaching in…

English and writing teachers are often pressurized to return to the basics of grammar, despite the evidence that drilling grammar does not improve students' writing skills. A great disparity exists between public perception of effective education and the perception of professional educators, which is the main reason why parents and government…

The authors present two beginning studies. One investigated the teaching-style preferences of young adults, and the other looked at physical activity trends within this age group. One key to understanding young adults and physical activity is to recognize the importance of participant cognition on physical activity patterns. From this…