This document provides a rationale (theory) and some models (application) to help secondary teachers develop their own "guided assignments"--road maps which offer young readers structured assistance in reading literature. The guide's first section provides a theoretical framework and blueprint for guided assignments. It begins by…

In the many different stages of the writing process, teachers of composition need to be sensitive toward cultural differences which may exist between them and their students. Large numbers of foreign students participate in writing courses in American colleges, and research indicates that the minority student population will increase sharply in…

Mathematics faculty around the United States are using writing assignments in a variety of ways. A mathematics teacher at Alma College, Michigan, has students write mathematical autobiographies, keep a reading logbook, and write letters to other students about the course, letters to instructors about the topics, or about what they do not…

A representative selection for studying African American autobiography as a literary discipline is "A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South" by Anna Julia Cooper, published in 1892. As a literary form, the book is a series of eight essays: four essays about women and their relation to other groups or their place in the…

One of the challenges of a communication instructor is how to initiate the discussion of ethics in the university classroom. The classic film, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," has proved a useful tool for initiating discussion of ethical decision-making in leadership. This film presents a young and idealistic leader of boy ranger clubs…

The traditional basic writing model (giving students manageable writing tasks like narratives and descriptions of familiar places) has been criticized by both Mike Rose and David Bartholomae, among others, for not moving the basic writer far enough toward the goal of academic writing competence. Rose's schemata are reassuring and helpful to basic…

Teaching suggestions and questions on which to build a class discussion are presented regarding concrete poetry. An example of a poem about a bird's feather in which the words are arranged in the shape of a feather is included and is intended as a student handout. In addition to suggestions for student assignments, five sources of concrete poetry…

The purpose of this article is to discuss five different approaches to teaching literature. (RC)

Presents the view that formal assignments such as problem sheets to be solved at home within a given amount of time are detrimental to the development of a mature outlook in college students. Presents an alternative to this approach. (GS)

Argues that institutional research efforts to ascertain faculty workload will continue to fail because of basic methodological and conceptual fallacies. (Author)

This investigation was performed to determine if different methods of evaluating homework would produce a noticeable difference in unit test performance. Two different high school math classes were given a traditional homework assignment for a 6-week period and then were given a five question mastery check the next 6-week period. The average test…

This digest adapts information from "Attention Deficit Disorders: A Guide for Teachers," prepared by members of the Education Committee of Children with Attention Deficit Disorders. It defines attention deficit disorders and describes the two types (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and undifferentiated attention deficit…

A series of five writing assignments that focus on the critical thinking skills needed for the intelligent reading of political articles that appear in newspapers and popular magazines was developed for use in a political science course at Oakton Community College (Illinois). Each of the assignments begins with a lesson that teaches the specific…

A seminar was held in England in 1981 to come up with a systematic, detailed analysis of argument and with suggestions on how it should be taught on the secondary level. Within a framework of questions designed to distinguish types and purposes of argument, members of the seminar analyzed four essays paragraph by paragraph. Their comments…