This digest provides a basic introduction to the national standards in foreign language learning, essentially a set of content standards that define what students should know and be able to do in foreign language instruction in a K-12 sequence. First, background on the development of the standards is provided, and a description of the standards'…

A study was conducted to develop a consensus document that would provide an external perspective of the curriculum in agricultural education that includes agricultural mechanics as a course of study. Data were collected in four phases: solicitation of expert opinion from 53 experts in the field (34 respondents); rating of the opinions; development…

A workshop is described that trains teachers of vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) how to identify the language needs of and develop lessons for a particular job or job site. The workshop, one of a series of four designed to improve the skills of refugee service provider staff, was offered twice in 1982 and 1983. Activities included…

The public library in the town of Snowflake, Arizona, was administered for some years by a library technician under the supervision of a graduate professional librarian from the Snowflake Unified School District. When the technician departed, a decision was made to have the library board administer and run the library with the assistance of…

In this Alberta (Canada) teacher's guide, four history units are outlined. These are: (1) Between Two Wars (1919-36); (2) World War II; (3) The Emergence and Interaction of the Superpowers; and (4) Contemporary World Interactions. At the end of each unit, questions are provided for discussion and there is a final synthesis at the end of the…

In this Alberta (Canada) student workbook, four history units are presented for study. These are: (1) Between Two Wars (1919-1936); (2) World War II; (3) The Emergence and Interaction of the Superpowers; and (4) Contemporary World Interactions. Advice is offered to students in each unit along with information about key events and issues during…

This essay makes an argument for bringing a feminist perspective to pedagogy in higher education. The paper opens by reviewing the history of gender roles, relations, and perceptions in society before the industrial revolution. Subsequent sections describe women's participation in academia and develop a description of feminist pedagogy. Feminist…

This paper provides a detailed unit plan format for use by teacher trainers in early childhood education classes to teach students how to write integrated thematic unit plans for developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children. The paper first provides the outline for the thematic unit plan, and then explains each of the plan's 16…

A discussion of language testing in the context of a program in English for Special Purposes (ESP) focuses on the lack of "fit" between the two areas and makes some recommendations for improvement. It begins with overviews of recent trends in testing and recent issues in ESP. Overlap is seen in two areas: construct and content validity. It is…

Bloomfield College (New Jersey) has encouraged faculty development in inclusive curricula through a faculty development program that guaranteed academic freedom, was begun with faculty members' own reflective practice, and was interdisciplinary and community-wide. This program was a central facet of a larger, institution-wide diversity effort.…

This paper provides an example procedure used to design and install a program of assessment to improve communication instruction through a competency-based core curriculum at a mid-sized, urban university. The paper models the various steps in the process, and includes specific tests, forms, memos, course description, sources, and procedures which…

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs, characterized by the special needs of the language learners, are described and a review of the literature on a functional-notional approach to the syllabus design of ESP programs is presented. It is suggested that effective ESP programs should teach the language skills necessary to function and perform…

An overview of curriculum reforms implemented in China during the 1980s is provided in this paper. A brief historical sketch of educational policy from early Chinese civilization to the present is offered. Two phases of curriculum reforms occurred in the 1980s: those for restoration of the social order and those for structural adaptation and…

The role of the teacher, the effects of curriculum differences, and the influence of textbook on student's sex role development in various countries are examined. (Author/DE)

A summary of curricular innovations (career education, experiential education, competency-based education, interdisciplinary courses, independent study, calendar change) with discussion of reasons for resistance (poor quality, intellectual work involved, lack of concept of "curriculum"). (JT)