Describes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), two technologies that have been in general use for many years, but are more recently appearing in the educational sector, providing the opportunity to reap the benefits of technology while engaging young adolescents in an interactive environment. Discusses ways to…

Presents the story of Rumpelstiltskin and discusses many lessons that it presents for poets. Makes analogies of Rumpelstiltskin for writers. Considers how "the straw of quirks and earnest mistakes, of stubbornness" are living gold. (SG)

Suggests that drawing allows students time to think, spaces in which to look at the world more deeply, and ways into words. Lists eight ways teachers can encourage students to use drawing in language arts classrooms. (SG)

The Instructional Improvement Career Award plan in Topeka, Kansas, recognizes school professional employees and offers financial rewards for successful projects. (MLF)

Describes a district's reorganization of 2 K-5 schools into 1 for all K-2 grades and 1 for all 3-5 grades for economic reasons. The principal of the 3-5 facility views better focus and certain innovative initiatives (involving coverage of special topics, a whole-language reading program, and a sequential-research-skills approach) as advantages.…

The fundamental problem with formal instruction is its basic instructional unit--teacher-and-class. Group instruction has never succeeded because learners are so different. Teaching must be recognized as an essential learning experience for all. The critical elements in mutual instruction (peer tutoring) are adequate training and ongoing tutor…

Responds to current interest in the integration of children's literature and mathematics. Suggests that although using trade books instead of textbooks in teaching math holds promise, it is potentially negative. Concludes that aligning children's literature and math has the potential to help children better understand and appreciate both…

Presents a sequence of exercises that address the importance of using words effectively, and considers the insensitivity so many young actors today have regarding the words they have been given by playwrights to say. Intends to help students better connect and deepen the meaning of the words they use as actors with the objectives they choose to…

Describes "new literacy," and offers a rationale for creating a new literacy classroom. Discusses five characteristics of a pedagogy for a new literacy, offering a brief overview of each characteristic with examples of how each may be demonstrated in a new literacy classroom. (SR)

Discusses the use of "Commedia," a way of performing inspired by the historical "Commedia dell' Arte." Notes that it has proved a fertile source of inspiration for all types of physical and stylized theatre and a useful training tool for performers in many fields. Presents a series of exercises designed to introduce the student to Commedia…

Discusses the challenges of introducing new technologies into technical communication classrooms and examines advantages and pitfalls. (SR)

Describes the author's experience conjoining her academic training and background in publishing to encourage her students to think about the larger context of their writing. Finds that a wealth of new options and pedagogic techniques become possible when extra-academic experience is brought into the classroom. (SG)

Considers how vignettes or scenarios are particularly effective tools for instruction in cross-cultural business communication and negotiations; they serve the same function as a story that a trainer or professor might use to bring a particular issue to life. Suggests that teachers in intercultural or international business communication should…

Explores practical and theoretical benefits of electronic mail in a creative writing program. Practical benefits include creation of alternative writing space, scheduling convenience, and savings on copies. Theoretical benefits include egalitarian communication, blending of formal and informal discourse, increase in student engagement,…

Virtual museums focus on a specific curriculum theme and showcase electronic museum-type collections such as artifacts, paintings, photographs, numerous databases, and Web links to resources around the world. Museums of all types include vital teaching tools that help students make discoveries and form connections with the past, present, and…