Presents a sequence of writing assignments in the form of a dialogue between a teacher and members of a rhetoric class that calls attention to the crucial relation between the writer and the audience. (JL)

Describes a program for improving student language competence by involving them in the making of language. (JL)

Teachers should turn the pervasive influence of television into a tool for developing critical thinking and media literacy in children. Promoting critical television viewing skills can also contribute to the achievement of other, more traditional, instructional goals. (SK)

How a teacher achieves a balance between structure and freedom in his art lessons requires a critical awareness of the methods he chooses. Discusses the problems in teaching art lessons, the basic characteristics of creative art lessons, and provides a checklist for analyzing the effectiveness of an art lesson. (Author/RK)

Describes the Lab School of Washington, a private school for students with moderate to severe learning disabilities which focuses on students' strengths and teaches students using a blend of arts, multisensory learning, individualized attention, and nontraditional school experiences. About 90 percent of students from this successful school go on…

Creating a class book can be an effective way to stimulate early elementary students' creativity and self-expression. The six steps are to: introduce the project; create the story; decide who does what; get it down on paper; put it all together; and share the experience. (SM)

Explores the value of Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" for the middle-school geography classroom. Examines the genesis of the book, investigates the authenticity of Twain's experiences, analyzes the book's content, and suggests teaching strategies. Finds the detailed geographic observations in the book quite useful for the…

Discusses the role of the Environmental Education Centre in the improvement of India's education. Describes the Environmental Studies Approach to learning, the target groups of the center, and the success of its project with the Bombay Municipal Corporations Schools. (RJC)

Student volunteers arrange themselves according to height, weight, and grade point average, and in 15 to 20 minutes, a number of statistical concepts are introduced and worked with in an introductory statistics course. (MLW)

Educators must understand two opposing traditions in education, the mimetic and the transformative. Whereas traditional lesson structuring stresses concept introduction, constructivism emphasizes exploration. To constructivists, teachers strike the delicate balance between teaching for fact and skill acquisition and teaching for independent and…

Contrasts the view of teaching as a technical reality with the view of teaching as reflective practice and examines the purposes of supervision from both perspectives. Reviews literature on reflection in teaching and empirical research on instructional supervision to promote reflective teaching. (TE)

Presents a group of 24 innovative social studies activities from teachers nationwide designed to bring the world to the classroom. The article is part of a package of 100 creative ideas for keeping elementary students enthused about learning in language arts, math, science, and social studies. (SM)

The importance of including humor and playfulness in the classroom is emphasized. Children in such classrooms learn quickly, retain more, and have fewer problems than other children. (DG)

Describes a project in which elementary school students create a computer-generated time line of milestones in their lives, noting such an activity can give them a good start on writing autobiographies. (SM)

A teacher-researcher provides ideas for creating a writer's workshop and encouraging written expression. Suggestions include letting the children create the room arrangement, providing a variety of writing tools, establishing a predictable writing time, becoming partners with students in the writing process, and encouraging students to be active…