Intended for teachers of college composition, this history of major and minor developments in the teaching of writing in twentieth-century American colleges employs a taxonomy of theories based on the three epistemological categories (objective, subjective, and transactional) dominating rhetorical theory and practice. The first section of the book…

The recent influx of computer programs to aid students in writing has created some confusion between the linear, directed process of problem-solving and the less directed, more chaotic process of putting words down on paper. Though problem-solving and writing-as-process have some points in common, they cannot be taken as equivalent, because…

Functional communication emphasizes the uses that communication serves in everyday interaction and places particular importance on the context in which the functions are performed. A practical means for integrating functional communication instruction into adult education environments is the learning community method. Learning community students…

The paper presents a synthesis and review of the literature in education, psychology, and organizational behavior relevant to the effects of feedback used with postsecondary teachers to improve their teaching. It is concluded that most people will change their behavior if: the feedback recipients are volunteers; a consultant mediates the feedback;…

This book articulates an integrated conceptualization of theory, assessment, application, and evaluation through the study of assessment and its role in linking theory and practice. Part 1 of the book contains six chapters which address the conceptualization of these four components, the potential for integrating them in the context of…

Although grade repetition is prevalent in U.S. schools, recent research indicates that this practice does not work as intended to ensure basic skills mastery, avoid failure at higher grade levels, or lower dropout rates. This report, based on "Flunking Grades: Research and Policies on Retention" (London: Falmer, 1989), edited by Lorrie A. Shepard…

This paper contributes to an emerging rational reconstruction of the concept of educational leadership in a critical theory (or method) of education. This partly accomplished task is extended by appropriating and analyzing the social philosophy of Jurgen Habermas. In particular, the theory of communicative action and the notion of the ideal speech…

Through an imaginary dialogue with her grandmother, a first-grade teacher reflects on the educational methods which her grandmother used and referred to in her journals and discusses the whole language methods used in schools today. A whole language classroom is described as a busy place where activity abounds and conversations buzz. Whole…

Reporting recent and significant studies across the spectrum of the literacy movement to help plan the United States' literacy future, this book discusses the history of the adult literacy movement, especially in the United States, and the emergent definitions of adult literacy. The book also reports on the scholarship about, practice of, and…

This paper, written as an expression of a school administrator's personal agenda, is intended as an illustration of issues in preparation program reform, as influenced by the administrator's own experience. Recommendations for educational administration program reform include integration of theory and practice, cognitive and affective skill…

Chapter I programs are based on locally identified needs, and projects are developed and operated at the local level to meet each district's needs. A majority of Chapter I programs stress language and math skills, however, there are a wide variety of instructional approaches. This source book relates educational practice to research in school…

Adding to the benefits of using metaphors as tools, "analoguing" (a method of analysis that focuses on metaphors for meanings in use and meanings of metaphors in use) helps avoid excessive categorization and separation by looking for unities and patterns in phenomena rather than for divisions. Six months of observation of patterns of…

For those who consider themselves teachers, "cultural literacy" is an issue worth pondering. In "Education for Critical Consciousness," Paulo Freire deplores the "banking concept" of education, in which a teacher "pours" knowledge into "passive receptacles," because Freire believes that texts have…

Brief descriptions are given of three studies that explored the role of theory in instruction, decision-making, professional development and teacher/student transactions. The first, by Karen Ray, was an observation study of three reading/language arts teachers who were seen to act consistently according to their personal theory of reading and…

The concept of a problem-focused coursework model, the main inservice vehicle examined in this research conducted at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, incorporates traditional university input with training in implementation skills for teachers. The study examined the impact of a problem-focused model of coursework on the instructional…