Written as a personal memoir of educator William Carr and as an historical perspective on the National Education Association (NEA) from the late 1920s to the 1970s, this biography focuses on Dr. Carr's devotion to education and to the rational solution of international differences. As an active member of the NEA for nearly 40 years, as Executive…

Examples from American slave narratives offer demonstrative evidence that slave biographies and autobiographies deal with the worthwhile theme of the denial of and struggle for freedom and contain exciting adventure plots consisting of mystery, romance, risk-taking and disguises. Characters striving for freedom exhibit positive traits such as…

The paper presented biographical sketches of many prominent contemporary model American Indians from the Lower Brule community and identified qualities that make them outstanding members of their community. The study followed these 4 steps: (1) review current literature for historical background; (2) interview tribal members from the Lower Brule…

This autobiography relates the early teaching experiences of Kentucky teacher and author Jesse Stuart (1906-1984). Barely 17 years old, he first taught in a one-room, isolated rural school in eastern Kentucky for $60 a month. His 35 barefoot students in the eight grades ranged in age from 5 to 20 years. The students' passion for learning…

For the last five years I have asked students of the Diploma of Teaching and Graduate Diploma of Education to write "an individual science autobiography". They were asked to include their recollections of any science lesson that either encouraged them to do science or nearly put them off altogether. They were also asked if the content of the…

This collection examines many influences of biographical inquiry in education and discusses methodological issues from the perspectives of veteran and novice biographers. The section on qualitative research and educational biography contains the following chapters: "Musings on Life Writing: Biography and Case Studies in Teacher Education" (Robert…

In this book, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells of one basketball season when he coached a high school team on the White Mountain Apache Reservation (Arizona). Tired of life in Los Angeles, disillusioned with pro basketball, and devastated by the death of his mother, Abdul-Jabbar accepted an invitation to coach the team at Alchesay High…

Provides fully developed library media activities that are designed to be used with specific curriculum units. Highlights include elementary school activities for reading and language arts (using the "World Almanac," identifying a story's sequence of events, and using autobiographies); science (causes of wind and learning about…

Provides biographical sketches of two Revolutionary War soldiers from New England, Joseph Plumb Martin and Seth Bullard. Emphasizes methods that explain how the war was fought and make the struggles real rather than mythical. Recommends using local sources and records and discusses recreated Revolutionary War units. Includes excerpts from Martin's…

Examines the use of life histories as a method for explaining successful aging patterns. Describes a life-history research project in which undergraduates personalize material learned in social gerontology courses, integrating the life experience and theories. Sensitizes students to the impact of social forces on successful aging. Argues this…

Autobiography has generally been recognized for its literary and artistic aspects, and as a result has been largely overlooked as an instructional method in adult and continuing education. This paper argues for a wider use of autobiography in adult and continuing education programs, proposing that autobiography actually encompasses not only the…

This case study aims to investigate the role of teachers' personal practical knowledge in interactive decision making for three pre-service non-native ESL teachers. The research question is: What role does pre-service ESL teachers' personal practical knowledge (operationalized as teaching maxims in this study) play in their interactive decisions…

Background: Learning conceptions may be studied as specific implicit theories based on theory of mind. Previous studies suggest that a developmental shift from a direct implicit theory of learning to an interpretative one occurs during childhood. Here we explore the development of children's autobiographies of learning to write by adopting this…

Three students in an autobiography class--an African-American, a woman, and a gay man struggling to come out--used their writing to both affirm their places in the world and envision another place. Having reviewed her early educational experiences as an African-American, Holly focused her essay back to her present college days and her attempts to…

Students in the two-year English education program at Trenton State College are asked to develop sourcebooks that contain their original writings, as well as "found" pieces about teaching and learning. The sourcebooks encourage students' on-going exploration of their past school experiences, the reasons for their decision to become…