In this article, the author describes a social studies class activity that uses primary sources to develop a soap opera based on the American Civil War. In the soap opera activity, students can watch historical characters as they grow, develop, and change. Not only do people in the soap opera develop over a long period, but their accumulated…

Children in two first-grade classes and their teachers decided to take an imaginary trip to Washington D.C. For three weeks, the first graders spent their afternoons on the project, and their simulated flight was the culminating activity of a unit on Washington, D.C. In this article, the author discusses several details of the activity,…

Nearly every school in Hong Kong claims to provide ethics/religious education as part of the curriculum, but teachers find it difficult to teach values and attitudes without having students find ethics/religious lessons boring. While much has been said about how students learn, it remains that it is the teacher s task to provide the relevant…

This article describes a psychoeducational group for ethnic minority residents in a predominantly White adolescent residential treatment center. Group process and development are discussed, and a sample 10-week group is described as a way to provide an example of the application of the Association for Specialists in Group Work's "Principles for…

Incidental counseling occurs when school staff members respond to students in ways strikingly similar to counseling. Incidental counseling is offered as a simple and effective way for school counselors to engage in systemic change. Two case examples from real school settings form the context for a discussion of how school counselors can begin to…

The main question addressed in this article is how, in light of the multiethnic composition of its population, Dutch education is and should be educating its citizens. Popular politicians and mainstream media advocate discipline-oriented approaches. The authors argue that citizenship education seems to be taking a one-sided turn in Dutch…

This article describes how Japanese curriculum treats fractions. Several questions are raised concerning the way fractions are typically taught in North America. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)

If one were to search for classroom strategies for English Language Learners (ELLs), it would not take much time to find many different types of activities that are all useful with ELLs. Additionally, if one were to search for social studies strategies to use with native English speakers, he or she would have little difficulty in finding a variety…

Many educators today have been unpretentious about regarding mainstream thought as the supreme channel through which knowledge is disseminated. This may be the product of minds that appreciate the mainstream's intellectual contribution, positively or otherwise, to humanity. However, the growing cultural diversity of the United States makes it…

Many teachers in Guatemala City had grown up under an oppressive government. They were educated in a culture of silence, in which it was dangerous to voice any ideas. Guatemalan educators are working to change the approach to education in their public schools, but in many ways it has not changed. Most teachers only know the methods by which they…

In this article, the author, a mother of twin boys in middle school, shares excerpts from her sons' writings which she thinks are too violent and action oriented. She marvels at their knack for pacing, detail, and metaphor, but in the back of her mind she wonders what the content will make readers think of them as a boy and of her as a parent. She…

In the past 20 years, there have been numerous calls for a reinvigoration of vocational psychology. Now, as vocational psychology has grown again within counseling psychology, the authors argue that what is needed is not a reinvigoration but rather a new paradigm that reintegrates vocational psychology and the rest of counseling psychology. The…

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the notion of process use, that is, in understanding the ways in which individuals learn about the evaluand, evaluation practice, and each other, from their involvement in an evaluation study. As a form of social constructivism, process use is most closely related to participatory and…

This article provides ideas for teaching culture using of a story-based approach. An overview of the story-based approach followed by a discussion about the application of this method to the teaching of culture in the beginning German classroom is presented. The primary cultural focus is on the teaching of geography for German speaking countries.

In schools across the country, there is increased emphasis on coaching--a process whereby seasoned teachers provide instructional support, professional development opportunities, feedback, and materials to classroom teachers--as a central means to improve instruction and build the capacity of school staff members. Currently, a number of districts…