Portfolios let teachers reflect on their practice while showing others what happens in their classrooms. The article examines the benefits of professional portfolios and describes how to create one (how to begin, what to highlight, what to include, how to organize and revise, and how to reflect on the contents). (SM)

Local alliances of elementary, secondary, and college and university foreign language and literature teachers meeting regularly to improve foreign language programs and enrich the quality of their own intellectual and professional lives are a growing phenomenon in the United States. The groups have challenged the hierarchically organized system of…

Examines teacher mathematics anxiety as it relates to changes in student mathematics anxiety and achievement, teaching practices, and teacher characteristics. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale was used for 31 teachers. Teacher mathematics anxiety correlated positively with whole-class instruction time and negatively with the number of students'…

Describes how teachers can soothe difficult parents and eventually turn them into friendly partners by learning to understand the behavior and responding correctly (for example, listening carefully, focusing on the child, showing respect, voicing concern for the child's interests, considering the other person's viewpoint, and calling for backup if…

When teachers set a standard and model courteous behavior, students learn that good manners are aspects of caring and respect. The paper presents class activities that put courtesy in context, including role playing, creating comic strips, reading appropriate books, and creating a paper chain marking courteous behavior by the students. (SM)

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences helps teachers nurture students' unique intelligences. This article explains how one teacher reinvented her curriculum and teaching methods to meet all students' needs, highlighting a unit that introduced the concept of diverse strengths and open-ended exploration of the seven intelligences through…

Four major teaching strategies for linking humor and learning are identified: (1) to perform as models of humor; (2) to select learning materials that foster the expression of humor; (3) to elicit expressions of humor; and (4) to be responsive and appreciative. (LB)

Presents timesaving tips to help elementary teachers make the most of every minute in the classroom. The article includes suggestions for using bulletin board space, creating student jobs, keeping track of items and assignments, recording grades, preparing makeup work, switching subjects, and timing student tasks. (SM)

Six strategies for assessing young students' writing and tracking their progress include conducting a survey regarding students' thoughts on writing, focusing anecdotal notes on students' writing, meeting for quick conferences, fixing students' work to celebrate growth, sharing rubrics with students, and keeping notebooks and portfolios. (SM)

Provides a guide to a first-grade teacher's methods of teaching art appreciation. She began a weekly art appreciation study integrated across the curriculum that heightened students' awareness and critical-thinking skills and enhanced their creativity by allowing them to view and respond to art and then create their own. (SM)

Presents a poetry across-the-curriculum activity designed to help primary school students build word-recognition skills and an appreciation for the natural world. Students read a poem about polliwogs aloud, discuss the sounds, examine spelling patterns, and investigate scientific details about polliwogs. The poem, "Polliwogs" is included. (SM)

At the end of the year, elementary students fear loss of daily routines, impending empty days, problems at home, and uncertainty about September. Teachers can help by promoting classroom discussion, acknowledging everyone's mixed feelings, mentioning that students will see teachers in the fall, gathering information about summer activities,…

This paper reports on how reform efforts since 1991 have affected teachers in an urban, K-6 elementary school of approximately 450 students. Teachers were predominantly female, middle-aged, and of European descent, while students were increasingly African-American and poor. Children were considered well-behaved by teachers, but less respectful…

This paper presents the results of a survey that examined elementary school teachers' attitudes about social studies (particularly geography) instruction. The responses of newly-hired elementary teachers were compared to those of experienced elementary teachers. The survey included questions such as: Have you ever taken a social studies methods…

This catalogue lists and indexes 2,233 videorecordings, 16mm film, and videodisc titles held by the Library, Manitoba Education and Training for borrowing; some are also available for dubbing. The catalog indexes materials intended for children in kindergarten through grade 6, and is divided into three parts: an annotated title and series index, a…