Five versatile basic backgrounds for bulletin boards are described. Many different options are suggested when using a sun, calculator, monkey, roller skate, or elephant as the basis for the bulletin board. (JMK)

Describes teacher-initiated activities to involve parents in their children's education. (CM)

Most students who lag in reading can progress with the help of both classroom attention and individual tutoring. They do best when reading materials they enjoy and can read at a certain level. This article explains the 10 steps to successful tutoring and discusses what to do if students are nonreaders. (SM)

This article offers simple ways for teachers to coax reluctant parents into the classroom. Suggestions include showing and telling parents how welcome they are, developing a sensitivity to differences in cultures and educational backgrounds, providing food, and making home visits to the parents. (SM)

Presents four primary-level activities designed to help students learn to love words and enjoy the process of writing. The activities help students craft poems, build their vocabularies in writing, integrate more imagery into their writing using rebus stories, and find missing parts in their stories through questioning. (SM)

Potential benefits for learning that the outdoors may hold have been brought into increased focus in the UK by the recent introduction of a manifesto for learning outside the classroom (DfES, "Learning outside the classroom: manifesto"; Nottingham, Department for Education and Skills, 2006). This article draws on two recent studies of…

To determine what happens during a mathematics lesson, a questionnaire was designed with questions on the lesson, materials, interruptions, evaluation, and routine duties. Of 100 questionnaires distributed, 94 were returned, by teachers in kindergarten through grade 7 and special education classes. About half the teachers had taught less than five…

A speech pathologist designed and implemented a practicum study for the purpose of strengthening the conference skills of kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers at three elementary schools. The primary goal of the practicum was to provide the teachers with a method and the skills needed to promote effective cooperation between parent and…

This manual offers suggestions for the first year teacher with ideas and advice compiled from educational literature and questionnaires completed by other first year teachers, principals, and education professors. Topics include: (1) curricular preparation; (2) physical environment of neighborhood and school; (3) school rules and regulations; (4)…

To examine how knowledge of history and politics informs the early education and child care field, this paper identifies sources of historical knowledge and unexamined underlying presuppositions frequently held by early childhood professionals which, if allowed to remain unchallenged, contribute to professional burn-out, repeated frustration at…

A fifth-grade teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, wanted volunteers in her classroom--to help her individualize instruction, work with students who have emotional problems, and allow her more time to plan her instruction. But when two adults volunteered to help, she couldn't think of anything specific for them to do. Here are suggestions for…

The start of any new year requires resolutions. Authors list ten which will lead to creative teaching and present several ways to act on them. (Editor/RK)

This review presents evidence that student nonverbal behavior may be an important component in the formation of teachers' impressions, attitudes, beliefs, and reciprocal behavioral expressions. Results of the studies are considered within the research on impression formation, communication theory, and classroom activity and participation…

Explores strategies used by fifth-grade teachers who exemplified three different classroom orientations (learning-oriented, work-oriented, or work-avoidance) toward student motivation and learning. Raises questions for future research and highlights strategies that support motivation to learn. (NH)

The retooling of elementary school teachers in science may provide some relief for the shortage of science teachers. An innovative program is described, with data presented to depict teachers' concerns, state anxiety, and attitudes. (MNS)