As teachers, we are always reflecting on and refining our craft. In this article, the author shares how her understanding and implementation of comprehension strategy instruction has evolved over the past ten years. These shifts include her current thinking about the gradual release of responsibility instructional model, how content and big ideas…

Schools in the late sixties and early seventies had many options and were engaged in implementing a variety of programs rooted in the social science disciplines with effective pedagogy drawn from social studies educators. With the implementation of the "No Child Left Behind" Act, one can observe the drastic changes made in the way social…

Professional development as a term and as a strategy has run its course. The future of improvement, indeed of the profession itself, depends on a radical shift in how people conceive learning and the conditions under which teachers and students work. In this article, the author discusses five key ideas that together foreshadow his argument and…

The packaging of history, science, and most other classroom subjects lack the excitement for students that the stylish, artful presentation of items on television and in magazines contain. The world is more distracting outside of the classroom than earlier in the century, yet the instructional materials have changed little over the decades. The…

Criticizes the idea of grouping the arts together in a single curriculum. Argues that such practice further marginalizes arts education, makes it easier for administrators to cut one generic budget, and ignores the distinct characteristics of separate art forms. Cautiously supports integrated activities while adamantly condemning integrated…

Computer drawing programs have several characteristics that make them appropriate for use in early childhood education. Drawing at the computer is an activity that captures and holds children's attention. Children at all developmental levels of graphic ability can draw at the computer, and their products can be stored in a disc or printed for…

Offers activities that foster sharing, supporting, and risk taking for teachers seeking to change instructional practice to implement the NCTM "Professional Teaching Standards." Reviews common obstacles to change, reviews individual and collective professional behaviors that support change, and makes eight recommendations to enhance the…

This report provides a rationale for making inquiry-oriented discussions a more integral part of classroom practice. It begins by identifying five features that make this type distinct from other types of discussion--focusing especially on the use of multiple texts. Then, the heart of the report explains the concepts and practices that are central…

Enumerates ways in which material recorded directly from the radio (interviews, sports commentaries, etc.) and TV ("People's Court") can be used in high school to teach a wide range of English skills. (NKA)

Describes the foundation, growth and philosophy of Teachers' Teams, an international movement of Catholic educators who view teaching in public schools as a vocation, mission and ministry. Discusses activities such as monthly meetings and conferences and defines the three steps in their approach: seeing, judging, and acting. (BCY)

Culturally and linguistically different youth bring strength and talents but also experience "acculturation stress" and psychosocial concerns as they attempt to adapt to their new surroundings. This article provides strategies to help educators better relate to immigrant students, more effectively address their educational needs, and assist them…

Discusses the reasons for, and the reactions to, the marginalization of drama/theater education in the Israeli school system. Curricular reform introduced in the mid-1980s resulted in some improvement, however, school principal autonomy remains a major stumbling block. Recommends drama teachers seize the initiative and implement programs on their…

Argues that both religion and the arts provide primary evidence for understanding human history. Maintains that the marginalization of both subjects denies students insights into some of the fundamental subjective experiences of humankind. Provides a few examples of the interconnection between the arts and religion. (MJP)

Introduces a new column that will tell about research being conducted in the classroom. (EL)

Teachers today are being held accountable and being judged inadequate as a result of factors--curriculum requirements and school organization--over which they have little control. In spite of this, many teachers are making extraordinary contributions to education. Examples of educational innovations being used by secondary history teachers are…