Offering 16 essays by presenters at the first Middle School Mosaic (held in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997), this book connects the themes of literacy, reflective practice, and the special characteristics of middle level teaching. In the first section, Literature and Literacy at the Middle Level, the authors examine questions of literacy by looking at…

Describes an approach used by the Wayland, Massachusetts, middle school to organizing students into instructional teams. Explains that each instructional team is organized into a "house" named after a significant individual around whom the curriculum and theme for field trips is designed. Highlights the Rachel Carson House activities of…

Two teachers discuss their experiences implementing Foxfire practices in an alternative high school. One teacher was apprehensive about changing from the "traditional" approach to "student-initiated learning." The other teacher also experienced moments of doubt, but both teachers realized the benefits of the Foxfire approach…

This paper discusses key principles that should be addressed by general and special educators when instructing students jointly. Principles are drawn from the literature on educational consultation, from interviews with educators who have implemented collaborative instructional programs, and from personal experience with collaborative instruction.…

In spring 1984, a study was conducted at Sacramento City College (SCC) to explore whether students' reading and study skills improved after participation in an "adjunct" skills course (i.e., a team-taught course which presents reading, writing, and study skills education within the context of a regular college course). The study focused on 38…

In 1984, Community College of Philadelphia received a $250,000 Ford Foundation grant to design and implement a transfer curriculum for predominantly poor, minority students. This paper describes the humanities faculty's team efforts to model a vital intellectual community for students by revamping curriculum approaches, value frameworks, and…

This book came about as a result of working directly alongside teachers working with challenging children and children with emotional behavioural disorders. These teachers (from Australia and the UK) work with children in mainstream and special education settings. Teachers spend a third of their waking and working day with children. Most teachers…

Students with difficulty in maintaining grade-level performance at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (Washington, DC) are learning mathematics and science skills using "The Voyage of the Mimi," a 13-segment video series and associated educational materials that detail a scientific expedition which is studying humpback whales. Team…

Describes Pima Community College's Community Communication Corps, an outgrowth of the college's writing/speaking across the curriculum program involving the business community in promoting communication skills. Discusses the roles of Business Partners in Education and teaching teams in improving student attitudes toward communication skills.…

Some of the advantages to integrating physical education activities with other subject areas include offering fresh insights into the physical education program, motivating students, and providing advantages to different types of students. Integrative activities include embedded tasks, practice tasks, and discovery tasks. Guidelines for planning…

Discusses an approach to college instruction in which a faculty member designs a course, then teaches it with a student, evaluating the method in the context of other collaborative approaches that usually involve two-person faculty teams: peer coaching through classroom observation and team teaching. Experiences with this approach and the problems…

This paper describes the design principles, instructional practices, and specific curricula of Direct Instruction--one example of focused, systematic, explicit instruction. At a time when public schools are increasingly held accountable for students' achievement and for closing and preventing the achievement gap between minority/disadvantaged and…

This report, using qualitative methodology, investigates the collaborative teaching and learning of a university educator and an elementary educator, and the learning of eight fifth graders from their social studies class. The report analyzes the extent to which these co-teachers implicitly modeled collaboration for the students and the ways in…

Intended for the preschool teacher wishing to implement a cognitively oriented curriculum, this instructional guide focuses on the problem-solving approach (as opposed to the teacher-directed approach) to student learning. Each chapter provides space for teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate lessons. Activities in the guide are participatory,…

A description is provided of the rationale for, objectives of, and unique and innovative features of St. Petersburg (Florida) Junior College's (SPJC's) Interdisciplinary Studies Program (IDS). First, the paper discusses the national context of renewed attention to the liberal arts, the higher education milieu in Florida, and SPJC's general…