The purpose of this study was to describe teachers' perspectives and comments about their reading curriculum and instruction at different school levels. A brief historical examination of the English instruction and the contemporary education policies in China was provided. Twelve Chinese teachers of English at different schools levels participated…

Discusses the generalizability of educational research and uses the area of main idea comprehension to illustrate how a line of research can be overgeneralized and lead to unfounded conclusions and pedagogical implications. (FL)

Presents an analysis of teacher research studies that illustrates the variety of choices teachers make in exploring questions within their own classrooms. Concludes with a representation of an array of possibilities from which teacher researchers might choose or use to guide them as they select or invent their own methodological solutions within…

Presents one theoretical perspective on balanced literacy instruction and two iterations of it in practice: one in a second-grade classroom and another in a sixth-grade classroom. Concludes that balanced reading instruction is much more complex than merely embedding the teaching of skills and strategies within the context of literature. (SC)

Investigates the effectiveness of explicit instruction in think aloud as a means to promote elementary students' comprehension monitoring abilities. Concludes that both think-aloud (TA) and a directed reading-thinking activity (DRTA) strategies are effective but that additional research is needed to determine their relative effectiveness. (SR)

Describes a 10-lesson instructional program for teaching students to think aloud during reading as a means to help them monitor reading comprehension and to address comprehension breakdowns. Presents a sample lesson, and offers suggestions for how teachers might adapt, modify, or extend think alouds in a classroom reading program or in content…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a direct instructional paradigm for teaching children to comprehend main ideas of prose passages. Subjects, 69 children in three fourth grade classes, were randomly assigned to an experimental "strategy" group receiving direct instruction in main ideas, an experimental "basal" group…

Discusses the construction and testing of The Extended Basic Sight Vocabulary word list. Concludes that it provides educators with a unique instrument for the teaching and testing of words and for the preparation of instructional materials. Includes the word list. (FL)

Investigates how the perspectives of today's Leaders compare to the views of prominent Reading Specialists of the past by: (1) comparing how Specialists and Leaders addressed the three major themes of neo-traditional instruction, fadism and ideological debates, and professional development; and (2) noting issues ignored or downplayed by both…

Presents a practical strategy for teaching reading comprehension that is based on current research and consists of five steps: (1) introduction, (2) example, (3) direct instruction, (4) teacher-directed and (5) independent practice. Provides sample lessons for each step. (FL)

The purpose of this paper is to present a direct instructional strategy, which is based upon what is known about effective classroom instruction. After defining direct instruction in reading, research that discriminates effective teachers from less effective teachers is presented. The paper then discusses the five-step, teacher directiveness…

Describes how teachers can incorporate the use of comprehension monitoring activities into the guided reading phase of basal reading instruction. (FL)

Finds support for the efficacy of a direct instruction paradigm for teaching children reading comprehension skills. (FL)

Describes an alternative approach for initiating a reading program at the beginning of the school year that urges teachers to defer formalized instruction for two or three weeks and to use informed activities instead. (FL)

Presents 4 responses to the question "What will classrooms and schools look like?". Discusses who will be in these classrooms and what will be taught; three computer-related transformations that will influence schools and classrooms; three issues related to the nature of schools, classrooms, and students' literacy learning; and nine research-based…