Recounts in an amusing style that a colleague of the author has served as his "muse" by sending him materials on reading instruction that might be of interest, and that she often was not amused at how he used her input in his columns. (SKC)

Discusses the dilemma concerning whether students should be taught specific knowledge or strategic knowledge. Focuses on E. D. Hirsch's position in his book "Dictionary of Cultural Literacy" and a synthesis position presented by David Perkins and Gavriel Salomon in several articles. Argues that students need both specific and strategic…

Discusses a startlingly current 1953 article called "Recent Trends in the Teaching of Reading" by Virgil Herrick, and a 1992 book by James Moffett called "Harmonic Learning: Keynoting School Reform." (SR)

The terms gloss and glossing are being used to designate and describe the systematic use of marginal notes and other extra-text notations to direct readers' attention while they read. Gloss notations may serve as an aid to direct students to content areas of text and to levels of understanding that make optimal use of their current--and sometimes…

A 14-item inventory was designed to determine the attitudes of secondary teachers toward the teaching of reading by checking their perceptions of their personal role in content area reading instruction, their personal preparation and ability to teach reading, the actual task of teaching reading skills, and the role of reading specialists at the…

This paper first presents the rationale for an eclectic approach to remedial teaching and then considers a teacher training program designed to encourage eclecticism. The wide range of pupil characteristics, teacher attributes, and instructional approaches and the lack of any universal cure for reading problems necessitates an eclectic approach in…

This monograph reflects some of the current thinking about inservice teacher education, with a particular focus on the role of inservice education in improving reading instruction. Chapter one, an introduction to inservice education, attempts to deal with the problems involved in implementing inservice programs as well as to establish the need for…

Since an annual review now appears in the Reading Research Quarterly which will be combined with the Eric effort and other more specialized reviews, this is the last of the forty-one annual summaries and reviews to appear in The Journal of Educational Research. (Authors/CB)

The author argues that instead of looking for causes of reading disability, educators need to exert more effort in developing adequate reading instruction. (CB)

Discusses Tom Gilovich's book "How We Know What Isn't So," relating it to reading instruction. Discusses self-fulfilling and seemingly fulfilled prophecies, necessary versus sufficient evidence, and the distinction between skepticism and closed mindedness. (SR)

This paper discusses some of the issues in early reading instruction to be presented at Institute X. The issues discussed include sight word lists for beginning readers, choosing instructional methods in reading that complement individuals' learning styles, a pragmatic approach to teaching reading comprehension, literal reading comprehension, the…

Relates current trends in public interpretations of reading research, which are prone to exaggeration and paranoia, to G. Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. Notes a substantial gap between what is taught in the schools to develop literacy abilities and what is demanded in society to demonstrate literacy competence. (SKC)

Comments on how reading research studies sometimes work their effects in wonderous ways. Illustrates this in humorous reviews of several recent research reports. (HOD)

No significant difference was found between elementary students' reading development in control groups and in classes whose teachers had one of three feedback/incentive conditions: monitoring, verbal reinforcement, and monetary rewards. (MM)

Continues the discussion on specific and strategic knowledge begun in last month's column. Argues that while reading teachers have not "wrapped up" the process of teaching reading strategies or content area reading, there are signs of progress. Argues that not all approaches to strategy instruction work for all students or all teachers.…