The Teacher Advisor Program (TAP) is an innovative developmental approach to counseling that directly involves teachers as advisors to 18 to 20 students, with whom they meet both individually and in group sessions. An introductory chapter that cites the need for a developmental approach to counseling in contemporary schools and the potential role…

Cooperation among students in classroom problem-solving activities is briefly discussed in terms of Piaget and cooperative problem-solving, guidelines for teachers, and the teacher's role. While research results are not unambiguous, teachers can encourage children to interact and share their perspectives during cooperative play by: (1) planning…

Environmentalism has become a part of the culture, and environmentalists now constitute a major social movement. The solutions to many current environmental problems require a local or national response, but solutions to other problems will require a global response. Major United Nations reports have recognized that solving global environmental…

Research provides insight into parent attributes that support partnerships with teachers. These attributes include warmth, sensitivity, nurturance, the ability to listen, consistency, positive self-image, personal competence, and effective interpersonal skills. Researchers have cited positive attitudes, continuous teacher training, involvement in…

Research provides insight into parent attributes that support partnerships with teachers. These attributes include warmth, sensitivity, nurturance, the ability to listen, consistency, positive self-image, personal competence, and effective interpersonal skills. Researchers have cited positive attitudes, continuous teacher training, involvement in…

The digest addresses, in question-and-answer format, ways to promote peer acceptance of handicapped students. Topics covered include the effects of first impressions on nonhandicapped students and the impact of physical proximity, and the nature of interdependence among students' learning goals and rewards as structured by the teacher. A…

Students often see revision not as an opportunity to develop and improve a piece of writing but as an indication that they have failed to do it right the first time. To them, revision means correction. To correct this assumption, teachers' comments on papers should focus on more than mechanics. Teachers would do well to comment on the paper's…

This digest summarizes the essential aspects of Myrick's Teacher Advisor Program (TAP) concept, discussing: (1) why schools need a teacher advisor program; (2) whether teachers are qualified to provide counseling; (3) what a teacher advisor program would involve; (4) what should be included in a guidance curriculum; (5) the counselor's role in…

This ERIC Digest describes how experiential education can help in designing a curriculum that young people find significant. It also describes ways experiential education can help educators make the transition from a traditional program to an activity-based program. Experiential education differs from traditional education in that teachers first…

Teachers and other professionals providing education-related services to exceptional children from different cultural backgrounds need to be aware of unique perspectives or communication styles common to those cultures, and need to be sensitive to the different values, experiences, and beliefs about special education that may be held by members of…

In recent years, professional development for public school educators has come to be seen as a key component of school improvement plans, particularly large-scale systemic change programs. This Digest outlines what research and best practice suggest about effective professional development for elementary and secondary teachers working in…

Research provides insight into parent attributes that support partnerships with teachers. These attributes include warmth, sensitivity, nurturance, the ability to listen, consistency, positive self-image, personal competence, and effective interpersonal skills. Researchers have cited positive attitudes, continuous teacher training, involvement in…

Professional development schools (PDS) offer significant promise for restructuring university-school district relationships around a common agenda of modeling exemplary practice, preparing teachers, and conducting research. Central to the success of such efforts will be the development of shared vision regarding the teaching profession and the…

Because family and school represent the primary environments in which young children grow and develop, it is important to build and maintain strong parent participation in preschool education. Teachers can plan parent participation strategies to give equal consideration to the needs of all families represented in a class. Teachers can plan for…

As part of a larger study of transfer education conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges, students and faculty were surveyed to determine what community college leaders could do to assist students who want to transfer to four-year institutions and eventually earn a baccalaureate degree. The findings of these surveys resulted in…