Notes that teachers need to keep up with the best practices, new strategies for teaching all children higher-level curriculum content, and new technology. Suggests that school teachers and principals can help the public and the policymakers see the advantages of continued professional development opportunities. (SG)

Attempts to define what "college-level" writing is. Argues that acknowledging the full range of complexities related to "college-level" writing is a necessary first step toward engaging in productive dialogue about it. Suggests that educators change the term "college-level writer" to "college-level reader, writer, and thinker." (SG)

Notes that the curriculum in Canada includes viewing and visually representing, joining the traditional skills of reading and writing, listening and speaking. Concludes that viewing and representing can help students learn to read and write but they are also unique literacies unto themselves. Lists 10 sources of information in both electronic and…

Considers that in order to be successful offering visual art lessons in the classroom, pre- and inservice teachers must develop a deeper more conceptual understanding of the power of art to communicate meanings, beliefs, ideologies, and experiences. Suggests teacher enroll in a high-quality arts course, create some authentic works of art, use…

Describes dynamic assessment which uses a response-to-instruction paradigm to complement traditional diagnostic assessment of word recognition and comprehension. States that this approach to assessment provides the opportunity to evaluate systematically the instructional factors that influence reading performance. (MG)

Considers causes for stress and burnout in the reading teacher's profession. Suggests ways for reading teachers to reduce stress. Identifies two categories of problems: (1) work overload, excessive paperwork, and repetitive tasks; and (2) isolation from other teaching which leads to loneliness. (KEH)

Discusses how computer technology is being incorporated into the classroom. Notes that because most forms of technology involve reading, the reading teacher's job will be increasingly challenging. (MM)

Discusses the difficulties teachers face with the current dual emphasis on teaching from a whole language curriculum while teaching cultural literacy and evaluating with standardized tests. Asserts that researchers need to focus on the complementarity between these approaches. (MM)

Outlines the Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program, a sequenced and structured reading/language arts program used by elementary level students at Bracher School in Santa Clara, California. Describes several cooperative reading and writing activities used in this program. (MM)

Studies of intensive phonics instruction are related to the issue of hyperlexia. Evidence on the incidence, frequency, and characteristics of hyperlexia does not support allegations that intensive phonics instruction interferes with development of reading comprehension skills. Hyperlexic children exhibit many symptoms of neurological impairment…

Five considerations for determining the most appropriate learning medium for students with functional vision are: (1) working distance from the page; (2) portability of reading skills; (3) reading rates and accuracy; (4) visual fatigue; and (5) interpretation of assessment results. (Author/DB)

This article explains the relationship between the number and type of questions that readers with deafness have and their comprehension of the reading material. It describes intervention strategies that can be used to improve comprehension, with the goal of developing readers' abilities to read in a way to answer their own questions. (Author/JDD)

Audio seminars, or conference calls, have been used to facilitate reflective practice through collegial conversations for a group of teachers, administrators, and other practitioners from a seven-state region involved in a long-term staff development project. The article describes audio seminars and presents recommendations for successful…

A primary-grade teacher describes how she uses singing to teach phonics in her classroom. Notes how children are helped to integrate the three cuing systems of language--semantic, syntactic, and graphophonemic--as they read and sing together. (ET)

Provides and describes the use of a "Proficient Reader Protocol" in the evaluation of the middle school reader. Defines the six main components that combine to make up proficient reading and shows how each component is measured by the protocol. Proposes implications for the classroom. (HB)