Designed as a resource for parents, this book provides them with the information and advice they need to make informed decisions about what language "policy" to adopt with their children. The authors, professional applied linguists, draw on their own experience as parents of successfully bilingual children and on interviews with other bilingual…

Various theoretical frameworks approach teacher change differently. If teacher candidate supervisors adopt one form of supervision without understanding the assumptions and implications of other models, they risk being too narrow. To help supervisors in their role, an explanation of how a supervisor might intervene from six different perspectives…

Guided by Piaget's constructivist theory on how children learn, this book explores an innovative approach to teaching physical knowledge in preschool. Part 1 differentiates between "science education" and "physical-knowledge" activities, noting that physical-knowledge activities involve primarily movements of objects and changes in objects. This…

This paper was prepared for school officials and researchers who plan to conduct an assessment of student writing but have limited field experience with this activity. The paper identifies twelve critical questions assessors should consider, and it explores issues involved in reaching a decision about each from the perspectives of measurement…

More than one metaphor can be used in reflecting on and guiding literacy teaching and learning in the early years. The currently popular metaphor of "scaffolding" alone cannot capture the challenge of responding to the diversity of young children's intentions in literacy activities. An additional metaphor of "weaving" may…

This guide to the development of reading and reading-related materials for newly literate individuals is designed for use in developing nations in the Asian Pacific region with relatively large neo-literate populations who may have little opportunity to practice and improve literacy skills. The guide consists of three sections. The first section…

This manual presents a pre-marital counseling program based on the premise that marital conflict can result from incomplete or inaccurate communication about basic attitudes and expectations. Problems and limitations of studies on pre-marital counseling are reviewed,and a six-session course designed for use in a small group setting or with…

Strategies are presented for fostering statewide program development and refinement in the field of special education. Sixteen observations about change are presented, with examples from various Washington statewide initiatives. Among the observations are the following: Reform should be promoted from within by empowering schools to explore…

Chapter 2 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter reviews theories of leadership style--the way a leader leads. Although most experts agree that leadership style is important, they disagree concerning style components, leaders' capabilities for changing styles, the effects of personality traits on style, and the desirability of…

This kit was developed as part of a series called Decisions and Drinking, which focusses on intelligent decision-making about alcohol use based on knowledge and freedom of choice. Each kit in the series contains a facilitator's handbook, session outline cards, a set of transparencies, participant work sheets, and "take-home" summaries…

Cognitive and operational difficulties that may ensue from the modification of teacher role into teacher/advisor role can be alleviated by the adoption of four sequential processes. Teachers and administrators involved in role change must pass through the stages of: (1) modifying the old role to include the new; (2) identifying with the new role…

The Communication Committee of the South African National Council for the Deaf is currently developing an artificial sign language which could be used with all of the country's ethnolinguistic groups. Guidelines and constraints for developing such an artificial language are outlined. (CB)

Describes the implementation of a writing across the curriculum program at one university's writing center. Discusses solutions to counter the strains placed on the center by this additional program. (MM)

Developing curriculum from a constructivist perspective helps students at all grade levels learn more effectively. The developmental abilities of children are stressed, and students are taught new information by connecting it with concepts they already know. The thoughtful mediation of the teacher is a critical component of constructivism. (MD)

Lists five fundamentals for early childhood education: (1) each child is unique, (2) each child has a range of differences within, (3) learning that lasts is embedded in meaningful experiences, (4) a good teacher gets to know each child and is knowledgeable about a child's needs, and (5) parents and teachers need to work cooperatively. (HOD)