Summarizes five important studies that teachers should be aware of, which offer direction about how grammar should or should not be taught. Summarizes useful theory as well, concluding that the teaching of grammar in the language arts classroom must happen within the context of larger lessons and experiences with written and spoken language. (SR)

Information on current trends and issues informally discussed and then delineated by the directors of 6 National Council of Teachers of English commissions, is presented in this 14th annual report. The commissions and their directors are: (1) Commission on Composition (Christine Kline); (2) Commission on Curriculum (Kathleen Andrasick); (3)…

Information on current trends and issues informally discussed and then delineated by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions, is presented in this 12th annual report. The commissions and their directors are: (1) Commission on Curriculum (Dorothy King); (2) Commission on Composition (Christine Kline); (3) Commission…

There are two divergent points of view concerning the placement and instruction of special students in regular middle school language arts and reading classrooms: cooperative learning, and direct instruction. Three areas of research have emerged from the social model of teaching strategies having to do with helping students study and learn…

Basic research into the mechanisms and functions of the brain carried out in the past 25 years has provided evidence that humans do, indeed, experience two ways of knowing. More recent research has explored the nature of the apparent perceptual bias--or way of knowing--of each brain hemisphere, and this information, which has changed thinking…

Much is being written about children's learning styles and using computers to accommodate student variability. Although the computer can support instruction for various learning styles, its use in the classroom should be in the best interests of all children, each of whom may be affected by physical, emotional, sociological, and environmental…

This 34-item annotated bibliography examines the literature concerning language experience in the following areas: (1) the rationale for incorporating language arts in the primary classroom; (2) whether using language experience aids the child in developing reading strategies; (3) the achievement scores of children using language experience; (4)…

Intended for those who want to understand the nature of listening in the communication process and for students who wish to understand and improve their own behaviors as listeners, this book draws upon theory and research in the field of listening as well as from a variety of other disciplines. The 10 chapters of the book discuss the following…

Practical issues that should be considered in placing a classroom computer for use with elementary students include where to locate computer equipment in relation to electrical sockets, windows, and chalkboards; the program sound; who will be able to see the screen; and classroom traffic patterns. Decisions must be made regarding the size of…

Noting that while laboratory investigations of recordings of children's spontaneous verbal creations or repetitions of traditional forms in their natural play habitats have indicated that they do engage in systematic explorations of language structures in their play, this paper points out that there have been no investigations of whether such…

The 17 articles in this journal issue focus on a response to the basics movement. Specific topics covered in the articles include the following: a definition of literacy, the meaning of the basics, the back-to-the-basics movement from a historical-linguistic perspective, behavior modification and the teaching of English composition, developing…

Discusses shifts in language/composition research over the past 20 years as they relate to an emerging consensus about English teaching. (SRT)

Reviews research involving the LOGO computer programming language and its effect on children's achievement in mathematics, language arts, and problem solving, as well as social-emotional development. Identifies some of the unique characteristics of LOGO that may contribute to student learning. (MDM)

Literature on current methods of teaching language in bilingual education is reviewed and a new approach is suggested. It is suggested that a specialized sequence of native language courses should be offered to populations of language minority students with the same vernacular language. The approach proposed integrates bilingual education, English…

The teaching profession's present notion of the ability of teachers to contribute to theory development in language education needs reexamination. University researchers can best foster this ability by encouraging and assisting teachers to become engaged in classroom research. On the basis of both published evidence and field data, it can be…