The "community of inquiry" as formulated by C. S. Peirce is grounded in the notion of communities of discipline-based inquiry engaged in the construction of knowledge. The phrase "transforming the classroom into a community of inquiry" is commonly understood as a pedagogical activity with a philosophical focus to guide…

Considers group solidarity an important element in understanding teacher resistance to the stultifying effects of the educational system. Offers a case study of four eighth grade teachers acting individually and collectively to illustrate the contradictory and dissonant nature of the teacher's identity as autonomous individual and group member.…

Glasser's Control Theory deals with self-motivation by explaining all behavior as the drive for satisfaction of five internal needs: to survive and reproduce, to belong and love, to gain power, to be free, and to have fun. The theory posits that individuals always choose to do what is most satisfying at any given time. This paper discusses the…

Elizabeth G. Sturtevant, a professor of education at George Mason University, holds a 33-year record of college-level teaching, scholarship, and service that centers on adolescent literacy. Her research helps clarify the pressures that affect teachers' literacy instruction, the role of secondary school literacy coaches, and adolescent…

Examines similarities in implementing theories of multiple intelligences, learning styles, and brain-based education in middle schools: (1) theories are learning and learner-centered; (2) teacher is a reflective practitioner and decisionmaker; (3) student is a reflective practitioner; (4) the whole person is educated; (5) the curriculum has…

Looks at both the eight-four and the middle school plans of school organization and concludes that the latter is preferable, since it represents a spark of reform within the status quo. (FL)

Urges the establishment of a commission to study the nation's middle schools and recommend a sound English curriculum. (DD)

Concludes this journal focus section on curriculum integration with transcripts of questions asked by conference attendees and answers by Professors Beane and George. Areas addressed included experience levels with children and teachers, studies that point to the failure of curriculum integration, and how teachers can continue curriculum…

Asserts that middle grades curriculum is in need of more conceptual clarity and more scholarly criticism. Addresses the issue of confusion among middle level professionals and the scholarly disagreements on the meanings of important curricular terms, such as interdisciplinary, integrated, and integrative. Encourages understanding and…

As seen in a poem written by a disillusioned first-year teacher, novice teachers require a philosophical match with a school; meaningful support in time management, planning, technology use, instructional techniques, and classroom management; a collegial network; and balance between their professional and private lives. (MLH)

Factors that have slowed progress in middle grades reform include (1) emphasizing school-level, structural changes, such as merging curricular areas and instructional assignments, which do little to change the experience of students; and (2) basing reform more on rhetoric than research. Reviews the articles in this special issue, which seeks to…

Draws on the insights of John Dewey to argue that the contrast between developmental appropriateness and academic rigor is an untenable dualism. Considers directions for middle school renewal that unite these two concepts. (JPB)

Introduces a special issue on the ways in which symbolic tools enable, mediate, and shape mathematical thinking while being themselves a product of these processes. (Author/MM)

The author reflects on how she will apply to her own middle-school classroom what she has learned from her many years of work with the National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement (CELA). Looks specifically at five important cross-cutting findings from CELA. (SR)

Discussed is a constructivist view of mathematics education. The basic tenets and goals are described. The role of the student and teacher are highlighted. The constructivist and traditional views of instruction are compared and contrasted. (KR)