Suggests that the telling of vivid stories can help engage elementary students' emotions and increase the chances of fostering an interest in Texas history. Suggests that incorporating elements of the process approach to writing can merge with social studies objectives in creating a curriculum for wisdom. (RS)

Discusses Judy M. Pitts, academician, in memorium. Profiles her first year in academe; the role of research in her teaching (including examples of assignments); the focus of her research on information needs, seeking, and use; and her role as a teacher and service provider. (Author/AEF)

Examines the issue of breaking administration rules against certain kinds of school assemblies. Describes how one teacher was able to perform an original play under such restrictions. Presents the responses of students, the teacher, and administrators after the play was successfully performed. (HB)

A review of the literature on effects of homework for students with and without disabilities offers a homework process model, and suggests that homework policies and practices for students with learning disabilities should emphasize: simple, short assignments; careful monitoring by and prominent rewards from teachers; and parental involvement to…

With the implementation of Israel's New Curriculum in English, English teachers are considering the type of assignments that help students transition from isolated skills to communicative ability. Suggests that assignments dealing with relationships are a good starting point. (Author/VWL)

Experiential learning is, in its most simplistic form, a philosophical perspective that links the concrete with the abstract. If experiential learning utilizes the experiences of the learner, television is part of the learner's experience, and to ignore the pervasiveness of mass media in modern society is to ignore part of the lived experience of…

Through three semesters of teaching the nonfiction essay, an instructor has come to terms with the fact that she has yet to attempt the type of personal essay that she asks her students to write, essays in which personal experiences with death are shared. However, a reminiscence on death through a recounting of her reactions to and understanding…

In a basic-level writing course at the University of Minnesota, students were asked to read and engage in intelligent conservation about Keith Gilyard's "Voices of the Self." The book is about education but alternates autobiographical material with scholarly analysis. Literacy researchers expect students to read a text, understand what…

In a Purdue University English 101 class, students were told to identify an audience outside the classroom for each paper they wrote. The central challenge to composition teachers is preserving elements valued in teaching academic writing in the context of ill-defined problems to be addressed outside the classroom. Most useful for instructors…

Allowing, or encouraging, students to write fiction has not received much attention from college composition teachers, despite recent attempts to bridge the gaps between composition and the study of literature. Based on experiences with a number of students in a variety of writing courses, a college composition instructor questions assumptions…

At Moravian College, the Communication course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the writing process, designed to help freshmen develop strategies for solving problems at each stage of writing. The course is unique in that it is not meant to be taught exclusively by members of the English department and is taught in close alliance with…

One proposed model of the writing process describes writing as a dynamic, three dimensional, interactive process. It is dynamic in that it changes in intensity proportionate to the sophistication of the student and the teacher. It is three dimensional and interactive because, similar to the gears within a clock, it is composed of a number of…

The reading content offered in Hong Kong to advanced learners of English as a second language underestimates their intellectual capabilities. Material presented to second language learners is found to be linguistically correct but containing trivial, dull, and unchallenging cultural and intellectual content. This situation is closely related to…

Advocates the use of novels in art education to offer students insights into ways an artist sees the world and approaches an artistic task. Specifically discusses Colby Rodowsky's "Julie's Daughter," Zibby Oneal's "In Summer Light," and Elizabeth de Trevino's "I, Juan de Pareja" as young adult novels that focus on artistic endeavor. (GEA)

Suggests individualized reading as a solution to the problem of varied interests and ability levels in large introductory college courses. Details how directed individualized reading followed by oral reports presented to the professor was used successfully in an introductory psychology course. (ARH)