There are some who believe that getting rid of the testing required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will solve current educational problems. In this article, the authors argue that, with or without NCLB, both students and teachers need spaces of liberty for meaningful learning. Teachers need spaces in which they can negotiate the curriculum in…

This article describes a teacher's experience with a child who had emotional and behavioral problems in the regular classroom. At the beginning of first grade, the student had a negative reputation with the staff based on his previous behavior. The teacher shares ways in which the child was given support in school. Generosity, belonging, mastery,…

Whereas the locus of understanding in internalism lies in the knowing subject, externalist models of justification readily accept knowledge claims on the basis of expert testimony or appeals to authority. This paper does not challenge the general legitimacy of externalist arguments outlining the sometimes impractical consequences of holding an…

Asserts that the problems of struggling university students are neither entirely technical, as suggested by traditionalists, nor entirely social/structural, as suggested by postmodernists. Suggests that these students need an alternative epistemological view, one that enables them to see themselves as creators of personal knowledge rather than as…

Advocates applying communication theories and research to popular media artifacts to create the necessary and essential skills for media literacy. Suggests approaches that can be used in pursuit of this goal. Argues that it is the communication scholar's responsibility to empower students to critically evaluate mass mediated messages. (PA)

This paper addresses the issue of how Harvard Project Zero's "teaching for understanding" might evolve over the next 100 years. Schools pitched to an Information Society seek ways of increasing the chances that learners will understand domains deeply and master the new basic skills. Such 21st century schools build upon Paulo Freire's…

This article poses 10 questions for secondary school teachers who bemoan their students' lack of interest, laziness, and resistance to learning. Students need choices and chances to make decisions and assume responsibility for their own learning. They also need to laugh and feel important. Matching assignments to learning styles need not sacrifice…

Argumentation skills are frequently touted as archetypal tools of democratic empowerment, yet theorization of ways to use such tools to achieve concrete social change is rare. As a result, the emancipatory "telos" anchoring American academic policy debate tends to gallop ahead of practical efforts to build empowerment through the debate…

Explores possible causes of low durability and impact for minority mentoring programs. Recommends designing such programs with a conceptual base to ensure meaningful goals and practices. Emphasizes designing programs based on a cogent definition of mentoring, reflection on roles within mentoring relationships, and consideration of cultural and…

Uses critical pedagogy to provide theoretical inspiration for generating ideas about teaching communication courses. Presents a framework for a public speaking course premised on a recognition of teachers and students as holistically situated, multidimensional subjects who bring different experiences to the classroom. Discusses social hierarchies…

Describes a discussion on child advocacy that the author initiated among fifth graders. Children were surprised at being asked for their opinion on improving their educational situation. Their main problem was getting adults to listen. Advocacy, as one child affirmed, is a matter of making a case carefully, vividly, compellingly so that others…

Argues that U.S. students are not being educated to succeed in a world dominated by the globalization of the economics, politics, and cultures of developed and developing countries. Suggests what educators can do to remedy this situation based on observations of Swedish school system. Suggestions include restructuring education, empowering…

Advocates empowering students to help them take control of their lives. Provides specific ideas on how educators can facilitate this process. Uses concepts from humanistic education, group dynamics, Quaker thought and action, and experiential programing. (KS)

Discusses the teaching of writing and the focus of the writer's inner sense of well-being or fulfillment used by Romantic teachers. Mentions that some teachers believe that this is at the cost of suppressing the concept of discourse. Argues that writerly pleasure empowers students, and that this topic is relevant to the teaching of writing. (CR)

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal describing a high school play director's use of "democratic" directing methods. Explores questions about methodology and study design and the role of the researcher in examining her own practice. Argues that the study makes a strong contribution to the field, especially for those involved in…