Discussed is the success of a small university in placing African Americans into medical school and pharmacy school. Described are precollege enrichment programs for mathematics and science that emphasize problem solving, homework, daily quizzes, development of vocabulary and reading skills, peer support groups, role models, and parental…

Describes a range of reading and writing tasks that were used in a first-year university classroom with a view to helping students better understand the concept of coherence, which is crucial to both reading and writing. The technique involves a range of reading-writing coherence awareness-raising tasks that shift students' attention from the low…

Discusses the claim that reading without thinking is not possible. Presents critical discourse analysis, which is considered a pedagogically useful instrument enabling the practice of thinking skills necessary for reading efficiently. Considers the teachability of reading and thinking skills, and describes a critical reading course. (Author/VWL)

Examines the perceptions of instructors and administrators regarding self-directed learning modules for adult and younger students, comparing the modules' perceived effectiveness, benefits, and challenges. Addresses the issue of personal freedom versus the need for focus and guidance, finding that adult learners reported no freedom versus focus…

As studies indicate that dialect usage is not a barrier to reading, teachers can create an effective reading program for black students not by giving instruction in standard English, but by changing their own attitude toward black dialect. Showing that dialect users reencode standard English into their own language patterns when reading orally, Y.…

The developmental program at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has a stable core of teachers who value independence rather than conformity and who seek to transform deeply anxious students into students who love learning. The instructors' goals of improving basic skills, fostering independent thinking, and promoting greater knowledge and…

Many reading teachers, cognizant of the creative opportunities for skill development allowed by new reading-writing software, are choosing to use microcomputers in their classrooms full-time. Adventure story creation programs capitalize on reading-writing integration by allowing children, with appropriate assistance, to create their own…

A number of issues in the reading curriculum need studying, analyzing, and synthesizing. Among them is the emphasis on definite scope and sequence in phonics versus individualized reading. A second issue in the teaching of reading involves the use of precise, measurably stated objectives versus flexible, general goals. A related issue involves…

For many years, educators from kindergarten to twelfth grade have approached the teaching of vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and so forth as isolated skills, unconnected with the everyday use of reading, speaking, and writing. Such practices are now viewed with less favor, as researchers and educators approach reading and writing as…

Reading programs in elementary and secondary schools are often ineffective because principals have not had adequate preparation to assume leadership roles in such programs and are therefore unable--or unwilling--to take control of the reading program. Successful reading programs are characterized by leadership, direction, and support from…

Today, more than ever before, teachers are devoting much of their intellectual and emotional energy to helping students better understand the school texts that they are required to read. This can best be accomplished through six changes in the way reading comprehension is taught: (1) accept an active-constructive model of reading comprehension;…

This paper looks at the potential of the new electronic media of broadcast television (including teletext and interactive cable), the videodisc, and the microcomputer. It examines the nature and extent of these media as textual communication systems and considers their implications in terms of both the reading skills they demand, and the ways in…

One of a series of publications on selected aspects of reading curriculum development, this monograph contains eight papers that deal with expectations in the teaching of reading. Topics covered include (1) the relationship between reading and writing, (2) changing expectations in education, (3) skills programs for remedial readers, (4) ways to…

When working with limited English proficient (LEP) children who have been mainstreamed into regular elementary school classrooms, teachers must keep in mind that the first order of business is to help the students build a store of knowledge about English--how it sounds, what it looks like in print, and what it means. Teachers will discover that it…

Presents an interview with reading researcher James F. Bauman, Associate Professor at Purdue University. Discusses research findings which indicate that there are identifiable teacher behaviors and instructional environments that promote learning, and that reading comprehension skills can be taught. Discusses implications of findings for…