Recounts problems which occur when individualized instruction is used to teach social studies. Problems include that it is not realistic because the student/teacher/instructional material relationship is too complex, social studies content is too multidimensional to be learned by mastery learning, and most schools do not have the support system…

Examines the curricular change process, presenting results of an ethnographic study of an elementary school moving from a teacher-directed curriculum toward a textbook-based, standardized curriculum. Focuses on students' (negative) reactions to changes. Educators must question any curriculum that limits teachers' opportunities to make coursework…

This discussion of classroom teachers serving as mentors of children draws from the literature on the origin of mentoring, the definition of mentoring, and the current theory on the characteristics and qualities that define an excellent mentor-mentee relationship. Parallels between the study of adult mentoring relationships and the teacher-child…

Concerned about the dehumanization of teachers and students throughout the history of schooling in the United States, the author critically analyzes two metaphors for education that have perennially shaped educational practices in the United States: education is production and education is a cure. Drawing on a set of commitments that could…

Points out that if students are to learn to negotiate meaning, they must have opportunities to use a balanced combination of informational, expressive, and interactional language. Describes three teaching strategies which are important in nurturing a range of language in the drama classroom: questioning, reflecting, and teacher in role. (ARH)

Describes how students from English classes in Lapwai High School (Idaho) produced their own Foxfire-inspired magazine and conducted workshops on magazine production. (ARH)

A review of the literature and personal action research leads the authors to question the relevance of much of the advice offered to students concerning study skills. They offer a different teacher-learner framework for those teachers and students who wish to gain insight into, and control over, their own teaching/learning. (Author/CT)

The nature of distance education is to shift the locus of curriculum control toward the institution and its staff and away from the students. This imposes a responsibility on the institution to examine and evaluate the values and assumptions underlying the decision-making and the implications of the patterns of control that emerge. (Author/MSE)

Compares two basic types of computer-based simulations--(1) variable-assignment simulations, and (2) diagnostic problem-solving simulations. Differences in the role of the computer, in the nature of the problem presented to the learner, and in the decision making required of the student are described. (eight references) (LRW)

American college students are often viewed in terms of inputs and outcomes, due in part to the assessment movement and interest in college impact. A more complete view sees the relationship between student and college as reciprocal and dynamic. The ecological perspective views students as actively shaping their educational environments, with the…

An important ethical task is for the college faculty member to handle the teacher-student relationship well outside the classroom. May Sarton's novel "The Small Room" depicts both success and failure. The teacher should always act as a friend, seeking the good of the student for the student's own sake and recognizing this as a unique…

An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States today aspire to graduate from college. Yet statistics indicate that the percentage of college students receiving bachelor's degrees has remained relatively constant over the past 25 years, that it now takes on average 6 years to get a four-year college degree, and that…

The paper discusses Iris Marion Young's idea of asymmetric reciprocity that rethinks typical understandings of gift giving. Iris Marion Young's proposals for asymmetric ethical relationships have important implications for democratic contexts that seek to take differences seriously. Imagining oneself in the place of the other or expecting from the…

The emerging economic paradigm of higher education will make enhancing national productivity the primary goal; emphasize the mastery of learning skills over rote learning; and operate around the principle of customer service, viewing students as customers. Total Quality Management (TQM), as applied to education, shares this focus on customer…

Outlines a peer leadership program in the schools. Provides a brief overview of the historical roots of peer leadership and addresses the issues relevant to implementing a peer leadership program, such as selecting peer leaders, peer leaders' role in education, educators' roles, and how educators can become involved in these programs. (RJM)