Fairy tales can be used in the classroom to promote normal growth and development as well as carry a message of hope and faith in the strength and goodness of humans. Because fairy tales are imaginative literature, readers can safely experience and work through scary situations which are analogous to situations in real life. Bibliotherapy refers…

A practical guidebook of ideas, lesson materials, and related resources for developing imaginative and productive thinking skills of children is presented to assist teachers and parents. Emphasis is placed on the use of strategies and techniques that enhance originality, mental imagery, reverie, reflection, humor, novel playfulness, and divergent…

In plain language, these six ready-to-copy briefs state what researchers and practitioners have learned about various ways parents can help their children do well in school. "Calculating the Risks: When Should Parents Add or Subtract?" discusses the normal risks of life, the intensification of risk by poverty, and how parents can keep…

This workshop module is designed to train teachers to use fantasy techniques as a means of strengthening their students' nonsexist behaviors. Workshop activities include a discussion on the rationale for using daydreams to modify behavior and attitudes and the exploration of the experience of a guided daydream. Guidelines are provided for teachers…

This collection of papers examines the role, meaning, content, and quality of education, focusing on how opinions about learning and teaching, school development, and institutionalized education manifest themselves in modern western societies. There are 15 papers in five parts. Part 1, "Learning, Learning Environments and Imagination,"…

This report describes a course in the Irish student-teacher curriculum that was designed in response to criticisms of post-graduate teacher training that it was too theoretical and insufficiently practical. The design of the Applied Psychology of Instruction course was based on the teacher-as-researcher paradigm of professionalism. Student…

A fundamental obligation of schooling in a democracy is to educate youth in the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are crucial to an informed and involved citizenry. If schools are to enhance a citizenship based on taking responsibility for one's thinking and actions, imaginative expression and critical thinking must be taught. (RM)

The four issues of the journal SKOLE published in 1997 contain articles, personal narratives, and interviews about small alternative schools, home schooling, educational history, the deficiencies of public education, and educational philosophy and innovations. Major articles include: "The Creatures They Are: Children Becoming Their Nature" (about…

It is widely believed that television viewing has a negative impact on school achievement. This belief is supported by negative statistical associations sometimes found between school achievement and amount of television viewing; that is, heavy TV viewers tend to show poorer achievement than light viewers. One possible explanation of this…

With more than 100,000 computers in public schools across the United States, the impact of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on students' reading behavior needs to be evaluated. In reading laboratories, CAI has been found to provide an efficient and highly motivating means of teaching specific educational objectives. Yet, while computer…

This collection of papers includes the following: "On the Educational Uses of Fantasy" (Geoffrey Madoc-Jones and Kieran Egan); "The Dangers of Empathy with Students" (Mario Rinvolucri); "The Magic of Folktales for Teaching English and Culture" (Planaria Price); "The Inner Voice: A Critical Factor in L2…

Identifies linkages between social inquiry and artistic thought to show interdisciplinary possibilities for kindergarten through high school social studies instruction. Argues expression through modern dance helps students integrate personal experience and social phenomena. Provides a lesson in which elementary school students choreograph their…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 24 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the follwing: (1) the effects of junior great books programs on students' thinking and reading skills, (2) adolescent novels and the ideology of femininity, (3) the effect of…

This collection of papers includes the following: "The Great Debate. Proposed: TESOL is a Science, Not an Art" (David Nunan); "Argument and Entertainment: TESOL as a Science" (Elana Shohamy); "TESOL: Art and Craft" (Henry Widdowson); "An Attitude of Inquiry: TESOL as a Science" (Diane Larsen-Freeman);…

This collection of papers includes: "Martians Invade the Classroom: A Workshop in Language Learning" (Carmine Tabone and Robert Albrecht); "Autonomous Learning through Cinema: One Learner's Memories" (Connie Haham); "Learning a Second Language Through Culture" (Barbara Le Blanc and Joseph Dicks); "Shakespeare for…