Argues that computers in early childhood classrooms serve to raise young children's self-esteem, self-concept, and place in the classroom community. Provides examples of specific computer exercises including storytelling, journals, autobiographies, classroom data collection and recording, and classroom activities. Notes that these computer…

A study investigated how repetition was used in the telling of personal narratives to create emotional involvement on the part of listeners, to evaluate stories, to prevent listeners from asking questions and from losing the story's focus, and to justify narrating that particular story in a cross-cultural setting. It was assumed that narrators…

A combination of narrative, autobiographical, and arts-based research methods was used to explore experiential learning and professional practice in diverse teaching/learning and adult education settings. The research methodology drew upon concepts developed by the following individuals: Jerome Bruner and his constructivist approach that values…

In recent years, adult education for Native Americans has reflected broader goals and has been concerned with playing a role in preserving native language and culture rather than encouraging assimilation. These four trends appear in the literature related to adult education for Native Americans: how adult education theories and methods such as…

This essay discusses the achievements of early childhood educator, Vivian Gussin Paley, preschool and kindergarten teacher for more than 30 years, and author of 12 books portraying her work in the classroom with young children. It begins with a description of seven narrative tools she developed over the course of many years that became the means…

This collection of papers includes the following: (1) "A Brief History of American Sociolinguistics 1949-1989" (Roger W. Shuy); (2) "Reflections on the Origins of Sociolinguistics in Europe" (Louis-Jean Calvet); (3) "Models of the Interaction of Language and Social Life" (Dell Hymes); (4) "I Came to Sing:…

Focuses on autobiographical composition and storytelling to promote critical thinking and feminist inquiry in women's studies and composition courses. Analyzes the personal discovery of the author's own voice as a woman writer. Presents three activities designed to initiate dialogue and elicit stories. Outlines assignment in which students produce…

This booklet provides practical exploration of the use of narrative in the classroom with students and in teachers' personal and professional development. The various narrative forms are described in boxes throughout the booklet and include letter writing, storytelling, autobiographical accounts and several others. There are four "Your…

This book reviews the history of the developmental-interactive approach, a formulation rooted in developmental psychology and educational practice, progressively informing educational thinking since the early 20th century. The book describes and analyzes key assumptions and assesses the compatibility of new theoretical approaches, focuses on…

This book presents a range of activities for writing instruction that develop different composing skills, attend to the social processes of reading and writing, involve the peer group in evaluating and responding to drafts, focus on different types and formats of writing, and stimulate these activities through diverse techniques and methods. The…

The relationship between life history, gender, and the discourse of modernization was examined from the perspective of a researcher with extensive experience performing evaluations about modernization within human services in Denmark. Three stories about site-based management in two human service institutionsa youth center and a boarding school…

Increasingly, adult educators are using narrative and stories for many reasons, including their deep appeal, satisfaction, and cultural transcendence. As a fundamental structure of human meaning making narrative is a valuable classroom tool in that it can enable students to understand life events, personal actions, and solidify identity formation.…

This collection of papers on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) reading and writing instruction includes: "The Use of the Newspaper in Teaching ESL Students" (Andrea Bittman); "Using a Combination of Life Experience Stories and Other Types of Stories To Teach the Writing Process and Build Self Confidence within the ESL Student" (Kathy Brightman);…

For the twenty-ninth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the National AECT Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…