This report examines a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Ecuador Ministry of Education which used puppet and "campesino" (folk) theater as a creative form for the presentation of numeracy and literacy programs and for introducing social consciousness concepts. It focuses on the use of the puppet theater in…

The primary goal of speech communication teachers should be to help students learn to analyze and communicate information in interpersonal, group, and public situations--a goal that can be reached only through a mixture of lecture, lecture/discussion, and performance approaches. Although administrators are currently proposing higher…

Some objectives of this non-graded elective English program are to individualize language arts instruction, to deepen student interest in and appreciation of literature, to provide more meaningful sequences of courses, and to capitalize on the teaching strengths of the English faculty. Courses are divided into three areas--composition and English…

Procedures and course descriptions are provided for elective English programs in five Minneapolis high schools. These programs cover the areas of composition, American and English literature, language skills, speech, vocational English, drama, poetry, and media study. Some of the numerous courses include "Alienated Man,""Bookless Class,""Myths and…

This teaching aid to the Nuffield French Course offers instructions for the making of puppets and a puppet theater, and a set of dialogues and simple plays. Suggestions are made for using the puppets with the course, and indications of when to introduce each dialogue or play are included. Dialogues designed for units 1-20 and six plays for units…

Filmmaking, when used to structure the activities of an art program, can become a tool to enrich the educational environment, to detect and observe all types of physical phenomena, and to extend the limits of observation. Designed to stimulate filmmaking in the elementary school, this handbook documents an approach to adding filmmaking to a…

A book whose purpose is to provide a single source of reference for the prospective or beginning high school teacher-director and to offer more nearly complete information on the multiple problems confronting him on the job is presented. Sixteen chapters are included. Chapter 1 is designed to help the beginning teacher explain drama to an…

This report describes public participation in the arts across the four U.S. census regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the West, and the South. It incorporates data from the 1982, 1992, and 2002 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts, as well as secondary data on regional demographics, the arts landscape, and consumer spending. In…

This document outlines what beginning classroom teachers and arts education specialists should know and be able to do to teach the arts effectively. The volume serves as a guide for individual states, professional organizations, and teacher education programs as they develop and refine their standards and practices. The Interstate New Teacher…

The forum on partnerships to improve teaching the arts was an outgrowth of earlier gatherings and of research to identify and respond to current challenges to sustain and enhance quality arts teaching. During 1999 the Arts Education Partnership convened a task force which concluded that improved teaching hinges on collaborations among three key…

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1997 Arts Assessment for eighth-grade students show that female students outperformed male students in every category of assessment for all three art forms assessed: (1) music; (2) theater; and (3) visual arts. In contrast to assessments in other subjects, nonpublic school students…

Discusses a study of the out-of-class learning strategies of proficient German speakers of English and attempts to identify and quantify the out-of-class learning activities employed by these learners during their study of English. Findings indicate that the most-cited activities are reading and listening. (10 references) (Author/CK)

Provides an in-depth look at the National Standards for Art Education and attempts to correct some of the misconceptions associated with them. Articulates a number of the objections and concerns regarding the standards. Answers each objection with a thoughtful response. (MJP)

Recommends turning some of the more tedious aspects of elementary instrumental rehearsals (particularly playing scales) into games. Describes a number of educational games that can be constructed around these activities, including a "Wheel of Fortune" parody. (MJP)

Surveys the barely developed and chaotic field of theater teacher assessment and finds that a piecemeal, state-by-state approach dominates. Briefly summarizes assessment in 11 states, revealing few guidelines and a variety of practices. Discusses proposed improvements from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. (MJP)