(2000). Practical Ideas for Teaching Writing as a Process at the High School and College Levels. 1997 Revised Edition. The concept of writing as process has revolutionized the way many view composition, and this book is organized by the stages of that process. Each section begins with a well-known author presenting specific techniques, followed by commentaries which include testimonials, applications of writing techniques, and descriptions of strategy modifications all contributed by classroom teachers. The book includes the following sections and initial chapters: Section 1 (The Process): "Teaching Writing as a Process" (Catherine D'Aoust); Section 2 (Prewriting): "Clustering: A Prewriting Process" (Gabriele Lusser Rico); Section 3 (Prewriting in Different Subjects): "Prewriting Assignments Across the Curriculum" (Jim Lee); Section 4 (Showing, Not Telling): "A Training Program for Student Writers" (Rebekah Caplan); Section 5 (Using Cooperative Learning to Facilitate Writing): "Using Structures to Promote Cooperative Learning in Writing" (Jeanne M….
(1995). Evaluation of Cooperating Teacher Effectiveness. Data were collected from 307 senior level student teachers over 3 semesters in rural and urban placements and from 78 cooperating teachers on the qualities they considered most important for cooperating teachers. Cooperating teachers also offered information about skills and practices that work successfully in the student teaching relationship. Both groups completed open-ended questionnaires, the results of which were categorized and responses listed in order of frequency. Findings indicated that selection would center on individuals with the ability to communicate and provide feedback and who are open to sharing their internal and external resources. Additional characteristics would include ability to provide a supportive environment, organization, enthusiasm, pedagogical knowledge, and flexibility. Formal, periodic cooperating teacher evaluation is recommended. Four suggestions are made for cooperative teacher training programs. First, a collaborative approach between colleges and… [PDF]
(1976). The Effects of Learned Leadership/Membership Skills on Work Performance. Final Report. The project examined the effects of learned leadership/membership skills on performance in task-oriented groups, developed competence-based instructional materials to teach such skills, and examined the effects of such skills on individual and group knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance. Following a literature review, materials review, and needs assessment, discussions and questionnaires gathered information from teachers, parents, counselors, managers, employers, and students. Specific needs having been established, the curriculum design and prototype modules were developed. Eight priority areas were identified as those to be addressed in the development effort: Group communication, knowing and using resources, evaluation, conflict resolution, planning, coordinating activities, sharing leaderships, and decisionmaking. Extensive pilot testing over the following two years involved a variety of student settings–urban, suburban, rural; large schools and small; academically… [PDF]
(1993). Parents Sharing Books (PSB). Technical Report. Noting that family involvement in education is important, this report describes and evaluates the Parents Sharing Books (PSB) program which was designed to encourage parents to become involved with their middle-school children's education. The report notes that the program was implemented over a 2.5 year period and had the following goals: increase family literacy (the reading of books and the positive interaction between parents and middle school children through books); encourage parents and children to communicate better; and provide effective instruction to leader teams who would then provide similar instruction to parents in their local communities. The first section of the report discusses project development; product development; and training, support, and reaching-out. The second section of the report provides a profile of PSB participants. The third section discusses evaluating PSB and provides case reports. The fourth section of the report discusses limitations of the… [PDF]
(1998). Subjectivity in Women's Learning: A Case for Participatory Inquiry. A participatory research model collected stories of the experiences and most pressing problems of mothers on welfare. Over 35 African American, biracial, and Anglo women from an urban community who received cash assistance in a midwestern, largely rural state participated in small group discussions at a job readiness program. An interactive narrative approach created a safe environment where women would be listened to, taken into account, and validated in their past experiences, current circumstances, and feelings. Focuses were issues of intersubjectivity as women interact across differences, across different positionalities and social locations of race, class, gender, and sexuality while sharing "common experiences" as they recognize themselves in others. The following themes were identified in their stories: concepts of wearing masks to seem other than one is, creating space for one another to speak, need for emergent discussion topics from women's interests and… [PDF]
(1987). Revising the Technical Writing Class: Peer Critiques, Self-Evaluation and Portfolio Grading. A process oriented technical writing course was devised at the University of Alaska to counteract the "forms" approach and to include peer critiques and student participation in class grading. Modifications to the standard syllabus included (1) student analyses of their own writing processes through literacy autobiographies, (2) student interviews with practitioners in different fields to identify types and kinds of writing done in those fields, (3) discussions of paper types and textbook readings leading to student-generated critique sheets, (4) conference based reviews of peer-completed critique sheets, and (5) compilation of extensively revised, carefully self-evaluated portfolios of technical writing (graded at midterm and at semester's end). By sharing the first two assignments in peer writing groups, students learn that they have many writing experiences in common (e.g. writing block), and also find that most professionals in their fields spend over 50% of their time…
(2000). Networks and Clusters in the Rural Challenge: A Special Report to the Rural School and Community Trust. An important feature of the Annenberg Rural Challenge (now the Rural School and Community Trust) was the insistence that all funded projects be organized around networks and clusters. These networks/clusters aimed to help overcome the isolation of rural schools and communities and to multiply possibilities for sharing resources and enlarging the work on place-based education. This report synthesizes information gathered on network and cluster formation, structure, and function over the 4 years of the Rural Challenge grant. An introduction discusses theories on networks in educational settings, the Rural Challenge's vision of rural school reform, earlier rural reform movements, and the Rural Challenge's networking strategies and goals. The 35 distinct projects of the Rural Challenge are then sorted among three types of networks/clusters: large statewide networks that serve as intermediary organizations to smaller clusters of schools and communities; specific program networks that… [PDF]
(1998). Offspring, 1998. Offspring, v40 n1-2 Spr-Fall. This document is comprised of the two 1998 issues of a magazine for parents, teachers, and others involved in cooperative nursery schools. The magazine is designed to provide a forum for views on dealing with young children, express a variety of ideas, promote the cooperative philosophy, and to enhance the relationships of those involved in cooperative nursery schools. The Spring 1998 issue contains the following articles: (1) "Adventures in Learning: An Interview with Nancy Weber" (Lisa Mangigian); (2) "If I Were To Start My Family Over Again" (John Drescher); (3) "When You Are Concerned about a Child's Development: Ideas for Parents and Children" (Mary Donegan); (4) "Remember Your Mother…Goose" (Lee Ann Teagan); and (5) "One Step Ahead: A Review of Readable Resources for Parents and Teachers" (Gretchen Geverdt). The Fall 1998 issue contains the following articles: (1) "Welcome to Co-op: Sharing Learning with the Whole… [PDF]
(1992). Adapting STePS, an Adult Team Problem Solving Model, for Use with Sixth Grade Students. Structured Team Problem Solving (STePS) is a problem solving model for shared decision making. This project uses the model to discover if children can learn using this method, and what adaptations would be necessary for child use. Sixth grade students in their social studies class worked together in teams (6-8) to identify what they already think they know about a social studies topic. They then identify what they need to know, how they will approach this new learning, and how they will present their findings to other classmates. Students learn the six STePS procedures of brainstorming, clarifying, clustering, prioritizing, diagramming, and action planning. They learn and use the fifteen STePS techniques that include role sharing among facilitator, recorder, and checker. Students were observed using this model over a three year period. Findings from the project include the following: (1) students learn as much about a content area when they are learning via STePS as they do in a…
(1994). Women Work, Poverty Persists: A Status Report on Displaced Homemakers & Single Mothers in the United States. For many single mothers and displaced homemakers (homemakers who must suddenly enter the workforce), jobs often do not signify escape from poverty. 1990 U.S. Census data indicate that the number of single mothers and displaced homemakers rose dramatically during the 1980s. Workforce participation for this group also rose during that decade, but the Census shows that a greater percentage of this group lived in poverty in 1990 than had in 1980, a far greater percentage than that of the U.S. population at large. These women are dramatically over-represented in service occupations and under-represented in non-traditional jobs. Their housing status tends to be unstable, with most of them renting or sharing housing and less than one-third being homeowners. This information points to the need for government intervention. Improved federal education and training programs could be important pathways to economic self-sufficiency for both displaced homemakers and single mothers. Beneficial…
(1961). INDIVIDUALIZED READING VS. GROUP READING. THE INDIVIDUALIZED METHOD OF TEACHING READING IS BEING USED IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS ARE BEGINNING TO TRY IT. THE MONOGRAPH WAS PREPARED TO HELP THOSE INTERESTED IN INDIVIDUALIZED READING TO UNDERSTAND THE METHOD, THE PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE, AND HOW IT COMPARES, IN DETAIL, WITH THE METHOD OF GROUP READING. INDIVIDUALIZED READING IMPLIES THAT THE CHILDREN ARE SEATED AT THEIR DESKS IN A CLASSROOM, EACH WITH A DIFFERENT BOOK HE HAS SELECTED. EACH CHILD RECEIVES INDIVIDUAL HELP FROM THE TEACHER AND PARTICIPATES IN SHARING WHAT HE HAS LEARNED WITH THE OTHER CHILDREN. THE INDIVIDUALIZED METHOD ASSUMES THAT "SPECIAL NEED" GROUPS WILL BE USED TO LEARN CERTAIN SKILLS SUCH AS PHONICS. PROBLEMS DISCUSSED INCLUDE TEACHER CONTROL OVER THE CLASS, CLASS SIZE, AND THE SUPPLY OF ENOUGH BOOKS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. THERE ARE NO CLEAR SOLUTIONS, BUT SATISFACTORY RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH INGENUITY AND RESOURCEFULNESS. EXPERIMENTS TO MEASURE THE…
(1996). Performance on Different Test Types by Racial/Ethnic Group and Gender. As is consistent with national trends, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public School System is exploring the use of instruments other than multiple-choice tests for high-stakes testing. This paper presents information on racial, ethnic, and gender differences in performance on the various types of tests being administered in the district. Sharing such information among school systems will help in the evaluation of new types of assessment. The six assessments used in the study were: (1) a mathematics multiple choice test given to grades 3 to 8; (2) a mathematics short answer test for grades 3 to 8; (3) a locally developed mathematics extended answer test for grades 4, 6, and 7; (4) a reading multiple choice test for grades 3 to 8; (5) a language arts extended answer test for grades 4, 6, and 7; and (6) the Maryland School Performance Assessment program for grades 3, 5, and 8. There were no meaningful differences in mathematics performance by racial and ethnic group across the… [PDF]
(1993). Understanding One Writer's Growth: Case Study Materials. Elementary Subjects Center Series No. 66. Developed from a year-long collaboration between researchers and a fifth-grade teacher, this paper presents case study materials designed for use with prospective and experienced teachers interested in thinking and learning about students' writing development. Several kinds of information regarding the progress of "Billy" are included in the paper: transcripts of classroom interactions such as sharing time and writing conferences; written work from Billy's writing folder and journal; self-evaluations; and excerpts from an end-of-year group interview. The materials in the paper are designed to be used flexibly in a group situation where participants can discuss their impressions and insights as they study the examples, drawing on their own knowledge and experience as teachers of writing. The paper offers an initial set of analytic categories for use in interpreting the examples. The three sections of the paper enable teachers to study all or parts of the materials. Section… [PDF]
(1989). Knowledge and Processing Speed as Determinants of Associative Learning. Interim Technical Paper for Period February 1986-February 1987. In five experiments with over 2,500 subjects, we examined the hypothesis that cognitive processing variables measuring breadth of declarative knowledge and information processing speed were related to learning outcomes on a paired-associates task. Experiments 1 and 2 compared recall with recognition tests, Experiment 3 assessed the effect of study-block size, Experiment 4 examined the effect of mnemonic strategy, and Experiment 5 tested the effect of mixing study times and presenting words versus nonsense syllable stimuli. Across all experiments, breadth of verbal knowledge was found to be a strong predictor of retention overall, and a strong predictor of increment in retention benefits due to increases in study time. Mnemonic strategy training improved retention but also served to enhance the relationship between knowledge and retention. Memory search speed also predicted retention, but primarily under conditions of high information flow, either as a result of short (5 seconds per… [PDF]
(1999). The Education Dean's Search for Balance. This study examined who deans of education were, where they worked, how they defined roles and responsibilities, what unique challenges faced female deans, how deans characterized their leadership style, what stressors impacted their ability to be effective, and how they maintained balance between scholarship and leadership and between professional and personal pressures. Data came from the Center for the Study of Academic Leadership national survey of U.S. academic deans. In 1996-97, deans from 360 institutions completed a mailed survey, the National Study of Academic Deans in Higher Education. Results indicated that deans were predominantly male, white, and over age 50. They were most likely to use the assistant dean, associate dean, or assistant to the dean positions as the positions preceding deanship. Most were from public colleges and universities. Tasks they considered most important included maintaining conducive work climates, fostering good teaching, representing the… [PDF]