The role of the school principal has changed much in the recent intervening years. He/she was formerly thought of as a manager and management of the local school. Today the principal is seen as the leader of curriculum improvement. School principals must believe in pupils being able to achieve optimally in school and in life. Principals must…

There are selected ideas from the psychology of learning which assists students to achieve more optimally. They need to be in the repertoire of the social studies teacher. These are self efficacy, resilience, reflection, and self monitoring of the learner's own progress. Each of these concepts will be discussed as it relates to teaching and…

The writer would like to suggest eight recent leaders who have contributed much in assisting teachers to help pupils achieve well. These educators are largely from the twentieth century. Their contributions appear in educational journals, teacher education textbooks on the university level, as well as professional talks presented at international,…

The use of learning stations is an approach to meet needs of pupils in achievement. Here, pupils may make choices in terms of what to learn. From a learning station, a pupil may select learning activities to complete, be they individual or committee endeavors. Activities might also be chosen on the basis of learning styles. A pupil may prefer to…

Basal textbooks are rather popular for social studies teachers to use in the classroom setting. There are selected reasons for this occurring. They do provide beginning and new teachers a framework for ongoing lessons and units of study. The accompanying Manual provides suggestions for learning activities for learners to pursue. Evaluation…

The debate has gone on for some time in terms of which is more salient for the teacher to be well versed in, mathematical content versus methods and approaches in teaching. Both are salient. They cannot be separated from each other. The mathematics teacher must indeed have broad, in-depth knowledge of subject matter as well as in teaching and…

There are a plethora of variables which affect pupils in the classroom. These might involve the obvious such as uncomfortable temperature readings a well as the following: (1) small group work as compared to individual activities; (2) use of measurably stated objectives versus constructivism as psychologies of learning; (3) a very quiet…

Of all levels of schooling, the high school receives by far the most criticism. There are continuous innovations recommended in journal articles, textbooks, and speeches at state/national conventions on ways to improve the secondary level of schooling. At one teacher education convention, the speaker was criticizing the American high school and…

There was much enthusiasm when the phrase "Modern School Mathematics" was coined shortly after the 1958 National Defense Education Act was passed. Many federally funded study groups came into being. Presently, criticisms in secondary teaching are just as great as it was in 1958. The innovations recommended by federally funded study groups has had…

Reading, as one learning activity in science lessons and units of study, needs to be assessed to notice needs of pupils. The science teacher needs to be thoroughly grounded in science content and methodology and yet also needs to be an instructor of reading. For pupils to do well in reading science subject matter, there needs to be continuous…

With the No Child Left Behind federal mandate, teachers and school administrators are challenged to provide the best instruction possible in mathematics and reading. Students are required to take the state mandated tests in grades three through eight and in grade ten. The stakes are high in that students may not be passed on to the next higher…

Many comparisons are being made among students in reading achievement. The United States ranked ninth among 35 nations in an international study among students in reading, as reported by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Reading Today, 2003). Standards keep going up for students to achieve in reading, as indicated by test…

In this article the author discusses the community school concept and relates it to his own experiences as a student and educator in Missouri. It asserts that in developing a community school, participants in the school district must be willing to give of their talents and time to improve the social environment for all its inhabitants. Cooperation…

Prospective teachers in undergraduate programs of professional teacher education should experience working with children in school settings as well as in the larger community and observe and participate in pre-student teaching and in student teaching where learning experiences for pupils are based on recommended psychological principles of…

Public schools and universities, involved in implementing teacher education programs, cooperatively need to prepare teachers who can guide each pupil in the school and class setting to attain optimal growth in all relevant facets of development. Outdated approaches in teaching need to be identified and guidance given to prospective teachers.…