Herein, Leland Spencer provides a review of four book selections while reflecting on paradoxes regularly faced by feminist teachers (and scholars, activists, and thinkers). The books include: (1) Bradley, Harriet. "Gender." Cambridge: Polity, 2012. Print; (2) Murphy, Michael J., and Elizabeth N. Ribarsky, eds. "Activities for…

The author, a 5th-grade teacher at an independent boys' school, gives a first-person account of how her constant assessments and requirement that her students be active participants in their own learning gainsays the need for high-stakes, standardized testing. She posits a "living assessment" that is intertwined, interactive and…

Between 2001 and 2007 I conducted a self-study action research enquiry into my practice as a primary school teacher. The research had a collaborative aspect to it, in so far as my pupils and colleagues were invited to participate in the research, although I was the focus of the enquiry. I was unhappy about my teaching: I felt I dominated the…

The way in which foreign languages, including the Classics, are taught is evolving. There are those who teach language for literature-based, instrumental purposes only, and those who want to see foreign language education cross boundaries into literature, culture, history, and geography. Foreign language educators have the opportunity to teach…

Field trips provide active learning as children have firsthand experience with information they had previously encountered only in textbooks. In this article, the author describes how she used an interesting textbook to plan a field trip for her elementary social studies methods class to Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery (Alabama). The textbook,…

The authors of this article, 4th grade and 6th grade teachers at Castle Rock Elementary School in Colorado, describe their efforts to engage their students in learning. Morgan recounts a math lesson in which he confirmed that 4th graders sometimes need extensive preparation and support to translate their impressive insights into the written word.…

When Creative Problem Solving (CPS) was introduced into social studies programs, the students' participation in the classrooms began to change. They began to assume leadership roles and take on a sense of responsibility; they asked questions and worked cooperatively to decide on social action. In this article, the authors argue that CPS has the…

This article describes a teacher's experience with a child who had emotional and behavioral problems in the regular classroom. At the beginning of first grade, the student had a negative reputation with the staff based on his previous behavior. The teacher shares ways in which the child was given support in school. Generosity, belonging, mastery,…

Are teachers aware of the stress in their classrooms? Do teachers plan for stress control? Educators need to understand why stress is a part of classroom life and how it affects the teacher-student relationship. Bibliotherapy can be an intervention in stress management through books. The use of appropriate reading material to help solve emotional…

The author believes that very young children are able to understand the abstract concept of peace. In her primary classroom she introduces the concept of peace to the children in a low energy environment with low lights, and soft music. When children feel at peace in their hearts, they relate peacefully to those around them. She begins with the…

The purpose of this article is to present findings from a case study of two urban elementary teachers' classroom management practices and students' interactions during science instruction. The two teachers had antithetical (i.e., one intrinsic, the other authoritarian) classroom management styles, yet substantial negative student classroom…

Personality is as important as good teaching techniques. Teachers all strive to make an impact on a child's education. How can teachers get students excited about the subject they are teaching, if they do not show excitement about teaching that subject? Teachers have to be great performers and the classroom is a perfect forum to use personality as…

This article focuses in on one teacher's kindergarten through grade 5 classroom experiences at Tennessee's Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. While, this teaching range allows the teacher to witness the growth and development of students, as with every school, there are times when young people's attention tends to wander, and the…

In this article, the author introduces innovative activities designed for students to eliminate the teacher's stress of the last days of school. As an elementary teacher for many years and now a substitute teacher, the author states that she had always dreaded the last week of school. To minimize stress and to keep the children learning, she uses…

The work of experienced and student lower primary teachers in three schools in Southern Malawi was studied, using lesson observations, interviews and pupil tests. The use teachers make of songs is given as an example of how they use oral culture. The function of songs in lessons is mainly to manage the class rather than to teach content, in…