This essay describes one man's experiences learning to read in the 1940s. He notes that at that time, parents were not expected to teach their children to read prior to entering school. That was viewed as the teacher's job. However, his parents filled his house and his life with literacy-based experiences. Once he learned to read, his community…

Describes how risk, responsibility, and love of creative teaching precipitate one teacher's educational experiences, asserting that as a culture, it is important to develop a genuine respect for the art of teaching and a demand for high quality creative teaching. Suggests that it is risky to encourage the notion that teachers are interchangeable…

Suggests the importance of finding a way back from the scientific conception of education to an alternative, humanistic understanding, noting that the scientific concept applies general positivist and utilitarian principles to education. Suggests that the teacher-student relationship cannot be scientific, and teachers must view students as fellow…

Responds to a critique by Susan S. Goldsmith of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English Language Arts tests, focusing on Goldsmith's critique of test development, uniform topic focus, use of open-response items, and lack of explicit testing in vocabulary and grammar. Goldsmith replies to the response, highlighting needed…

Argues that classroom practice in mathematics should be directly related to a theory of learning, but, although requisite theories do exist, there appears to be no single unified theory at the present time. Recent innovations in classroom practice are discussed. (GR)

Argues that the development of reasoning ability--a major goal of education--should start in the intermediate grades with curriculum materials that include simple proofs. How the proofs concept for developing reasoning skills works in mathematics instruction is explored. (GR)

Discusses a new approach to mathematics teaching developed from constructivists and mathematics education reform leaders that involves changes in task selection, guidance of classroom discourse, setting the learning environment, and the analysis of teaching and learning. Further argues that students must become less dependent on authority for the…

Argues that assessment practices need to change in mathematics classrooms and describes an assessment system that focuses on broad learning outcomes, uses tasks that are aligned with instructional practices, actively involves students, and informs teachers' instructional and curricular decisions. The standards for assessment practices adopted by…

Explores the working group model for mathematics teacher education and presents group investigations from the areas of number theory, probability, and geometry. Argues that by working in groups, sharing ideas, and making and testing conjectures, prospective teachers gain confidence in their own ability to do mathematics and develop a variety of…

Argues that to affect lasting change in terms of what mathematics is taught and how it is taught requires programs that recognize the different intersecting needs and perspectives of a school's administrators, teacher-leaders, teachers, students, and parents. It discusses how these types of professional development programs can extend the impact…

Discusses whether virtue can be taught in college, asserting that virtue is relative and tradition bound. Difficulties in answering this question include lack of adequate definitions of terms, overwhelming influence of Christian and Western approaches, the "unvirtue" experienced by many learners, and students' innate resistance to the…

Addresses problems associated with the classical conception of "arete" (virtue), asserting that questions related to virtue, human excellence, and the good life are neither relative nor time-bound. Suggests that if one assumes that virtue can be taught, Socrates' example encourages the idea that this may be achieved most effectively…

Discusses whether to teach virtue in college, noting students' flexibility to acquire new narratives and understandings of themselves and their surroundings. Suggests that the narratives students bring to college help shape their character and attitudes toward work, life, and happiness. Asserts that a general education can help students understand…

Asserts that university students are at precisely the right age to gain greater power over their lives, describing a vacuous college life and discussing the potential that a good university education offers. Examines possibilities and promise in students' lives, suggesting that the principal task in fostering virtue is to evoke love in students…

Discusses education in virtue, inviting college professors to see themselves not as "meddlers" in students' private lives but rather as interlocutors who prompt students to examine their desires--not simply what they hope to gain, but who they hope to become as a result of their university education. Focuses on the philosophies of Plato,…