American Educator
Summer 1985

 

Table of Contents

Cultural Literacy and the Schools
By E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

Literacy requires not just technical proficiency in reading but a body of background knowledge that gives meaning to the words. Dare we make a list of what a literate citizen needs to know?

Minority Representation in the Teaching Profession: An Affirmative Program
By Bernard R. Gifford

If present trends continue, the number of minority teachers will decline dramatically. The author sets forth a program to counter this development.

Socrates in the Classroom
Strategies for Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills
By Debbie Walsh

Concern over students' abilities to assess information, weigh arguments, and solve problems is leading to a new emphasis on critical thinking skills.

When More Is Less
The 'Mentoring' Problem in Textbooks
By Harrier Tyson Bernstein

Bombarded with demands to cover everyone's favorite topics, today's overstuffed textbooks have too often sacrificed clarity and depth.

Folktales: The Enchanted Lesson
By Charles H. Flatter

Folktales often reach deep into a child's fantasies, fears, and hopes and should be used with thoughtful planning and preparation.

A Portrait of Normal Adolescents
By Daniel Offer

If a teenager is not moody, rebellious, or antagonistic, what's wrong with him? Nothing, says the author.

Memory Research and Its Implications for Learning
By Robert Sylwester

Knowing more about how the brain stores facts and masters skills may help students improve the way they select, connect, and retrieve information.

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