Notebook

Teaching English Language Learners
What the Research Does—and Does Not—Say
By Claude Goldenberg
(This article is available in PDF format only)

One in nine students is an English language learner. What's the best way to help these students become fluent in English and master the academic content? Existing research cannot fully answer that question, but it can offer teachers some guidelines. Focusing on two recent reviews of that research, Claude Goldenberg highlights the most promising instructional approaches and discusses important questions that the research has yet to answer.

Critical Questions
What the Research Does Not Say—Yet

Instructional Modifications for English Learners

Supporting the Spread of Freedom
(This article is available in PDF format only)

The labor movement's involvement in international affairs runs long and deep. Democracy and free trade unions go hand in hand, a fact that Albert Shanker understood well. With Shanker at its helm, the AFT expanded labor's proud tradition and was a consistent voice against all forms of totalitarianism. Reviving Shanker's firm commitment to helping all people become free is essential today, as a new global survey has revealed a disturbing antidemocratic trend.

Freedom in Retreat
Global Survey Reveals Pushback Against Democracy
By Arch Puddington

Defending Democracy
Albert Shanker Still Leads the Way
By Herb Magidson

Albert Shanker's Tough Liberalism
By Richard D. Kahlenberg

Ask the Cognitive Scientist
What Is Developmentally Appropriate Practice?
By Daniel T. Willingham
(This article is available in PDF format only)

For many teachers, developmentally appropriate practice means that school activities should be matched to students' current developmental stage. But children's development actually looks more continuous than stage-like, and the way they perform cognitive tasks is quite variable.

A Picture of Language
A Diagrammed Sentence Is a Bit Like Art
By Kitty Burns Florey
(This article is available in PDF format only)

A veteran copy editor fondly remembers diagramming sentences and contends that the practice still has the power to charm, entertain, and educate today's students.