Pedagogy | N

Nakamura, Mitsuo (1990).  An Annotated Bibliography of "The Journal of Technical Writing and Communication": 1971-1989.  Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 20, 1. 

Annotates articles from all issues of "The Journal of Technical Writing and Communication" (1971-89). Includes the following categories: education and pedagogy; preparation and presentation of technical information; research and theory in technical communication; and application of technology to technical communication.

Nash, Robert J. (1997).  Answering the "Virtuecrats": A Moral Conversation on Character Education. Advances in Contemporary Educational Thought Series, Volume 21. 

The book examines approaches to moral education, first attempting to understand each one sympathetically, then highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and finally formulating the problems and issues uncovered in the analysis. The work concludes with the author's own version of a postmodern "patchwork" pedagogy of moral conversation. The chapters of the book are: (1) "Ministers of Morality: Past, Present, and Future," including a brief historical context for character education and a postmodern critique of character education; (2) "The Character Education Initiative: The Neo-Classical Virtues," including the cultural declinists, and the classical worldview and the role of virtue; (3) "Imparting the Neo-Classical Virtues: A Morality of Compliance," including cultural decline, and the classical worldview, democracy, and the virtues; (4) "The Communitarian Initiative: Sectarian, Postliberal, and Civic-Liberal Virtues," exploring the hunger for community, and introducing three types of communitarianism; (5) "Imparting the Communitarian Virtues: A Morality of Conformity," exploring the sectarian, postliberal, and civic-liberal types of communitarianism; (6) "The Liberationist Initiative: The Transformative Virtues," including the growing influence of critical pedagogy and discussing liberationist education; (7) "The Liberationist Virtues: A Morality of Contestation," including liberationist politics/democracy and the tranformative virtues; (8) "A Personal Interlude: A Morality of Conversation," exploring the moral elements of language and conversation; and (9) "A Postmodern Alternative: Cultivating the Democratic Dispositions," including postmodern conceptions of truth and virtue.

Nash, Robert J.; Manning, Kathleen (1996).  The Passion of Teaching: Student Affairs Professors in the Classroom.  Journal of College Student Development, 37, 5. 

Examines a pedagogical language and theoretical framework for graduate-level teaching in student affairs preparation programs. Conversation, dialog, textual analysis, and ethical practice are discussed as components of a pedagogy underscored with passion. Advocates ethical behavior in graduate seminars by prodding students to encourage goodness in each other.

Naylor, Thomas H.; Willimon, William H. (1997).  Downsizing the U.S.A. 

This book takes a stand against the belief that "bigger is better" and warns that size and technological complexity are not risk-free. There is a price to be paid for our uncritical affirmation of bigness, universal solutions to problems, dehumanizing uniformity, and standardized mass production. The U.S. government, cities, corporations, schools, universities, churches, the military, and the social welfare system are all too big, too powerful, too intrusive, too insular, and too unresponsive to the needs of individual citizens and small local communities. Specific strategies are proposed for decentralizing and downsizing virtually every major institution in America, including the peaceful dissolution of the United States itself through secession. Chapter 4 sees small towns and rural communities as our last hope for renewing community life and proposes a policy shift from urban renewal to the promotion of sustainable rural communities. Chapter 5 focuses on the failures of U.S. public education; lays the blame on excessive centralization, overregulation, and absence of community; discusses the futility of looking for a quick fix in technology; and suggests solutions in competition and school choice and in the creation of small, locally controlled schools that foster self-initiated learning. Chapter 6 deplores the rising enrollments, rising costs, and declining educational quality at giant universities and calls for a complete restructuring of university organization, pedagogy, and curriculum. Contains references and an index.

Nekhwevha, Fhulu (1999).  No Matter How Long the Night, the Day Is Sure To Come: Culture and Educational Transformation in Post-Colonial Namibia and Post-Apartheid South Africa.  International Review of Education/Internationale Zeitschrift fuer Erziehungswissenschaft/Revue Internationale de l'Education, 45, 5-6. 

Argues that the post-Apartheid curricula of Namibians and South Africans are primarily influenced by western educational models. Contends that the cultural capital of the African masses is lacking in the curriculum. Suggests that the much-acclaimed African cultural renaissance in education will only become a reality when educationalists embrace the "pedagogy of hope." Contains 30 references.

Nelms, Gerald (1992).  A Brief Case History of Janet Emig: Introduction to "The Contributions of Janet Emig." 

The accomplishments of Janet Emig constitute perhaps the most influential contribution to the study of how humans compose discourse and how teachers should help them. Her background prepared her for her initial goal of becoming a medical doctor, but she determined to study literature because of its enduring interest to her. As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, she was influenced by a teacher who emphasized the revision process in writing. Here, however, Janet Emig encountered sexism and was not accepted into the doctoral program. She proceeded to teach high school, and began experimenting with conferencing with students. Emig became involved in the National Council of Teachers of English, attended a Conference on College Composition and Communication convention, and was influenced by Priscilla Tyler, with whom she later studied. Emig then enrolled at Harvard and quickly took over the writing program when others involved left, but encountered difficulty in completing her dissertation due to lack of leadership. Emig taught and was denied tenure at both the University of Chicago and Lethbridge University in Canada, denials which appeared related to her gender and/or a lack of esteem for the study of composition. Finally, she moved to Rutgers, where she has remained. Seven themes emerge throughout her corpus of work: (1) an interest in pedagogy; (2) writing as process and the complexities of composing; (3) the developmental aspects of composing; (4) physiological aspects of composition; (5) the didactic functions of writing; (6) a constructivist philosophy of writing; and (7) the academic profession. (A list of Emig's major publications is attached.)

Nelms, Gerald (1994).  Reassessing Janet Emig's "The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders": An Historical Perspective.  Rhetoric Review, 13, 1. 

Discusses Janet Emig's experiences with sexism in academe in the 1950s and 1960s and her composing process theory in the 1960s. Addresses pedagogical implications of her composing theory, cognitive development as a factor in composition pedagogy, and publication of the monograph. Discusses criticism of the monograph, and suggests that it represents a major contribution to the study of writing.

Nelson, Brian (1998).  Web-Based Vocabulary Activities: Pedagogy and Practice.  Computer Assisted Language Learning, 11, 4. 

Examines a variety of Web-based vocabulary activities currently being used in English reading classes at the University of Aizu in Japan. Provides a brief review of the pedagogical basis for the creation and implementation of Web-based vocabulary, focusing on individualization and feedback capabilities. Describes activities, and discusses limitations and possible improvements of the program.

Nelson, Lin M. (1999).  Theory to Practice: Utilization of Instructional Systems Design, Constructivist Pedagogy, and Distance Learning Strategies in Preservice Teacher Preparation. 

This paper identifies possible causes of the disjuncture between theory and practice in teacher preparation and recommends strategies for incorporating instructional technology, as defined by the Association for Educational Communication and Technology in 1994, and distance education into teacher preparation programs. Causes of the theory-practice gap include the strong relationship between how novice teachers teach and how they were taught; novice teachers' needs to encounter authentic, real-world problems in order to find relevance; and classroom teachers' needs for action-guiding knowledge to make timely decisions, rather than the more general abstract knowledge presented in teacher education. Preventive solutions include: teaching instructional systems design (ISD) planning processes and practices; modeling constructivist principles when designing instruction (focusing on knowledge construction, authentic learning contexts and collaboration among learners and with the teacher); and adapting instructional practices of distance education to the on-campus environment (using ISD models and processes to meet the diverse needs of all learners, maximize interaction, and ensure timely feedback). | [FULL TEXT]

Nelson, Mary Lee; Neufeldt, Susan Allstetter (1998).  The Pedagogy of Counseling: A Critical Examination.  Counselor Education and Supervision, 38, 2. 

Examines current literature on the pedagogy of counseling. The authors offer a critique of current counselor education practices and suggest constructivist methods for educating reflective practitioners.

Nelson, Thomas G. (1998).  School Change and the Introduction of New Content: The Case of Environmental Education. 

Despite many different educational reform efforts, a simple pedagogy is still adhered to: students will learn what they are taught. Schooling is still teacher-centered with lecture and recitation being the practices primarily utilized. At the turn of the century, there were two established educational traditions in place. One tradition believed that schools could take a divided and diverse population and prepare students for participating in a self-governing political community. This tradition assumed a simple pedagogy and paid little attention to the complexities of teaching and learning. The other tradition drew from the Romantics and depicted education as an adventure, of opportunities for learning through solitary experiences often associated with learning about the self in relation to the natural world. Students were their own best teachers. John Dewey suggested that these two traditions could be joined. This paper explores possible barriers to change in education to include more of the second tradition and suggests that reformists might consider the idea of creating a tradition of change. Disciplinary boundaries are temporary and penetrable, and knowledge is undergoing an accelerated rate of change. An interdisciplinary curriculum requires recognition of the interdependence of knowledge and its relevance to the life of the learner. Interdisciplinary content areas such as environmental education could serve as a vehicle, a meaningful context for teaching and learning about all of the disciplines taught in schools. | [FULL TEXT]

Nemiroff, Greta Hofmann (1992).  Reconstructing Education: Toward a Pedagogy of Critical Humanism. 

This book is a valuable resource for those concerned with alternative approaches to education, and for such courses as educational theory or philosophy. Drawing on elements of progressive education, existentialism, feminist pedagogy, and values education, critical humanism combines the holistic-psychological concerns of humanistic education with the sociopolitical contextualization of critical pedagogy. Part 1 contains six chapters that describe how the pedagogy of critical humanism evolved. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the educational context in Quebec. Chapter 2 examines popular educational theories in the 1960s and 70s, and Chapter 3 traces the early philosophical roots of humanistic education. Theorists and theories of humanistic education--such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, George Isaac Brown, Clark Moustakas--are discussed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 analyzes critical pedagogy, as presented by Paulo Freire and later critical theorists, and critiques current resistance theory. Chapter 6 describes how elements in the theory-practice of women's studies provide an excellent source for the pedagogy of critical humanism. Part 2 details the ideology and practice of the New School at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec. Chapters 7 through 11 involve the following subjects: the dialectical relationship between ideology and praxis; the clientele, agenda of the state, and pedagogy at the New School; the primary affiliative group as the locus of learning; learning groups in the formal curriculum; and the school's struggle for creating community. Chapter 12 offers suggestions for implementing critical humanism methods in a variety of settings. Four figures are included.

Nemoianu, Anca M. (1997).  The Vanishing Narrator: Repositioning Stories of Personal Experience. 

The narrative of personal experience is considered in this paper as a canonical discourse genre from which various forms of expository patterns can be derived in a move towards decontextualized academic discourse. More specifically, the paper analyzes the multi-draft transition from a narrative of personal experience to a classification. The analysis in the paper is based on W. Chafe's (1994) recent approach to discourse analysis, using the concept of consciousness, with its need for orientation and point of view, and its relationship to the production of language. The paper makes the claim that a consciousness-based analytic tool represents a crucial link between linguistic analysis and composition pedagogy viewed as literate action. Contains 19 references and a figure listing the modes and functions of consciousness. | [FULL TEXT]

Neville, Helen A.; Cha-Jua, Sundiata K. (1998).  Kufundisha: Toward a Pedagogy for Black Studies.  Journal of Black Studies, 28, 4. 

Addresses the literature on pedagogy in Black studies and on teaching African-American college students by proposing a model for teaching Black Studies courses. The nuances of the model are discussed via an introduction to a Black Studies course that was designed and cotaught at a large midwestern university.

Newell, Florence M. (1995).  Sharing Multicultural Literature through Storytelling.  Reading Horizons, 35, 5. 

Details how storytelling could function as a rich, multicultural pedagogy. Explores how storytelling can be grounded in the oral traditions of African and East Indian cultures. Locates a series of skills that emerge from storytelling activities.

Newman, Denis; And Others (1992).  Local Infrastructures for School Networking: Current Models and Prospects. Technical Report No. 22. 

This paper identifies a paradigm shift that must take place in school networking. The ultimate goal is to retool the schools with a local technical infrastructure that gives teachers and students immediate access to communication systems and information resources, thereby supporting the implementation of advances in pedagogy and educational technology. The current notion of telecomputing cannot address the information requirements locally within the school and, ultimately, will fragment and inhibit any move toward universal access to information resources. A technology is needed that combines local and wide area networking (LAN and WAN), making access to remote resources part of the everyday work with school computers. This report contains the following sections: (1) The Problem: Combining Local and Wide Area Communication--facts about the current state of school networks and the dissociation of school LANs and WANs; (2) A Brief History of Network Technology; (3) A Convergence of School LAN's and WAN's--integrating and simplifying a school internetwork; (4) Current Models of School LAN-WAN Connectivity--a comparison of six models; and (5) Prospects for the Future.   | [FULL TEXT]

Newmann, Fred M. (1996).  Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools: Activities and Accomplishments, 1990-1996. Final Report. 

From 1990 to 1995, the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined questions about the effects of school restructuring on student performance. Center researchers analyzed data from more than 1,500 elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the United States and conducted field research in 44 schools in 16 states. The Center studies how organizational features of schools can be changed to increase the intellectual and social competence of students. The 5-year program of research focused on restructuring in four areas: the experiences of students in school; the professional life of teachers; the governance, management, and leadership of schools; and the coordination of community resources to better serve educationally disadvantaged students. The studies also focused on critical issues for elementary-secondary education: student achievement, educational equity, decentralization, communities of learning, and change through support. The research was carried out through 18 different studies that gathered data through literature reviews and analysis of the following sources of empirical evidence: School Restructuring Study, National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, Study of Chicago School Reform, Longitudinal Study of School Restructuring, and exploratory field studies on social capital. The findings show that school restructuring can improve student learning, but must be clearly focused on four key areas: student learning, authentic pedagogy, school organizational capacity, and external support. The research also underscored the importance of building social capital. Information is provided about the Center's deliverable products; research dissemination; publications; and workshops, conference presentations, and consulting services. | [FULL TEXT]

Newmann, Fred M.; And Others (1995).  Authentic Pedagogy and Student Performance. 

In order to address concerns about the intellectual quality of students' work under various "active learning" formats appearing in education reform efforts, this study developed a model of authentic pedagogy and assessed its presence in 23 restructured schools. The proposed authentic pedagogy is consistent with an active learning perspective and posits standards of intellectual quality, rather than teaching techniques or processes, as the central target of innovation. The study defined authentic academic achievement with three criteria: construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school. The school study examined instruction for one year at 23 schools (equally divided among elementary, middle, and high schools) with emphasis on six valued outcomes: (1) authentic pedagogy and authentic academic performance; (2) equity for students; (3) empowerment of teachers, parents, and principals; (4) sense of community among staff and students; (5) reflective professional dialogue; and (6) accountability. The study found that schools varied substantially in their success on standards for authentic pedagogy. Overall, pedagogy was rarely rated at the higher levels of the study's standard indicating that the promotion of authentic teaching is enormously difficult. Authentic pedagogy did appear to improve authentic academic performance for all students in mathematics and social studies. Finally, student achievement was reasonably equitable across gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. | [FULL TEXT]

Newmann, Fred M.; And Others (1995).  Authentic Pedagogy: Standards That Boost Student Performance.  [Issues in Restructuring Schools] 

This report presents general criteria for authentic pedagogy, instructional activities rooted in a primary concern for high standards of intellectual quality, as well as more specific standards that can be used to judge the quality of assessment tasks, classroom lessons, and student performance. Examples are given of tasks, lessons, and student performance that score well on these standards. Evidence is also presented, based on a study of 24 restructured schools, that authentic pedagogy can result in improved student performance regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Three mathematics and social studies classes at each school, in grades 4 and 5, 7 and 8, and 9 and 10 were studied, and each teacher was asked to submit at least 2 assessment tasks with information on how the task was given to students. At least two samples of student work were received from 45% of students in the classes studied. Although all of these schools had made significant progress in structural reorganization, the quality of authentic pedagogy varied widely, as did student performance. It was apparent that some teachers have barely begun the journey toward higher quality instruction and assessment in spite of the demonstrated positive effects of authentic pedagogy and assessment on student achievement. Examples of tasks, lessons, and student performance are included. | [FULL TEXT]

Newmann, Fred M.; Wehlage, Gary G. (1995).  Successful School Restructuring: A Report to the Public and Educators. 

Since the late 1980s, education reformers in the United States have emphasized "restructuring" of schools. This book synthesizes 5 years of research conducted by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools (CORS). From 1990 to 1995, the center analyzed data from the following sources: (1) the School Restructuring Study (SRS), an examination of 24 significantly restructured schools; (2) the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88), a nationally representative sample of over 10,000 students from grades 8 through 12; (3) the Study of Chicago School Reform, an analysis of survey data from 8,000 teachers and principals in 400 elementary and 40 high schools from 1990-94; and (4) the Longitudinal Study of School Restructuring, 4-year case studies of 8 schools. A conclusion is that the recent education reform movement gives too much attention to changes in school organization that do not directly address the quality of student learning. Student learning can meet high standards if educators and the public give students three kinds of support--teachers who practice authentic pedagogy, schools that strengthen professional community, and supportive external agencies and parents. The following structural conditions can enhance the professional community needed to promote learning of high intellectual quality--shared governance, independent work structures, staff development, deregulation, small school size, and parent involvement. Seven figures and 5 boxes are included. The appendix contains the Center's mission and lists members of its staff and national advisory panel. | [FULL TEXT]

Newsom-Stewart, Mhora; Sutphin, Dean (1994).  Teacher Development for ATP 2000. Project Report 1993-1994. 

Agri Tech Prep 2000 (ATP 2000) is a 4-year tech prep program intended to link high school and postsecondary curricula preparing New York students for careers in agriculture or acceptance into a college program in agriculture. Because teacher development was designated an integral project component for fiscal year 1992-93, a weeklong teacher development program was conducted in cooperation with the State University of New York in summer 1993. The program focused on classroom pedagogy, agricultural concepts, technologies/laboratory methods, core curriculum topics, and agricultural careers. Other inservice objectives were as follows: foster discussion about issues related to secondary-postsecondary articulation of agricultural instruction, establish professional dialogue between agriculture and academic core teachers and between teachers and project administrators, and assess the project and develop plans for future activities. Ten schools sent one or more representatives to the inservice program. Participants also received laboratory teaching kits/materials sufficient to teach a class of 20 secondary students, lesson plans and related instructional materials, and evaluation instruments. Project feedback obtained from written questionnaires and discussions was quite favorable. (Appendixes constituting half this document include the inservice and course program, course materials, presenter evaluations, and a review of week and summary evaluations.) | [FULL TEXT]

Newson, Janice (1999).  Techno-Pedagogy and Disappearing Context.  Academe, 85, 5. 

Pressure is mounting on college faculty to embrace computer-mediated instructional technologies, and some have become enthusiastic promoters. However, knowledgeable educators understand that technology both liberates and limits teaching and learning. Technology is only one of many tools available for shaping education.

Newson, Ron (1992).  Knowles and Montessori: Facilitators of Learning.  Journal of Adult Education, 21, 2. 

Montessori's ideas contradict Knowles' statements about pedagogy but support his idea that andragogy may be appropriate for children in certain circumstances. If the concepts of child and adult are ignored, the theories of Knowles and Montessori sound similar.

Newton, Paul; Driver, Rosalind; Osborne, Jonathan (1999).  The Place of Argumentation in the Pedagogy of School Science.  International Journal of Science Education, 21, 5. 

Examines whether secondary science teachers in England give students opportunities to develop and rehearse the skills of argumentation during their lessons. Finds that classroom discourse was largely teacher-dominated and tended not to foster the reflective discussion of scientific issues. Contains 43 references.

Ng, Roxana, Ed.; And Others (1995).  Anti-Racism, Feminism, and Critical Approaches to Education. Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series. 

This book argues that there has not been sufficient dialog and exchange between various forms of critical approaches to education, such as multicultural and antiracist education, feminist pedagogy, and critical pedagogy. Contributors from the United States and Canada address issues relevant to ethnic and minority groups in light of feminist and critical pedagogical theory in the following discussions: (1) "Multicultural Education, Anti-Racist Education, and Critical Pedagogy: Reflections on Everyday Practice" (Goli Rezai-Rashti); (2) "Multicultural Policy Discourses on Racial Inequality in American Education" (Cameron McCarthy); (3) "Multicultural and Anti-Racist Teacher Education: A Comparison of Canadian and British Experiences in the 1970s and 1980s" (Jon Young); (4) "Warrior as Pedagogue, Pedagogue as Warrior: Reflections on Aboriginal Anti-Racist Pedagogy" (Robert Regnier); (5) "Connecting Racism and Sexism: The Dilemma of Working with Minority Female Students" (Goli Rezai-Rashti); (6) "Aboriginal Teachers as Organic Intellectuals: (Rick Hesch); and (7) "Teaching against the Grain: Contradictions and Possibilities" (Roxana Ng).

Ng, Wendy L., Ed.; Chin, Soo-Young, Ed.; Moy, James S., Ed.; Okihiro, Gary Y., Ed. (1995).  Reviewing Asian America: Locating Diversity. Association for Asian American Studies Series. 

The 18 essays in this collection explore views of Asian American diversity and race relations, and address issues of representation, providing perspectives of academics, writers, and activists. They explore many questions raised by the complex nature of race relations and the relationship of Asian Americans within U.S. society. Although many of the essays touch briefly on education for Asian Americans, several are of particular interest to educators. The first, "Embracing Diversity: A Pedagogy for Introductory Asian American Studies Courses," by Lane Ryo Hirabayashi and Malcolm Collier, is a description of an approach to teaching Asian American studies through paper assignments and panel activities. Three pieces examine some of the strategies used by Asian Americans to achieve voice through literature and to study the cultural expressions of Asian Americans. These are: (1) "Different Silence(s): The Poetics and Politics of Location (Traise Yamaoto); (2) "Claiming Land, Claiming Voice, Claiming Canon: Institutionalized Challenges in Kingston's 'China Men' and 'The Woman Warrior'" (Rachel Lee); and (3) "Trickster Strategies: Challenging American Identity, Community, and Art in Kingston's 'Tripmaster Monkey'" (Sharon Suzuki-Martinez). Two essays consider how Asian American voices will be heard and acknowledged in what is taught to all students: "The Margin at the Center, the Center at the Margins: Acknowledging the Diversity of Asian American Poetry" by David Mura and "The Representation of Asian American Poetry in 'The Heath Anthology of American Literature'" by George Uba. "The State of Asian American Studies in Wisconsin" by Amy Ling and "From Different Shows Again" by Peter N. Kiang explore the condition of Asian American studies in universities east of California. Each chapter contains references.

Nichols, Randall G. (1997).  A Critical Approach To Teaching Educational Technology. 

In this paper, an educational technologist describes his critical approach to using computers in instruction. He discusses his development from high school English teacher to educational technology instructor in a university setting, focusing on people, literature, and films that have shaped his view of technology as well as on his disappointment at how the technological culture has bred repressive attitudes in many of his colleagues. The importance of helping learners understand why they are in school is at the heart of the author's critical theory. This helping students to understand the importance of their education means allowing for student responsibility for self and curriculum; for example, "action projects" that take students beyond the classroom make learning more experiential and authentic. One subject of future research the author advocates is full-scale tracking of disappointments and dangers associated with educational technology: classism, racism, ecological destruction, and changes in beliefs about the goodness of technology in people's lives. Lists of books, video and films and articles used in helping students become technologically literate are included. The syllabus for the author's "Educational Technology: Critical Perspectives" course is included. | [FULL TEXT]

Nickisch, Craig W., Ed. (1998).  Selecta: Journal of the Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages, 1992-1998.  [Selecta: Journal of the Pacific Northwest Council on Languages] 

This journal publishes scholarly articles on all aspects of language pedagogy, linguistics, foreign cultures and languages, and comparative, classical, and foreign (Asian, French, German, Italian, Luso-Brazilian, Scandinavian, Slavic, Spanish, and Spanish American) literatures. It is published annually, based exclusively on a representative number of papers given at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Council on Languages. | [FULL TEXT]

Nicoll, Barbara (1996).  Developing Minds: Critical Thinking in K-3. 

In order to promote critical thinking in young children, particularly children ages 5-8, teachers need to understand skills and dispositions of critical thinkers. This paper discusses these skills, dispositions, and the appropriate classroom climate, within the context of pedagogy, along with learning activities for kindergarten and primary classrooms. Piaget's concept of autonomy is asserted as an important aspect of critical thinking, and the development of thinking skills is compared to the development of language in children. Developmentally appropriate practices are useful for incorporating thinking skills and dispositions into the curriculum. A list of skills and sub-skills necessary for adult critical thinking is given, along with a discussion of appropriateness for emphasis with young children, including the following: (1) interpretation; (2) analysis; (3) evaluation; (4) inference; (5) explanation; and (6) self-regulation. To emphasize these skills appropriately, teachers of young children should emphasize and model the following dispositions: (1) curiosity; (2) open-mindedness; (3) fair-mindedness; (4) flexibility; (5) organization; (6) understanding of other points of view; and (7) emotional maturity. Teaching techniques best suited for promoting critical thinking are also discussed, including: (1) developing questions; (2) teaching problem solving; (3) teaching conflict resolution; (4) using cooperative groups; and (5) developing a dramatic play corner. Contains nine references and a six-item list of additional helpful materials. | [FULL TEXT]

Nieto, Sonia (1999).  The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities. Multicultural Education Series. 

This book focuses on ways teachers can modify their teaching in order to increase the academic achievement of students from the racial and ethnic groups that are experiencing massive failure in U.S. schools, and consequently in society. Modifying instruction to improve the academic achievement of African American and Latino students will benefit all students because underachievement exists within all segments of the school population. The chapters are: (1) "Learning, the Social Context, and Multicultural Education"; (2) "Learning and Inequality"; (3) "Culture and Learning"; (4) "Who Does the Accommodating? Institutional Transformation To Promote Learning"; (5) "Critical Pedagogy, Empowerment, and Learning"; (6) "The Personal and Collective Transformation of Teachers"; and (7)"Creating Learning Communities: Implications for Multicultural Education."

Nihlen, Ann S. (1992).  Schools as Centers for Reflection and Inquiry: Research for Teacher Empowerment. 

This paper describes an ongoing case study of how a group of teachers are becoming researchers and what this means for their classrooms and the professional development school where they work. A collaborative teacher development program was implemented in Dickinson Elementary School of Albuquerque (New Mexico) which serves a mobile and mixed ethnic community. In phase 1, a group of teachers in the school worked with graduate students enrolled in a university ethnography class to formulate research questions and to engage in ethnographic inquiry. In the second phase, a collaborative, onsite course was taught at the school that helped teachers use qualitative research methods in their classrooms. A year-round professional development school is now in place. Findings indicate that teachers learning to be researchers: learn to see research as praxis and develop their understandings of the world; learn the language of research and critical analysis; and develop true collaborative relationships. The next step is to understand how subordinate student groups are silenced in their schools. University professors in colleges of education must join with school teachers in rethinking and reforming the pedagogy in teacher education programs which has promoted an ideology of teachers as technocrats and public servants. They must begin to be seen as active, reflective scholars and empowered practitioners in their school. | [FULL TEXT]

Niles, T. A. (1995).  Communication Theory and Identity: From Social Psychological Roots to the Bearing of Fruit in Communication Pedagogy and Research. 

Presented with the task of tracing a bidirectional path which connects the discipline of communication with another social science discipline, there is little difficulty in tracing extradisciplinary influences to communication, but the same cannot be said for the tracing of communication influences to another discipline. Many scholars have documented the uni-directional flow of information and findings into, but not out of, the field of communication. The field of communication has been multidisciplinary from the beginning. Social psychology is one discipline that offers many points of intersection with communication concerning identity and intergroup relations. Social psychology is the branch of psychology where group processes and individual processes come together, particularly the relationships between self/personality/identity and group interaction. SIT (Social Identity Theory), URT (Uncertainty Reduction Theory) and CAT (Communication Accommodation Theory) are 3 social psychological theories that have had a significant influence on the study of communication. In turn, the work of communication scholars on CAT has contributed to issues of identity in a manner applicable to social psychology. There are still other proposed communication theories that may yet have influence. CAT has led the way to a more reciprocal flow of influence between communication and social psychology in the area where identity and intergroup interaction intersect. | [FULL TEXT]

Nilsson, Stellan (1997).  Understandability of Narratives in Annual Reports.  Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 27, 4. 

Shows problems in the communication process between preparers and users of financial reports. Uses test techniques from linguistics and pedagogy (here, the cloze technique) to investigate two Swedish financial reports' understandability. Finds important parts of the reports were not understood by small investors.

Nisbet, John (1999).  How It All Began: Educational Research 1880-1930.  Scottish Educational Review, 31, 1. 

Traces the history of experimental educational research, based on application of the scientific method to pedagogy. Highlights the beginnings of educational research in German studies of psychology and child development; U.S. development of standardized tests and research-based administration; and European experimental studies. Discusses the rivalry in Scotland between school-based and more formal research styles.

Nixon, Helen; Wilkinson, Lyn (1994).  Reframing Literacy and Disadvantage: Empowering the Student Teacher. 

A project was undertaken at the University of South Australia to improve the understandings of tertiary lecturers and student teachers about disadvantaged schools as contexts for literacy pedagogy. The project conducted seminars and workshops on the nature of the relationship among literacy, poverty, and education. The project resulted in development of three videos titled "Literacy, Poverty and Schooling"; "Becoming a Literacy Teacher in a Diverse Community"; and "Teaching Literacy in Disadvantaged Schools." The videos focus on whole school structures that support literacy development and on teachers and student teachers planning, teaching, and debriefing literacy events. The videos highlight the different values and attitudes held towards some of the matters raised, for example use of the term "disadvantaged" versus "different." Specific content of each of the three videos is explained, and plans for three additional videos are described. Problems with involving student teachers in the project are discussed. For example, the students did not have the understandings or "lenses" that the research team members had, which caused concerns about "putting words in their mouths." Also, student teachers had little time to be involved in making the videos. | [FULL TEXT]

Noble, Michael (1997).  A Post-It-Note Pedagogy: Investigating the "petit recit" in an Emergent Model of the Writing Process. 

Perhaps writing is equated with process. But, there are too many complicating factors that make it difficult to evaluate the success or failure of prewriting and drafting assignments--the process and the value of each step is different for each individual. By teaching students to recognize the cultural contingencies of textuality, the status of the student essay as a neutral "product" is undermined because of the heterogeneity and multiplicity of social, sexual, historical, and economic interactions that are not always visible in the writing process. Teaching against the process benefits students because it performs the dual function of pulling out what they already know about writing while simultaneously critiquing the process that for many students has become too "cliched." Writing can be experienced as an "emergence," as in the open model developed by Chris Langton, a complexity theorist engaged at the Santa Fe Institute which observes complexity in a range of disciplines. Post-It Notes can be used as a means of demonstrating the function of the chaotic in creativity, placed in books, on the periphery of a computer screen, on papers being written, to signify hunches and potentialities rather than ordered ideas. As a critique of process, Post-Its (the "petit recits"--the little narrative) achieve a reprocessing and a remembering that is non-linear because they maintain presence through their instability and because their material ontology prevents assimilation into the evolving meta-structures. | [FULL TEXT]

Noddings, Nel (1998).  Teachers and Subject Matter Knowledge.  Teacher Education Quarterly, 25, 4. 

Many teachers are not adequately prepared in the subject matter they will be teaching. The paper discusses how teachers' colleges once prepared teachers by integrating subject matter and pedagogy. It suggests ways to construct powerful, holistic undergraduate courses of study for math majors who are planning to teach, noting that the plan could be applied to other subject areas.

Nolan, Robert E., Comp.; Chelesvig, Heath, Comp. (1997).  Annual Adult Education Research Conference Proceedings (38th, Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 16-18, 1997). 

The following are among 50 papers included: "The Politics of Planning Culturally Relevant AIDS Education for African-American Women" (Archie-Booker); "Developing White Consciousness through a Transformative Learning Process" (Barlas); "Executive Businesswomen's Learning in the Context of Organizational Culture" (Bierma); "The Myth of the Universal Adult Educator" (Brown); "Interactions in Distance Education" (Burnham, Walden); "Women's Experience of Academic Collaboration" (Clark, Watson); "Measurement of Participation in Adult Education" (Collins, Brick, Kim); "Learning Strategies in the Corporate Setting" (Conti, Kolody, Schneider); "Learning within a Social Movement" (Cunningham, Curry); "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's GED (General Educational Development) Graduates' Progress" (Dean); "Orchestration of Learning Style Differences and Other Variables in an Action Learning Experience" (Dilworth); "An Exploratory Study of the Social and Personal Dynamics that Deter Underserved Women from Participating in Adult Education Activities" (Hall, Donaldson); "Researching Professional Practice" (Donaldson, Kuhne); "Critical Thinking, Developmental Learning, and Adaptive Flexibility in Organizational Leaders" (Duchesne); "Participant Perceptions of Residential Learning" (Fleming); "Identification of the Workplace Basic Skills Necessary for Effective Job Performance by Entry-Level Workers in Small Businesses in Oklahoma" (Harris); "Participation and Retention Factors Relating to Black Reentry Graduate and Undergraduate Women in the College of Education" (Johnson-Bailey, Brown); "Factors that Affect the Epistemology of Group Learning" (Marsick, Kasl); "Radical Pedagogy in Action" (Kaufmann); "How Adult Experience as a Supervising Decision-Maker Can Inhibit Learning" (Lauderdale); "Academic vs. Integrated Functional-Context Literacy Programs" (Martin); "Voluntary Organizations and Nonformal Adult Education in Hungary" (Pandak); "A Sociocultural Perspective of Knowing" (Reybold); "Knowledge as 'Quality Non-Conformance'" (Schied et al.); "A Replication Study of the Attitudes of Selected Academics and Decision-Makers towards Adult Students" (Smeby, Sisco); "The Effectiveness of Total Quality Management" (Smith, Lewis); "Doing Cross-Cultural Research in Adult Education" (Sparks); "Adult Education On-Line" (Spencer); "Synergic Inquiry" (Tang); "Implicit Memory and Transformative Learning Theory" (Taylor); "Innovation as Knowledge and Learning" (Taylor); "Teaching across Borders" (Tisdell, Perry); and "Beyond Disciplinary Consumption in Program Planning Classes" (Wilson, Cervero). | [FULL TEXT]

Norbeck, Jane S., Ed.; Connolly, Charlene, Ed.; Koerner, JoEllen, Ed. (1998).  Caring and Community: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Nursing. AAHE's Series on Service-Learning in the Disciplines. 

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. These essays focus on nursing, examining partnerships between education and service, nurse and person, and profession and community. Chapters describe both theoretical and experiential ways in which nursing has begun to incorporate service-learning as a methodology in many diverse settings and with many communities of interest. Following the Introduction by Jane S. Norbeck, Charlene Connolly, and Jo Ellen Koerner, three theoretical essays include: "Humanistic Learning in the Context of Service: The Liberal Arts in Nursing Education" (Jean E. Bartels); "Preparing Nurses for Roles That Will Improve Community Health: Two National Programs Enhance Relationships between Providers and Educators" (Mary Kay Kohles, Maryalice Jordan-Marsh, and Margaret T. McNally); and "Service Education Partnerships Create Community Service-Learning Opportunities in a Rural Region" (Sharon P. Aadalen, Mary Kay Hohenstein, Mary I. Huntley, and Annette J. McBeth). Seven essays on classroom applications follow, including: "Service-Learning as a Pedagogy in Nursing" (Elaine Cohen, Susan Johnson, Lois Nelson, and Connie Peterson); "Case Study of a Service-Learning Project in a Nurse-Managed Clinic for Homeless and Indigent Individuals" (Carol L. Macnee, Deborah H. White, and Jean C. Hemphill); "A Case Study in Service-Learning Using a Collaborative Community-Based Caring Model" (Evelyn C. Atchison and Patricia A. Tumminia); "Community Empowerment through Service-Learning" (Leanne C. Busby, Cathy Taylor, and Linda Norman); "Nursing Clinical Education in an Urban Public School System" (Donna Miles Curry, Kimberley X. Hickok, and Kate Cauley); "The Community as Classroom: Service-Learning in Tillery, North Carolina" (Nina P. Shah and Mary A. Glascoff); and "Service-Learning Lessons from the Chambered Nautilus" (Evelyn D. Quigley, Betty Sayers, and Ruth Hanson). Sets of samples syllabi and assignments are provided for four of the essays. A 65-item annotated bibliography, organized by topic, and a list of practitioners is appended. (All papers contain references.) | [FULL TEXT]

Norquay, Naomi (1999).  Social Difference and the Problem of the "Unique Individual": An Uneasy Legacy of Child-Centered Pedagogy.  Canadian Journal of Education, 24, 2. 

Explored how the discourse of child-centered pedagogy both shapes and limits how teachers talk about issues of social difference in their teaching practice through the experiences of four inner-city elementary school teachers in Canada. Considers the concept of the child as a unique individual and the teacher as a neutral change agent in relation to whiteness and white privilege.

Norton, Marian; Falk, Ian (1992).  Adults and Reading Disability: A New Field of Inquiry.  International Journal of Disability. 

This paper describes adult literacy pedagogy and philosophy in Australia and reports on two studies of adult reading disabilities. The first study, with 102 asthma patients, showed important differences among different tests of reading comprehension. The second study, using 11 case studies, indicated the need to integrate adult literacy instruction with the learner's life situation.

_____. (1996).  Notes on Literacy, Vols. 21 and 22. 

The eight issues of the journal on literacy and literacy education contain papers on: a research project on transitional education; passive literacy among the Cheyenne; constructing a syllabus using the Gudschinsky method (in French); trends in literacy education; "indiginizing" punctuation marks; literacy acquisition among Peruvian Amazon communities; an experiment in Mayan poetry; grassroots literacy curriculum development for elementary schools; management of a community literacy and development program; perceptions of language and literacy; tone orthography and pedagogy; the lasting impact of literacy; genre-based approach to literacy; transition literacy in sub-Saharan Africa; Summer Institute of Linguistics and Bilingual Education in Peru; impact of literacy on women and development in South Asia; women's education in developing countries; an adult literacy program in northwestern Zaire; visual-auditory-tactile-kinesthetic integration; culturally-embedded literacy among the Fulani; a literacy program management training initiative in eastern Africa; Bhola's total literacy system; sheltered instruction for language minority populations; linking literacy and development; perceptions of eastern Indonesian community leaders concerning vernacular reading needs for development; orthography testing in Botswana; reading long words; biliteracy in rural settings; literacy in Africa; reading skills and attitudes; literacy on the Cavasi reservation; and Natgqu orthography. | [FULL TEXT]

Nover, Stephen M.; Andrews, Jean F. (1999).  Critical Pedagogy in Deaf Education: Bilingual Methodology and Staff Development. USDLC Star Schools Project Report No. 2. Year Two, 1998-1999. 

The New Mexico School for the Deaf, Santa Fe, was awarded a five-year federal grant to improve language teaching practices of teachers working with children who are deaf by using current bilingual theories and pedagogical techniques, including "engaged learning" practices and educational technology. The project developed and refined the American Sign Language (ASL)/English Bilingual Staff Development Model for practicing K-12 teachers in five state residential schools for students with deafness. This report discusses activities and outcomes of year two of the five-year project. The first section of the report discusses the theoretical framework of the ASL/English Bilingual Staff Development Model. Section 2 describes the project's activities, including a technology plan for the next three years. Sections 3 and 4 discuss significant findings of three of the residential schools' teacher reflective logs, and conclude with excerpts of teachers' comments. Section 5 examines and discusses the significant issues of the complexity of assessing language of students with deafness, and describes assessment instruments such as signing attitude and reading and writing attitude surveys. It also discusses the assessment instruments for project teachers. The last section describes the family computer loan program. Appendices include further information on the ASL/English Bilingual Staff Development Model. | [FULL TEXT]

Nover, Stephen M.; Cheng, Li-Rong Lilly; Christensen, Kathee M. (1998).  Development of ASL and English Competence for Learners Who Are Deaf.  Topics in Language Disorders, 18, 4. 

Suggests the need for a new profession called sign pathology to help deaf children who experience difficulty in acquiring a signed language. It offers a framework for the development of professional sign language pathologists, while differentiating between disorders related to signed language acquisition and bilingual language pedagogy for deaf learners.

Novick, Rebecca (1996).  Actual Schools, Possible Practices: New Directions in Professional Development.  Education Policy Analysis Archives, 4, 14. 

Argues that effective staff development for teachers should be tied to the daily classroom life and grounded in the concerns and questions of teachers. Discusses a theory of pedagogy that advocates teaching for understanding and a model of staff development based on practical knowledge and critical reflections.

Nowell, Linda (1992).  Rethinking the Classroom: A Community of Inquiry. 

This paper examines the context from which educational reform is approached and suggests that rather than restructuring the traditional educational model, rethinking that model might be more appropriate, particularly the model of the classroom. Drawing throughout on insights from the writings of John Dewey and John Goodlad, the paper has a threefold focus: the classroom as a community of inquiry, differences between a community of inquiry and the traditional classroom, and how a community of inquiry develops an individual's ability to think critically. The distinguishing characteristic of a community of inquiry is recognition of the student as an active participant in his/her learning, working cooperatively with other members of the community who question each other and urge each other to push deeper and harder into issues. The traditional model finds education primarily concerned with the accumulation of information passed from teacher to student, with knowledge presented as something that accurately mirrors the world and can be transmitted clearly and precisely from one individual to another. In a community of inquiry, knowledge is seen as something emerging from the dialogue. Reform efforts require reflection upon practice within the context of students' lives, and teachers must ask themselves whether the pedagogy they are using promotes the status quo or is a practice by which individuals learn to deal critically and creatively with their experiences. | [FULL TEXT]

Ntiri, Daphne W., Ed. (1999).  Pedagogy for Adult Learners: Methods and Strategies. Models for Adult and Lifelong Learning. 

This monograph deals with some issues of how adults learn and ways to enhance teaching, thereby increasing adults' learning gains. The issues are the gaps between theory and practice, participation and retention, and methods and strategies, and the perennial debate about literacy's multiple meanings and their implications. "Participation and Retention Concerns of Black Women Adult Learners" (Juanita Johnson-Bailey) addresses the support and sensitivity to cultural factors that help African Americans continue their education. "Methods for Developing Literacy in Urban Community Colleges" (Carol S. Chadwick) proposes ways to improve reading and writing skills through practice tips for teachers and provides a step-by-step approach with helpful hints to students from narrative and expository standpoints. "Adult Readers' Metacognitive Strategies: Theory and Practice" (Mary Lee Field) argues, with a focus on metacognitive strategies, that students become more adept and competent at skilled reading when epistemological considerations are in place. "African American English as an Instructional Resource for Teachers of African American Adults" (Talmadge C. Guy) continues theme of reading and writing in literacy education to promote racial advancement and pushes for culturally relevant education in adult literacy classrooms that include bi-dialectal instruction to reduce the sense of threat (from the language perspective) to their personal and community identity. Each paper contains references. | [FULL TEXT]

Nunan, David; Keobke, Ken (1995).  Task Difficulty from the Learner's Perspective: Perceptions and Reality.  [Hong Kong Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching] 

This paper explored task difficulty from the perspective of the learner. It investigated the relationship between student perception of task difficulty and actual difficulty as measured by successful completion of a task. The study also collected information on those factors identified by students themselves as implicated in task difficulty. Subjects were 35, first-year, undergraduate, Cantonese-speaking students undertaking a Higher Diploma in Banking and Finance at City University of Hong Kong who estimated the difficulty of a series of tasks, completed the tasks in two classroom sessions, and then provided their views on the reasons for the difficulty of the tasks. Results indicate that student perceptions of task difficulty and actual difficulty as measured by successful performance on the task is low. Student difficulty was expressed by lack of familiarity with task types, confusion over task purpose, and impact and extent of cultural knowledge upon task completion. Findings provide support for those who call for the incorporation of learner strategy training in language pedagogy, especially in courses that attempt to introduce students to new ways of going about the learning process. Appendixes present tasks and student responses to tasks.   | [FULL TEXT]