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This study focused on identifying learning difficulties with a view to incorporating both understanding of those difficulties and methods for minimizing or neutralizing them in multicultural classroom settings. Discussion gives guidelines for teachers to use in analyzing student concepts and approaches to learning, particularly in the question-and-answer format. (Contains 56 references.) (CNP)

This volume compiles Spanish translations of seven articles on different aspects of Science, Technology and Society Education. The papers, originally written in English, were used during the first in-service training seminar for high school science teachers, which took place in Mayaguez under (Puerto Rico) joint sponsorship of the National Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Network, the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. Original English titles and authors of the papers translated are: (1) "The ABC's of Science, Technology and Society" by Rustum Roy and Leonard Waks; (2) "STS Developments Across the World" by William F. Williams; (3) "The Emergence of a New Synthesis for Biology Education" by Paul deHart Hurd; (4) "The Responsibility Cycle" by Leonard Waks; (5) "Identifying STS Issues and Themes: Some Conceptual Tools" by Margarita Pena Borrero and Leonard Waks; (6) "Developing an STS Thematic Unit" by Frederick Staley; and (7) "School-Community Relations for Ethics and Values in STS Education" by Leonard Walls. (Author)

This paper explains that materials on the teaching of Latin-American literature are sparse, even though most researchers in the field will dedicate much of their time to teaching. The paper adds that, in scholarly journals, little attention is given to teaching literature, and the topic is also absent from most academic congresses. The paper then considers teaching methods, and when certain subjects and topics should be taught, i.e., whether on undergraduate, master's, or doctoral level. It discusses the Latin-American literary canon and the organization of the various available literary histories elaborated by individual authors during the past 25 years--these histories number 34. The paper focuses on general works but also includes works on specific aspects of the Latin-American narrative. According to the paper, most histories are elaborated in one of 5 ways: by periods and literary technique; by generations; narrative as a search for cultural identity; analysis of specific texts; and reader response and interpretation. The paper considers the histories by diachronic and synchronic perspectives--diachronic being those organized by countries, authors, generations, cycles, etc.; synchronic being those organized by identity and mask, narrative structure, short story theory, etc. The paper also discusses narrative literature which is viewed as marginal to the canon, such as that written by women, epistolar narrative, ultra-short stories, and that produced by Hispanic Americans. The paper concludes by suggesting some teaching techniques. Contains 35 references and an appended history of Mexican narrative in the 20th century. (NKA)

This English-Spanish language report includes the rationale for creating an assessment model for Spanish writing, offering an overview of the components of high quality assessment for any subject area, particularly Spanish writing. It presents the characteristics of effective Spanish writing, rubrics for scoring student performance based on the characteristics, and student writing samples (all from the work of bilingual and English as a Second Language teachers in the field). The 13 sections look at the following: "Introduction"; "Changing Demographics"; "The History of Bilingual Education"; "The Benefits of Spanish Language Instruction"; "Characteristics of High-Quality Assessment"; "Assessment Options for Spanish Speaking ELLs"; "A Better Option: Dual Assessment Development";"The Traits of Effective Spanish Writing: Las caracteristicas"; "How the Spanish Traits Relate to the English 6+1 Traits"; "Rubricas para la evaluacion"; "Student Writing Samples" (tema e ideas, organizacion, tono y estilo, uso del lenguaje, fluidez, and gramatica y ortografia); "Classroom Applications and Strategies for Teaching Spanish Writing"; and "Conclusion." The appendixes present scoring guides for sample papers and project methodology. (Contains 125 references.) (SM)

This paper examines the importance of hands for the person who is deafblind, reviews hand development, and identifies specific teaching skills that facilitate hand development and expressiveness in persons who are deafblind. It notes that the hands of a deafblind individual serve not only as tools but also as sense organs (to compensate for their missing vision and hearing) and as the primary means of expression. The literature is reviewed on the role of hands in early development in general, hand development in the child who is blind, hand development in the child who is deaf, and hand development in the child who is deafblind. Among 13 suggested teaching strategies are: (1) watch and/or touch the individual's hands and learn to read them; (2) use the teacher's hand under the child's hand to respond to exploration, to initiate topics, and to express feeling; (3) make your hands available for the child to use as he/she wishes; (4) play interactive hand games frequently; (5) make environmental provisions to encourage hand activity; (6) invite the child who is deafblind to have frequent tactual access to the environment; (7) make language accessible to the hands of the person who is deafblind; and (8) become aware of your own hands as carriers of feelings and pragmatic functions. An "afterword" by Harlan Lane suggests that people with deafblindness can teach others how to channel information through the tactile sense. (CR)

Presented is an overview of some specific schemes that have been used successfully by teachers throughout New York State to strengthen basic mathematics skills. Components offer ideas that have been successful with primary, intermediate, and secondary students. The contents of this Spanish language edition are identical to the English language and other foreign language editions. In addition to the Foreword, there are sections on: (1) Some Brief Observations About Strengthening Mathematics Skills; (2) The Balanced Mathematics Program; (3) "Par"--Puzzles+Arithmetic=Remediation; (4) Regrouping in Subtraction; (5) Money Games; (6) A Visual Sequence for Teaching Fractions; (7) A Space to Carry in Simple Addition and Multiplication Examples; (8) Grid Paper Computation; (9) The Need for Math Reading Skills; (10) A Structural Approach to Multiplication; (11) The Electronic Calculator in Remedial Mathematics; (12) Nature's Mathematics; and (13) Additional Teacher Designed Ideas. (MP)

This guide in Spanish provides performance criteria for evaluating the foreign language teacher. It provides an outline for analyzing the teacher's actions and teaching methods in the classroom. Through the evaluation by an outsider, the teacher can learn his or her faults in the views of others and can improve on them. The aspects to be analyzed include: (1) personal qualitites; (2) the lesson plan; (3) the organization of the classroom; and (4) techniques for teaching pronunciation, presenting new material, teaching culture, vocabulary, texts, and assigning homework. Instructions for doing the evaluation include: (1) methods for recording and tabulating data, (2) interpreting the results, and (3) communicating the results to the teacher. The evaluation sheets are appended. (NCR)

Two social studies units highlight the origins and structure of government and the legislative activities of the United States government in particular. The units are part of a program designed to help 12th grade and adult education social studies teachers develop bilingual curriculum materials (English and Spanish languages) related to systems of government. The first unit, "An Idea Becomes a Law," describes how laws are passed in a democracy, contrasts this process with the creation of laws in a dictatorship, and cites the variety of individuals involved in a bill's passage. The second unit, "The State, Forms of Government, and Political Systems," explores the origins of government and provides examples of different types of government. For each unit, information is presented on background, primary idea, behavioral objectives, entry skills, and notes to the students about what they can expect to do and learn from working on the unit. Also presented for each unit are glossaries of political terms, tests, and answer keys. Students are involved in reading background material, answering essay and brief-answer questions in writing, filling in worksheets, taking true and false tests, and completing matching exercises. All materials are presented in both English and Spanish. (DB)