Programs,materials and techniques

Abstract

Much of my effort in this year's columns has been to consider areas where special attention is needed in order to improve the state of programs, materials, and techniques. This month's column focuses on the controversial topic of teacher evaluation. Carole Urbansok, an educational psychologist, briefly describes several of the checklists used at the University of Toledo College of Education to develop and evaluate certain competencies generally useful in learning disabilities. Editorial comment then describes some of the major political and practical blocks to serious efforts at the evaluation of teacher competence, and further makes several modest recommendations to the field. Hopefully, we will be hearing more about the content and methodology of teacher evaluation in the coming year.

Two reviews are also presented for teachers, parents, and for teacher-educators. The first, Dorothy Hennings' Smiles, Nods, and Pauses, stresses the role of nonvocal communication in human affairs. The second, Charles Duke's Creative Dramatics and English Teaching, is an excellent text-resource book that provides a practical introduction to the various drama activities and drama-related techniques that can be used in the learning process. Both books suggest a wealth of additional resources for further study.