Education Commons^™

Teaching For Educated Children, Jane Ericson

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Considering the question, "What are the qualities of an educated child?" has been both a personal and professional journey for me. That question was what I sought to answer nearly a year ago and have been thinking about ever since. Through this paper I intend, not just to share any conclusions I have reached, but also describe the thinking process I went through to get there. Actually, the process may have been more significant than the end. I believe that it has been a worthwhile topic to investigate, helping me to grow as I complete my own formal education and …

The Benefits Of Using "Community" In The Elementary Classroom, Rodney Edgerton Lyons

Graduate Research Papers

The traditional teaching approach used in most American elementary schools, where the classroom teacher makes all the decisions and the conventional student is instructed to focus individual energies on assigned seatwork and ignore those who are around him or her, has become an ineffective model.

Researchers and certain educators believe that the use of "community" in the classroom will create environments where children care about one another and about learning, where students work harder, achieve more, where warm, supportive relationships are given birth -- enabling students to risk the new ideas and mistakes so critical to intellectual growth. As a …