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I am truly excited about my opportunity to edit Communication Teacher. This practical resource is one of the association's most widely distributed journals, which is read by teachers at all levels in this country and abroad. I consider it a real privilege to serve as the 2008-2011 editor. I'd like to use my space here to alert you to a few changes in the journal and explain why they are being made.
As always, the journal will continue to publish original teaching activities. As in the past, new teachers can learn about effective strategies for engaging students and veteran teachers can discover new ways to approach their curriculum. This remains the primary feature of the journal and I will do my best to make sure that the teaching ideas published during my tenure are relevant, clearly explained, and truly innovative.
I would like to call your attention to two types of original teaching activities. One type is an activity that can be completed during a portion of one class period. These activities provide students opportunities to engage actively in learning about a course concept. The second type is a longer activity that might engage students throughout a unit or the semester. These activities help readers envision new ways to approach their courses, ways that encourage deeper levels of experiential learning and critical thinking.
Second, I am committed to expanding Communication Teacher to include articles focused on the assessment of learning. As you peruse this issue, you will notice a new section entitled, "Educational Assessment." For more than a decade now, communication teacher-scholars have been employing rigorous methods to assess our instructional practices. We have been sharing our research results with campus administrators in the form of annual assessment reports and using what we learn to improve the way we approach the curriculum. Sometimes we also share our findings with colleagues in the form of conference papers. Finding appropriate outlets for this research, however, can be difficult. Communication Teacher, a journal whose target audience is comprised of practicing teachers, is ideally suited for this purpose.
These educational assessment articles will prove valuable to the readers of Communication Teacher in two important ways. First, readers will be afforded an opportunity to modify classroom practices based on the conclusions published in these articles. Second, readers can use these studies as models for conducting similar assessment studies in your own departments. Sometimes, it can be difficult to design a rigorous assessment method. These articles can provide an ideal starting point for doing so with your own curriculum.
Before I close, I'd like to thank those who have agreed to serve on my editorial review board. Good reviewers are crucial to publishing good articles and, thus, a valuable journal. I am blessed to have a wonderful group of reviewers working with me to make Communication Teacher an exceptional resource for teacher-scholars in this country and abroad. Finally, a special thank you goes to my editorial assistant, Liliana Herakova, who does so much to keep the journal on task and on time. Thank you Lily. I appreciate your work so much!
Deanna Sellnow, Editor