The American Indian Gifted and Talented Assessment Model has as its goal the appropriate, fair, and thorough assessment of gifted and talented Indian students. The model stresses the need to augment standardized instruments with measures that consider individual ability and needs. (CB)

Summarizes the results of a project to make a class of learning disabled ninth graders aware of their individual learning styles. This seemed to increase their self-esteem and thus they worked according to their strengths and their grades improved. (NKA)

This brief outlines nine leading research-based concepts that have served as a foundation for education reform. It compares existing ideas about learning, knowledge, and teaching with conceptual benchmarks for "best practice" that would be consistent with current research. The goal is to foster inquiry and support fundamental, long-term…

This special issue of the Mensa Research Journal contains four papers written by K. Warner Schaie, a psychologist who focuses on psychological development from young adulthood through old age. The first paper is "Living with Gerontology." In it, Schaie recounts his own childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, his path to becoming a…

Examines the shift in the theoretical basis of learning from a behavioral theory to a cognitive theory, exploring implications of the shift for educational practice. Compares behavioral and cognitive theories in relation to educational goals/objectives, individual differences, instructional strategies, learner motivation, and learner…

Describes aspects of Guided Design, a recent instructional strategy designed to teach process skills, in which students engage in the decision-making process to devise solutions for a series of open-ended problems. (CS)

An Indianapolis magnet middle school is successfully using mental models and multiple intelligences theory to guide collaborative professional development and equitable education. A curriculum originally developed for gifted and talented students is now accessible to all students. The program draws upon students' individual strengths across all…

Describes the implementation of two graduate courses in education where doctoral students completed their major assignments as multimedia projects rather than as written papers. Discusses affordable software; minimal in-class time; personalized feedback; parsimony; personalization; individual differences; interactivity; student motivation; and…

Provides background information and basic options of Didascalia, a computer-assisted language learning center at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) in the domain of language methodology and technology. (CK)

Discusses the development of the Adaptive Testing Linguistic Achievement Significance (ATLAS) test used to evaluate second language proficiency of Belgian civil servants. Notes that testers encountered various problems caused by the complexity of language, the difference in background of the candidates and the absence of official objective test…

Presents a former family day care provider's reflections on preschool teaching priorities. Priorities include teaching flexibility and creativity, acceptance of one's own and others' vulnerability, valuing of each other's individuality, and development of empathy. (BB)

Examines the history of curriculum development at Brooklyn College (New York) in order to show that a coherent general education requirement is most likely to address the problem of student diversity. Suggests this core curriculum can be replicated at other institutions. Emphasizes the need for sustained faculty development. (KO)

Two case studies examined the relationship between preschool teachers' educational level and their interactions with students. Subjects were two preschool teachers with degrees and three without. Specific similarities and differences among the teachers support the need for instruction in developmentally appropriate practices for adults who work…

Describes the Cooperative Extension Water Watchers Program (Washington) that brings together participants from diverse backgrounds, introduces them to environmental and natural history topics, encourages discussion of "hot" issues, and concludes with participants volunteering in environmental projects. The program is successful because…

The "Armstrong Diagnostic and Prescriptive Technique" of curriculum modification involves modifying the curriculum, first, to accommodate the shared learning characteristics of gifted students and, second, to accommodate individual differences. Use of the technique and checklist are illustrated by a case study. (DB)