Reports on an innovative program for providing daily 10-minute Latin classes to 12,000 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District. Describes a typical class, objectives of the program, and the instructional principles followed. (PGD)

Nursing students with learning disabilities can be accommodated with flexible teaching strategies without lowering educational standards. (JOW)

Reports that 51 elementary teachers in this in-service training program improved in their attitudes toward children, teaching, and interpersonal relationships. (This study is based upon a doctoral dissertation completed at the University of California at Los Angeles.) (DR)

Provides an overview of the methods and content of philosophical analyses of the concept of teaching. Contrasts selected analyses by Hirst and Komisar to show how different conclusions about teaching can be reached. Comments on the relevance of conceptual analyses to instructional practice. (DMM)

Offered are suggestions to teachers for introducing improvisation into the classroom. Improvisational activities include movement, vocal, and related arts projects. (KC)

This paper first identifies four assumptions that it argues underlie special education and then suggests there are 10 ideas that undermine special education, including: (1) structured curricula impede true learning; (2) teaching discrete skills trivializes education and ignores the whole child; (3) students must be internally motivated to learn;…

This article describes the philosophical underpinnings of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for children with autism. It discusses the three interrelated levels of behavior analysis (technology, science, and philosophy), and the three pillars of behavioral philosophy: empiricism, pragmatism, and selectionism. The amelioration, rather than…

This paper presents an overview of the Direct Instruction principles and guidelines that define general-case programing and then reviews recent research findings related to general-case instruction with learners with severe disabilities. (Author/DB)

Describes how three groups of educators (in a medical school, a psychology department, and a journalism school) are helping instructors and students to recognize, manage, and use ignorance to promote learning. (SR)

To improve professional practice, educators need sound principles about how learning works to guide their pedagogical decisions, actions, policies, and practices. Such principles as teaching for fluent and flexible transfer, incorporating big ideas that connect isolated facts, and providing user-friendly feedback make learning meaningful for…

The problem of integrating technology into teaching and learning process has become a perennial one. Common excuses for the limited use of technology to support instruction include shortage of computers, lack of computer skill and computer intimidation. While these could affect the success of technology integration, it should be acknowledged that…

To keep students motivated, the author outlines several principles for developing listening comprehension lessons. When learners focus on a clear learning objective, retention improves. Other recommendations include keeping the same topic and objective for several activities and selecting relevant, authentic material with a clear layout and…

Based on a review of instructional design models, previous papers identified first principles of instruction. These principles prescribe a cycle of instruction consisting of activation, demonstration, application, and integration. These instructional phases are best implemented in the context of real-world tasks. A Pebble-in-the-Pond approach to…

Using Vygotsky's notion of double stimulation as an analytical tool, we discuss the complex relationship between tasks, tools, and agency in CSCL environments. Empirically we examine how learners in a Norwegian senior high school class learning English as a foreign language approach and respond to an open-ended and collectively oriented task using…

In an educational context, local, ecologically valid tests can reflect the use of literacy and thinking tools. These tests present a challenge to central, content-focused, high-stakes testing, and to transmission approaches to teaching. They require teachers to accept knowledge as a verb, and to design assessment protocols that reflect…