Discusses variables in the systematic decision-making process for selecting appropriate reading media for students with visual impairments. The article describes a two-phase process for selecting print or braille media. It examines an objective procedure for determining the relative effectiveness of print media, illustrating the procedure with…

The University of Kansas experience in applying Total Quality Management methods illustrates how use of flow charts can reduce substantially the time spent on a complex data-collection and reporting process. Although flow chart construction can be time-consuming, it is a systematic way to uncover sensible solutions with significant payoffs. (MSE)

Describes library services that are offered at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), which is located at the University of California at San Diego. Topics discussed include the user population; online searching; microcomputer use; electronic networks; current awareness programs; library catalogs; and the slide collection. A sidebar outlines…

Contends that posters can be a powerful teaching tool in history courses. Discusses the definition, history, and development of posters. Provides approaches to using posters in the classroom, criteria for assessing effective and ineffective posters, and reprints of five exemplar posters. (CFR)

Argues that much of what is used currently to teach about multiculturalism in art consists of art made "long ago" or "far away." Presents four contemporary art works incorporating elements of mass media, popular culture, and diverse artistic traditions. Includes four full-page color photographs of the art works. (CFR)

Discusses the development of the "World Culture Model," a visual aid illustrating the interconnection and universality of various components of civilization (political, social, economic, historical). Includes a lesson plan using the World Culture Model to identify various aspects of culture found in different interactions and to…

Asserts that current software makes it easy for instructors to integrate visual displays into their lectures. Reviews the benefits of using visual displays, provides a taxonomy of visual displays, and proposes principles for constructing each type of display. Includes reproductions of related computer graphic screens. (MJP)

As a science subject leader and year 6 teacher in North Bristol, the author has spent the last few months exploring how an interactive whiteboard (IWB) can be used to teach science skills, particularly those that are repeatedly highlighted as problematic, such as analysis and evaluation of evidence. The IWB came with software called…

This article discusses the Hawai'i Student Film Festival (HSFF) which is more than an annual festival. It also facilitates nine, year-round, student outreach programs that are available to more than 400 public and private schools statewide. Through these programs, HSFF offers a wide array of film and video opportunities and experiences for…

As more archival metadata and archival records become available online, providing effective interfaces to those materials is increasingly important to give users access. This article describes five approaches from the hypertext and visualization research communities which can be used to improve such access: (1) navigating hierarchical structures,…

This article presents a portrait of practice of one social studies methods professor engaged in teaching his course and analyzes the choices the professor makes during the semester. These choices are linked to his philosophy of social studies education with particular attention paid to his passionate belief in the American story as the core of…

Mixed methods were adopted to explore the effects of student-generated visualization on paper and on computers as a study strategy for middle school science concept learning. In a post-test-only-control-group design, scores were compared among a control-group (n=28), a group that was trained to visualize on paper (n=30), and a group that was…

Feedback plays a central role in writing development. This is particularly so in tertiary education in China because of both the attitudes of tutors and staff and also the move towards a more process orientation to teaching writing. However, constraints resulting from examination-focused programmes and the number of students in each class mean…

Growing populations of older adults, ethnic minorities, and the low-literate create unique concerns for the design of visual information. Those for whom text presents a barrier will respond most to legibility, use of familiar formats and symbols, and simplification. Guidelines for those processes are needed, and this paper, in particular,…

Most children's books are filled with pictures, yet when schools design curricula to teach writing, they often ignore the role of visual images in the writing process. Historically, methods for teaching writing have focused on text. Even relatively recent techniques like brainstorming and story webbing still focus on verbal information. In some…