Based on the data of the normative study of the "Hong Kong test of specific learning difficulties in reading and writing," and the "Test of visual-perceptual skills (non-motor)-Revised," 99 children aged between 6 and 10 1/2 years were identified as children with dyslexia out of the normative sample of 690 children. By…

How specialized is the teaching of the group of learners with disabilities and difficulties? This is one of the most basic and perplexing questions in the education of this group. This is a highly significant question in the context of current education policy and practice. There has been a growing awareness of the need for universalizing…

The Brief Academic Competence Evaluation Screening System (BACESS; Elliott, DiPerna, & Huai, 2003) is a multi-phase instrument designed to assist educators in the identification of students who are likely to experience early learning problems. The BACESS was used in eight elementary classrooms (n=71) in southern California. Each phase of the…

In this contribution we describe a short development course for in-service physics teachers. The course structure and materials are based on the results of educational research, and its main objective is to provide in-service teachers with a first contact with the active learning strategy "Tutorials in Introductory Physics," developed by…

We describe a workshop in which 10 teachers from 10 schools, located in central Israel, participated in the development of alternative assessment tools in the context of implementing a new science curriculum for senior high-school students, namely "Science for All" (an STS type curriculum). In order to assist a group of teachers (who…

The academic achievement and social functioning of children with learning difficulties (LD) and children without LD (7-12 years old) was examined. Attainment scores in mathematics and English were obtained for each child, and a sample of children without LD was further classified as low achieving (LA) or high achieving (HA) on the basis of these…

This article discusses the favoritism among teachers. According to Adele Brodkin, a child psychologist, few teachers are above favoritism and this shows that teachers are just human. She advises teachers to acknowledge that they do have favorites and make sure not to treat favorites in any special way. In this article, the author presents…

This study examined whether children with mathematical difficulties (MDs) or comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties have a working memory deficit and whether the hypothesized working memory deficit includes the whole working memory system or only specific components. In the study, 31 10-year-olds with MDs and 37 10-year-olds with both…

Everybody knows that healthy school buildings contribute to student learning, reduce health and operating costs, and ultimately, increase school quality and competitiveness. However, 55 million of the nation's children attend public and private K-12 schools where poor air quality, hazardous chemicals and other unhealthy conditions make students…

Learning disabilities can be overcome although solutions are complex and costly. The range of individual disabilities is wide, and improper screening and diagnosis is common. A learning disability is a disorder affecting understanding or the use of spoken or written language. Approximately 5 percent of adults have such disabilities. In addition,…

Relates a technique in which teachers can rate their effectiveness by the examination of students' lecture notes. Students are asked to record notes on a carbon of which the teacher is given the copy. Examination of these notes enables the instructor to ascertain communication problems which may be occurring. (CP)

In order to fully appreciate the nature of children's learning difficulties, it is necessary to analyze the qualitative differences in their intellectual functioning, i.e., their modes and styles of sensing, responding, organizing, and interpreting. (EH)

A unique psychometric device, The "Lock Box," has been developed to measure the ability of preschool children to structure a novel problematic situation. The primary purpose of the box is to identify those preschoolers with mental ages ranging from 2 1/2 to 6 years who have difficulty imposing an orderly plan on their explorations and…

Dyslexia appears to be a meaningless label attached to children with reading problems; the label only leads to confusion rather than clarity. (JH)

The practicum was designed to identify and remediate the weaknesses in the learning abilities of 26 students in a top homogeneously grouped fourth grade class. Individual strengths and weaknesses for each student were identified by various factors and the 24 subtests of the Structure of the Intellect-Learning Abilities Test (SOI). An educational…