To teach tweens effectively, teachers need to be willing to do whatever it takes to advance student learning at every turn, including providing individualized instruction for students when the regular instruction doesn't meet their needs. The author, an experienced middle school educator, describes how teachers can promote tweens' learning by…

In this article, the author presents a case study of one charter school that challenges the meaning of a public school education for diverse students from a different perspective. Embedded in the rhetoric of change and reform, charter schools have become a logical alternative to public education for discontented parents, teachers, community…

The differential effects of four task selection methods on training efficiency and transfer in a computer-based training for Air Traffic Control were investigated. Two personalised conditions were compared with two corresponding yoked control conditions. The hypothesis that personalised adaptive task selection leads to more efficient training than…

Correctional education programs for incarcerated adults have been an object of much discussion. While such programs appear to be readily available to incarcerated individuals, little information is known about the instructional characteristics of such programs. The purpose of this survey was to describe the characteristics of instructional…

"Personalized education" has become a buzzword in the academic community--on both small, private liberal arts campuses and at large, publicly funded research universities. Personalized education is viewed by many faculty, administrators, and researchers as accomplishing a number of important objectives. Despite the many promises of personalized…

Offering differentiated courses to cater for a wide range of ability can lead to "dumbing down" when brighter students choose easier courses, which they can handle well without undue effort. This occurred when differentiated English courses were introduced in the senior secondary certificate in the state of New South Wales (NSW) in…

As educators of gifted students, the authors see more schools climbing aboard the differentiation wagon, and students who have been identified as cognitively gifted receiving services beyond logic worksheets. Everyone still has a long way to go, however. As classroom teachers become more familiar with characteristics of giftedness and begin to…

This study examines the role of lesson plan design in helping teacher candidates to meet diverse learning needs. The authors studied student teachers who had been taught to use a differential lesson plan to see if they were differentiating in their planning, assessment, and instruction. They concluded that, indeed, lesson plan design does…

A collaborative research project, which was offered as an alternative to traditional undergraduate independent study courses, is discussed. The authors describe the characteristics of traditional independent study courses and how collaborative research efforts differ from them. Such projects provide an in-depth exposure to the topic under study,…

This article deals with using formative assessments to individualize instruction and promote learning. Formative assessment serves the dual purpose of giving the teacher information on the effectiveness of the lesson and giving students information on the current state of their learning. Such information can guide future instructional decisions.…

Effective professional learning requires that staff developers thoughtfully plan to meet varying teacher needs and be responsive to differences--that they model the differentiation teachers will practice in the classroom. Staff developers must be mindful of participants' current learning needs and plan according to their readiness, interest, and…

In the past decades, English learning has received lots of attention all over the world, especially for those who are not native English speakers. Various English learning and testing systems have been developed on the Internet. Nevertheless, most existing English testing systems represent the learning status of a student by assigning that student…

"Differentiating Instruction With Menus Grades 3-5" offers teachers everything they need to create a student-centered learning environment based on choice. Addressing the four main subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and the major concepts taught within these areas, these books provide a number of different types of…

The primary objective of the present investigation was to learn what college teachers say and do to create student perceptions of "personalized education," and to identify any meaningful factor structure underlying these categories of personalized education characteristics. Additionally, this study was designed to identify how the…

This article reports on an exploratory study of the factors perceived by school personnel to contribute to success in high-performing, high-needs (HPHN) rural schools. It is based on earlier research in HPHN schools that identified 4 key components of success (leadership, instruction, professional community, and school environment) and explored…