Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was introduced, schools and districts have focused their efforts on better ways to evaluate student progress and report results. Beyond test scores, however, ongoing assessment can make all the difference in student learning and improving scores. Third grade is a year in which some students begin to fall…

A recent focus in web based learning systems has been the development of reusable learning materials that can be delivered as personalized courses depending of a number of factors such as the user's background, his/her learning preferences, current knowledge based on previous assessments, or previous browsing patterns. The student is often…

Beliefs, mandates, standards, understandings, essential questions, skills, knowledge, varied assessments, constructivist instructional methods and interactive strategies, time lines, resources: These are some of the basic elements of personalized teaching. Each is critical. All are intertwined. Personalized teaching takes students' individual…

Pedagogical differentiation (i.e., tailoring instruction to each student's learning style, readiness level, and interest) has been applied to primary and secondary classrooms for over a decade but has never been formally applied to the undergraduate classroom. This paper explores the potential for differentiated instruction within the…

The purpose of this study was to discover and successfully implement multiple strategies for differentiation that would engage and motivate Talented and Gifted (TAG) learners. Six TAG students from a third grade general education classroom setting participated in this study. Differentiation strategies of a learning style inventory, a project…

IDEA is the nation's special education law. Under IDEA if a child is found to be a "child with a disability," he or she is eligible for special education and related services. If your child has a disability, under IDEA, a team of people will gather to talk about what special instruction and services your child needs. This team includes…

In this article the author narrates how family involvement and residential special school caused significant positive behaviour in Anna, a girl with Down Syndrome. The author is a constant visitor at Salisbury School, a residential special school for girls where Anna has been enrolled. The author witnessed the changes in Anna's behaviour due to a…

Two children with similar physical disabilities were paired as mentor and mentee as a strategy of teaching self-determination skills. In this case study, the mentor was a junior in high school with a physical impairment and had possessed the desired qualities of self-determination according to transition rating scales. The mentee was a fifth-grade…

Practice and experience, whether simulated or on the job, are not enough to ensure effective learning. Learners must be able to make sense of those experiences to identify poor decisions and actions, missing knowledge, and weak skills that deserve attention. Using instructors to provide one-on-one instruction is effective but also expensive. This…

According to the National Center for Education Statistics' latest data on cross-national differences in math, science, and reading literacy among fourth- and eighth-graders and 15-year-olds, U.S. students rank close to the bottom in math. Just teaching more advanced subjects and forcing students to take more classes and do more homework, however,…

Drawing on current research and best practices, this third part of the three-part resource, "Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools," provides information and strategies for providing intensive, individualized support and instruction for the small percentage of students requiring a high degree of intervention. This system of…

This article describes two case studies of children, ages 6 and 8, with severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in which direct instruction programs were used to teach a variety of academic skills. Following an initial evaluation, the teacher began individualized instruction 2 to 3 times per week for 6 weeks. After approximately 12 hourly…

The act of reading is holistic and involves acquisition of facts, concepts, and generalizations. With Instructional Management Systems (IMS) and state mandated testing, however, reading too frequently becomes a means of appraising the achievement of students in acquiring word recognition skills as well as diverse comprehension abilities. School…

This paper examines higher education faculty vitality from the perspective of the individual faculty member by taking a closer look at the individual differences among faculty which might be related to faculty vitality and by linking issues of adult development to the continuing professional development of faculty. First the paper uses data from…

Four experiments were conducted to determine if giving students specific instructions about the nature of the textual material and the final test is as effective as giving them practice questions in learning from text. Subjects for experiments 1 and 2 were 80 San Diego State University students in an introductory psychology course. Subjects for…