Some children have difficulty in perceiving differences between sounds, even though they have normal hearing sensitivity, and it has been suggested that such problems could lead to difficulties in language and literacy development. Poor ability to distinguish sounds on the basis of frequency (perceived as pitch) has been described in poor readers…

Four different age groups (8-9-year-olds, 11-12-year-olds, 13-15-year-olds and young adults) performed a spatial rule-switch task in which the sorting rule had to be detected on the basis of feedback or on the basis of switch cues. Performance errors were examined on the basis of a recently introduced method of error scoring for the Wisconsin Card…

Research using the visual paired comparison task has shown that visual recognition memory across changing contexts is dependent on the integrity of the hippocampal formation in human adults and in monkeys. The acquisition of contextual flexibility may contribute to the change in memory performance that occurs late in the first year of life. To…

As children develop, they process information more rapidly. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether processing speed in the language domain develops at the same rate as global processing speed. A second aim was to determine the stability of processing speed throughout childhood and adolescence. Children (N = 116) were tested on 10…

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the applicability of task-based language teaching (TBLT) to state secondary foreign language classes. After discussion of method in general, TBLT is defined and its particularities described. Tasks are assessed as the basis for syllabus and then as the basis for method. In both cases, the proposals are…

Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is the systematic development of instructional strategies that are grounded in both learning and instructional theory. ISD is usually overlooked as a useful methodology in K-12 schools. ISD is extremely expensive in terms of the time required to develop instruction, and it often seems more appropriate as an…

Faced with uncertain budgets and increasing pressure from high-stakes testing, among other challenges, educators easily can fall into the trap of equating teaching with the presentation of information and then blaming students when outcomes are inadequate. To move beyond this simplistic approach, educators must continue developing as teachers who…

This study is an investigation of the contribution of morphological awareness in Chinese-English biliteracy acquisition. Comparable tasks in Chinese and English were administered to test children's skills in morphological awareness, phonological awareness, oral vocabulary, word reading, and reading comprehension. The results showed that after the…

The purpose of this article is to explore the relevance of Plato's "Sophist" in the context of coaching. The "Sophist" dialogue focuses upon the role of the philosopher as a therapist of the soul rather than simply a conveyer or wholesaler of knowledge. This article provides a rationale for the coach to be more than a technical conveyer of skill…

This article addresses a pervasive need in the area of videoconference-supported distance language learning: task design. On the basis of Chapelle's (2001) criteria for CALL task appropriateness, this article proposes a set of criteria for evaluating videoconferencing-based tasks which examine such aspects of a task as practicality,…

This Drafting Occupational Competency Analysis Profile (OCAP) is one of a series of competency lists, verified by expert workers, that have evolved from a modified DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) job analysis process involving business, industry, labor, and community agency representatives from throughout Ohio. This OCAP identifies the…

This paper discusses the concept of "study reading" as used at a learning disabilities clinic at the University of Southampton, England. Study reading is defined as attentive reading to learn and remember, as different from reading that is performed simply to follow a narrative or browsing for one's own, self-set purposes. Results…

A study examined the technological competencies of the electronic engineering departments of junior colleges in Taiwan. It used a combination of two methods--a revised DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process and a revised V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States) process--to analyze the duty/task profile and task/element list of…

This report focuses on the processes of learning to read and write in the initial phases. Two studies are presented. The first is a review of four theoretical approaches, including Jerome Bruner's representation theory, and theories of concept learning, metacognition, and metalinguistic awareness. The purpose of the literature study was to examine…

This guide is designed for use in developing and implementing a competency-based program in practical nursing, especially in Virginia. It is organized in three main sections. Section 1 contains descriptions of the program and courses and a master task list. Sample teaching sequences, illustrating two possible sequences of teaching the tasks in the…