Discusses the need for foreign language teachers to restructure their views of culture learning by increasing their understanding of the preparation necessary for students to succeed in learning about another culture and the problems they may face in the culture learning process. (37 references) (Author/CB)

What is striking about the Goals 2000 initiative is its virtual omission of the student, except as passive receptacle. To claim that students will learn more with heightened expectations is misleading. For content to take root, it must connect with students' internal "prepared structures" and become a "comfortable friend." In…

Argues that teachers should encourage critical thinking among primary school students. Asserts that readiness exercises can help students develop the mental reasoning skills necessary for critical thinking. Suggests (1) posing questions that elicit reflective responses; (2) encouraging students to ask questions to obtain information; and (3)…

Promoting moral, language and literacy development is particularly important for children in inclusive early childhood programs serving disadvantaged children. In the first section of this article, the author: (1) summarizes research about the gap between typically developing children in professional families and most disadvantaged children and…

Ensuring that children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, start school ready to learn is an important goal. This paper presents lessons learned from the state of Ohio's multi-year program to develop a standards-based assessment system for programs delivering state-funded early childhood education (ECE) through programs receiving…

A study reanalyzed the 1977 original form of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) developed by Guglielmino. It questioned whether there is an intracultural and intercultural factorial consistency, whether raters would reconfirm the eight-factor solution, and whether raters would reconfirm the main characteristics of a "highly…

This paper describes the mental model children have of their own learning, derived from their behaviors when learning a song. The basic assumption of the study is that behavior is an outward expression of a psychological entity. The song chosen for the study was a complex, unfamiliar Zulu song. Thirty-six children in three age groups participated…

Ways in which organizations can break free from counterproductive reactions are outlined. The text is divided into four parts and opens with a discussion on how to deal with a new reality. It details ways in which groups strive for cohesion, introducing a model that outlines the differences people have in their capacity for changing and their…

In order to individualize instruction for learning disabled students, tasks should be matched to students' abilities and learning styles. Two types of task modifications include modifying the task content to coincide with what students are ready to learn and modifying task processes and features to match how students prefer to learn. Readiness…

The relationship between lesson characteristics and the improvement of the delivery of educational services to Hispanic Americans was examined, using data from four contrasting classrooms (two successful and two unsuccessful) located in a Southern California medium-sized school district. The contrast between classrooms was determined by the…

Research findings in the area of brain growth periodization establish that the human brain does not grow on a constant continuum. Eighty-five to ninety percent of youngsters of average and above ability experience periods of great brain growth between ages 3-10 months, 2-4 years, 6-8 years, 10-12 years, and 14-16+ years. Mental growth data have…

Constructive planning for technical education in developing countries must begin with a definition of technical education and its objectives. Technical education, as opposed to skill-oriented vocational training, is built upon a solid theoretical basis which supports one or more skill components. As such, it provides the student with the potential…

THE TEST OF BASIC INFORMATION (TOBI) IS A 54-ITEM, MULTIPLE-CHOICE PICTURE TEST DEVELOPED TO MEASURE PREACADEMIC, SCHOOL-RELEVANT KNOWLEDGE. IT CAN BE USED TO ASSESS PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS BY GIVING IT AS A PRE- AND POSTTEST. IT CAN BE ADMINISTERED INDIVIDUALLY, OR TO GROUPS OF UP TO 15 IF THERE IS 1 ADULT FOR 3 OR 4 CHILDREN, AND TAKES FROM 15 TO…

TWENTY-TWO CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE BEGINNING CLASSES FOR THE DEAF AT THE GOVERNOR MOREHEAD SCHOOL PARTICIPATED IN A VISUAL TRAINING PROGRAM. ONE GROUP OF 11 CHILDREN RECEIVED 20 INDIVIDUAL TRAINING SESSIONS DURING 10 WEEKS. AT THE COMPLETION OF THIS TRAINING, THE SECOND GROUP OF 11 CHILDREN RECEIVED THE SAME TRAINING PROGRAM. THE TWO GROUPS…

BELIEF THAT ALL SCHOOL LEARNING IS INFLUENCED BY THE TEACHER'S FEELING FOR THE STUDENT, BY THE TEACHER'S CULTURAL EVALUATION OF THE STUDENT, BY CULTURAL MOTIVATION AND BY INTRINSIC VALUE IN THE CURRICULUM LED TO THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED STUDENT--STUDY OF THE COMMUNITY, AND OF THE SCHOOL INSERVICE TRAINING OF…