Recent research in second language acquisition found that learners reached higher levels of achievement when grammar practice included the processing and negotiation of meaning. Explored the degree to which certain textbook activities reflected earlier findings. Activities for two grammar points from Italian texts still rely heavily on…

The Danish Evaluation Institute is conducting systematic assessments of three master's programs in public administration, public policy, and public management. They have found that explicit criteria have advantages and disadvantages. Development of criteria attempts to meet the following demands: uniformity, relevance of level, scope, precision,…

Proposes that literacy learning is social, recursive, personal, and idiosyncratic. Suggests that learning contracts orchestrate child centeredness and increase independence. Concludes that contracts connect previously isolated content area with the personal interests and needs of students, and establishes a classroom climate in which students are…

Outlines a team-teaching experiment between a director and dramaturg which was linked to a production of Caryl Churchill's "Cloud Nine." Investigates aesthetic choices, gender identity and sexuality that the play raises. Notes the problems in this arrangement and suggests that engaging in this kind of pedagogical experiment demands much…

Suggestions for tutoring students with reading problems include repeated reading with a model, oral reading with monitoring and feedback, error monitoring, and reading practice of difficult words. Evaluation methods include evaluating oral reading accuracy and oral reading fluency, and flashcard assessment. Suggestions are also offered for…

This article suggests detailed steps to assist in the construction and implementation of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to track reading progress. Information includes how to construct and organize a CBM, how to administer and score a CBM, how to use the information for instructional changes, and how to use data collected to inform parents…

Investigates verbal behaviors and the relationships with the improvement of learning strategies, motivations, and attitudes in a 7th grade cooperative science classroom setting. Studies students' perceptions of cooperative learning by achievement level. Reports that verbal behaviors in cooperative learning were positively related to the…

Reports on a 4-year study examining teachers' concerns in implementing writing-to-learn strategies within science classrooms based on using a model of writing-to-learn. Describes in detail two teachers' participation in an ongoing in-service program to develop pedagogical practices to support writing-to-learn strategies. Central issues for the two…

Describes how the British government views the electronic campus as a quick fix for delivering the ideas of a learning society and mass higher (and further) education. Argues that in the humanities interventions are needed to secure a meld between face-to-face teaching methods and the new technology. (CMK)

Examines the state of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis in education, first examining the progress that has been made in these fields in the health and medical sectors. Explores one outstanding example of cost-benefit analysis and critiques four other educational evaluations. Synthesizes strengths of cost-effectiveness analysis in…

Contends that teaching English is about sharing stories and self-discovery. Notes that during the difficult teenage years, literature offers a way to talk about life's problems and relationships in a safe format. Details a multigenre project in a high school Women's Literature class, which included nonfiction, fiction, poetry, oral history, film,…

This study examined the social validation of using microswitches versus interaction/stimulation conditions with persons with multiple disabilities. Teacher-assistant trainees and rehabilitation staff (n=72) were shown videotapes comparing the two methods and then scored both approaches. The microswitch condition was viewed as generally more…

Students in three inclusive third-grade classes (n=74 students) were taught story vocabulary using the keyword method, vocabulary words with pictures, or vocabulary with definitions. The keyword method was more effective in increasing vocabulary learning. Using the keyword method, the achievement of students with learning disabilities matched…

Examines an important potential constraint on the adoption of communicative language teaching (CLT) in the Chinese classroom--the Chinese culture of learning. Argues CLT and the Chinese culture of learning are in conflict in several ways, including philosophy on the nature of teaching and learning, perceptions on respective roles and…

Investigates the effectiveness of an interactive, computer-mediated instructional segment designed to educate students about ethnicity in German-speaking countries. Fifty-two intermediate German students worked with computer-mediated segments and rated the segments' effectiveness on a Likert-scale questionnaire. (AS)