This digest describes state policies and teacher dilemmas in using proficiency tests and standardized assessment. Currently, 19 states require mandated assessment for high school graduation and several other states are considering such requirements. Standards-based assessment needs to be accompanied by a clear set of grade-level goals so teachers,…

To help teachers understand the cognitive development that occurs as children learn to read, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) has created The Cognitive Foundations of Learning to Read: A Framework. It describes the various cognitive domains that research has shown to be necessary for reading acquisition, and also illustrates…

The user population of the World Wide Web is increasing rapidly. People who have never had experience with computers are logging on, and, therefore, the novice user population is very large. These new users need to be trained in using this new technology. It is therefore important to investigate which training methods leave the users most…

This book contains materials to support the introduction of Early Literacy Support (ELS) in Year 1 schools in England. The 60 sessions outlined in the book are designed to revisit key objectives from the National Literacy Strategy Framework. The ELS program involves comprehension training for Year 1 teachers and teaching assistants. The training…

This paper describes a project that investigates elementary school students' behavioral changes using video as a modeling tool and examines the teaching behavior of teachers. For this purpose, videotaped images of culturally diverse children displaying appropriate behavior engaged in inquiry science were used. These images serve as peer role…

This study investigated and evaluated how and under what theoretical and practical conditions different pedagogical practices can succeed in real world school settings between teachers and students. The preliminary data included 36 primary school teachers from urban public schools in Helsinki, Finland. The study used two complementary methods:…

This is a prewriting activity for personal memoir or autobiographical writing. Grade 6-8 students brainstorm for important memories, create graphics or symbols for their most important memories, and construct a life map on tag board or construction paper, connecting drawings and captions of high and low points with a highway. During four 50-minute…

This lesson uses students' areas of interest both in and out of school to generate personalized vocabulary lists. Working in small groups, grade 3 to 5 students select their own vocabulary words and research their meanings. In a culminating activity that uses text and illustration, each student will create a "My World of Words Journal." During…

An alternative method of measuring the knowledge of students is to use mental models, and specifically concept maps. Concept maps provide a visual representation of conceptual and relationship knowledge within a particular domain. This study builds on previous studies and attempts to reduce their methodological weaknesses. Students in several…

This brief paper reviews the literature and provides guidelines on how instructional practices to promote self-determination can be used to help students with learning disabilities make effective choices and decisions. Self-determination is linked to making good choices through five steps: know yourself; value yourself; plan; act; and experience…

In 2001, the New Zealand Ministry of Education awarded a contract to a consortium of three colleges of education to provide a training program that would lead to a new national literacy qualification for a newly developed specialist literacy teaching position--Resource Teacher: Literacy. Resource Teachers of Literacy are skilled and experienced…

Motivational Systems Theory (MST; M. Ford, 1992) was used as a framework to investigate how varying motivational patterns influence faculty members use of teaching practices in their undergraduate classes. Researchers compared the factors associated with faculty members assigning students to work in groups to solve ill-defined design problems with…

This multiple-case study describes how three constructivist high school teachers attained their knowledge and skills and how the knowledge and skills translate into classroom applications in the high school setting. Ongoing interviews and observations were conducted over 1 year with selected participants, and documents provided by each…

This paper reports on overall accomplishments in meeting goals for technology infusion at California Lutheran University's School of Education, using evaluation data collected over 3 years. Data came from surveys completed by administrators, faculty, and students about their experiences using technology at baseline (1997) and over the next 3…

This report shares findings from research that examined service learning, a teaching strategy that combines service to the community with classroom curriculum in K-12 schools. The research focused on how service learning was relevant to schools. The results show that many U.S. youth feel alienated from both their schoolwork and from traditional…