Identifies developmental literacy characteristics of 3 age groups: 18-36 months, 4-5 years, and 6-8 years. Provides lists of developmentally appropriate books in Spanish. These include bibliographies and summaries meant to assist the teacher in promoting cultural diversity among students. (DG)

Among 28 upper elementary learning-disabled students in a summer remedial program, those that were taught spelling with explicit rule-based strategies out-performed students presented with a visual imagery mnemonic on unit tests, a posttest, and a standardized spelling test. Contains 20 references. (SV)

Outlines 11 core practices that define the Foxfire approach, emphasizing students' choice of and responsibility for their work, teacher's role as guide and model, peer teaching, teamwork, reflection, academic integrity of work undertaken, connections between classroom work and community and world, honest evaluations, and the value of aesthetic…

Described is a study designed to extend a theoretical model of children's progression from a perceptual to an abstract concept of number. The implications of this research for the design of mathematics curricula are discussed. (CW)

Presented is an approach to the teaching of biological diversity using the theme of survival. Teaching methods for this approach and the advantages of its use are discussed. A suggested course outline is included. (CW)

Described is an activity designed to allow students' thinking about taxonomy to evolve in the same fashion as the thinking of taxonomists. Presented are the problem to be investigated, procedures, and questions for discussion. (CW)

Presented is a cytogenic technique which enables students to produce preparations of dividing cells. Described are materials, methods, typical results, and assessment for this activity. The usefulness for a wide range of ages and abilities is stressed. (CW)

Describes cooperative learning in three high school classrooms showing that the cooperative learning strategy may be a potent instrument in work-mate preference stability and change. The examples also demonstrate the value of this strategy for maximizing intergroup interaction for the promotion of learning experiences. (JD)

Third grade students involved in group-assisted reading made greater achievement gains in comprehension and vocabulary than did those who were given no assistance. Group-assisted reading is easy to implement and may be used to help remedial readers perform better. (JD)

The effectiveness of two iterative methods of item response theory (IRT) item bias detection was examined in a simulation study. A modified form of the iterative item parameter linking method of F. Drasgow and an adaptation of the test purification procedure of F. M. Lord were compared. (SLD)

A support staff evaluation model is presented that incorporates existing evaluation theory into a system design, with educational specialists in mind. The six-step model includes needs assessment/identification, relationship of program expectations to job responsibilities, identification of staff behaviors, setting of performance standards,…

A classwide peer tutoring procedure was implemented in an urban elementary school classroom of 23 students, to improve students' spelling performance. Results indicated the untrained or collateral tutoring behaviors increased the academic response frequencies of three tutees and the weekly spelling achievement of one target tutee. (Author/DB)

This review focuses on methods used to identify language impairment in 72 published research studies from 1983-88. Test data were most frequently used, and expressive and receptive language were routinely assessed. Research problems included the lack of clarity regarding the specific number and identity of tests used and use of incomplete tests.…

Discusses the use of student created videotapes in second language learning and their current and future role in foreign language acquisition. Observations are provided of the actual use of camcorders to facilitate classroom instruction. (GLR)

Demonstrates how a technique involving contrastive rhetoric can help writing teachers and their students uncover and improve the overall rhetorical patterns in student writing. In addition, the use of a matrix that locates rhetorical patterns not followed in typical English patterns is described. (11 references) (GLR)