Defines contemporary literacy and examines what skills educators and library media specialists need to learn and impart to their students. Discusses using the Big6 skills to achieve contemporary literacy; developing information literacy curricula; and addressing the challenge of contemporary literacy. (AEF)

Librarians at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), in response to a new requirement for an information literacy component in the University's general education program, formed a committee, which quickly created a successful and flexible information literacy credit course. The committee's progress as they worked through…

Discusses "backward design," a strategy for planning curriculum and school improvement by first thinking carefully about desired results and then working backward to develop meaningful assessments and learning plans. For this design to work, educators must identify desired results, analyze multiple sources of data, and determine appropriate action…

Discusses how connecting instruction, professional development, and student learning can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful data use. Uses a case-study approach to show that by acknowledging that implementation occurs over time, schools can safeguard against discarding new instructional practices prematurely. (Contains one…

Comments on three areas of general concern in the whole language movement: developmental theoretical underpinnings; "do's and dont's" of whole language instruction; and the future implementation of whole language teaching and learning. (BB)

Discussion of research problems in instructional technology emphasizes two main needs: (1) development of a prescriptive research methodology; and (2) more front end analysis that produces a distinction between instructional design research and instructional development research. Two examples of research using the prescriptive technology approach…

Comparison of various evaluation forms and reviews used to evaluate instructional software focuses on the criteria used in their assessments, and the usefulness and appropriateness of these criteria for making instructional decisions. Highlights include forms developed by national organizations, and reviews and awards appearing in scholarly…

The development of teacher-made "program pyramids" is recommended to organize individualized educational sequences for special needs students. The process involves analysis of the student's strengths and weaknesses, identification of general program domains, specification of program subdomains, statement of long-range goals, development of…

The article describes a continuum of instructional options for teaching reading to mildly and moderately handicapped students. Level 1 utilizes the basal text; Level 2 adds special individualized strategies to build fluency, comprehension, or accuracy to the mainstream basal program; and Level 3 selects other reading materials more appropriate to…

Describes an interdisciplinary (language and educational technology departments) instructional design program that is intended to develop back-up computer programs for students taking supplementary English as a second language classes. The program encompasses training programs, the psychology of screen reading, task analysis, and color cueing.…

This literature review discusses the match between tests and curricula, measurement validity and instructional utility when sampling student performance in general and advantages/disadvantages of sampling performance in the curriculum. It concludes that sampling from the curriculum is not essential and outlines three critical features ensuring the…

Describes the development and pilot testing of a human biology laboratory telecourse delivered over the Education Network of Maine. The process is described within the framework of an instructional systems design model. Decisions and critical issues considered at each development stage, and generally applicable issues are presented. (Contains 14…

Discusses what the author regards as important instructional advancements that have occurred over the past 30 years. The advances come from research on cognitive processing, on teachers whose classes made the highest achievement gain compared with the classes of other teachers, and on the teaching of cognitive strategies. (SM)

Describes a study examining approaches of community college faculty to curriculum planning and teaching and modifications they have made in curricula to meet societal changes. Indicates that vocational faculty were more outwardly directed than academic faculty and that the amount and depth of course revision slows with teacher experience. (17…

Focuses on multicultural education within the context of Brown v Board of Education and discusses the ongoing educational inequities in American schools since the Supreme Court's decision. It also offers a model for the effective implementation of multicultural education in American society. (GR)