Issues connected with knowledge acquisition through the development of complex computer programs--Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs)--are discussed. The components of such a system and its applications are considered, including: elicitation of knowledge, tutoring with incomplete/uncertain knowledge, self-improving tutoring systems, and…

Premises and misconceptions about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) are discussed, along with how the premises and practices of DAP diverge and overlap with recommended practices for early childhood special education. Instructional strategies that have been effective for teaching young children with disabilities and that follow DAP…

A study of six distinguished clinical teachers in internal medicine investigated how they made rapid instructional decisions in response to each case presentation in teaching rounds. Results indicated these characteristics: substantial planning before rounds; quick, simultaneous diagnosis of patient problems and learners' level of understanding;…

This discussion of collaborative training of early childhood educators promotes increased collaboration between regular and special early childhood educators. It examines teacher competencies in curriculum, class management, professional consultation and collaboration, teacher-family relationships, child-child interactions, exceptional children,…

Discussion of peer-based collaborative learning focuses on two related studies: a micro-structure comparative analysis of students' psycho-social behaviors in computer-based collaborative learning experiments conducted in face-to-face and distributed learning environments; and an examination of cognitive effects of peer-based collaborative…

Describes a five-step process by which preschool teachers can meet the individual needs of all children, including those with disabilities, while maintaining a group instructional format. The process links assessment to curriculum, has planned teacher-directed individualized group instruction, implements behavior management techniques, and…

Growing student diversity, reports and government mandates, ninth-grade transition problems, and middle-school influences have produced new enthusiasm for high-school reorganization. Restructuring approaches such as block scheduling, differentiated instruction, academic teaming, house plans, career academies, heterogeneous grouping, and integrated…

Focusing on assessments of the performance of one fourth-grade student, the article makes a case for teaching and moral perception (the capacity to comprehend the unique needs and aspirations of individual students), arguing that assessing students in the absence of moral perception is a serious mistake. (SM)

Examines four key themes from a national study, focusing particularly on beliefs and practices of middle school teachers and principals as they relate to academically diverse learners. Provides insight into how middle level educators think about and address academic diversity in their schools and classrooms, and suggests areas for staff…

Belief in a "web of support" helped a San Diego-area high school make structural adjustments that foster inclusion while challenging all students. Inclusive curriculum design requires planners to develop a central issue or question, identify richly detailed source material, and design a culminating project and interrelated lessons. (MLH)

The Central Valley (California) Educational Research Consortium asked 118 area principals what they were doing to improve their lowest achieving students' education. Respondents are focusing on individualizing instruction, aligning curricula to standards, advocating teaching to standards and tests, promoting new curriculum methodologies, and…

The requirements of (NCLB) and the 2004 reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) emphasize higher standards and achievement of all students. Fundamental changes are being implemented in organizing for instruction, staffing, and differentiating instruction. Leaders recognize the wall must come down between general and special education…

In this article, the authors discuss three reform strategies designed to produce educational equity. The first strategy, heterogeneous grouping, does away with the controversial practice of placing students in different tracks based on their ability, which can polarize the student population into pro- and anti-school camps, create a "caste system"…

This paper investigates the correlation between the quality of instructional design and learning outcomes for early childhood students in the online synchronous cyber classroom. Today's generation of e-learners has access to highly engaging and well-designed multi-media synchronous classrooms. However little data exists on what constitutes…

This book includes ideas, strategies, techniques, and lessons for the inclusion of students with mild disabilities in regular classes (grades 6 through 12). An introduction discusses inclusion in the context of federal legislation, the continuum of services model, essential personnel, and inclusion models. The first section of the main text…