Describes the Planning Pyramid, a framework to help regular and special education teachers cover required curriculum while modifying learning requirements to meet individual differences. The pyramid's base represents "what all students will learn," the middle portion "what most students will learn," and the top portion "what some students will…

The children's picture book and parent/teacher discussion guide present disabilities as among the many "differences" that make the world interesting. Acceptance of people with handicaps is stressed in the sample questions and answers in the discussion guide. Fifteen additional resources (print, audiovisual, and other) are recommended. (DB)

Asserting that inclusion of diverse children in schools is desirable, the article presents recommendations for instruction of heterogeneous groups. Suggestions center around such topics as class size, individualized instruction, multidimensional classrooms, student self-management, opportunities to respond and learn, a positive and accepting…

Discusses the use of bibliotherapy with students having disabilities. Provides an annotated bibliography of 27 books that address abuse and neglect, anger, differences, and families. (DB)

Discusses the purposes of student grades, including those driven by Individualized Education Programs. Grading options to ensure objectivity, fairness, and accountability for students with diverse needs are suggested. Types of tests available and possible adaptations are described. School districts are urged to create a grading policy that is…

This article explains the combination of instructional practices called personalized contextual instruction (PCI) and illustrates its implementation by a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a paraprofessional working together in a multiage primary inclusive classroom. The PCI approach incorporates individual learning…

Learning styles-based instruction uses the strengths and preferences of disabled and at-risk students to tailor instruction to their needs. This article defines learning styles, outlines the learning style characteristics of at-risk students, presents a global/analytic reading styles checklist, and describes 11 strategies for basing instruction on…

This volume is the first in a series (developed in response to a needs assessment survey of special educators in Alberta, Canada) providing practical suggestions about instructional strategies, classroom management, preparing individual program plans, and understanding special needs. Book 1 highlights strategies for differentiating instruction…

Child caregivers should not answer children's questions in ways that enable children to create stereotypical categories. Because children are aware of differences among the peers and the adults they encounter, children's questions must be answered accurately and in a developmentally appropriate way. When questions about individual difference…

Based on a musical celebration of children's diversity, this early childhood curriculum guide provides guidance in using the compact disk "Nobody Else Like Me" to help children think critically about and appreciate differences and similarities among people. The guide is organized into 12 sections, each focusing on one of the songs from the disk,…

This in-service education module is intended to facilitate mainstreaming of young children with special needs in child care centers by providing information and training in mainstreaming concepts and activities to child care center owners, operators, and personnel. Guidelines for instructors in preparing for planned sessions are followed by a…

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); a user's guide to the series; and specific information for presenting Module 5, which focuses on the development of listening skills…

Noting that the number of students served in special education programs has increased at alarming rates since 1975, this paper posits that this increase is due to recent social and political variables and their impact on the educational system. Special emphasis is placed on how state and local educational leaders respond to national education…

Five bulletins of the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs include articles with the following titles and authors: "Infant Day Care: A Cause for Concern?" (Jay Belsky); "Model versus Modal Child Care for Children from Low-Income Families (Donna Wittmer); "Therapeutic Childcare at Merrywood School" (Maxine Siegel); "Individual Differences…

This manual provides a basic understanding of cultural differences that teachers are likely to encounter among exceptional children in their classrooms. The manual aims to create an atmosphere where children respect individual differences in themselves and in others. Several cultures are introduced, including Arabic Lebanese, Hispanic, Native…