The popular notion that excellence in sports is inherited is seriously questioned by experts. The belief shared by many sports specialists as well as by some top athletes is that the characteristics that breed success in sports are developed. Sports experts offer the following advice to those who wish to improve their own performance: (1) relax;…

Adaptive skills are the perceptual, emotional, and behavioral tendencies that are learned at a young age. They can be a major block to competence by affecting one's functioning at the two higher skill levels of functional and work content skills. Because students and faculty relate to each other as members of a family, they can help each other…

Noting that while high school students have received instruction in reading and writing, few have received any instruction in speaking and listening skills, this document advocates a greater recognition of the need for a more realistic balance of instruction in the four communication areas than has traditionally been the case. Sections of the…

In six articles on racquet sports, the origins of the games are traced, methods for teaching skills such as footwork, racquetball strategy, and badminton techniques are discussed, and the biomechanics of the one- and two-handed backhand in tennis are reviewed. Information about paddle tennis is included. (PP)

This issue focuses on assisting adolescents with serious emotional handicaps to make transitions from youth serving systems into society. A framework for developing transition-oriented programs is prevented that incorporates into the specific service goals of the current environment the skills required to function in the projected environment.…

In 1995, Neva M. Viise compared the spelling development of 195 child and 124 adult literacy learners by examining their spelling errors. Children and adults showed similar mastery in recognizing consonants and short vowel inclusions; however, the adults experienced much more difficulty marking syllables in words and were more likely to omit…

Reports from the National Commission on Excellence in Education, the Carnegie Commission, and recent survey responses from colleges and universities across the United States have verified suspicions about student inabilities to demonstrate acceptable levels of literacy skills. The first step toward achieving excellence is structuring, demanding,…

In cooperative learning, as opposed to competitive and individualistic learning, students work together to accomplish shared goals. It is the most important of the three types of learning, but least used. Research indicates students will learn more, like school better, like each other better, and learn more effective social skills when cooperative…

The University of Tennessee's management training and development efforts are described. The program is designed to improve the performance of academic and nonacademic department heads (middle managers) and includes an 8-day workshop called the Institute for Leadership Effectiveness. In addition to the attention given to the formation of networks,…

This journal issue addresses the issue of testing in the social studies classroom. The first article, "The Role of Testing" (Bragaw), focuses on the need for tests to reflect the objectives of the study completed. The varying functions of pop quizzes, weekly tests, and unit tests are explored. "Testing Thinking Processes" (Killoran, Zimmer, and…

Noting that the development of fundamental movement skills is basic to children's motor development, this booklet provides a guide for early childhood educators in planning movement experiences for children between 4 and 8 years. The booklet introduces a wide variety of appropriate practices to promote movement skill acquisition and increased…

Physical activity programs at the college level should aim toward: (1) maintenance of physical fitness; (2) refinement of skills; (3) introduction to new skills; and (4) development of healthy lifestyles. Innovative activity courses such as aerobic dance, weight lifting, and adventure programs are also being offered to reach these goals. (JN)

This issue of "Linkages" addresses the need for adult literacy programs to go beyond teaching basic academic skills to adults with learning disabilities to teaching skills in goal setting, problem solving, and self-advocacy that will assist adult learners in their transition into the workforce. Articles include: "Transition: Adult Literacy and…

This review explores the factors of cognitive processing, style, and metacognitive organization as they contribute to academic success. Specific discussions consider aspects of short- and long-term memory, including how these affect learning and academic performance, and the keys to attaining long-term memory capability by involving redundancy,…

Focusing primarily on current problem areas in mathematics instruction, this third yearbook of the Finnish Association of Mathematics and Science Education Research contains five articles addressing four themes in mathematics education. The first theme is concerned with proportional reasoning in mathematics teaching and describes school test…