This ERIC Digest discusses reasons for using cooperative learning approaches in preschool centers and primary school classrooms, ways to implement the strategy, and the long-term benefits for children's education. It is pointed out that early childhood educators can use many of the strategies currently used to encourage cooperation and interaction…

This digest looks at research findings and instructional applications of effective teacher presentation skills. Research has identified five critical skills: eliciting frequent responses, maintaining an appropriate pace during the lesson, maintaining attention, monitoring student responses and adjusting the lesson, and ensuring all students an…

This digest summarizes the highlights of an analysis of assessment practices used in education and professional development for educators. A research team from RAND conducted a broad review of the literature and reviewed the documents of organizations engaged in such assessments. Researchers interviewed experts, attended conferences, and conducted…

Learners of all ages need to expand their self-knowledge and determine the ways their interests and abilities are applicable in the changing social, economic, and work environments. Many of the new ways of teaching and learning offer processes by which students can gain experiences that enhance their self-knowledge. These varied learning processes…

This digest looks at research findings and instructional applications concerning lesson structure for teacher directed initial instruction of mildly handicapped students. Research has identified seven critical elements of teaching method: gain the learner's attention, review relevant past learning, communicate the goal of the lesson, model the…

This digest summarizes the effective bilingual strategies described in a commissioned paper, "Transforming Education for Hispanic Youth: Exemplary Practices" by Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood and Walter G. Secada, and the recommendations of the Hispanic Dropout Project (U.S. Department of Education) for transforming bilingual education at all…

This digest presents recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education's Hispanic Dropout Project for school practices that promote the academic achievement of Hispanic youth, and it supplements the recommendations with examples from case studies. Each Hispanic student should have an adult in the school committed to nurturing the student's…

Recent Supreme Court rulings are motivating employers to take actions reflecting their compliance with federal laws protecting against sexual harassment. Three key steps employers can take to counter sexual harassment are as follows: develop a strong company policy specifying outlawed behaviors and penalties for their demonstration; establish…

Alternative forms of evaluating student progress are changing testing or assessment in U.S. schools. From the teacher-made to the standardized test, the familiar over-emphasis on multiple-choice items is giving way to expanded generative formats in which students are called upon to demonstrate mastery through applications in which they use complex…

This digest briefly reviews connections among the literature on the adoption of innovations, technology integration, and the value of reflection in encouraging educators to explore the integration of new educational technologies into their current teaching practices. An approach to prompting reflection is described, which uses structured guidance…

This digest, in question and answer format, summarizes what is known about effective ways to provide fully educational services for gifted students in the regular classroom. The following questions are addressed: What are the steps to full service? (educators need to plan environments in which all students can fully develop their abilities and…

This digest describes faculty and staff development as crucial elements for institutional effectiveness and quality. These programs allow faculty to improve instructional material, keep abreast of new technology and methods, and network with colleagues. When change takes place, perhaps through reorganization, restructuring, or a change in…

An ERIC digest considers several approaches to community study within the social studies curriculum. Material is divided into four sections. Following an introduction, "A rationale for community study" outlines skills and concepts that can be presented through community study and presents the rationale that community study can provide…

Environmental Education (EE) is described as a process of moving individuals toward stewardship and ultimately a union view of the relationship of people with nature. This document presents a general tenet of EE and explores some prevalent precepts that can be a guide to fully incorporating EE into all teaching settings. The percepts are explored…

One of the main obstacles to effective faculty evaluation is the inability to reach consensus on the evaluation's intended purpose. On one hand, faculty evaluation has a formative purpose, supporting faculty development, growth, and self-improvement, while it also has a summative purpose in that it provides data to make personnel decisions on…