One of the benefits of performance based assessment is its allowance for the teacher to gather information about how the student understands and applies knowledge. In this Digest, the basic steps a teacher should take to plan and execute effective performance-based assessment are outlined. Coverage includes the steps of planning and executing…

Several recent investigations have suggested that students need help with their notes, as even successful students may fail to record many ideas communicated by the lecturer. Results also suggest that there is value in having students participate in the notetaking process in that they are more likely to remember what they have noted, even if full…

The digest explores aspects of serving the learning disabled (LD) student in vocational education classrooms. It is noted that LD students may have difficulty following directions and understanding lectures and may forget more often than other students. A list of seven accommodations that can be made for LD students in vocational classrooms…

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 adapts information from "Attention Deficit Disorders: A Guide for Teachers," prepared by members of the Education Committee of Children with Attention Deficit Disorders. It defines attention deficit disorders and describes the two types (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and undifferentiated attention deficit…

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…

Guidelines for teaching early childhood teachers and other adults about computers and their use are offered. Discussion focuses on how attitudes of the adult learner can impede learning, how the trainer can encourage teachers and other school personnel to learn about computers, and the trainers'"invisible agenda" of educational goals…

This is an age of ascendency of the Pacific Rim area, especially the Asian sector. Recent decades have seen unprecedented economic growth throughout this area. By examining Japan, the region's pre-eminent nation and harbinger of future developments, the larger topic of the Pacific Rim can be explored. It is particularly important to teach about…

Critical thinking skills figure prominently among the goals for education proposed by educational researchers, parents, and employers. This digest discusses the skills related to critical thinking and three specific strategies for teaching these skills. The first, Building Categories, is an inductive reasoning tool that helps students categorize…

This digest identifies Internet resources of particular interest to the educational assessment community. Gopher sites and web sites are identified and discussed for the following organizations and institutions: (1) American Educational Research Association; (2) American Evaluation Association; (3) Arizona State University College of Education;…

This ERIC Digest suggests that traditional assessment techniques must be complemented by new methods that can reinvigorate and improve the teaching and study of history in the schools. Teachers and researchers agree that recall of discrete information and traditional forms of assessment emphasize low-level cognition without challenging students to…

This digest summarizes the issues involved in the instruction of college students with learning disabilities and offers a practical approach to teaching these students. It notes first that disability law at the college level is not as prescriptive as that for the elementary secondary level. Since the instructional climate in higher education is…

With accurate information, educators are better able to make effective decisions. Besides being used to assess student performance, a complete program of data collection and use can also show educators how management skills, individual learning styles, and other elements affect student achievement. This digest provides an overview of how…

This digest summarizes available information on the importance of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevention education efforts for students with disabilities. The digest notes these students' increased risk of HIV infection due to their lack of knowledge, misinformation, poor social skills, low self-esteem, poor judgement, and tendency to let…

This digest explains why teacher comments on report cards are important, offers suggestions on how to construct effective comments, points out words or phrases to be cautious about using, and indicate sources of information for report card comments. Teacher comments are important in that they often convey information that is not completely…