Awareness of how to ensure that a family and consumer sciences (FCS) classroom meets the criteria of universal design is essential. Yet, meeting the requirements for students with diverse abilities may be perceived as a daunting task when educators think about planning, delivering instruction, and assessing learner outcomes. Differentiated…

Teachers are not always aware of how the classroom design influences teaching, particularly in many family and consumer sciences (FCS) classes that require studio space, such as apparel and interior design classes. The purpose of this paper is to introduce strategies to assess studio spaces that are designed for enhancement of student learning.…

Examines the efforts of an elementary school in Iowa to combine Basic School and multi-age instruction. Quotes from teachers to describe how (trying not just to educate children but to teach them how to manage their own education) the school's curriculum is structured around big ideas and broad concepts that provide multiple entry points for the…

Discusses the organization and operation of multi-age classrooms in an elementary school in Nevada. Describes how teachers working with primary classrooms of first and second graders, and intermediate classrooms of third, fourth, and fifth graders, created an adaptive, flexible, and dynamic curriculum that could serve the needs of their…

Contends that keyboard synthesizers can be used effectively in the music education classroom because they are instruments more than they are technological tools. Describes an elementary music program that uses synthesizers throughout the K-6 curriculum. Includes diagrams of classrooms arranged to use computerized keyboards incorporated with other…

Argues that, if music is to remain a feasible part of the school curriculum, it must combine technology with traditional methods and materials. Contends that computer-assisted keyboard systems encourage cooperative learning, enhance student motivation, and provide opportunities for students to succeed at their ability level. Describes two middle…

Divided into three parts, this book reviews the basic concepts of the High/Scope preschool curriculum and its development, implementation, and effectiveness. The introduction offers a retrospective of the program's history, describes the five basic principles that form the framework of the approach, and discusses some of the reasons for its…

Students who are deaf and hard of hearing have special needs that must be accommodated before they can fully benefit from various types of classroom presentation technology. An optimal classroom situation for learners who must depend primarily on visual input includes careful consideration of factors such as room set up, legibility of the media,…