Within the discipline of special education is academically gifted education, and this distinct area is not typically required as a topic of focus in traditional teacher preparation programs for regular education teachers. Therefore, it is essential that current research is conducted and published that provides educators, both general and special,…

Active blended learning (ABL) is a pedagogical approach that combines sensemaking activities with focused interactions in appropriate learning settings. ABL has become a great learning tool as it is easily accessible online, with digitally rich environments, close peer and tutor interactions, and accommodations per individual learner needs. It…

Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 directs the federal government to conduct a national assessment of adult education, including activities to understand the extent to which adult education strategies positively affect learners. A systematic review of the research on the effectiveness of particular strategies in adult…

Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) have the potential to provide one-on-one, just-in-time instruction, guidance or mentoring in classrooms where such individualized human interactions may be infeasible. Much current APA research focuses on a wide range of design variables tested with small samples or in laboratory settings, while overlooking…

Students with an emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) often present complex challenges for schools, families, and society. Researchers have indicated that these problems are prevalent across the life span. This article addresses (a) the educational implications of the research-to-practice gap for students identified as having an EBD, (b)…

Written for the busy practitioner by an experienced professional development consultant, writer, and speaker, "Literacy for Real" is a hands-on guide to meaningful reading across the content areas of math, science, and social studies in grades 6-12. It presents key information that addresses all types of 21st century literacy--visual, digital, and…

Describes weaknesses of traditional instruction and ways that instructional technology can help to correct these problems. Both hardware, such as computers and video, and soft technologies, such as methodologies and models, are considered. Possible negative side-effects of technology-based instruction are discussed and 27 references are listed.…

This book, written by authors representing 12 countries and five continents, is a collection of international perspectives on distance learning and distance learning implementations in higher education. The perspectives are presented in the form of practical case studies of distance learning implementations, research studies on teaching and…

This paper offers a pragmatic critique of the instructional prescriptions based on Structural Learning Theory (SLT) conceived by Joseph M. Scandura in 1973. SLT is rooted in clarifying the roles of expository and discovery modes of problem solving in instruction. It is a cognitively oriented model combining learning theories, instructional…

This handbook is designed for use in conjunction with staff training seminars designed to provide teachers and administrators with a framework and procedures for designing and implementing effective applications of technologies in the curriculum. The intended outcome of the seminars is the development of comprehensive programs including the…

Discusses the preservation of learner autonomy in an era of increasingly pervasive technology and structured learning environments. Argues that the teacher must be wary of technologies and materials that remove learner choice, and must take advantage of environments in which independent learning can take place. (MSE)

The packaging of history, science, and most other classroom subjects lack the excitement for students that the stylish, artful presentation of items on television and in magazines contain. The world is more distracting outside of the classroom than earlier in the century, yet the instructional materials have changed little over the decades. The…

The technology explosion in medical education has led to the use of computer models, videotapes, interactive videos, and state-of-the-art simulators in medical training. This booklet describes alternatives to using animals in medical education. Although it is mainly intended to describe products applicable to medical school courses, high-quality,…

This book describes instructional strategies for science teachers based on educational, psychological, and social research findings and focuses on how these results can be applied to classroom settings. Chapters include: (1) "Instructional Strategies"; (2) "Developing Students' Scientific Thinking and Learning Skills"; (3) "Emotional Aspects of…

It is argued that discussion of technology in college teaching commonly focuses on how to use it, while the important issues are when and why it is appropriate. Reasons for using technology are outlined, relating widely accepted goals in instructional development (improvement of communication, access to information, and effective presentation of…