Seating arrangements are important classroom setting events because they have the potential to help prevent problem behaviours that decrease student attention and diminish available instructional time. The purpose of this synthesis of empirical literature is to determine which arrangements of desks best facilitate positive academic and behavioural…

This workshop module focuses on how teachers can structure situations and activities in their classrooms to encourage or require a much broader range of behaviors and skills than are usually called for. It is designed to increase teachers' awareness of the various structural elements that can be manipulated in a classroom, and the way in which…

In the last decade, the Office of Education has granted several billions of dollars to local educational agencies (LEAs) in an attempt to stimulate, and sometimes force, educational improvements. This paper was presented at a symposium considering experiences accumulated in a recent national study of federal change programs as they have (or have…

The volume focuses on best practices in specific areas of programming for mentally retarded students which teachers and support service personnel must address before considering curriculum content. The first of three sections consists of four chapters focusing on the following philosophical considerations: characteristics of students with mental…