Since the publication of the 2000 PISA results highlighting Finland's school children ranking #1 in the world for reading, and #3 for mathematics and science, fascination with Finland's educational system has piqued the interest of educational researchers worldwide. Researchers have been captivated by the paradoxes of the Finnish education system:…

The work of schools is teaching and learning. However, the current educational culture is dominated by three characteristics: (1) the mechanistic view of organization and its practice based on the assembly line model where students progress along a value added conveyor; (2) the predominance of the Essentialist philosophy of education, in which the…

Studies (N=25) of the effectiveness of Direct Instruction programs with special education students were examined in a meta-analysis comparison. None of the studies showed results favoring comparison groups. Fifty-three percent of the outcomes significantly favored Direct Instruction. Effects were not restricted to particular handicapping…

Review of problem-based learning (PBL) finds that innovation is comprised of four elements: an ill-structured problem, substantive content, student apprenticeship, and self-directed learning. Research evidence suggests that PBL is better than traditional instruction on long-term information retention, conceptual understanding, and self-directed…

This monograph brings together 16 one- to two-page abstracts from research poster sessions held at the March 1996 international conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. The first section, addressing research on assessment and characteristics of students with learning disabilities, includes abstracts on the Woodcock-Johnson…

A meta-analysis of 268 studies suggested a deficit in subjects with mental retardation (compared to controls without mental retardation) across 12 categories of learning tasks, a relative deficit which remained, after training, across 7 categories of strategies. When strategy training was evaluated, the effect size was 0.701, which compares…

The article reviews research on the effects of the three components of instructional time--allocated time, used time, and engaged time. Evidence that use of time is a powerful variable in student learning is applied to the instruction of hearing impaired students. (Author/DB)

The article maintains that a reductionist fallacy in the four major models (medical, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive strategy) underlying services to learning disabled students explains the efficacy problems that have long plagued the field. (Author/DB)

The review describes the advance organizer technique and reviews the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of advance organizers with both normal students and students classified as handicapped. Examples of advance organizers include the expository advance organizer, the comparative advance organizer, the graphic advance organizer, and…

This response to Detterman and Thompson (1997) analyzes their criticisms of special education and presents evidence of the effectiveness of current instructional techniques for children with disabilities in contrast with the cognitive approaches favored by Detterman and Thompson. Assumptions about the significance of intelligence testing and…

Principles of using Cued Speech with deaf children are discussed. Review of the literature suggests that Cued Speech has been unjustly criticized. Cued speech should be seen not as a method of communication, but rather as an intervention tool with application for both aural-oral and Total Communication programs. (Author/DB)

This reflective commentary by the author of EC 607 584 points out that discussion about inclusion of students with severe disabilities should focus on how it may address the contextually complex variables that support effective instruction for all students. Teachers should be given the flexibility to implement curricula that result in different…

This article describes cooperative-learning models, discusses adaptation of cooperative learning for gifted students, and outlines an appropriate curriculum for gifted students. The paper concludes that activities that allow gifted students to share knowledge and improve interaction skills are appropriate for heterogeneous groups, whereas…

Recent research on effective classroom management practices is summarized. Effective practices include organizing classroom space, establishing rules, developing classroom procedures, maintaining the learning environment (e.g., matching instruction to individual needs and monitoring pupil performance), and assessing the effectiveness of management…

Highly productive educational methods have been identified through publicly funded research, but these methods or programs have not been widely disseminated or adopted. Problems with the work ethic, discipline, and competition are described, along with the public's need for learning but its desire for entertainment. (JDD)