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…

The article describes the Consolidated Method for Independent Learners (CMIL) which is based on schema theory and is designed to develop self efficacy, teach learning strategies, and foster generalization skills in learning-disabled and other handicapped children. (DB)

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…

Examines multichannel learning, using learning channels such as teachers, to connect learners to knowledge, skills, and information found in the immediate learning environment and the community or delivered from a distance. Also discusses international use of multichannel learning as educational development in the Philippines and Haiti. (JMV)

This article addresses the close relationship between reasoning skills and literacy, especially in the context of the education of students with deafness. The importance of providing deaf learners with cognitive strategy instruction applied to various aspects of literacy is stressed. (DB)

The paper offers a broad-based behavioral approach to language generalization which is affected by basic cognitive processes, behavioral learning strategies, environmental variables, and the child's present knowledge base. Implications of this approach for application of a systems approach to intervention are discussed. (Author/DB)

This article offers reasons for using cooperative-learning strategies in classrooms characterized by student diversity including disabilities. It provides a definition, guidelines concerning important instructional decisions prior to implementing cooperative learning, and suggestions for preparing students and evaluating student outcomes.…

This sourcebook contains nine papers on various aspects of collaborative learning for students with emphasis on college level instruction (though some material relevant to secondary elementary education is also included). Contributors address what collaborative learning is, how is it implemented, how to assess it, and where it is used. Each…

This article reviews six models of literacy strategy instruction in special and remedial education and reports on a study which manipulated teacher and student control of activity, as well as the instructional context, in examining the implementation and outcomes of three models: direct instruction; reciprocal teaching; and collaborative problem…

Written in response to requests from local school districts in New York State, this document provides information about the middle grades (grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) and the changing nature of students in these grades. The first section reports results of studies on this difficult developmental period that were conducted by three New York school…