Calls for the revitalization and reform of developmental studies programs in postsecondary education. Compares practices of the 1960s and 1970s with those needed in the 1980s. Cites recommendations of the Dallas County Community College District's Developmental Studies Task Force for reaffirmation and commitment to developmental education. (DMM)

Having developmental writing students work in small groups to discuss errors, collaborate on writing, critique each others' writing, and discuss and clarify ideas increases students' involvement in their own writing. During class, the instructor often serves as consultant and mediator; though structured, monitored time is also provided for…

Outlines the procedures used in a writing course, in which students write summaries of selected articles or editorials from magazines or newspapers. Discusses the instructional, cognitive, and affective advantages and implications of the approach. (DMM)

Offers 10 specific suggestions for redefining the role of homework in mathematics instruction in order to teach students to see homework as a tool and an integral part of learning. (DMM)

Urges basic writing instructors to teach prewriting and rewriting as seriously as they teach writing. Decribes the implementation of this approach which forces students to proceed through all three stages of writing in a structured classroom setting for each composition assignment. Provides an example showing a students' writing improvement. (AYC)

Examines the developmental education movement in the United States in the nineteenth century, looking at the nature of student inadequacies, the various models and methods used, and the causes and effects of the admission of underprepared students. (DMM)

Examines the origin and development of the Learning Assistance Center at California State University-Long Beach, which offers classroom support, individualized self-paced instruction, and tutorial services. Provides a rationale for the learning assistance support system and describes programs, services, and management features. (DMM)

Identifies three dominant terms used to describe programs for underprepared college students: remedial, compensatory, and developmental education. Describes the historical antecedents of each and proposes more precise uses for the terms to quell their unsystematic differentiation in the literature and to improve program planning and evaluation.

Explains the use of templates in teaching developmental writing students about the physical structure of the traditional expository paragraph. The template approach offers a space corresponding to a 150-word paragraph with structural suggestions in the margins (e.g., Do you have a strong opening sentence? Do you need a transition?). (DMM)

Describes a study of the changes in developmental students' affective attitudes toward microcomputers following an intensive week of computer training. Pre- and posttest results showed that computer training had a positive impact on students' attitudes and that computer-assisted instruction decreased students' anxiety and confusion and increased…

Describes a general chemistry course taught at Xavier University (Louisiana), designed for both well-prepared and educationally disadvantaged students. Lists course materials, outlines course structure, identifies 12 aspects of course content, and discusses student evaluation. (JM)

Considers the characteristics of developmental educators, trends and pressures for change in the field, and ways of responding to changes and possible futures. Suggests that developmental educators build on their flexibility and adaptability, work together, maintain a student orientation, and strive toward professionalism. (DMM)

Explores primary steps in finding, selecting, and evaluating software for instructional applications. Cites directories of commercial vendors; periodicals that provide software announcements and reviews; and guides to assist in courseware selection and evaluation. (DMM)

Examines math anxiety programs in Virginia's colleges, reviewing institutional characteristics, student selection and assessment, and program objectives, emphases, and methods. Concludes that math anxiety programs are few in number, rarely used in remediation, inconsistently defined, and share no single concept of the nature of math anxiety or…

Considers problems in using prose models in remedial writing instruction. To demystify the writing process, suggests: "teacher as writer" approaches--teachers demonstrate the problems they encounter in writing; "peer-mediated instruction"--students write for and observe each other; and "writer as model" approaches--professionals show how they…