Critical thinking (CT) is widely viewed as an essential skill for college students. Nevertheless, the use of CT skills in the classroom often varies across disciplines. This article summarizes perceptions of CT, including various definitions and constructs as well as barriers to its implementation in higher education. Faculty members from various…

In 1998 Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam published the article, "Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment" (Black & Wiliam, 1998b). They asserted that formative assessments were the strongest way of raising student achievement. There are a number of empirical studies that document positive impacts of formative…

Formative assessment, assessment for learning, involves checking in with students during the learning process to see if they understand concept or standard, before holding them accountable for mastery and moving on to the next concept or standard. This process can be used in the classroom during the lesson or across a subject area as teachers of…

Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

Formative assessment is a classroom learning process that consists of clear goals and objectives, assessing students' knowledge, providing feedback and adjusting instruction based upon the data within a socially interactive process. Because of inconsistent implementation of the formative assessment process within classrooms, the efficacy of the…

Use this handy guide to get your PLC engaged, energized, and ready to implement formative assessment. Everything you need to organize and run your PLC--including agendas, schedules, handouts, and background readings--is included. With enough materials for seven sessions total, you can focus your PLC on all of the critical issues related to…

In both purpose and practice, general education in American higher education has experienced several recurring debates and national revivals. In a world with constantly evolving technology, students need a strong general education to be flexible and adaptable to the changes of the world. General education is an important component and requirement…

Despite the popularity of outcome-based education, research documenting its effects is rare. As an umbrella concept embracing various reform efforts, OBE defies easy definition. This article explains two OBE models (Mastery Learning and the Outcomes-Driven Developmental Model used in Johnson City, New York, Schools) and summarizes recent state OBE…

Written primarily for teachers, this sourcebook explains the characteristics and needs of young adolescents and examines the kinds of curricula and teaching most appropriate for them. Chapter 1 provides definitions, a history of the junior high school, and a discussion of the characteristics of education in the middle years. Chapter 2 describes…

A nationwide Adult Education Programme (NAEP), with the object of providing adult education to 100 million adults within five years, was inaugurated in India in October, 1978. A conference held in New Delhi in June, 1979, discussed the problems of training enough adult education instructors to implement the program throughout the country,…

This manual is intended to guide Kentucky vocational educators in designing and implementing a program of occupational and English language instruction that will efficiently and sensitively meet the special needs of students with limited English proficiency (LEP). The step-by-step guide aims to identify teachers' existing capabilities that may be…

This report on the impact of the Vocational Education ACT (VEA) on special needs populations in vocational education examines the structure of the VEA, the state and local contexts in which the law is implemented, and the problems of serving special populations that the mechanisms are attempting to address. Outlined first are the goals and role of…

This handbook presents research findings from recent work force literacy programs, practical applications for workplace literacy programs, and resources for community colleges and technical institute personnel to use in forming partnerships with business and industry. Following a list of project staff, an acknowledgements section, and a brief…

This curriculum guide deals with electrical occupations clusters. The first section of the guide introduces vocational and career education in general, and electrical occupational education in particular; provides definitions of commonly used terms; and lists guidelines for establishing acceptable secondary vocational programs in Oregon. In the…

This manual is intended to serve as a resource to assist nursing home inservice instructor coordinators in presenting effective orientation and continuing inservice programs. Designed according to a modified self-instructional approach, it presents background information on factors influencing inservice, guidelines for planning programs,…