In cooperative learning, students work together in small groups on tasks that require cooperation and interdependence among all individuals in each group. This digest looks at how cooperative learning can be used as an effective method for working with students from diverse language backgrounds. Focus is specifically on the structural approach to…

Learning to read and write effectively is a challenging task for many adults, particularly for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. In spite of concerted efforts by educators to facilitate the development of literacy skills in deaf individuals, most deaf high school graduates read English at roughly a third or fourth grade level as determined by…

This brief paper offers an overview of strategies, with practical examples, to infuse multicultural content into the curriculum for gifted students. It proposes a framework for multicultural gifted education based on the four levels or approaches of J. Banks and C. Banks and within each approach, the six levels of B. Bloom's taxonomy. The four…

The reading scores of urban disadvantaged students have risen over the past 15 years, which may be attributable to special programs which have focused on strengthening the rudimentary skills. Whether reading achievement is dependent on students' mastery of standard English is an unresolved issue, but a number of instructional methods have been…

Presents ERIC Digest No. 43 which examines the meaning of the term "Pacific Rim," reasons for emphasizing the Pacific Rim in the social studies curriculum, and useful strategies for teaching about that part of the world. Lists references, including ERIC resources, used in the digest's preparation. (GEA)

This digest provides basic information on phonological awareness in the process of learning to read for students with learning disabilities. It considers how phonological awareness fits into this process and the special problems experienced by children with learning disabilities or from culturally diverse backgrounds. Suggestions for teaching…

Research indicates that the instructional conversation (IC), a dialogue between teacher and learner in which prior knowledge and experiences are woven together with new material to build higher understanding, can be an effective method for raising the low academic achievement levels of various groups of Native American students. The IC contrasts…

The teaching of writing to students who speak nonstandard English can be difficult because students' linguistic differences rarely indicate true incompetence, and students' writing problems may result from conflicts between the cultures and language uses at home and school. Factors found to encourage writing improvement are the following: (1)…

This digest explains how functional language instruction can be made useful for persons with moderate to severe disabilities who are also culturally and linguistically different. It further explains how vocabulary and cultural information of the Spanish-speaking student can be included in functional language instruction for students who are from…

This digest provides a critique of the various educational strategies that have been used with Latino students and suggests alternatives that may be more successful. Many educators acknowledge that the reasons for the historic academic underachievement of Latino students could be inappropriate cognitive, cultural, and linguistic teaching methods.…

An antibias curriculum seeks to nurture children's potential by addressing issues of diversity and equity in the classroom. Goals of antibias curricula are to foster children's self-identity, interaction with people from diverse backgrounds, critical thinking about bias, and ability to stand up for themselves in the face of bias. The first phase…

Despite growing interest in children's policy and in research regarding childhood bilingualism and language acquisition, the early care and education of linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers remains a matter of much concern. Relative inattention at the level of policy to the needs and interests of such children is due to several…

This digest reviews behaviors and instructional strategies that enable teachers to build stronger teaching/learning relationships with students from culturally diverse backgrounds. Strategies include: (1) appreciate and accommodate the similarities and differences among the students' cultures; (2) build relationships with students; (3) focus on…

This digest debunks myths about developmentally appropriate programs (DAPs) and discusses essential characteristics of developmentally appropriate practices. Common myths or erroneous assumptions about DAPs assume that: (1) there is only one right way to implement a DAP; (2) DAPs are unstructured, and practitioners offer minimal guidance to the…

This ERIC Digest delineates problems posed by the increasing number of language-minority children in schools and offers suggestions for teaching children from different cultures. It is maintained that a group's language reflects its culture, and the uses to which that language is put are culturally determined. When children and adults do not share…