To address the problem of limited opportunities for practicing second language speaking in interaction, especially delicate interactions requiring pragmatic competence, we describe computer simulations designed for the oral practice of extended pragmatic routines and report on the affordances of such simulations for learning pragmatically…

For many years English learners (ELs) have lagged behind native speakers of English in the academic community. In an era of accountability, the pressure to achieve and maintain Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status is increasing the burden of success on ELs, especially when trying to learn a second language. The population of English learners is…

We conducted a series of summer workshops on bioinformatics to increase educators' knowledge of this new field of inquiry with the assumption that their knowledge will, in turn, impact student achievement. The workshops incorporated experiential learning and self-reflection (Loucks-Horsley et al. 1998). Educators demonstrated significant increases…

The Individual Communications System (INDICOM) was begun in 1967 in Waterford School District, Michigan, as one of the first public school computer-assisted instruction projects in the Midwest. Its specific aim in developing CAI was to fuse the latest technology with the best thinking in education so as to create an instructional system which…

A study examines the effectiveness of two major types of instructional technology used in a majority of federally supported bilingual education programs, computer assisted instruction, and video instruction. The videotape technologies examined were bidirectional or interactive television and videotape. The variations of computer technology…

Demonstrating wave processes quantitatively in the classroom using standard classroom tools (such as Slinkys and wave tanks) can be difficult. For example, waves often travel too fast for students to actually measure amplitude or wavelength. Also, when teaching propagating waves, reflections from the ends set up standing waves, which can confuse…

Explains philosophy of the Higher Order Thinking Skills Project, which utilizes microcomputers in a learning laboratory to develop in upper elementary school students the thinking ability needed to construct sophisticated associations between ideas; describes curriculum used to teach these skills; and reviews software and hardware utilized and…

Southern Illinois University developed an instructional approach for supporting collaborative, problem-based learning (PBL) in medical education. A succession of software tools were developed and refined to implement this approach, and a technology-enriched facility, the "Collaborative Learning Lab" (CLL) was designed. The paper…

This report describes the development and field test of "Make It Happen!," a school-based approach to integrating technology into the middle school curriculum. This activity, conducted between October 1989 and May 1991, constituted Phase II of a 5-year study of technology integration for mildly handicapped students in four middle schools…

Based on the results of informal surveys conducted by each of four Technical Assistance Centers and several surveys and studies addressing the availability and use of computers and microcomputers in education, this paper examines the accessibility of computer technology to disadvantaged students in Chapter 1-assisted instructional programs. A…

This report describes the development and field testing of a federally funded model designed to integrate technology into the high school curriculum of students with disabilities. In this second phase of a 5-year study, six high schools located in four school districts were used to evaluate the model. The model is based on the premise that…

This final report documents Phase I of a federally funded, naturalistic study of how middle schools can integrate technology into mainstream instruction for mildly handicapped students. Phase I of the study, carried out from October 1986 through September 1989, examined teacher practices that create successful, computer-supported learning…

This guide was developed to help Private Industry Council members and Job Training Partnership Act Service Delivery Area directors, planners, and program managers to develop new services by providing an introduction to the elements of effective basic skills programs. The guide is organized in three major parts. Part 1 reviews the research on the…

In its second year, Methodologies of Bilingual Instruction in Literacy Education (Project MOBILE) provided 373 students of limited English proficiency, native speakers of Spanish and Haitian Creole, with supplementary English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and content-area instruction. Project MOBILE stressed the…

This volume is one of the products of the knowledge development effort implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of l977. This interim report describes the background and structure of the Educational Improvement Effort (EIE) of the Job Corps, as well as the preliminary findings for the first cohorts of…