Four papers on responding to diversity in the schools were presented at the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory's Urban School Leadership Mini-Conference. This document presents two, a framework for the discussions by John Attinasi and an exploration of how differences in culture and language affect academic achievement. "Academic…

Based on constructivist learning theory, this guide presents six practical menus that are intended to guide curriculum developers as they bring together an understanding of a discipline, its content and methodologies, and a vast array of instructional techniques to challenge learners on all levels. It begins with a "Knowledge Menu" that…

We have established an environment for German-Japanese school education projects using real time interactive audio-visual distance learning between remote classrooms. In periods of 8-12 weeks, two classes are dealing with the same subject matter, exchanging materials and results via e-mail and Internet. At 3 or 4 occasions the classes met on…

This book describes Structured English Immersion (SEI) for English language learners (ELLs). Seven chapters focus on the following: (1) "Identification, Assessment, and Placement" (e.g., California's school districts implement SEI and proper placement of students); (2) "Listening Skills" (e.g., time on task, total physical…

Project Look Sharp is an initiative to promote and support the integration of media literacy into classroom curricula at all grade levels and instructional areas, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of media literacy education in the schools. It provides the following 12 guidelines as basic principles for incorporating media literacy into any…

This publication is a compilation of examples of practical, easily implemented activities to help mathematics, science, and education faculty duplicate efforts by the Rocky Mountain Teacher Education Collaborative (RMTEC) to reform and revise curriculum for preservice educators. Activities are organized by content areas: mathematics; geology,…

This paper describes the adoption of communicative language teaching (CLT) in the Peoples' Republic of China in the early 1990s, the difficulties teachers encountered in implementing this change of approach, and efforts to overcome these difficulties. Secondary teachers had considerable difficulty in implementing CLT mainly, because they lacked…

This paper discusses the implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT) methodology within the English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) context in the Peoples' Republic of China. It suggests investigating the context of an English language teaching program first, and then adapting the program to the Chinese context in order to more effectively…

In light of recent trends to serve gifted students in regular classrooms, this paper reviews a variety of cost effective options for meeting the needs of gifted students. It notes effects of the inclusion philosophy which encourages education of all students in regular education classrooms, a lack of funds for special programs for gifted students,…

This guide is designed to help those involved with the United Kingdom's Workers' Educational Association (WEA) to recognize the learning needs of and to develop teaching methods for students with visual impairments (VIs). Introductory materials cover objectives and how to use the guide. Section 1, "What Do We Mean by VI?" compares…

This document provides a comprehensive list of best practices associated with effective and efficient programs for students with various disabilities: social/behavioral, sensory, physical, and cognitive and/or communicative. It is intended to assist in the design and implementation of least intrusive, chronologically age-appropriate, gender and…

The field of early childhood education has long been marked by intense controversy concerning appropriate curriculum and teaching methods and goals. This paper explores some implications of the traditional dichotomies of the field and suggests that while there are many reasons to resist the side that advocates formal academic instruction, it does…

The Long Island Pine Barrens is Long Island's premier ecosystem. It overlies the greatest quantity of the purest drinking water remaining on Long Island and boasts the greatest diversity of plants and animals in New York State. This curriculum guide provides background and suggested inquiry-based in-class and field trip experiences to use with…

This book provides a guide to college faculty with limited Internet experience on how to incorporate the World Wide Web (WWW) into college curriculum and instruction. The book begins with an informal history of computing and a guide to the geography of the Internet, and goes on to provide an analytical framework for thinking about networks,…

Adaptation and modification of science instruction for students with special needs requires collaboration between all educators involved in delivering the curriculum. Further, the collaboration between educational professionals in elementary and secondary schools can be effectively modeled in teacher education programs. This paper describes…