Designed to introduce global perspectives in a sixth-grade class for learning disabled students, this program was designed to help students develop an understanding of Haitian culture and a sense of empathy for persons of Haitian background. The program contained seven strategies: film watching, game playing, food sampling, class discussions,…

A great number of students, and a particularly high proportion of females, do not study mathematics beyond minimum high school requirements. Research indicates that segregation of mathematics classes may help reduce the incidence of female students dropping out of that subject. In an attempt to redress this situation, A. Y. Jackson Secondary…

Language problems are likely the strongest single barrier to success facing limited English proficient (LEP) immigrants to the United States. Therefore, instruction in English as a second language (ESL) for immigrants must be given a high priority. Vocational ESL (VESL) provides adult immigrants with English skills on an as-needed basis in…

Because teacher expectations and student learning styles may conflict in a multicultural class, teachers should examine ways to meet the needs of multicultural students. In Western educational institutions, instruction is planned for incremental learning, students are expected to complete their assignments on time, and the classroom is…

The digest summarizes major characteristics of American Indian student needs in the disciplines of science and math and offers constructive ways in which students may be motivated for greater achievement. Motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral factors contributing to avoidance of science and math by American Indian students are identified:…

This study examines the effects of academic ability (in average and lower ability students), gender, and teaching methods on students' acquisition of computer skills. Subjects were 247 college students who had completed a computer course using intelligent workstations in any one of six consecutive semesters. A combination of lecture and hands-on…

This issue of "Investigations in Mathematics Education" contains: (1) a review of E. Fischbein's book "The Intuitive Sources of Probabilistic Thinking in Children;" (2) nine abstracts of research studies in mathematics education; (3) a list (by EJ number) of mathematics education research studies reported in the January to…

An editorial and abstracts for 12 research reports are contained in this issue. The editorial by Robert E. Reys focuses on the dangers of publishing poor research. The abstracts, each with a critique, concern research on a game for logical reasoning, wait-time and sex differences, vocabulary instruction on ratio and proportion, male-female…

Students' macroprocessing of instruction was studied in a learning situation which used adjunct questions. The subjects were offered various macroprocessing options while reading a passage on data processing and computer programming. Each sentence appeared on a computer CRT screen one at a time. The options included: (1) review any sentence or…

The problem of Hispanic-Anglo conflicts in nonverbal communication is approached in this paper from the perspective of a teacher of English and Spanish as second languages, using largely anecdotal and often autobiographical data. Specific cross-cultural differences between Hispanics (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans) and Anglos in the area of…

This lesson plan is designed for a 50-minute class to teach adult caretakers of the aged about the psychological aspects of aging. The lesson is part of a course for caregivers in residential facilities and in home care. The lesson plan contains references, a list of equipment needed, objectives, information on how to set up the classroom, and the…

A naturalistic study of two bilingual first grade classrooms was conducted to gain an increased understanding of the cultural literacy instruction beliefs in society and to better understand the process by which literacy instruction beliefs influence the classroom. One Anglo and one Hispanic teacher working in different midwestern school systems…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that has been used successfully for over 30 years and continues to gain acceptance in multiple disciplines. It is an instructional (and curricular) learner-centered approach that empowers learners to conduct research, integrate theory and practice, and apply knowledge and skills to develop…

This paper describes the development of children's ability to pose and answer questions and discusses the teacher's role in enhancing these problem-solving skills. Several chapters review theoretical and empirical work related to these issues: models of man, general intellectual development, the mother's role in children's intellectual development…

The effectiveness of two approaches used by the Ventura-Santa Barbara County (California) School Resource Network to meet district-wide staff development needs is evaluated in this report. A new inservice training method, characterized by facilitation teams working within schools on site-specific needs, is contrasted to a district-wide topical…