A sample of 1,000 members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was surveyed concerning their use of the CEC Standards for Professional Practice. Responses received from 381 members found that 51 had a copy of the standards and had used it, while 330 did not have a copy and had not used the standards. The "yes" respondents…

This monograph presents 15 position statements of The Arc, a national organization for persons with mental retardation. A preamble presents the organization's Mission Statement. Principles and assumptions stressing the uniqueness of all people and the importance of a sense of control over one's destiny are listed. The position statements are then…

The recruitment, selection, and preparation of teachers, counselors, and administrators are among the areas within the educational establishment which are subject to change. The Holmes Group, a consortium of nearly 100 American research universities, which addressed its attention to improving teacher preparation programs as a step toward improving…

This volume contains 17 papers and reports from the 1991-92 Teacher Education Project sponsored by the North Central Accrediting Association and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction to the NCA/AACTE Teacher Education Project" (D. Jones); (2) "The 44th Annual Workshop, Summer…

This paper presents basic principles and theories of motivation, attempts to provide a better understanding of the concept, and explores the role motivation plays in learning. Basic theories of motivation are reviewed including: Freud's belief in motivation by the id, unconscious forces, and sexual stages; Jung and Adler's belief that people are…

Environmental Education (EE) is described as a process of moving individuals toward stewardship and ultimately a union view of the relationship of people with nature. This document presents a general tenet of EE and explores some prevalent precepts that can be a guide to fully incorporating EE into all teaching settings. The percepts are explored…

This literature review focuses on approaches to measuring and improving the self-concept of young children with special needs. Two particular models dominate the debate on the self-concept construct: the perceptual model (in which self-concept is equated with a self-description formed during the preschool years) and an operational model (in which…

A history teacher in a girls independent high school set out to examine her own teaching process in order to revitalize her work and to understand more about how her students learn. She began to keep a journal of her observations of classroom work and, with the help of a colleague, to analyze the observations. In addition, she set aside class time…

This paper examines the evolution of sign language's role in education, beginning with the debate over sign language versus oral communication, followed by the debate over American Sign Language (ASL) versus other sign systems. The paper points out that this debate process is hindering the educational experience for thousands of deaf children and…

Currently, the technical approach to curriculum and instruction in physical education is dominant. The key features of this approach are: the use of behavioral objectives in planning programs and instructional episodes; selection of subject matter and teaching strategies based on intended learning outcomes; and assessment of behavioral outcomes…

A paradigm is a way of understanding that includes rules and regulations that: (1) establish boundaries; (2) provide fixed rules for success within the boundaries; and (3) act as filters for data. While a paradigm may help people to operate in terms of things as they are, it also may blind them to alternative ways of looking at the world around…

The fundamental theses of this book are: (1) major improvements are needed in preservice teacher education programs; (2) increased use of case-based, discussion-oriented methodology as a primary, but not exclusive, pedagogical approach offers promise for substantial improvement over current efforts; (3) using case studies, students learn to apply…

This book contains 13 articles on learning from experience and its relationship to adult learning and adult education. The introductory article, "Understanding Learning from Experience" (Boud, Cohen, Walker), examines five propositions about learning from experience. The following papers are organized into three sections that focus…

The articles in this volume are written primarily by classroom teachers who share their experiences and offer practical examples of cooperative learning activities. Lesson and unit plans, games, group projects, samples of student work, worksheets, and evaluation forms are included, as well as cooperative learning activities for several grade…

A plan is proposed for the revision of the National Teacher Examinations. The plan is based on measuring what is taught in teacher education curricula. Preservice pedagogical education consists of two types of studies: academic pedagogy and clinical pedagogy. Academic pedagogy consists of concepts and principles pertaining to the making of…