This guide for beginning teachers provides assistance in the following areas: (1) "Physical Environment and Materials" (e.g., room arrangement and bulletin boards); (2) "Setting Expectations" (e.g., rules and consequences and early parent communication); (3) "First Days of School" (e.g., activities and teacher daily…

Connemara, a rural region in Ireland, is characterized by high unemployment, high emigration, poor infrastructure, inadequate public services, and a low rate of transfer to third-level education. To address the situation, the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), joined forces with Connemara West (a community-owned development organization…

Teachers in a range of disciplines are interested in engaging their students in authentic activities that reflect the experiences of real-world practitioners. Adopting this approach requires the design and implementation of learning environments that incorporate and support such activities. This paper describes two real-life cases at the…

A perennial difficulty for first year students--one often viewed by them as an unimportant annoyance--is the need to handle sources and cite correctly. Any serious institutional attempt to address this issue in an interesting way is an enterprise concerned with motivation, as well as curriculum innovation. This paper reports on a collaboration…

This report, the third derived from research out of the National Faith-Based Initiative (NFBI), examines how faith-based organizations designed and implemented mentoring programs for high-risk youth. Focusing on four NFBI sites (in the Bronx and Brooklyn, NY; Baton Rouge, LA; and Philadelphia, PA), the report takes up three key questions: How were…

This book explains essential features of special education that are important for interdisciplinary communication and effective teaching. Part I introduces the reader to historical and instructional foundations of music in special education. Major topics and developments in the field of special education, important terminology, and curricular…

This paper reports the results of a study conducted to evaluate the reality of interaction in a web-based distance education course. The learners were Egyptian first-grade secondary school students (15-16 years old) and the learning subject is mathematics. To investigate students' interactions via the Web, a Web-based learning environment was…

"Looping" is an essentially simple concept: a teacher moves with his or her students to the next grade level, rather than sending them to another teacher at the end of the school year. This Digest explores the practitioners' perspectives on looping, the experience of European school systems, and research on looping. Practitioners report…

This report discusses the outcomes of a project that investigated elementary schools and classrooms that had a reputation for effective implementation of curriculum differentiation practices to meet the individual needs of high ability students. Using a multisite case study method, researchers conducted observations in classrooms and interviewed…

The annotated bibliography describes foreign language assessment instruments currently used in elementary and middle schools. The instruments are drawn from a wide variety of program models: Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES), middle school sequential instruction, and immersion (total, two-way, partial). The bibliography has six…

The guide is designed for teachers in adult basic education and General Educational Development classes, as an aid for identifying potential limited-English-proficient (LEP) students, assessing their English proficiency in all language skill areas, observing classroom behaviors that might impede comprehension, and planning appropriate instruction.…

This book helps teachers learn how to use and make educational media, covering traditional and new media such as computer laboratories, authentic assessment, theory bases, and hypermedia. Chapter topics progress from simple to complex. Each chapter includes clearly stated behavioral objectives that provide a study guide for students and can serve…

A discussion of survey methodology for investigating second language programs and instruction examines two methods: oral interviews and written questionnaires. Each method is defined, and variations are explored. For interviews, this includes individual, group, and telephone interviews. For questionnaires, this includes self-administered and…

This CD-ROM provides a way to become aware of and understand the many issues involved in planning, implementing, and using networks in K-12 schools. It is designed to serve both as a basic resource and as a pointer to other resources, and is useful for school board members, superintendents, administrators, teachers, technology coordinators,…

This conference proceedings includes 66 papers, workshop descriptions, and abstracts concerned with experiential education; outdoor education; adventure-based education, counseling, and therapy; and outdoor leadership. Topics include various aspects of program design and administration; experiential educational practices and group facilitation…