Ten papers from the 1988 Finnish Association of Applied Linguistics (AFinLA) Symposium are presented in this collection. All but two of the papers are in Finnish. Papers and authors are as follows: "Learning to Read: Process and Problems in Acquisition" (E. Bialystok--in English); "When Experts Write for Students: Familiar Concepts in Weird Texts"…

An annotated list of tests for assessing students' learning abilities is provided in this document. Each annotation contains information that helps the educator gauge the negative and positive aspects of the tests. Information useful in understanding intelligence quotient (IQ) subscores and their implications is included. The tests described are…

This study investigated questions related to the length of video segments in interactive video programs: (1) the preferred segment length if learners decide how much information they want presented before stopping to answer question; (2) the relationship between segment length and direct recall of factual information when segment length is…

This report examines the philosophy, policies, programs, methodologies, services, and organizational structures that relate to the education of students between 4 and 9 years of age. Sections of the report address: (1) the relation between development and learning; (2) school readiness; (3) early learning programs; and (4) partnerships among…

This study describes what some urban teachers at one school believe and know about literacy teaching and learning, and relates what they believe and know to two contrasting viewpoints about the way students become literate (mechanism and contextualism). Quantitative and qualitative measures were used to create summaries of teacher beliefs and…

A project was conducted for the following purposes: (1) to determine reading methods and practices specific to the father's role in family literacy through research in the field of reading; (2) to develop a curriculum incorporating this research; (3) to implement this curriculum with two groups of educationally disadvantaged fathers; and (4) to…

In 1989, a consortium of four community colleges in Southern California (i.e., Cerritos College, Mt. San Antonio College, Rancho Santiago College, and Rio Hondo College) received a Title III grant of $2.5 million to support the development of innovative teaching and learning programs. The specific goals of the project are to increase the academic…

This document describes the expectations for student learning in Alberta, Canada, through the levels of elementary education. The content of the program of studies described focuses on what students are expected to know and be able to do across all the subject areas of early childhood and elementary education. Although the material is organized by…

Classrooms in our nation's schools reflect an "assembly-line model" of work in which the educational product is a set of students' performance and abilities learned in school. Contemporary educators are critical of the old factory model and seek to replace it by classrooms whose goals are to learn and to develop knowledge. Studied is the…

This curriculum guide is designed for students in Texas' 2 + 2 Tech Prep program, which trains individuals who followed the general track degree program in high school to provide high quality care and education to young children. The guide is for students entering the third phase of the program, in which a set of intermediate postsecondary core…

This report describes significant changes which have taken place in the public schools of Jefferson County, Colorado, and discusses issues which affect the quality of education in the county's school district. After a brief introduction, the report profiles the Jefferson County Public School District, presents information about the county's public…

This unit is designed to introduce students to the Islamic culture and civilization of the Middle Ages. The historical period which these materials cover begins with 711 (the date of Muslim entrance into Spain) and ends with 1492 (the date of the end of Muslim rule in Spain). The activities of the unit culminate with the recreation of a banquet…

A study was done to develop and evaluate a program designed to improve the academic and personal achievement of Hispanic American high school students. The study posited that the causes of Hispanic American students' belief that they could not achieve were: (1) dysfunctional learned behaviors; and (2) acculturation difficulties. Using findings on…

A study examined the feedback associated with "author's chair" to determine the opportunities provided for students to learn about literacy. Subjects, six boys and three girls between the ages of 8 and 10 in a self-contained classroom for students identified as learning disabled, were exposed to a process-oriented approach to writing instruction…

This monograph resulted from a meeting of regular and special education leaders which addressed what works for the successful inclusion of students with special needs in regular education classrooms. The monograph focuses specifically on inclusion of students with learning disabilities. After an executive summary, the paper includes a review of…