The author describes the role of minicourses, in-depth study sessions of short duration for gifted and talented students in elementary and secondary education. Examples of successful minicourses from around the U.S. are cited, and the implications for minicourses of gifted characteristics (such as curiosity, flexibility and decision making…

Describes a strategy for improving the quality of class discussions. States two reasons why class discussions can be unsatisfying: (1) individual contributions are emphasized more than the merits of collective discussion; and (2) discussion performance is emphasized over development of discussion skills. Describes a student exercise to overcome…

Focuses on the history, attributes of, and contributions to education of the former Risinghill (London, England) school in the 1950s and 1960s, and its former headmaster, Michael Duane. Discusses the school's innovative and controversial educational practices of that time period. (KDR)

The prevailing model of school knowledge is bounded, verifiable, controllable, and external to the knower, reinforced by textbooks, curriculum guides, and standardized tests. A better vision of schools is one in which multiple and diverse voices are heard, and knowing as a process is valued over knowledge as a product. (JOW)

Studies (N=25) of the effectiveness of Direct Instruction programs with special education students were examined in a meta-analysis comparison. None of the studies showed results favoring comparison groups. Fifty-three percent of the outcomes significantly favored Direct Instruction. Effects were not restricted to particular handicapping…

Defines constructivist learning environments and explains why the idea is worthy of study. Discussion includes the different assumptions underlying common metaphors for instruction, the idea of learning environments, the outcomes of learning environments, and the components or functions that make up learning environments. (JMV)

Following criticism of a previously described concept model, a new diagrammatic model of outdoor education (outside the classroom) and environmental education (inside the classroom) is proposed that defines and clarifies terms and shows overlapping methods, instructional settings, grade levels, and objectives. (SAS)

This paper presents a metatheoretical analysis of "approaches" to moral education and how we make sense of them. Such approaches are commonly analyzed with simple, binary category schemes, for example, being categorized as either 'indirect' or 'direct' in nature. This kind of minimal framework clearly oversimplifies the complex nature of any…

Successful interventions for at-risk students extend and redefine learning time to improve achievement. This article describes five programs--Promoting Academically Successful Students (PASS), Academic Acceleration Academy, Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), Middle Grade Acceleration Program (M-GAP), and a flexible credit plan--that employ…

Course completion and student satisfaction is likely to be influenced by how realistic the expectations of students are when they enroll. This report explores the idea that students' expectations would be more realistic if students have well developed career management competencies. Recent research argues that lack of information is not the…

This article explores the theme of the "two faces of education" by reviewing new policy directives in the United Kingdom to strengthen community cohesion in schools and their communities. These directives have resulted from growing disaffection with the aims and outcomes of multiculturalism. This article will investigate the ways in…

Educators in China are facing challenges as a tug-of-war between local culture and global influences in Chinese early childhood music educations plays out. By exploring the situations of Hong Kong and Nanjing, the authors demonstrate a wide gap between policy and practice. The top-down policy from government officials is based on global views of…

A psycho-medical discourse that explains behavioural dysfunction through neurological deficit has dominated debate about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, if only medical questions are asked, only medical answers will be found, resulting in more or less drug treatment. When behavioural dysfunction results in impairment…

This paper is aimed at readers who are committed to new ways of designing supportive learning environments that individually adapt to how students want to learn. Its premise is supported by the need for society to acknowledge the diversity of the population and to shift the paradigm from school reform restricted by concrete structures to learning…

Although blended learning is touted as widespread and effective, few theories and models exist to explain what blending is, determine an ideal mix of various delivery media, and guide the practice of blending. After reviewing several definitions and models of blended learning, the authors present a conceptual framework for strategic blending,…