Raising gifted children is a challenge, a big challenge. Often a dichotomy of emotions, gifted children can shift from happy and engaging, to angry and explosive, to sullen and withdrawn--all in a matter of minutes. Their behavioral extremes can often cause frustration and confusion in the strongest of parents. But why are these seemingly adept…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), through the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), developed standards for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective practice by educational leaders (CCSSO, 1996). These standards provide a viable content domain from which to assess leader cognitive and…

In this article, the authors explain how nonfiction literature can demonstrate the nature of problem solving within disciplines such as math, science, and social studies. This literature illustrates what it means to puzzle over problems, to apply disciplinary thinking, and to develop creative solutions. The authors look closely at three examples…

In this article, the author describes his life experiences and how difficult it was for him as a Mexican immigrant living in the United States. His life changed when he moved to America, but his character changed when he started middle school. He had been constantly insulted by his classmates, and at the time he wanted to get revenge. The kids he…

The main characteristic of children's play is its mental aspect--the fact that it is based on thoughts and feelings and not on objective reality. During imaginary play, children go beyond the limits of reality, and toys are tools that help them to do this. Children need character toys--toys that play the role of companion or partner--in the early…

Diagnosing Asperger's syndrome (AS) in adults is difficult and efficient indicators for a precise diagnosis are important in the clinical setting. We examined the clinical characteristics of AS in 129 adults (median age, 32.0 years [range, 19-57]; 102 men and 27 women; AS group (n = 64; median age, 32.0 years [range, 19-50]; 50 men and 14 women),…

The aim of this action research was to explore the benefits of group work as a tool for engaging students with introductory material. It was the researcher's expectation that group work, would provide a means of reducing cognitive load (Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, 2006) and encouraging on task behaviour (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002). This would result…

In recent years, therapeutic techniques have played an increasingly significant role in Danish educational thinking. One way in which this therapeutic thinking discloses itself is in the ever-growing use of educational-therapeutic games as part of the educational practice. Inspired by Foucault, we argue that educational-therapeutic games can be…

This qualitative study explores reasons that experienced teachers of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders give for remaining in their field. Previous research, usually conducted among the wider population of special education teachers, has focused on the relationship of employment and demographic factors to attrition and has…

The organized camp experience has been an important part of the lives of children, youth, and adults for over 150 years and is a social institution that touches more lives than any other except for schools. Camp is more than a location or a program; it encompasses the affective, cognitive, behavioral, physical, social, and spiritual benefits that…

The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in the field of music education. The "Big Five" model of personality served as the framework to help meet the purpose. Using a sample of 83 music pre-service teachers enrolled in a department of music education, we found that music pre-service teachers scored high in the Openness,…

Previous literature in alphabetic languages suggests that the occipital-temporal region (the ventral pathway) is specialized for automatic parallel word recognition, whereas the parietal region (the dorsal pathway) is specialized for serial letter-by-letter reading (and). However, few studies have directly examined the role of the ventral and…

In this paper we explore the perceived desirable characteristics of South African Life Orientation teachers for teaching sexuality and HIV/AIDS. We also investigate the extent to which these characteristics can be understood as parts of a role script for teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Data were collected from teachers who taught Grade Eight and…

We report longitudinal data in which we assessed the relationships between intelligence and support for two constructs that shape ideological frameworks, namely, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO). Participants (N = 375) were assessed in Grade 7 and again in Grade 12. Verbal and numerical ability were assessed…

Based on longitudinal multilevel modeling and using a multi-informant strategy, this study examines trajectories of externalizing problem behavior (EPB) in childhood as predicted by parental behavior (absolute level of parenting [ALP] and parental differential treatment [PDT]), parental self-efficacy (PSE), child personality and sibling…