Examines issues in the assessment of the special educational needs of children for whom English is a second language, and identifies notions that actually prevent good practices. Urges more attainable practices that focus assessment on the learning environment, including the "where,""with whom,""from whom,""when,""what," and "how" of the child's…

Presents a perspective on the growing and evolving nature of distance learning, its history, and the research that informs practice. Explores the development of online distance education and discusses considerations in designing online instruction, including pedagogical concerns, organizational issues, and institutional issues. (AEF)

Summarizes 10 documents and 7 journal articles from the ERIC database discussing the resilience of children. Topics covered include: ways to develop and promote resiliency in children; characteristics of resilient children; descriptions of school and community programs successful in promoting students' resilience and success; and characteristics…

Explores gender differences in the use of computer-mediated communication in a specific learning context by a small group of postgraduate distance learners and their tutors at the University of Sheffield. Uses content analysis of online dialog to investigate learning and socioemotional behavior. (Author/LRW)

Defines the six key pressures that have given rise to the emerging enterprise academic-computing imperative. These include the pressure to (1) improve instructional quality; (2) unify disparate academic-computing resources; (3) demonstrate return on network investment; (4) reach more students; (5) lower costs in delivery of instruction; and (6)…

A study examined experiences of infants and toddlers in New Zealand child care centers to determine if those experiences provided opportunities for learning in the context of shared attention. Results provided evidence of staff sensitivity and responsiveness, close child/caregiver relationships, the importance of language and shared meaning, and…

Examined the context of class activities and teacher/child interaction in 10 preschool centers in Bahrain. Found that children at educationally-oriented centers played more at cognitively challenging tasks and engaged in more dialog with others than counterparts at care-oriented centers. In general, children were more likely to engage in…

Assesses the effects of external constraints on teachers and the types of adaptation strategies they utilize. Interviews teachers in western Canada and finds they experience high stress from external constraints. Observes that teachers' coping options did not compromise their teaching but fed feelings of powerlessness in efforts to improve school…

Orem (Utah) High School is a suburban, predominantly white high school that consciously strives to create a welcoming atmosphere, where students are treated with respect, programs are varied and innovative, and fun and participative decision making are highly valued. The school's participation in the National Network for Educational Renewal has…

Argues children's natural drive to discover is intrinsic and that adults cannot instill it from the outside. Dispels common myths about child motivation and describes the optimal conditions for self-motivated learning. Provides examples of how the Montessori-prepared environment makes the most of children's inborn curiosity, interest, and wonder.…

Identifies dramatic changes in higher education and argues that developments in information technology will make significant contributions to learning and teaching. Concludes that future developments will involve academics in changing the attitudes of staff and students, promoting a mixture of on- and off-campus provision, raising student…

This article describes how to identify sources of children's learning opportunities, how families and practitioners can work together to choose natural learning environments as a source of learning opportunities, how to use children's interests for involving them in everyday learning opportunities, and how an intervention plan can increase…

Examines the status, issues, and trends of multimedia instructional support. Presents examples associated with the development of CD-ROMs and interactive Web sites to illustrate important considerations for such development. Some issues considered include: degree of interactivity, performance, accessibility, dependability, and development dynamic.…

Presents findings from a three-year evaluative study, plus a follow-up study four years later, into the implementation of a student-owned portable computer program in a secondary school in Perth, Western Australia. Discusses computer use, student computer attitudes, teacher attitudes, the role of teachers in curriculum integration, and…

A study evaluated a Czech Outward Bound course for international participants that used dramaturgy to incorporate cultural, social, creative, and psychological activities and enrich the traditional range of outdoor physical activities. Observations of 55 participants and followup surveys indicated that the main outcomes involved personal and…