A study involving 11 non-medical professionals and 17 parents of children with autism resulted in the following guidelines for sharing a diagnosis of autism, including establish a family-friendly setting, understand the family's needs, use good communication skills, provide a list of resources and interventions, discuss prognosis, provide hope,…

This article offers guidelines for determining equitable, accountable, and effective grading practices and policies for all students that balance the need for a common set of standards and the individual needs of the students. Purposes of grading, grading systems, and effective instructional practices that support grading processes are discussed.…

An upstate New York superintendent shares strategies to ensure good board-administrator relations. Superintendents should stress the primacy of serving students' interests and maintaining a respectful culture, set goals, treat board members equally, work for the majority, refrain from socializing, and evade noneducation-related disputes. (MLH)

Explores five common types of instructional feedback--written, conferences, audio, video, and computer. Provides a description drawn from the literature, and offers several guidelines for using each format in education and training. (AEF)

Offers guidelines for selecting picture books for library media centers. Topics include artistic media, with examples of titles for each type; elements of design, including color; style; layout; the story itself; quality of paper and binding; intended audience; selecting with specific teachers and students in mind; and recommendations from…

Once a school district determines that modernization is the best alternative for a particular building, the planning process begins. The first step is determining how administrators and teachers would like to use the building. Flexible instructional spaces, technology wiring, comfort, and communication are important considerations. (MLH)

Believes that psychology instructors must consider the various needs of international students in their classrooms. Provides suggestions for dealing with language and writing barriers and cultural methods of addressing instructors. Explains that instructors must also be aware of the U.S. immigration laws regarding full-time study status and school…

Explores practices in a Yamaha Music School to determine in what ways these practices were congruent or incongruent with the National Association for the Education of Young Children Developmentally Appropriate Practice guidelines. Includes children, ages four to six, their teachers, and parents in the setting. (CMK)

Examines Western adaptations of music from other cultures. Argues against performing multicultural music according to the Western musical system. Provides suggestions for authentically performing multicultural music, including interacting with the music and learning about its cultural origins. (CMK)

Provides suggestions for student teachers in music education: (1) be on time; (2) be presentable; (3) do not be a shadow; (4) do not wait to be told; (5) manage time effectively; (6) plan relentlessly; (7) heed and implement advice; (8) follow through on your ideas; (9) do not make excuses; and (10) be passionate. (CMK)

In this article Ian Broinowski explores creative and interesting ways to incorporate text messaging (SMS) into his teaching practices. Using a computer he is able to send messages related to classroom activities and share ideas and resources with students. He also examines some of the protocols associated with the use of mobile phones and draws…

This research used resource allocation theory to generate predictions regarding dynamic relationships between self-efficacy and task performance from 2 levels of analysis and specificity. Participants were given multiple trials of practice on an air traffic control task. Measures of task-specific self-efficacy and performance were taken at…

Federal legislation (White House Executive Order 13166, 2000) mandates that language services be provided to limited English proficient populations by health care providers receiving federal funding. In order to do this, some basic resources have been developed to administer medical services. Nevertheless, the translation aspects of these…

The main aim of this paper is to describe a working protocol which can offer practising educational psychologists a rational framework within which to investigate and understand the complex problems of children and young people in school and to provide appropriate advice to teachers, parents/carers and LEA decision makers on how they can best…

Visualization is an essential skill for all students and biochemists studying and researching the molecular and cellular biosciences. In this study, we discuss the nature and importance of visualization in biochemistry education and argue that students should be explicitly taught visual literacy and the skills for using visualization tools as…