Highlights an interviewing techniques course that facilitates professional skills likely to contribute to success in fieldwork. Provides a description of the course including the role of the instructor, course activities, and evaluating skill development. Describes the course assessment and discusses the survey results. (CMK)

Discusses a painting unit for kindergarten that focuses on color mixing and brush stroke techniques. Students paint a picture of their favorite animal. Describes the unit, listing the materials needed and including sample paintings. (CMK)

Examines gender differences in EXPLORE scores of gifted third through sixth graders. Results reveal that boys performed better on Mathematics and Science reasoning, and girls performed better on Reading, but effect sizes were negligible. Test performance of boys in mathematics was somewhat stronger than that of girls, but results favoring girls in…

Discusses the emergence of a global, technology-drive, skills-based economy where manufacturers are now talking about the need for qualified workers. Describes Minnesota's severe worker shortage that threatens to choke the state's continued economic growth. Recounts Dakota County Technical College's decision to take a leadership role to address…

Examines whether competency-based training is working in practice in Australian vocational education and whether it is producing superior skill performance. Explores the ideological nature of the competency-based training policy framework and the nature of related research commissioned by government agencies. Reviews the empirical evidence that…

A study involving four teachers and preschool children with mild disabilities found transition-based teaching did not substantially alter the duration of transitions for teachers or children, did not appear to interfere with other teacher responsibilities during transitions, and produced increases in children's target behaviors. (Author/CR)

Provides an operational definition of self-advocacy as it pertains to adolescent and adult learners with learning disabilities in postsecondary settings, describes model high school and college programs that teach self-advocacy skills, and discusses important follow-up and support activities essential to the effective use of these skills.…

This literature reviews explores the pedagogical approach, skills, and motivation factors that influence or are influenced by distance education instructors. Discusses Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs), a collaborative, problem-based asynchronous course design; and the need for instructor training and development to improve skills needed that…

Explores the 1998 reforms of the further education and training system in the context of educational and economic transformation in South Africa. Examines the further education and training (FET) policy. Focuses on the attempts by South Africa to transform its education and training system at the post-compulsory, pre-tertiary level. Includes…

Takes issue with the assumptions that training and productivity are causally related, skill development leads to economic growth, and vocational education serves the interests of employers, government, and workers. Argues that training discourse is aimed at reasserting the dominance of capital over labor. (Contains 40 references.) (SK)

Compares instructional methods used in interpersonal skills training courses delivered online to the methods used in similar courses delivered in a traditional instructor-led classroom. Discusses implications for performance improvement professionals who are responsible for selecting and designing interpersonal skills training interventions.…

Focuses on the value of a multicultural counseling prepracticum course for counselors in training at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond). States that the course helps students develop their skills in multicultural counseling. Offers suggestions for teaching the course and discusses course objectives, course content, and student responses.…

Believes that graduate students can gain skills that will help them in the future by participating in the textbook writing process. Describes six activities for graduate students including preparing a text-reader for a course, writing a panel essay for a textbooks, and acting as a textbook intern. (CMK)

A study of women's employment in European call centers showed that "feminine" social skills (communication, interpersonal) are considered central to the work; women are concentrated in the lowest paying jobs; and the highly regimented work organization limits further skill development. On the other hand, women's competencies are valued…

Describes a controlled experimental study that examined the difference in one specific aspect of learning-development of critical thinking skills-that can be affected for adult students when presented with an educational product that features animation and interactivity. Results indicate the value of multimedia-enhanced educational products for…