Minilessons on two writing skills (use of adverbial phrases and possessives) were taught during whole group instruction in mainstream settings which included four sixth grade students with learning disabilities. Increases in the taught skills for three of the four students suggested the effectiveness of the minilesson approach. (DB)

Focusing on the definition of skill transfer, this article examines the relationship between research work on transfer and various curriculum initiatives designed to promote it. Competing theories of transfer are explored, examples from medical and scientific education are described, and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications core…

Addresses the importance of nurturing culturally literate individuals as a goal of the social studies curriculum. Suggests integrating studies of the global community through a thematic approach using concepts, knowledge, and skills. Provides examples of elements that will enhance multicultural knowledge, develop an ethical sense of stewardship,…

Twenty-eight regular and special education teachers surveyed indicated that they would like to teach more social skills but were constrained by limited resources and training. Teachers preferred proactive approaches over reactive responses and were about evenly split between wanting to conduct social skills instruction as a discrete content area…

Eighteen learning-disabled high school students who were provided with seven hours of instruction in keyboarding skills made significant gains in keyboarding speed. There were no differential effects between drill-and-practice and game formats on skill acquisition and attitudes, but the game format had a detrimental effect on continuing…

A study compared the performance of two groups of university students. One group (n=40) was taught calculus using a computer algebra system whereas the other (n=41) used paper-and-pencil computations. The computer group scored significantly higher than their counterparts on both a conceptual knowledge test and a calculus computational exam. (JJK)

This study demonstrated that 4 students (ages 6-12) with mental retardation or behavior disorders learned to treat abrasions, as indicated by pretest-posttest generalization probes conducted using nontrained injuries on the participants and another person. Skill acquisition data were roughly equivalent across two training programs (social modeling…

Two studies compared the effectiveness of different strategies for promoting generalization of staff skills in teaching self-care routines to clients with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that general case training was more effective at promoting generalized training effects than provision of written instructions, single case…

Eleven mothers with developmental disabilities who provided neglectful child care received parent training. The training (consisting of verbal instructions, pictorial manuals, modeling, feedback, and reinforcement) resulted in rapid acquisition and maintenance of child-care skills in all mothers. (Author/JDD)

Comparison of residential rehabilitation outcomes of blind clients with (n=45) or without (n=67) previous psychiatric diagnosis found no intergroup differences after rehabilitation in skill, attitude, and overall adjustment. All clients improved significantly during rehabilitation. (DB)

Simulation training and a prompt hierarchy were found to facilitate acquisition of clean intermittent self-catheterization skills by a four-year-old male with myelomeningocele. The child was first taught to perform catheterization on a doll, then on himself. Skills were clustered into three tasks of diapering, cleansing, and catheterization.…

Seventeen college undergraduates, possessing either basic or consolidated formal operations, received eight weeks of interpersonal skills training and pre- and posttraining assessments of social perspective taking and moral reasoning. Gains in moral reasoning were related to subjects' possessing prerequisite cognitive and perspective-taking…

Describes research on the intellectual impacts of education programs at a public two-year college and a four-year research university. Finds no significant differences in skill gains between the two- and four-year samples after controlling for precollege cognitive skills, age, and work obligations. (18 citations). (MAB)

The effects of independent living training programs for 1,498 people with developmental disabilities were examined. After seven years, individuals who had received greater amounts of independent living services and improved/maintained their independent living skills were more likely to still live independently. There was no relationship between…

A technique for teaching French grammar that involves reading, rereading, and analyzing the language in authentic materials is discussed. The student is led to recognition and generalization of structures in the text. Text examples used here include a comic strip and a publicity blurb for a French city. (MSE)