Traces the preparation of communicative syllabuses for courses at the School of Language and Culture for Foreigners in Siena, Italy. In particular, the communicative acts chosen for study, the language skills to be developed, the cultural content, and the teaching activities are discussed. (32 references) (CFM)

It is proposed that both home and classroom reading activities influence writing skill acquisition. Relevant research in first- and second-language learning is reviewed and use of reading and independent reading to enhance writing skill acquisition is discussed. Extensive use of these activities in the French immersion classroom is recommended.…

Parents of three autistic boys (ages 7-8) were taught to use a time delay procedure to increase their children's appropriate spontaneous speech in naturally occurring daily settings. Results indicated that all children increased their daily spontaneous speech and generalized their speech to other locations and persons. (Author/JDD)

The paper outlines the development of a scale describing the progression of literacy skills, based on similar scales used in second-language acquisition. The scale is shown to have high reliability and appropriate criterion validity. Use of the scale to analyze student reading development is illustrated. Appended are descriptions of the scale's…

Discusses problems of communication apprehension (CA) among developmental students. Explains types of CA, reviews methods of individual assessment among developmental students, and describes a structured alleviation curriculum. Provides step-by-step instructions for employing the CA alleviation techniques of systematic desensitization, cognitive…

Suggests using classroom discussion as a tool in learning geographical concepts and critical thinking skills. Provides structure for preparing class discussion in small group environments. Considers direct student participation to increase the likelihood of long-term retention and interpersonal skills development. Presents an example of discussion…

Young children with low vision tend to experience delays in cognitive development, motor development, and social skills because of insufficient motivation and opportunities to explore their environments actively. This literature review explores the resulting difficulties in acquiring practical knowledge and spatial/environmental concepts,…

Researchers examined the effect of contextual variety on practice, retention, and transfer of the long and short badminton service in a college physical education class. Results indicated a practice schedule requiring students to change the plan of action from trial to trial facilitated retention and transfer of motor skills. (SM)

Discusses the positive transfer of computer-related skills to new computer tasks and reviews transfer-related literature to provide recommendations to facilitate better transfer of students' skills from introductory computer classes to future needs. Topics addressed include course goals, user interfaces, problem solving, and software. (Contains 60…

The performance of two students (ages six to seven) with mild disabilities was compared across two instructional conditions (Voice Plus Text versus Text Alone) as the students participated in daily computer-assisted instruction for development of reading readiness skills. Both students made fewer errors in the synthesized speech condition than in…

Eight adults with mild disabilities were successfully taught to write checks, complete deposit slips, and reconcile monthly bank statements using a personalized system of instruction which involved a self-paced manual, progression to new material only after demonstrating mastery of previous material, and repeated testing. (Author/JDD)

Discusses computer labs in schools and argues that they are not effective in integrating computers into the curriculum. Highlights include acquiring computer skills for computer-related classroom activities; the quality of courseware; and a case study of a sixth grade social studies lesson that integrated the computer into classroom activities.…

Describes the case study method as a form of simulation and presents guidelines for their use in professional training situations. Skill development in problem solving is highlighted as a reason to use case studies; steps in creating a case are outlined; and the effectiveness of case studies is discussed. (LRW)

Provides brief background details of the educational needs of Black South Africans. The methodology used in a second-language course in business English, the reactions of the students to the various teaching techniques, and the results attained in pre- and posttests are discussed. (eight references) (GLR)

Randomly assigned 52 black aggressive, rejected and nonaggressive, rejected children to receive social relations intervention or to be in nonintervention control group. School-based intervention for fourth-grade children focused on positive social skill training and cognitive-behavioral strategies. At posttreatment and one-year follow-up,…