A study investigated effects of particular units of study on gifted elementary and middle school learners (n=2,189). The use of an integrated literature and writing unit produced significant gains for gifted learners in key aspects of language arts as assessed by demonstration of high-level thinking on performance-based measures. (Contains…

Describes science curriculum for elementary children which incorporated Vygotskian approach to development of students' ability to engage in persistent, systematic inquiry. Discusses three factors: (1) instruction began by introducing ideas that are central and general to the discipline; (2) students invented and adapted cultural tools for…

Claims one way to provide students with a powerful literacy is to structure an educational environment in which language is all encompassing. Describes the literacy program at Emerson Elementary Magnet School (Westerville, Ohio) as one such program. (NH)

Describes the process by which Cherry Hill, New Jersey teachers, in cooperation with parents, administrators, and other professionals, developed a curriculum for teaching "Huckleberry Finn" that successfully explores the controversial issues by embedding traditional teaching in a rich, historical, and cultural framework. Provides the…

There are relatively clear definitions of what is meant by authenticity in relation to language-teaching materials and texts; there is much less agreement about what constitutes authenticity of context and of task activity. Article explores different notions of authenticity in language classroom. A crucial point often overlooked is that the…

Education of medical students in the basic and clinical sciences must be integrated into a seamless curriculum over four years, team-taught by both a clinician and a basic scientist. Medical students must be able to perform an initial evaluation of a neurological complaint and know when consultation is needed. (Author/MSE)

This article discusses how regular classroom teachers can use high level curriculum as a catalyst for identifying and nurturing gifted students. It describes the characteristics of a differentiated classroom, how differentiation might look for advanced learners, why differentiated instruction is needed for advanced learners, and how parents can…

Considers how although some teachers might consider 7-year-olds too young to think about careers, experts suggest that occupational awareness activities begin in the primary grades. Concludes that teachers can help children prepare for the future by using literature to address career guidance in the early grades. (SG)

Defines the position of the Association for Childhood Education International on the role of kindergarten in a child's development. Provides specific information on the purpose of kindergarten, program goals, program content, program implementation, role of play, appropriate physical environment, textbook and material selection, kindergarten…

Argues, based on ethnographic data, that students use their literacy practices to form their identities within, and sometimes in opposition to, the figured worlds of school, work and family. Concludes that many students look to school to provide formal literacy experiences, but find their reading and writing passions at odds with the demands of…

Describes a project that restructured the curriculum of a remedial reading course to incorporate a critical literacy pedagogy, and which led to skill improvements for the students. Notes that the curriculum developed emphasizes the interrelatedness of processes of reading and writing as well as critical reading and writing within an academic…

In this project the researchers worked with Grade 6 learners and teachers on the Cape Flats of Cape Town, South Africa, to design a science module that builds on learners' experiences and responds to their needs. The project went beyond learning processes and contexts, to incorporate learners' purposes and interests, the circumstances of their…

In this commentary, the author identifies what, in her opinion, has been left out of the discussion of "scale up." She expresses particular concern that the rhetoric of scaling up, and the concomitant assertion of scientific underpinnings for programs brought to scale, may overstate the relation of the developers' programs and program materials to…

Educating for civic competence is an important societal mission of the community college. This chapter describes obstacles to and opportunities for the success of this mission.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate an innovative approach to embedding employability in the design of a university degree scheme using skill sets. Design/methodology/approach: The paper looks at conventional approaches to course design, which begin with the resources already available within the higher education institute. The…