Discusses the experiences of a group of teachers sharing their everyday teaching activities through the use of sketch journals, journals inscribed with insights, and drawings gleaned from the classroom, as a means to gather information and help teachers reflect on their learning. Suggests that sketch journals helped teachers find natural ways to…

A study interviewed 15 teacher educators who have used case-based instruction (CBI) and have presented research on the topic. Perceived benefits of CBI included the development of generalizable skills by the students, while perceived barriers included the amount of time instructors needed to develop and use CBI. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Describes a qualitative study of student and tutor perspectives on the assessment of an innovative undergraduate course at the Open University (United Kingdom), which has employed an activity-based approach. Discusses the relationship between assessment, student participation, and the development of skills, and outlines the priorities for the…

Focuses on the effects of a program that taught cooperating teachers at the primary school level in the Netherlands coaching skills for teachers-in-training. Reports that the trained cooperating teachers were not rated higher than the untrained teachers, but the cooperating teachers saw the coaching conferences as positive for their own teaching…

Promotes the use of presentation software in psychology courses to teach students technological skills that prepare them for the future. Explains that many graduates in psychology are employed in other fields after graduation. Discusses the use of presentation software with a focus on poster preparation using Microsoft PowerPoint software. (CMK)

Described are the general problem-solving strategies and their nature and functions. The importance of integrating different types of general problem-solving strategies with content-specific teaching in mathematics classes is discussed. (KR)

Described is a practical examination that investigated the process skills of ninth grade students. Six hands-on test items are described. Included are the process test categories, the test room setup, and the major findings. (KR)

The "Topic Game" offers teachers in Great Britain a way to plan schemes of work, lessons, and activities for special needs students organized around themes and subthemes, and to build banks of cross-curricular projects cross-referenced with National Curriculum attainment targets. (Author/JDD)

Structured group therapy techniques were developed to foster mastery skill development and defense mechanisms in the treatment of eight sexually abused female children, aged six to eight. The techniques included development of intellectualization defenses through board games, cathartic exploration of feelings through art and storytelling, and…

Co-workers of three job trainees with mental retardation used coincidental training procedures while completing their own jobs. Coincidental training resulted in improved accuracy of salad-making skills, but skill acquisition was very slow; subsequently, a model and a quality-control check were added, resulting in higher performance levels. (JDD)

Differences in motoric and instrumental activity of daily living skills were compared between 1,442 people with autism and 24,048 people with mental retardation. Autistic children, age 5-12, had better developed skills than mentally retarded children matched by age and intellectual level. With increasing age, more developed instrumental skills…

Evaluated effectiveness of school-based social skills program. Middle school children (N=34) selected for behavior problems were assigned to social skills training or to a no-treatment control group. Assessed change by teacher, parent, and self-report measures. Findings suggest significant improvement in social activity and parental report of…

Reports findings from 2 studies investigating the social practice of book reading in the homes of 10 mainstream New Zealand families. Finds that with unfamiliar storybooks both adults and children aged 3 and 4 initiated insertions most often focused on the meaning of the immediate text rather than on print or illustrations. (KEH)

Describes a "scavenger hunt" approach to teaching research and critical thinking skills to high school and college students. Students are provided with lists of challenging questions, supporting materials (cartoons, quotations, odd facts and humorous excerpts), and clues for developing a research strategy. Examples of questions, clues…

Surveys research on teaching spelling and describes methods to help poor spellers. Proposes a short course using 20 minutes of class time three times a week to help students develop skills in the following areas: sensory development, mnemonic devices, word groups, phonics, and rules. (RS)