Resource-based learning (RBL) is one of the most useful, successful, and acceptable approaches to curriculum delivery, easily adapted to different styles of teaching and learning. It brings together all of the resource elements--tutor, learning resources, and student--into a learning partnership. Two essential aspects of RBL are its…

This handbook contains a collection of 10 essays on practical skills needed by correspondence educators. The emphasis is on the "how to" of home study. The scope of the handbook includes coverage of the major aspects of providing instructional and administrative service to students, from how to organize the student services department to…

Drawing from the literature and research on educational advising and student retention, this handbook provides practical guidelines on advising students, based on five propositions. The propositions are that: (1) educational advisement should be designed to provide accurate, consistent, accessible information for students concerning their progress…

This guidebook recommends methods for teachers to use to improve teacher-student interaction in the classroom, as a means of increasing student retention. Chapter I introduces eight major systems of classroom management which teachers may use as their values and the classroom situation dictate: "Behavior Modification,""Reality Therapy,""Discipline…

This document presents three papers on multicultural education in early childhood, followed by a selected ERIC bibliography on the same subject. The first paper, "Multicultural Approaches in Education: A German Experience," by Carmen Treppte, describes the development of Turkish Children and Mothers, a project designed to help…

The purpose of the documents in this series is to provide educators in Saskatchewan with practical and relevant guides to teaching and learning as a means of expanding or refining teaching repertoires. This publication explores individualizing for students, emphasizing that what the classroom teacher does depends on his/her abilities and beliefs…

This study seeks to identify classes of characteristics cited by education students (N=54) at the University of Botswana as contributing to the perceived effectiveness or ineffectiveness of their own primary school teachers. Respondents provided demographic information about themselves and the identified teachers, and they rank-ordered 14…

A study was done of recent district-initiated reform movements by analyzing different belief systems regarding schools and reform and by applying the analysis to a study of a district widely known for its leading role in implementing reforms. Belief System I is consistent with traditional organizational theory and top-down management. Belief…

Grounded in personal experiences of classroom teachers, this book discusses broad ideas concerning thinking and teaching of complex-level thinking, and the pragmatic realities of teaching thinking in the regular classroom. The book notes that creating the "thoughtful" classroom is akin to a journey of change from one style to another style of…

Whether two-way visual contact between an instructor and students would promote dialogue during teleconferenced instruction was studied, and the types of verbal dialogues that might be affected by two-way video contact were explored. The following three types of instruction were assessed: (1) Group A, teleconferenced instruction in which students…

This document describes a study that examined several factors to determine their influence on student social bonding to school, to peers, and to teachers. The study focused on factors related to students' personal and social backgrounds, school organization, and students' relationships with teachers and peers. Specifically, the researchers sought…

This paper discusses the importance of teaching social skills to children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) and the interrelationship between social skills and academic improvement. Goals and techniques for teaching social skills are identified, including: (1) improving the skill of compliance by setting reasonable…

This study examined five broad research areas related to first grade in Texas public schools: (1) characteristics of first graders; (2) teachers' views of children's readiness, behavior, and academic growth; (3) programs and practices used in schools and classrooms; (4) the relation of student progress in Grade 1 to student characteristics,…

New studies dispel the fear that high academic standards set up some students to fail or drop out. This research finds that raising academic standards has a positive impact for all students in the following ways: (1) students take more demanding courses, learn more, and score higher on tests; (2) nationwide, dropout rates are falling and high…

This study documents the struggles and successes of three Mexican American teachers over a 40-year period in the Alice Independent School District, Texas. In order to focus on the construction of the subjects' identity as Mexican American teachers, the interviews were transcribed and categorized into themes: parental influence, school experiences,…