Describes a grading system used in a college composition class that shifts the focus away from letter grades and toward continuous student progress. Describes how it is based on a personalized, flexible standard that challenges each student's particular skills as a writer, and encourages real improvement in student writing. (SR)

A carefully designed independent study program is a quick, efficient way to fill gaps, redeem mistakes, and create solutions for seemingly impossible problems. Success depends on understanding students' different situations, using proper supervision, requiring a paper trail, juggling multiple options, getting teacher support, and guaranteeing…

Adapted physical education (APE) makes whatever adjustments are needed to allow students with disabilities to participate in regular physical education classes. APE at Beaverton School District (Oregon) is described, as well as the individualized special physical education classes provided to children with severe disabilities. (SV)

A study of 67 sixth graders assigned to four instructional treatments examines the relationship between level of self-regulatory skills and type of instructional control in computer-based instruction. Results suggest that the level of students' self-regulatory skills was an important variable affecting the exercise of effective learner-control…

Synthesized the empirical research on the effects of social context (small group versus individual learning) when students learn using computer technology. Analyzed 486 independent findings from 122 studies involving 11,317 learners. On average, small group learning had more positive effects, but findings on both individual achievement and group…

Examined whether there was a significant difference in learner outcomes from the use of Arthur (Gilbert & Han, 1999), a computer-based adaptive instructional system that provides personalized instruction to each learner. Found that Arthur does provide a significant difference in learner outcomes. (EV)

Examines different cultural understandings of the individual that underlie Japanese and U.S. educational practices. Reviews existing literature on early education and the self in Japan and suggests the need for a distinction between individualism and individuality, with Japanese education tending toward a focus on individuality and U.S. education…

Studies have shown that when learning occurs in an environment that uses animated pedagogical agents and personalized instruction, the learner learns the material more deeply and can recall it easier when compared to learning without an agent. Thus, an effective learning system creates personalized contexts for each learner. The "one size fits…

The International School of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, which serves international students in preschool through middle school, focused a great deal of professional attention on differentiation. The administrators in Malaysian school, by making rounds of classrooms, raised teachers' awareness of differentiated instruction.

This study provides an analysis of case law concerning applied behavior analysis (ABA) for students with autism to determine outcome-related factors. The authors classified the 68 pertinent hearing/review officer and court decisions published in EHLR ("Education for Handicapped Law Report") and IDELR ("Individuals with Disabilities Education Law…

Personalized adaptive learning requires semantic-based and context-aware systems to manage the Web knowledge efficiently as well as to achieve semantic interoperability between heterogeneous information resources and services. The technological and conceptual differences can be bridged either by means of standards or via approaches based on the…

This article describes the foundations underlying the process of instructional differentiation for students with learning problems in mathematics and illustrates its application using a lesson that emphasizes the five Process Standards highlighted in "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics."

This paper addresses prospective policy relationships between health and physical education (HPE) and contemporary education policies. It specifically explores the opportunities and challenges that contemporary education discourses present for policy and curriculum development in HPE. Contemporary education discourses of lifelong learning,…

This historical account is told as a narrative from the authors' perspectives of Project Giant Step, which might be one of the most successful teaching-of-reading projects in history. There are a few purposes in telling this story. First, it is in times of chaos that real innovation can be made. It is then that people take chances and it is not…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of professional development on teachers' use of sheltered instruction. The participants included 23 teachers from the same elementary school who participated in all components of the study over a span of two years. Teachers demonstrated increased knowledge of sheltered instruction as measured…