This study used participant observation and interviews to evaluate the use of facilitated communication with two sixth-grade students with cognitive disabilities. Results indicated that facilitators provided a unique combination of support, tailored to individualized needs and including physical support, decision making, and negotiating of meaning…

Uses a "teaching as problem solving" perspective to examine the components of metacognition underlying the instructional practice of seven experienced and seven beginning secondary-school mathematics teachers. Data analysis of observations, lesson plans, videotapes, and audiotapes of structured interviews suggests that the metacognition of…

Interview and case-study techniques were used in an ethnographic-interpretive study of non-Western students. Findings indicate that in developing countries, enculturation into a Western school view involves an implicit devaluation of students' traditional world views which govern their village lifestyles. Concludes that a Western school view is of…

Presents an overview of current language policy and planning in Macao, as well as the language situation, especially in relation to language in education. The situation of four principal types of language-medium schools is also reviewed, with a view to assessing how efficiently these schools are achieving their proclaimed goals, and what problems…

Discusses a nonconfrontational approach to corporate diversity training based on Native American beliefs in the interconnectedness of all things. Don Coyhis' fourfold method of diversity training utilizes teachings, talking circle, healing circle, and cognitive self-change to help people see that dysfunctional behavior causes diversity issues and…

The potential for clinical-judgment errors in assessing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) makes this a good example for illustrating methods of debiasing and hypothesis testing. This article provides information about this frequently misdiagnosed disorder, delineates methods for assessment and treatment of OCD, and discusses implications of…

A diverse group of people, many from intentional communities, discuss what community means, physically, materially, and spiritually; what sustains communities; how they deal with conflict and change; the rewards of living in community; and how children are raised, educated, and supported by communities. (TD)

An interview with a mother and daughter living in an intentional community in New Hampshire explores how their choices about lifestyle have shaped them, how homeschooling worked for them, the role of other community adults in raising children, why the daughter left and later returned, and how community is more than proximity to other people. (TD)

Presents an interview that shares the perspective of North Carolina's governor, Jim Hunt, who was a founding member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). In the interview, Mr. Hunt offers insights on the role of states in National Board Certification and reflects on the future of the NBPTS. (SM)

Educator and author Tom Armstrong talks about events that influenced his radical educational philosophy; the interconnectedness of spirituality, culture, and the inner learner in all of us; the difficulty of linking spirituality to education in light of the First Amendment; attention deficit disorders and the medicalization of education; and the…

John Lewis, president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, discusses changes needed in principal training programs to reflect changes in schools, the shortage of principals, the difference between administration and teaching, the importance of collaborating with staff and students, school violence, the difference between…

Suggests that conversations about portfolio entries offer the best opportunity to grow, learn, and enhance teaching expertise as teachers develop from beginners to experts. Portfolios have emerged as an alternative form of assessment well-suited for formative and summative assessment of self and others and for elevating the dialog about teaching…

Presents guidelines for students attempting to find historical information about their school. Identifies and outlines a variety of sources and approaches. Students who apply these investigative techniques can develop a more thorough acquaintance with their school. In addition, they can employ these techniques in other areas of historical…

Analyzes an urban Ohio school board's decision regarding potential employment of a business firm instead of a traditional superintendent, highlighting the board's selection process and the nature of board/community interactions. The study used an interview guide format with five board members. The board chose not to hire a Minnesota-based firm for…

Used classroom observations and in-depth interviews to study first-grade teachers nominated as outstanding or typical in ability to help students develop literacy skills. Characteristics of teachers whose students demonstrated highest achievement included (1) coherent and thorough integration of skills with high-quality reading/writing…