In child-centered education programs, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and caregivers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a…

The handbook is a compilation of current instructional and legal materials for teachers and planners to use in developing citizenship programs. Sections address these topics: the citizenship/naturalization process (English waivers and exemptions, potential problems, and advantages and disadvantages of obtaining citizenship); applying for…

This chapter reviews school-based drug abuse prevention curricula. Drawing on the most current research, the chapter identifies key elements of effective prevention curricula, noting that programs should (1) reflect proven prevention theory and research; (2) provide developmentally appropriate information about tobacco, alcohol and drugs; (3) use…

This handbook provides information, strategies, and techniques for developing and implementing successful work-based learning experiences. It is divided into five sections, each with 1-5 chapters that cover specific topics in detail. Section I, "What is Work-Based Learning?," considers what work-based learning is; presents a work-based…

This publication provides materials to assist in the individual career plan (ICP) process in grades 6-8. Suggestions are made related to career planning teams. Focus is on 12 key topics, all necessary for a middle-grade student to consider before developing an ICP. The topics are self awareness; self assessment; career information; exploration;…

Designed for learning managers in a vocational preparatory instruction (VPI) lab, this three-part Workplace Readiness module provides teaching strategies they can use with students to: identify vocational interest and aptitude in making career choices; demonstrate job acquisition and job retention skills; and apply Secretary's Commission on…

This journal (published twice a year) is a publication of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT), a nonprofit professional organization of language teachers dedicated to the improvement of language learning and teaching in Japan. JALT's publications and events serve as vehicles for the exchange of new ideas and techniques, and a means…

This newsletter presents four articles designed to help business educators educate learners in grades K-12 about personal finance. "Now More Than Ever: The Need for Financial Literacy" examines the following topics: evidence that the United States is becoming a nation of debtors; the plummeting personal savings rate; the increasing…

This guide presents writing-focused learning projects and accompanying inquiry activities to help students pass the language arts/writing portion of the General Education Development(GED) Test 2002. The Introduction relates GED as project to the writing portion of the GED and explains how inquiry activities used Official GED Reading Practice Test…

These proceedings of the 2002 annual RESNA (Association for the Advancement of Rehabilitation Technology) conference include more than 200 presentations on all facets of assistive technology, including concurrent sessions, scientific platform sessions, interactive poster presentations, computer demonstrations, and the research symposium. The…

Using adult learning theory, this quasi-experimental study, involving a convenience sample of senior student nurses (n=13) enrolled in an Interactive Television (ITV) Course at East Tennessee State University, evaluated the perceived importance of engaged learning activities used. Subjects completed pre-test, post-test, and reflective papers.…

In the communicative approach, English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners use scripted and unscripted language. In practice, scripted language is typically over-utilized at the expense of unscripted language. This study explores the characteristics of scripted and unscripted language in 11 beginner-level EFL students in a Japanese junior high…

This paper describes the teacher inservice training that was developed as the result of a technology needs assessment at two elementary schools in Quebec. The workshop was developed as an initial vehicle for enabling teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching. The six days of the workshop are sketched, and the materials used in the…

This report compares the thoughts and opinions of 106 National Scholars recognized by the Horatio Alger Association with those of a national sample of 2,250 adolescents 14 to 18 years old. The report summarizes findings "at a glance" in 11 categories: (1) schools; (2) student environment; (3) courses important for future success; (4) attitudes;…

This thematic unit was written by Michele Montas and Luz Cannon, middle school Spanish teachers, who were participants in a summer institute held at the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center in 2001. The institute, called "Temas Anejos: Recurring Themes in Ancient and Modern Latin America," brought together a talented group of professors.…