The authors contend that the experimental psychology of mental retardation suffers from methatheoretical and methodological weaknesses, preeminently the failure to consider the ecology of mental retardation. (CL)

Offers a defense of the school play as a vastly underrated educational tool. Available from: Speech and Drama, Elizabeth Gradwell, Distribution Manager, The White Cottage, Allington, Chippenham, Wilts. (MH)

Disputed is the contention of P. Brooks and A. Baumeister (EC 092 551) that most mental retardation research is unsound due to insufficient attention to ecological factors. (BB)

Available from: National Center for Law and the Handicapped, Inc., 1235 North Eddy Street, South Bend, Indiana 46617. The general funding formula and preschool incentive grant formula for Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, is explained. (CL)

The shift of focus from teachers to curriculum has left supervision as a field struggling to find its place within its own professional organization. This article searches for a proper definition of supervision, highlighting scientific, developmental, and democratic approaches and exploring problems of perspective and common ground. Includes 48…

Demonstrates the use of a directed graph model as a tool for finding desirable minimum vocabularies to be used in indexing and information retrieval. The basic algorithm is outlined, possible enhancements to the model are discussed, and further research questions are suggested. (Author/CLB)

Describes features of Bliss Bibliographic Classification (BC2) that make it thesaurus-compatible and a source for thesaurus compilers: facet analysis, terminology source, thesaural relationship source, and updating ease. Problems with using BC2 as a thesaurus source are also considered, and two thesauri based on BC2 are described. (MBR)

Demonstrates that hierarchical naming schemes--one with a single namespace and fixed root spread over all machines in a distributed system, and a second with total namespace composed of some aggregation of individual namespaces of each component system's filestores--can coexist in distributed computer systems. Combined system's design is…

The gifted underachiever is considered in terms of definition, placement options, myths of giftedness, and instructional approaches. The article describes the usefulness of such techniques as exploratory process activities, use of interest areas, and rule application and stresses the importance of modifying the regular curriculum. (Author/DB)

The position paper (1981) of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities presents a revised definition of learning disabilities and identifies issues and concerns (such as the limitation to children and the exclusion clause) associated with the definition included in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (DB)

Argues that previous definitions of work and heat are inappropriate. Presents new definitions that are formulated using experimental quantities, claiming that they apply equally well to reversible and irreversible processes. Indicates some of the problems with earlier definitions and applies the new definitions to the First Law of thermodynamics.…

Presents a brief theoretical statement on definition and then discusses a study of the development of definition in children aged 5 to 10. The development of definition is characterized as the gradual articulation of a conventional definitional form out of more general forms of ordinary oral discourse. (NCR)

Reviews the problems of classifying gaming techniques and suggests a heuristic approach as one solution. Definitions of simulation, models, role, and game and play are discussed to help develop a classification based on a technique called gaming simulation. (Author/LRW)

When discussing discipline, educators must separate trivial-but-annoying discipline problems from serious or criminal behavior and define vague terminology. The school's informal and formal curricula, instructional styles, and scheduling must also be examined to determine when the school itself is at fault. Carbondale (Illinois) Elementary…