The effects of a skill remediation program designed to improve students' observational skills were studied with 132 sixth-grade students (66 in the experimental group) from 3 cultural groups in Nigeria. The remedial treatment, which included practical experiences, enhanced students' acquisition of observational skills. (SLD)

Discussion of goal-based scenario (GBS) learning environments focuses on a training module designed to prepare consultants with new skills in managing clients, designing user-friendly graphical computer interfaces, and working in a client/server computing environment. Transforming the environment from teaching focused to learning focused is…

Contends that history is a valuable part of the elementary curriculum because it provides skills and concepts that connect and enhance other school subjects. Concludes that history, if well taught, enhances children's natural creativity and prepares for thoughtful, contributing citizenship. (CFR)

The 4-year followup of 87 deinstitutionalized Australian persons (mean age of 21 years) with severe to profound mental retardation found that subjects showed a gain in 6 of 9 skill domains of at least 1.6 developmental years over that which would have been expected had they remained in the hospital. (DB)

Three nonvocal students (ages 5-8) with severe physical handicaps were trained in scan and selection responses (similar to responses needed for operating augmentative communication systems) using a microcomputer-operated video-game format. Results indicated that all three children showed substantial increases in the number of correct responses and…

Traces the preparation of communicative syllabuses for courses at the School of Language and Culture for Foreigners in Siena, Italy. In particular, the communicative acts chosen for study, the language skills to be developed, the cultural content, and the teaching activities are discussed. (32 references) (CFM)

It is proposed that both home and classroom reading activities influence writing skill acquisition. Relevant research in first- and second-language learning is reviewed and use of reading and independent reading to enhance writing skill acquisition is discussed. Extensive use of these activities in the French immersion classroom is recommended.…

Parents of three autistic boys (ages 7-8) were taught to use a time delay procedure to increase their children's appropriate spontaneous speech in naturally occurring daily settings. Results indicated that all children increased their daily spontaneous speech and generalized their speech to other locations and persons. (Author/JDD)

The paper outlines the development of a scale describing the progression of literacy skills, based on similar scales used in second-language acquisition. The scale is shown to have high reliability and appropriate criterion validity. Use of the scale to analyze student reading development is illustrated. Appended are descriptions of the scale's…

Discusses problems of communication apprehension (CA) among developmental students. Explains types of CA, reviews methods of individual assessment among developmental students, and describes a structured alleviation curriculum. Provides step-by-step instructions for employing the CA alleviation techniques of systematic desensitization, cognitive…

Suggests using classroom discussion as a tool in learning geographical concepts and critical thinking skills. Provides structure for preparing class discussion in small group environments. Considers direct student participation to increase the likelihood of long-term retention and interpersonal skills development. Presents an example of discussion…

Young children with low vision tend to experience delays in cognitive development, motor development, and social skills because of insufficient motivation and opportunities to explore their environments actively. This literature review explores the resulting difficulties in acquiring practical knowledge and spatial/environmental concepts,…

Researchers examined the effect of contextual variety on practice, retention, and transfer of the long and short badminton service in a college physical education class. Results indicated a practice schedule requiring students to change the plan of action from trial to trial facilitated retention and transfer of motor skills. (SM)

Discusses the positive transfer of computer-related skills to new computer tasks and reviews transfer-related literature to provide recommendations to facilitate better transfer of students' skills from introductory computer classes to future needs. Topics addressed include course goals, user interfaces, problem solving, and software. (Contains 60…

The performance of two students (ages six to seven) with mild disabilities was compared across two instructional conditions (Voice Plus Text versus Text Alone) as the students participated in daily computer-assisted instruction for development of reading readiness skills. Both students made fewer errors in the synthesized speech condition than in…