Ability grouping's positive aspects (improved self-concept, achievement, and individualization) affect students in higher ability groups, whereas its negative aspects (impaired student mobility, instructional quality, self-concept, and achievement) affect students in lower ability groups. To make ability grouping work for all students requires…

Evaluation of a personalized system of instruction (PSI) on the spelling performance of 10 behaviorally disordered elementary students found improved spelling accuracy, further improvement when same-day retakes were allowed, improved student attitudes, and student preference of the PSI spelling program over traditional approaches. (Author/DB)

Argues that personalized system of instruction (PSI) and other contingency managed methods of instruction are effective for teaching higher order cognitive skills. Answers critics claims that instructional delivery system is not responsible for course content. Notes that PSI has been used in courses requiring higher order skills. Reports that…

A study aimed to enhance the opportunities and access to literacy training for women with a non-English-speaking background. Options are proposed for the development of literacy skills from which learners and teachers can choose to suit their own needs. (Contains 20 references.) (LB)

Analyzes two studies in which undergraduates set deadlines for either nine course tasks or five course tasks in a personalized psychology course. Compares results of student-set (SS) and instructor-set (IS) deadline conditions. Shows students who met nine deadlines complied better with the testing schedule; students in SS deadline conditions…

Outlines the main features of competency-based education and compares three programs: Holland College, Prince Edward Island; Northeast Metro Technical College, Minnesota; and Richmond College, Victoria, Australia. Finds that adequate and updated resources and preparation and continuing development of teachers are necessary. (SK)

Distance education participants (n=35) at Athabasca University reported that (1) they averaged 5.96 hours per week studying; (2) they averaged 1 contact with tutors every 4 weeks; (3) their average motivation level was 4.23 on a 1-7 scale; and (4) they completed course events during only 40 percent of the weeks of the study. (SK)

Techniques to promote engagement in preschool children with special needs include rotating toys to maximize novelty, specifying engagement goals, and using individualized materials. Promoting engagement requires consideration of methods for determining engagement goals and ways to manage the logistics of the individualized program. (DB)

This review concludes that peer tutoring is a very powerful intervention for special education because it increases students' opportunities to respond, reduces teacher-pupil ratio, individualizes instruction, improves students' social skills, and increases students' academic achievement as well as aiding in the integration of disabled students…

Learners' preferred perceptual modalities--the means through which they obtain information--need to be considered in instruction design. Two strategies to individualize instruction are a multisensory approach and point-of-intervention approach. (SK)

Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech Center in Oklahoma serves adult and secondary students in the same classroom. Effective techniques for intergenerational classes include individualized learning activity packets, varied teaching methods, and peer teaching and mentoring. One challenge is accommodating the different learning-environment preferences of younger…

This article profiles the Rockwood School District, a district that has adopted a differentiated instruction to accommodate learning differences in children. Tiered assignments are described, along with the benefits of differentiation and the impact on student learning. Suggestions for educators wanting to develop a district-wide plan for…

Argues that standardized academic programs are seldom effective with students in detention facilities who have a wide range of academic skills, leaning problems, cultural backgrounds, and languages. Recommends an individualized and self-paced method of instruction that has proven successful in meeting the needs of this diverse group of learners.…

Argues that the regular classroom, with proper teacher training, is the most appropriate educational placement for most gifted students. Problems with alternatives, especially the pull-out approach, are noted as are advantages of the regular class setting such as greater curriculum consistency, continuity, and coordination. Training and…

Compares the knowledge content of GTE (Generic Tutoring Environment), a generic instructional knowledge base that facilitates dynamic pedagogical decision making, and PEPE, a computational framework for representing pedagogical knowledge to tailor instruction to an individual student. The courseware's interaction with the student and instructional…