Suggests using state and national seals as beginning points for middle school geography study. Notes that the emblems can serve as points of entry into the study of place. Highlights variation among in the amount of geographical information each emblem contains. Concludes that the use of emblems is a low-cost, high-interest teaching strategy. (SG)

Complains that no one learns a second language from studying it at school. Attributes this problem to the fact that no opportunity exists for conversation to reinforce what is being learned. Suggests working in rotated pairs to provide conversational practice. Calls for bilingual texts and lessons and for taking advantage of having bilingual…

An activity book presents arts and crafts projects for the special events and holidays occurring during November and December. The section includes class activities, student activity pages, and directions for making several kinds of bird feeders. (SM)

This study, involving four primary-aged students with moderate handicaps, found that the system of least prompts procedure was effective in teaching food words on a menu to students in a small-group instructional arrangement and that each student also acquired some secondary nontarget stimuli (such as food's approximate cost). (Author/JDD)

Two experiments with a total of 17 adolescents or adults with severe mental retardation evaluated the potential of exclusion procedures (selection of an undefined object in comparison with a defined object) as a means of training basic naming skills. Reliable exclusion and naming performance were demonstrated in nearly all subjects. (DB)

Principles of statistical process control are applied to a clinical setting through the use of control charts to detect changes, as part of treatment planning and clinical decision-making processes. The logic of control chart analysis is derived from principles of statistical inference. Sample charts offer examples of evaluating baselines and…

This article describes an orientation and mobility program serving 20 students with both developmental disabilities and visual impairments. It documents the low level of baseline behaviors and discusses program components, including the training staff, school environment adaptations, and individualized and community training techniques.…

A survey of 220 college human resource officers investigated the extent of use of search firms to recruit administrators. Only one-third of respondents had used them, primarily for development personnel, presidents, and vice presidents; use was primarily by private, nonprofit institutions and those with over 5,000 enrollment; and use resulted in…

Discusses potential benefits of audio and video teletraining as an effective tool for distance education in the Department of Defense. Teletraining needs assessment is addressed; instructional design techniques are discussed, including the use of lesson modules; and trainee involvement is considered. (LRW)

Describes a study of 69 community college faculty members' espoused and implicit theories of teaching, their methods of diagnosing and responding to problems in the classroom, and the relationship between theory and practice. Reports a significant relationship between espoused theories and diagnoses and actions. (DMM)

Explains how teachers can help students answer open-ended, interpretive, higher order essay questions. Students have difficulty with these questions because of a lack of exposure and skills and because they often omit key information they assume the teacher already knows. Focusing on key words in the questions can help students to write better…

Explains why performance tasks should be used for assessment in hands-on science programs. Lists guidelines to help teachers construct valid tasks for student or program evaluation. Illustrates the guidelines by discussing a chromatography task from the Second International Science Study test. (PR)

Presents four teaching suggestions: a thinking twist on the multiple-choice question; building active readers through debate; two-column response to literature; and motivating a soldier to form a reading habit. (SR)

This article highlights how instructional management differs from behavior management in terms of common practice, and demonstrates how an instructional strategy used to address persistent academic errors, called "precorrection," can be applied to change chronic problem behaviors. Seven basic correction and precorrection steps are…

A simultaneous presentation procedure to select reinforcers was implemented with two four-year-old twin boys who were developmentally delayed, noncompliant, and mute. Use of the procedure quickly and efficiently identified preferred reinforcers which were then used in an instructional task. (DB)