The reliability and validity of a revised version of the Reading History Questionnaire was examined using 84 adults from an ongoing study of familial dyslexia and the parents of 107 children from a longitudinal study of reading development. The results indicated that the questionnaire (appended to the article) is both reliable and valid. (Contains…

This paper translates research findings on systematic preference assessment with individuals with nonsymbolic or limited symbolic communication skills into guidelines for planning such assessments to reduce the risk of missing or misinterpreting the person's preferences. It offers four questions for guiding the planning of preference assessments,…

This article reviews eight experimental studies on the effectiveness of cooperative learning as an instructional model for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). The studies' methodological strengths and weaknesses are noted. The paper concludes that the effectiveness of cooperative learning for improving the academic achievement…

Draws attention to the validity of the Oakland School Board's resolution on Ebonics and to the value of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)-based approaches to teaching standard American English to speakers of other dialects. Demonstrates validity of comparisons made between monodialectal speakers of African-American language/Ebonics and ESL…

College faculty who have successfully implemented small-group instruction address common concerns such as: reduced content coverage, reduced amount of learning, need for prerequisite learning, importance of solitary learning, colleagues' concerns, student resistance, logistics, evaluation, use of teaching assistants, and time requirements. (DB)

Adapted the scoring matrix, a method used to facilitate community participation in planning and monitoring development projects, to a university course in participatory resource management. Suggests the matrix is an example of how discipline-specific tools can be adapted to serve the dual purposes of promoting experiential learning of…

One of a series of articles on principles of good practice in legal education, this article focuses on the importance of encouraging student-faculty contact. Identifies benefits of such contact to students and barriers to student-faculty contact. Suggests some ways to remove barriers related to institutional support, time, gender or race, lack of…

One of a series of articles on principles of good practice in legal education, this concluding article offers comments of law students from six law schools to questions about barriers and enhancements to learning. The comments are related to each of the seven principles of good practice in legal education discussed in previous articles. (DB)

Describes an application of the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) to measure the effects of two ways to teach about German culture in beginning language courses. Qualitative analysis of results established that the treatment group, taught with constructivist, process-oriented tasks experienced significantly positive results on the CCAI…

Suggests five activities for the college classroom to stimulate discussion when students report results of small- group discussions to the class as a whole. The activities "newsprint dialogue," rotating small-group stations, "snowballing,""cocktail party," and "jigsaw" stress maximum student participation, interaction, and intellectual engagement.…

Describes "assigned conversations," a technique for inducing focused study of reading assignments outside of class by using them to structure cooperative learning in class. Individual students take responsibility for leading a class conversation about a portion of text. Application with both large and small classes indicated the method increases…

Members of a research panel of the Association of American Medical Colleges offer guidelines for the development and use of measures to assess contributions of faculty, departments, and institutions to the research mission of medical schools. Reviews measures most commonly used and concludes that quantitative information can help institutional…

Describes the development of the Statement of Relevance (SOR) for facilitating reflective learning. Discusses issues concerned with their use for assessment and outlines advantages of SORs, including the transferability of learning, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, developing skills of reflection, and raising the value of…

Examined the relationship between primary teachers' implementation of developmentally appropriate and traditional teaching methods and the mathematics achievement of general and special education students. Found that mathematics achievement was associated with a reported measure of instruction that emphasized mathematical processing and strategy…

Describes how experiential learning provides a context for developing work readiness in primary grades. Discusses how the competencies outlined in the SCANS Report (resource use, interpersonal skills, information utilization, knowledge of work-related systems, and technological expertise) can be applied in early childhood education. Details the…